Real Estate
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Limited supply elevates home prices
The median sale price of an existing single family home in the Bakersfield area rose to $145,000 in April, a 9.5 percent increase from March and up 14.3 percent from a year ago.
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Market squeezing homebuyers
Home shopper Dian Schneider was four houses in on a whirlwind tour of local homes for sale Friday when her real estate agent issued her a warning.
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Bakersfield apartments filling up fast
Lori Blattenberg didn't expect to find herself looking for an apartment on her own again.
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Homeowners unhappy with new builder's models
Homeowners in the northwest Bakersfield subdivision of North Pointe have resorted to erecting signs on their lawns to protest what they say is a change in neighborhood building standards that allegedly are lowering the value of their houses.
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As rate of home ownership falls, some worry
As investors in and outside Kern County continue to scoop up foreclosed houses at deep discounts, some worry that a decline in owner-occupied homes is changing the character of the region's neighborhoods.
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Bakersfield home prices dip inexplicably
Proving once more that the Bakersfield housing market is anything but predictable, home prices in the Bakersfield area fell last month even as supply contracted and demand surged.
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Mortgage fraud risk high in Bakersfield
The Bakersfield area has the fourth-highest mortgage fraud risk of any real estate market in the nation, according to an Agoura Hills company that assesses risk for lenders and investors.
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Foreclosure mediation could save billions
New research says it pays to help struggling homeowners.
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Mortgage crisis, ethics central in panel event
Hamburger meat may be the best analogy for understanding the mortgage crisis that has ravaged Kern County and the country.
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Settlement could help Kern's beleaguered housing market
A historic settlement between 49 states and the nation's largest mortgage lenders could mean about $374.5 million for Kern County homeowners affected by the region's foreclosure avalanche, according to the California Attorney General's Office.
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Crabtree report: Housing market weakens slightly
The median sale price for existing single-family homes in the Bakersfield area was $130,000 in January, down 3.7 percent from December but up 2.4 percent year-over-year.
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New bill seeks to make some property fees deductible
A state assemblyman has introduced legislation aimed at easing and simplifying property tax payments.
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Upside-down borrowers face little-known tax deadline
With about half of all mortgaged homes in the Bakersfield area stubbornly under water, a critical deadline is looming that hardly anyone seems to know about.
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Housing market improving...slowly
Real estate experts are issuing year-end reports on the 2011 housing market, and by all accounts both the Bakersfield area and nation as a whole are on a heartening but agonizingly slow road to recovery.
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Crabtree housing report: Numbers point to strengthening market
Home sales in the Bakersfield area were slow in December, which is typical during the holiday season, but there are still signs that bode well for the long-term health of the housing market, according to the Preliminary Crabtree Report, a monthly gauge of the local housing market prepared by Affiliated Appraisers.
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Investors snatching up single-family homes
Investors are storming Kern County with cash offers to buy homes outright. Most are keeping the houses for rental income, but a few are fixing them up and reselling at a profit.
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Apartment market is heating up
Nervousness about other investment options is whipping up a frenzy to buy multifamily residential properties in and around Bakersfield.
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Crabtree Report: Housing data show 'trend toward some kind of a mend'
The Bakersfield housing market showed surprising strength last month, a time of year when sales are usually sluggish.
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Committee explores complexities of lowering development fees
A task force discussion on the hot-button issue of city development fees Tuesday generated lots of ideas, but few specifics.
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Bakersfield real estate agents reach settlement over pay
The state has reached a settlement of more than half a million dollars related to a real estate company's failure to pay four Bakersfield agents minimum wage and overtime pay.
