When is the best time to buy a home? Important to time it right; almost half of buyers are millennials; national rental market was up 2.9 percent compared to one year ago; West Coast homeowners are more upbeat about selling; August listings in the Bay Area are up, up, up, more homes on the market....see more at link

What are the median down payments? they were at 15-year highs in 2018; Proposition 10 (November ballot) may suppress housing supply, read more at the link; Average equity gain for Calif homesellers is $48,000; Dip in San Francisco's median housing price, 6 percent in August, read more at link . . .

Generation Z plans on buying a home in next 5 years, Propertyshark Survey; minority neighborhoods have biggest equity gain in last 4 years; rising debt-to-income lender thresholds are helping some buyers to buy; mortgage rates are rising .... read more at link

Is rent control behind California's Housing Crisis? Home flipping is on the wane, prices up; Baby Boomers are staying put, not downsizing;

First time buyers have bought 985,000 homes this year!; California's unsold new homes are at a 6-year high;

Relocating job seekers has decreased overall since the 1980s; why does Proposition 5 (November ballot) restore fairness to the tax system? vote yes, but read more here; Half of rebound housing markets are in California; Housing market is still considered too lean, sales flat in some areas; delinquent mortgage payments lower than before recession, read more at link

The median value of the financial assets owned by Generation X households fell 20 percent from 2007 to 2010. The national median list price now rests at approximately $275,000 roughly 20 percent higher than in both March 2015 and March 2005.

It will take the average renter 7 years to save for a 20% down payment (but remember, 20% is not necessary to get a loan); The Ideal Age for First-Timers to Buy, more at link

Prices Up 7.89% from one year ago

Leasing homes has jumped , in 2016 one out of every 4 homes was a rental, contributing to a nationwide shortage of homes for sale; homeownership rate of under-35s fallen 8 percent since 2004; new apartment construction also bringing higher rents in same area;

Possible precedent for future decisions about development along the region’s growing Metro rail network.

Between 2010-2015, denser urban locations grew significantly faster than residential neighborhoods

San Diego has higher housing demand than supply; foreclosure starts rise in 43% of market including Los Angeles; $51,000 annual income in San Francisco is a very low salary per HUD; see more at link

Median house prices are at highest level since 2007

The coastal markets have a longer break even point for buying vs. renting

For California to become a more affordable place to live is for developers to build at rates not seen in at least three decades.

Rent control, buyer optimism about buying inspite of market increase, single women outbuy men in homeownership, see more at the link . . .

San Francisco owners converted to condos; rent control does not necessarily help those who would need it most, read from The Economist

Proposed California solar mandate could add $10,500 to cost of a house;

More land and cheaper, more government financing housing support are part of the reason buying a home was within reach of the average wage earner

Credit scores for one thing, so try to raise your score! It can be done!

Most landlords are the mom-pop type, not huge greedy corporations.

Activists are Pushing for the Ballot Vote

Major housing bill blocked in Sacramento; fierce competition on housing bids, median price highest in 10 years; what is FOMO? What has caused Bay Area's price explosion? What besides tech? Read more at link . . .

Why buying a house today is so much harder than in 1950; SB 827 tries to address the state’s longstanding shortage of homes and a push by climate regulators to build near mass transit through dramatically changing development rules, particularly in the state’s largest metropolitan area; How is affordability defined--certain percentage of your paycheck; multigeneral households, do you live in one? rising debt-to-income ratios affecting more buyers;

Buying a home isn't for everyone, segments of the generations want to rent; Good news (I think), Big investment firms have stopped gobbling up California homes; see all articles at the link . . .

Median Price in November: $530,920, see full report at link.

Median Price in November, 2017: $785,000; full report at download link

October, 2017, California Association of Realtors' economic report and market prediction for 2018, download full presentation here.

When is the best time to buy a home? Important to time it right; almost half of buyers are millennials; national rental market was up 2.9 percent compared to one year ago; West Coast homeowners are more upbeat about selling; August listings in the Bay Area are up, up, up, more homes on the market....see more at link

Difference between 7% vs. 3.3%?

See a chart for both.

What are the costs of buying, and which areas have the most monthly savings?