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This week’s Santa Ana real estate update

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Redfin is reporting that the median price of a home in Santa Ana this week is $675,000. On average it takes 46 days to sell a home in Santa Ana.

Santa Ana, CA was a seller’s market last month, which means that there are more people looking to buy than there are homes available, according to Realtor.com.

Here are a few of the more interesting current listings of homes for sale in Santa Ana, courtesy of Redfin:

  • 1226 W 2ND St., Santa Ana, CA 92703 – $599,999 – Two houses in 1. Lot located in the heart of Santa ana, near Santa Ana College. The front house has 3 bedrooms included 1 master bedroom and 2 full bathrooms which total 860 square feet. It features a nice open living space with newly remodeled entire house.
  • 2103 N. Ross St., Santa Ana, CA 92706 – $875,000 – In the heart of Floral Park, this Historic English Tudor, known as the “Rowell House, ” is full of charm!  Three bedrooms and two bathrooms and a pool.
  • 250 E. Jeannette Lane, Santa Ana, CA 92705 – $549,000 – This Beautiful, barely lived in townhome is located in the desirable City Place community and is walking distance to local markets, dining and Main Place Mall, St. Joseph’s Hospital and easy access to the 5, 57 and 22. Two bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms.
  • 921 S. Diamond St., Santa Ana, CA 92704 – $590,777 – SINGLE FAMILY HOME 1,324 SQ. FT. SITTING ON A 6,200 SQ. FT. LOT: 4 BEDROOMS, 2 BATHROOMS, 2 CAR GARAGE, LAUNDRY HOOKUPS IN GARAGE, LIVING ROOM WITH FIREPLACE, KITCHEN WITH BREAKFAST AREA, COVERED PATIO UNPERMITTED BUT USED AS A DEN AND OFFICE.
  • 711 W. 1st St., Unit E-204, Santa Ana, CA 92701 – $290,000 – Great opportunity for owner occupied buyer or investment in the Heart of Downtown Santa Ana. This 2 Bed 2 bath units is located on the 2nd floor and very accessible to all areas of the community.

For more interesting local listings click here.

If you are thinking of selling your home during this COVID-19 crisis here are a few tips from realtor Jason Isley of Seven Gables:

  • Produce high end video tours of your home – these are an essential marketing tool
  • Buyers must sign a COVID-19 form, pre-approval letter and proof of funds to close in order to enter any property
  • Booties and masks are mandatory during all showings and sanitizing practices are essential after all showings
  • Use targeted marketing ads on social media such as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube
  • Staging – The last step of selling your home is to stage your home properly and effectively with the buyer in mind. While staging your home, it is recommended to de-personalize the space so that potential buyers can envision their furniture in the area. It is also extremely important to thoroughly clean your home and to de-clutter the space being shown. Additionally, you have the option to patch and repair minor imperfections as to not distract from the overall appearance of your home. Adding splashes of light with open blinds and freshness of well-placed plants will also help to bring life to the home. 

If you are a local realtor and would like to advertise to our readers let us know! We can place your ad here! Email us.

Top homes for sale in Santa Ana this week

Posted on by Posted in Housing, Orange County, Real Estate, Santa Ana Leave a comment

The typical home value of homes right now in Orange County is $793,652. Orange County home values have gone up 6.7% over the past year and will rise 10.0% in the next year, according to Zillow.

Redfin reports that 3,075 homes were sold in Santa Ana last year at a median price of $799,000 and a median 42 days on the market.

Here is how much homes are selling for, on average, in other Orange County cities around Santa Ana, per Realvals.com:

  • Anaheim, $624,864
  • Buena Park, $546,609
  • Costa Mesa, $859,747
  • Fountain Valley, $777,425
  • Fullerton, $714,448
  • Garden Grove, $566,686
  • Irvine, $1,190,634
  • Orange, $734,715
  • Tustin, $847,259

Here are some of the current top home listings in Santa Ana, courtesy of Redfin:

  • 1615 W Pomona St, Santa Ana, CA 92704, $1,433,000, Listing
  • 1619 W Pomona St, Santa Ana, CA 92704, $1,433,000, Listing
  • 13871 Deodar St, Santa Ana, CA, 92705, $1,399,000, Listing
  • 1915 N Flower St, Santa Ana, CA, 92706, $1,399,000, Listing
  • 313 S Broadway, Santa Ana, CA, 92701, $1,399,000, Listing
  • 2121 W Myrtle St, Santa Ana, CA 92703, 1,200,000, Listing
  • 1121 French St, Santa Ana, CA 92701, Listing
  • 1309 W Sixth St, Santa Ana, CA 92703, $1,199,900, Listing
  • 13022 Painted Pony Ln, Santa Ana, CA 92705, $1,180,000, Listing
  • 1009 N Parton St, Santa Ana, CA 92701, 1,175,000, Listing
  • 2339 N Towner St, Santa Ana, CA 92706, $1,174,999, Listing

We will be writing a weekly post featuring top homes for sale in Santa Ana. Next week we will look at a few more homes, other than those noted above.

With home sale prices going up in Santa Ana will you be one of those selling your home so you can move to a lower cost state?

Attention Real Estate agents – you can post an ad on this page. Click here to email us if you are interested.

Two O.C. men sentenced for roles in $3.5M Santa Ana loan modification scam

Posted on by Posted in Crime, Federal Government, Fraud, Justice, Orange County, Real Estate, Santa Ana Leave a comment

SANTA ANA, California – Two Orange County residents were sentenced late this afternoon – with one being ordered to serve 12 years in federal prison – for their key roles in businesses that offered bogus modification programs to homeowners struggling to pay their mortgages in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.

The two defendants who were associated with the Santa Ana-based company U.S. Homeowners Relief and several related businesses participated in a long-running “advance fee” scheme that caused more than 1,600 homeowners to suffer over $3.5 million in losses. Many victims lost their homes in subsequent foreclosure proceedings.

Aminullah “David” Sarpas, 37, of Irvine, was sentenced to 144 months in federal prison after being convicted by a jury in April 2019 of 10 counts of conspiracy and mail fraud.

Samuel Paul Bain, 40, of Tustin, was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty in 2016 to conspiracy and mail fraud.

The two men – who were co-owners of U.S. Homeowners Relief, Greenleaf Modify, Waypoint Law Group, and American Lending Review – were sentenced by United States District Judge Cormac J. Carney.

Sarpas and Bain established U.S. Homeowners Relief in late 2008, using it and the subsequent companies to offer programs that falsely offered to help distressed homeowners obtain modifications of their mortgages. Sarpas and Bain initially marketed the programs themselves, but they also used TV, radio and internet advertisements, as well as a team of telemarketers to entice victims. Homeowners who agreed to participate – based on false claims, including that the companies had a 97 percent success rate in obtaining loan modifications that dramatically reduced monthly mortgage payments – were charged an advance fee ranging between $1,450 and $4,200. In short, the scheme “compounded these homeowners’ financial woes by inducing them to dig the hole they were in even deeper,” prosecutors wrote in court documents.

There were two other defendants named in a 2014 indictment. One man was acquitted of all counts. The fourth defendant – Louis Saggiani, 70, of Huntington Beach, pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced in October.

The investigation was conducted by the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Office of the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP) and IRS Criminal Investigation.

This matter was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Ryan G. Adams of the Santa Ana Branch Office and Assistant United States Attorney David H. Chao of the Major Frauds Section.

Suspect sentenced in $2 million mortgage fraud scheme in Southern California

Posted on by Posted in California, Crime, Fraud, Real Estate, Xavier Becerra Leave a comment

SAN DIEGO – California Attorney General Xavier Becerra today announced the sentencing of Andrew Valles for operating a $2 million mortgage fraud scheme throughout Southern California. Today, Mr. Valles was sentenced to 13 years in state prison. Restitution was ordered in the amount of $2,342,957. Co-defendant Arnold Millman was previously sentenced to a state prison term of three years and four months.

“These con artists stole the life savings of decent Californians who thought they were making a smart decision for their homes and their families,” said Attorney General Becerra. “These actions will not be tolerated. My office will continue to identify, investigate, and prosecute those who prey on hardworking Californians to line their own pockets.”

The scheme occurred between 2012 and 2017. The defendants conspired using a fake insurance company, “SafeCare,” which promised to provide home loan services at a low monthly price to primarily Latino and African American families. During this time, the defendants would delay foreclosures and eviction actions by filing false bankruptcy and other court documents under fictitious names. They would instruct victims to deposit illegal advance fees and other large payments into a bank account controlled by the defendants. When the promised loan did not come through, they would proceed with the fabricated filings. The scheme took place in San Diego, Riverside, Orange, Los Angeles, and San Bernardino Counties.

The sentencing and guilty pleas are the product of a joint investigation by the California Department of Justice, the California Department of Insurance, and the Federal Housing Finance Agency Office of the Inspector General (FHFA-OIG). A third codefendant, Jemal Lilly, pled guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on September 4, 2019.

The OCDA Public Administrator is auctioning six homes on March 30

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HOMES FOR BID:OCDA’S PUBLIC ADMINISTRATOR’S OFFICE TO SHOWCASE SIX HOMES FOR AUCTION

SANTA ANA, Calif. – The Orange County District Attorney-Public Administrator’s Office will hold its first live property auction since 2016, auctioning off six probate residential properties at the District Attorney’s Office, 401 Civic Center Drive West, Santa Ana.

Doors open at 8:00 a.m. for bidder registration. Bidders are required to bring a $10,000 cashier’s check in order to be able to bid on one of the properties.

Photos, videos and details of the properties to be auctioned off can be viewed on the Public Administrator website:

https://cms.ocgov.com/gov/pa/div/realproperty/auctions/default.asp

Public Auction of Public Administrator Properties

March 30, 2019

Registration begins at 8 a.m.

401 Civic Center Drive West

Santa Ana, CA 92701

*FREE PARKING ACROSS THE STREET

Open houses will be conducted for prospective bidders to view the homes prior to auction two days prior to the auction date. The properties will be open to viewing on March 27-28, 2019, during the hours of 9 a.m.-11 a.m. and 1 p.m.-3 p.m.

Please contact the Public Administrator’s Office at 714-834-6152 to confirm list and times properties are open to viewing. Prospective bidders are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity to examine and inspect the conditions. Properties will be sold as-is.

The Orange County District Attorney-Public Administrator is appointed by the court to act as administrator of decedent estates when no qualified person can be appointed, for a variety of reasons. The administration process consists of marshalling and liquidating assets belonging to the estate and carrying out the terms of any will or intestate succession. The value from sale of estate assets does not go to the State of California, but instead goes to the legal heirs and creditors of a decedent. It is extremely rare that someone has no heirs and that the value of their estate “escheats” to the state. It is not uncommon that heirs are eventually found who may be distant relations of the deceased.

Bidder instruction and disclosure documents are available for download on the District Attorney/Public Administrator website. For additional information please contact Matt George, Property Manager at matt.george@da.ocgov.com.

Will Santa Ana’s residents benefit from the proposed housing development at 2525 Main St.?

Posted on by Posted in Development, Housing, Planning, Real Estate, Santa Ana 3 Comments

One of our readers asked us recently what the financial benefits of the proposed 2525 Main St. Residential development would be to the people of Santa Ana.

We carefully reviewed the project’s Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and the recent memo by the City of Santa Ana’s Planning staff to determine the benefits to our city’s residents, which partially include: Continue reading→

The new MainPlace Mall will include hotel rooms, apartments and offices

Posted on by Posted in Development, Housing, Planning, Real Estate, Santa Ana 2 Comments

Shopping at the MainPlace Mall is pretty sad now as they have so many vacancies. I was thrilled yesterday to see that See’s Candies is back, at least as a limited time kiosk, but the mall is now replete with discount retailers who sell shoddy clothing, for the most part.

But help is on the way. The new owners of the MainPlace Mall are going to develop their parking lots and their plans include: Continue reading→

The City of Santa Ana is focusing on building safety this month

Posted on by Posted in Civic Affairs, Development, Housing, Planning, Real Estate, Santa Ana Leave a comment

City of Santa Ana

Community: May is Building Safety Month

SANTA ANA, CA – To help raise awareness of building safety, the City of Santa Ana proudly celebrates “Building Safety Month” during May. Building Safety Month is a public safety awareness campaign to help individuals, families and businesses understand what it takes to create safe, resilient, affordable and energy-efficient homes and buildings. This year’s theme is: Building Codes Save Lives. Additional information available at: http://www.ci.santa-ana.ca.us/pba/buildingsafety/BuildingSafetyMonth.asp Continue reading→

The City of Santa Ana has updated its Down Payment Assistance Home Loan Program

Posted on by Posted in Banking, Civic Affairs, Real Estate, Santa Ana Leave a comment

City of Santa Ana

Community: City Of Santa Ana Down Payment Assistance Loan Program/ Préstamo de Asistencia Para Pago Inicial de Casa

The City of Santa Ana is pleased to announce an update to the Down Payment Assistance Loan Program that provides special financing to purchase your first home. The Program offers zero percent, deferred payment loans of up to $80,000 for Low Income Households and up to $40,000 for Moderate Income Households. In addition, the new “Returning Student Incentive” offers $10,000 in loan forgiveness every five years up to $40,000 maximum loan forgiveness to 4-year college graduates who graduated from a high school located in Santa Ana. Continue reading→

The City of Santa Ana is offering down payment assistance to first-time home buyers

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City of Santa Ana

Community: Down Payment Funds Available Now / Fondos De Pago Inicial Disponibles Ahora

The City of Santa Ana offers assistance to first-time home buyers – up to $40,000 with 0% interest rate.

The requirements for down payment assistance include the following: Continue reading→

New “affordable” housing starting at over $400K now available in Santa Ana

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City of Santa Ana

Community: New Affordable Homes Now Available / Nuevas Viviendas Económicas Disponibles Ahora

The City of Santa Ana promotes housing that is affordable to a range of households across varying income levels by requiring certain new residential developments to include affordable housing units. As part of the City of Santa Ana’s Housing Opportunity Ordinance, the Santa Ana Collection by City Ventures is offering 11 new homes to qualified moderate-income homebuyers. Continue reading→

Orange County Property Tax Auction set for March 15

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Treasurer-Tax Collector: Property Tax Auction March 15

Orange County Treasurer Shari L. Freidenrich announced that the next tax auction is scheduled for Wednesday, March 15, 2017, at 1 p.m. in the Board of Supervisors Hearing Room located at 333 W. Santa Ana Boulevard, Building 10, in Santa Ana.

“We currently have 11 improved parcels and three unimproved parcels to auction, and we expect to actually auction off between five and 10 parcels,” stated Treasurer Freidenrich. The Treasurer will only auction off those properties that have not paid all delinquent taxes and penalties in full by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 14, or those properties that are otherwise ineligible for sale. Continue reading→

More Granny Flats approved in Santa Ana despite the lack of neighborhood parking

Posted on by Posted in Development, Housing, Planning, Real Estate, Santa Ana Leave a comment

The city of Santa Ana decided to adopt the state of California’s new Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) ordinance effective January 1st, which will allow a detached building up to 1,200 sq ft. to be built on an existing residential property or even an existing garage to be converted into a living space.

For the last year, Santa Ana residents have voiced their concerns that the state ordinance does not require the property owner to provide parking for the tenants of these new ADU’s and will just make the existing street parking problem in our city even worse. Continue reading→

State Senator Nguyen will speak about Granny Flats at tonight’s ComLink meeting

Posted on by Posted in Development, Janet Nguyen, Neighborhood Associations, Planning, Real Estate, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Notice regarding Communication Linkage Forum (ComLink)

General Meeting – Thursday, January 26, 2017

Community Room @ Santa Ana Police Station, at 60 Civic Center Plaza, in Santa Ana

State Senator Janet Nguyen will be at tonight’s ComLink meeting to discuss new changes to the State’s land use and zoning laws regarding Accessory Dwelling Units (aka Granny Flats). Continue reading→

O.C. man facing more charges after defrauding over 400 homeowners with a loan mod scheme

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ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE

Case # 16CF1377

Date: September 15, 2016

MAN FACING ADDITIONAL CHARGES FOR MONEY LAUNDERING AND DERAUDING $2 MILLION FROM OVER 400 TROUBLED HOMEOWNERS THROUGH ILLEGAL LOAN MODIFICATION SCHEME ADVERTISED ON YOUTUBE

*78 New Felony Charges Filed

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A man was arraigned today on additional charges including money laundering and defrauding over $2.2 million from over 400 troubled homeowners through an illegal loan modification scheme. Kevin Frank Rasher, 44, Coto de Caza, was charged on July 15, 2016, with 52 felony counts of grand theft, one felony count of second degree burglary, and one felony count of aiding false or fraudulent return, with a sentencing enhancement for property damage or loss over $65,000. Rasher was additionally charged today in an amended complaint with 69 felony counts of money laundering, six felony counts of grand theft, and three felony counts of financial exploitation of an elder. Rasher also faces sentencing enhancements for money laundering in excess of $1 million, theft in excess of $1.3 million, and white collar crime taking in excess of $500,000. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 98 years in state prison. He is being held on $2 million bail and must prove the money is from a legal and legitimate source before posting bond. He is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing on Oct. 17, 2016, at 8:30 a.m. in Department C-55, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana. Continue reading→