The Contractors State License Board (CSLB) is alerting California consumers who are considering hiring a painter, landscaper – or any other type of construction contractor – that it is illegal to ask for or accept a down payment of more than 10 percent of the total home improvement contract price of $1,000, whichever is less.
California Home Prices Near 4-year High
California home sale prices came close to a 4-year high in July, with the pace of sales year-over-year growing for the fourth month in a row, the California Association of REALTORS® reported.
The median home price in July for an existing single-family home was $333,860 last month, up 4.2 percent from $320,540 in June and nearly 13 percent from a year ago, when the median home price in California was $296,160.
Historically Low Inventory
Per Realtor Magazine, the following metro areas have seen the largest drops in inventories of for-sale homes in the past year (July 2012 compared to July 2011):
1. Oakland, California -59.30%
2. Fresno, California.: -47.81 %
3. Bakersfield, California -44.71 %
4. Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, Washington -42.23 %
Mid-Century Hillside Home Sold!
On a clear day you can see the grass on the Channel Islands from this beautiful contemporary home located in mid-town Ventura! The bricks used on the home were once part of the Ventura High School Auditorium that it overlooks. The home features four bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms, a large living room and a terrific backyard filled with wonderful landscaping and fruit trees.