The Trulia.com Heatmap: Santa Clarita

On the Caravan: Five Homes in Santa Clarita's Canyon Country

While real estate agent (and blogger) Linda Slocum was whisking us to five open houses this morning, the temperature was rising to 101 degrees. It's hot in Canyon Country. Think about a pool.

Listings:

--19003 Fairweather St.: White's Canyon: 4-bedrooms, 2 baths, 1,144 SF, granite in kitchen, pretty lawn, converted garage, above-ground pool. $449,000.

--19535 Fairweather St. (pictured): 3-bedroom, 2-bath, 1,598 SF with in-ground pool, nice curb appeal on tree-lined street. Was in escrow, fell out. $525,000.

--17235 Crest Heights, off Sierra Highway: Mediterranean "showcase home," built in 2004 with beautiful mountain views, 5 bedrooms, 3 baths, huge kitchen, 3,660 SF. $785,000. Was listed early last year at $889,000 -- based on a neighborhood comp that proved misleading.

--17370 Sierra Sunrise: Same development as above, 5 bedrooms, 3 baths, 3,300 SF, $770,000.

--27102 Buckskin Lane: Golfer's delight in gated Robinson Ranch, 5 bedrooms,  6 baths, 4,681 SF Colonial-style with stadium kitchen, built in 2005 on large (24,398 SF) lot. $1.699 million.

Comments? Thoughts?
Photo Credit: www.danapope.com

Micro-Market Snapshot: In Santa Clarita, Buyers Are "Cautious," "Confused"

The temperature flirted with triple digits today in Santa Clarita, but the real estate market is nowhere near as warm. New homes are still being built, buyers still come north from the San Fernando Valley because their money buys more house here, but the buses of investors -- yes, they came up in buses two years ago to snap up new houses -- have stopped coming. If a home isn't new, it will often sit on the market.

"One home will go on the market and get an offer in two days. Another will sit for a year," real estate agent (and blogger) Linda Slocum told us. Traffic is down at open houses, and in some cases, prices are too: a 2 1/2-year-old five-bedroom Mediterranean (pictured) was listed a year ago at $889,000, a price based on a comparable sale in the neighborhood that proved misleading. The house didn't sell and is back on the market, this time priced at $785,000.

"Buyers are more cautious," Linda tells LA Land. "People aren't as anxious to buy as they were. And sellers are frustrated that they can't get the price that they want."

Multiple offers are down but not gone: "Even for lower-priced condos we still see some multiple bids -- not four or five bids, but two or three," Linda says.

One snag in the market: unrealistic pricing by sellers, who hold on to older comps and hope to get them. "Sellers are still thinking about what their neighbor's house sold for eight months ago," Linda says. "Sorry, it's not eight months ago."