Back in Air

A view of approximately 10 new homes being built. It is rare to see much building here in the central valley of California these days, but I think this is a part of the Mission Possible campaign. Looks like the big bird hatched a few.

Needs a Little TLC

This is a foreclosure, in Phoenix, for $450,000. The inside needs just as much work as the outside. No upgrades, basic, needs new flooring, paint, etc. It is filthy inside and out. The only plus is that it is in a nice area on the outskirts of Phoenix.

Not a bargain in my book. Rots of ruck!

Scholors or Scholars?

You can rent a one bedroom attic space, that you cannot stand-up in, in Santa Barbara for $650. Here is the link. Here is what the ad says:

"Attic room for rent in down town house 2 blocks from Paseo Nuevo. For one person only, to share with two Grad students . These are serious scholors who seek a clean quit responsible individual.This is not a party house by any means So if thats your intent please do not respond. Laundry machine and share one downstairs bathroom , no smoking, no pets. $800 deposit. Available sept 1st."

I hope the serious scholors didn't type this ad. If so, they need a refund.

Bird Poo House

Please pardon the weeds...

and the bird poo.

Zillow Information on this house:

Sale History
04/04/2007:	$283,500
05/18/2006:	$400,000
08/17/2005:	$357,000

Another One Bites It

Another one bites the dust.
This yard looked nice about three months ago. This is actually a duplex. Two years ago each side sold for approximately $371,000. Today, I think they'd be lucky to get $200,000 each, but that's just my opinion and you know what "they" say about opinions. Everyone has one, what's yours?

I could blog all day long about foreclosures in the central valley of California. There is a seemingly endless parade of them.

Breaker-breaker 1-9

Williams, Arizona, along Interstate 40, $374,900. Semi-truck whizzin' by in the background...priceless.

A nice little town with pretty mountains, pine trees, snow skiing in the winter, blue skies, and close to Flagstaff, Arizona.

Still...way too much to pay for living next to an interstate. However, if you are interested, it has 2330 square feet, 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, oversized 2 car garage, gas fireplace, and is "move-in ready." If you financed the entire amount, at 7%, your mortgage payment would be approximately $2500/mo. before taxes, etc. Not that you can get that deal anymore! Putting 20% down only lowers your payment by $500/mo. Not many people have that much to put down these days, and if they did they would probably be smart enough to look for a home away from an interstate. Maybe.

As a side-note: you could rig up your CB radio and talk to truckers when you're bored.

Worlds Apart

Million Dollar Home in Desert Hills/Lake Havasu City, Arizona

With a nice view...

of an Arnold Palmer golf course

Only two minutes away from the poor folk.

Maybe these poor folk will be "movin' on up" one of these days?

Paradise Trails?

If you would like to live near the UFO mansion, then Paradise Trails is for you. Located off of historic Route 66 (Interstate 40), this house can be yours for $219,000. The other three homes in this yet to be developed subdivision go from $169,000 to $209,000. On the glass half full side, these are half-acre lots. I'd also venture to say you won't have any neighbors for a good long time...maybe in your lifetime.

Here is their website: www.paradisetrailsaz.com

I think they could use your help if you are interested in a vacation home maybe? You're only 45 minutes from Lake Havasu, 20-30 minutes from Kingman, and five minutes from the UFO mansion.

Arizona's Caught Me By Surprise

I love Arizona...

This home, in Cave Creek, Arizona, is on the market for $850,000. It is a higher elevation, approximately 1500 to 2000 ft, so it is not super hot. You are basically paying for the view, which is awesome. Cave Creek is a small town north of Phoenix that is well kept and inviting. You can ride a horse right through downtown just like the old cowboy days. They have done a tasteful job developing the town. It isn't your typical cheesy tourist trap. A lot of locals enjoy the area too.

When it rains, it rains good. There are a lot of washes to channel the rain water, and it is not unusual to have to wait until the washes clear to get home. If you have never smelled a desert rain, you are missing out. It is out of this world.

A picture paints a thousand words
But the photographs don't tell it all
I see the eagle swim the canyon sea
Creation yawns in front of me
Oh Lord, I never felt so small

And the mountains sing Your glory hallelujah
The canyons echo sweet amazing grace
My spirit sails
The mighty gales are bellowing
Your name
And I've got nothing to say
No, I've got nothing to say

from Nothing to Say
by Andrew Peterson

UFO House

Somebody actually lives here. If you step onto the property you will be shot, so say the warning signs. Being that it is located on Route 66/Interstate 40 in Arizona, I wouldn't take that threat lightly. It is all by itself in the middle of nowhere. At first I thought it was a crazy roadside attraction, but some jackball really lives there. I don't know...but I think this guy could be a conspiracy theorist of some sort. I'm just sayin'...this is America...you can draw your own conclusions.

Does anyone know the story on this place?

This Should Be Interesting

One of my commenters had a good idea, so here it is. You can check out her blog, Telecommuting Millionaire?, here.





Why don't you invite others to take pictures of homes that can't sell and send them in to you. With comments. You can add your comments as well. Make sure they tell you all they know about the property. Where it is located, how long it's been on the market, etc.



So if you have any good pictures from your area on the housing market, send them along with an explanation to me at icantsellmyhouse@yahoo.com.

Save the Sheeple

The Sheeples are being driven from their homes by foreclosure.

Seriously, all kidding aside, I do feel bad for people who are facing such a big monster. Here are some tips from HUD for avoiding a foreclosure. If you are going through this right now, whatever you do, don't give up. Live your life one day at a time, and try to make good choices each day. Eventually you will come through a stronger and wiser person.

Let's Go Swimmin'!

Notice the house on the lower right hand side. The spoiled rotten bratts in this household (kidding!) must have really wanted to have a swimming pool. Yes, that is a pool on the SIDE of the house. Why, I have never seen an inground pool on the side of a house!!! Wait, is that the backyard or a side yard? To me it does not matter because there is NO YARD!!!

I really am kidding about the kids, because every kid should have a pool on the side of their house if they wish. It's good for their self-esteem, and getting them used to neighborly competition.

Sold?

I was able to find some new construction going on, and all but one of these had a SOLD sign in front of them. I'm wondering if they will be still be sold because of tighter lending practices. This was part of the 100 homes sold in 10 days program they had a few weeks ago. Looks like it was a huge success.

Room to Grow

This shows how much land was subdivided for building, but I do not think it will be developed anytime soon. Talk about dusty!

NO BAIL OUT

Until just recently, credit was easily available through multiple lenders from around the world. Buyers were not buying homes to raise families, and lenders were not lending money to add stability to their communities. Families with only one child were buying 3500 sq foot homes with 5 bedrooms 3 baths and a three car garage on a postage stamp lot (had to throw that in there).

What are bank lenders and borrowers thinking? Wake up people. Live within your means. Adjustable does not mean stay the same. It means it can change, and will change. Now these people are considered victims, and when I turn on the news people are crying “BAIL ME OUT."

From the big banks of the world, to small families, everyone is looking to Uncle Sam to bail them out of a jam. I don't know what the answer is, but I hope that the government's solutions will be for the long-term stability of this great nation and not just a reward for those who have played the system.

We, the hard working and responsible of this nation, are being taken for a ride. Every time a handout is given to reward lying and cheating more dirt is thrown in the hole. Before long, the hard working people will be buried alive, and you will have a nation of sheeple.

The government “BAIL-OUT” program is not the answer. I'm just sayin'...

Foreclosure Drive

An article on Boston.com, regarding the California real estate market, states:

A report last week by DataQuick Information Systems pointed to additional trouble. The real estate trend tracking service tallied a record 17,408 homes in the state falling to foreclosure in the second quarter.

While a fraction of California's 8.4 million residential properties, the foreclosures marked a jump of nearly 800 percent from a year earlier, propelled by markets awash in subprime loans.

You can read the entire article here. Another interesting article on Southland home sales can be found here.

No, Really?

No, Really?

I really don't think we need a sign to tell us what we already know about this house. The yard says it all, but this is the first sign of admission I've seen around here.

In this part of the country, San Joaquin Valley, banks are not offering any deals on foreclosed houses. In fact, often they are higher than Joe Citizen down the street who takes care of his house and yard. No wonder banks are crying about how much they are hurting. If you do shady business, you get shady results.

During the flipping days, this is what you would look for, because you could put money into it and turn around and make a profit. Who wants to pay top dollar for something that is going to have to be fixed up?

The Well Has Run Dry

Houses aren't the only things that suffer during a foreclosure, pools do too.

A public service announcement from I Can't Sell My House.

Have any suggestions of what you would like to see on this blog? I need some new inspiration, and am open to your ideas.

To the anonymous person who wanted to know the location of the homes I am posting about...most of these homes are in the San Joaquin Valley of California. Some are in the mid west as well, but you'll have to look further back to see those.

A few people have stated that it looks like desert here. I wouldn't call it desert, but it is dry in the summer months. There are a lot of dairies and almond/walnut orchards, vineyards, and fruit orchards in this area. It is situated in between the coastal mountains and the Sierra Nevada mountains. It does not rain in the summer...most of the rainfall is in the winter and that is when it greens up. We're within 1-2 hours of the beach and 1-2 hours of the mountains and snow skiing, etc. There is a shortage of water, and the Govenator has said we will be in serious trouble if we don't have an above average rainfall/snow pack this coming winter.

To answer another question, I get almost all of my aerial photos from a remote control plane with a digital camera on it. Sometimes I go up flying in a full scale plane, but that costs money.

Thanks to everyone for stopping by and leaving comments. I enjoy reading them.

Needs a Little Polish

This little gem can be yours for $365,000. All it needs: new carpet, paint, a couple of windows replaced, picket fence tear down/replace, new landscaping front and back, exterior paint, and a good cleaning. OR...you can drive two miles down the road and buy a brand new one in the same price range.

Ghost House

Que the deserted ghost town western music...

It just keeps getting worse. How do banks expect to get top dollar for their foreclosed properties when they all look like this? And believe me, they're still asking top dollar.