Home of the late Charles Schulz, creator of Peanuts, in Santa Rosa, CA is for sale

Who doesn’t remember growing up with Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the gang? Thanks to the late Charles Schulz, we’ve all got a favorite story, moment or character to share. For nearly 50 years, he humored us with hilarious and witty comics inspired from his own life. Well, now you can get a glimpse of how he lived in real life.

The four acre home once inhabited by the late Charles Schulz is now for sale. Located within a couple miles of downtown Santa Rosa, Schulz made his home along a private hilltop at 3699 Montecito Ave, Santa Rosa, CA offering amazing views.

Here’s a glimpse of how Schulz lived (in real life) when not busy with the Peanuts comic strip…

Did you know?

- Charlie Brown, main character for Peanuts: named after a co-worker

- Charlie Brown’s parents (dad: barber, mom: housewife): inspired by his own parents

- Snoopy: inspired by the dog he owned as a boy, except it was a pointer, not a beagle

- Linus & Shermy: inspired by his good friends (Linus Maurer and Sherman Plepler)

- Peppermint Patty: inspired by his cousin, Patricia Swanson

- Peanuts, at its peak, appeared in ~2,600 newspapers in 75 countries

What’s your favorite moment or character from Peanuts?

NFL player Tony Gonzalez throws in free Porsche 911 to sell Manhattan Beach, CA home

It’s interesting how even celebrities are getting desperate to sell their homes. Take Tony Gonzalez, tight end for the Atlanta Falcons, for example, who’s throwing in a new Porsche 911 Cabriolet to get his home sold. Pretty crazy if you ask us!

Tony and October tried listing their home at 228 34th st, Manhattan Beach, CA, last year for $3.999M, but no dice. Now, it’s back on the market for $3.6M. The beach home has been completely remodeled with a jaw dropping 1,700 sqft rooftop deck that will capture your heart with its three separate sections, lounge chairs, a built-in grill, sound system and bed! That’s bigger than the average condo in San Francisco! But that aside, just imagine the memories that are waiting to be made while relaxing with a cocktail, surrounded by a breathtaking view, and serenaded by the sound of crashing waves. Sounds fabulous already!

Congratulations to the Trulia VIPs!

Giving becomes more prevalent during the holiday season, but on Trulia Voices it’s an everyday occurrence as thousands of individuals take time out of their busy schedules to share their knowledge and advice with others. Whether they’re sharing their insights in an answer to a question, or whether they’re starting an intelligent discussion in a blog post, they are constantly giving their best to the community, making it a destination for those seeking assistance and first-rate real estate information.

In order to recognize these awe-inspiring individuals for their extraordinary efforts, and ensure that they easily stand out in the community, we’ve created the Trulia VIP Program.

You’ll recognize Trulia VIPs by the colorful badges that accompany their profile information across the site, and we’re thrilled that we’ve already got a great group of Trulians, both professionals and nonprofessionals, sporting their VIP ribbons. Here are just a few:

All VIP members (levels 1, 2 and 3, with 3 being the most prestigious) are also rewarded with increased exposure throughout Trulia Voices and in our Find a Pro directory; the higher the level of VIP, the more exposure they will enjoy. In addition, Levels 2 and 3 will enjoy the honor of being featured in our bimonthly Consumer and Agent Newsletters read my thousands of members. We have more rewards in store as well so stay tuned.

So how do you become a VIP? Well if you’ve got a Trulia account, you’ve taken the first step and have already earned points towards VIP status. You’ll earn more points as you contribute to Trulia Voices and when others appreciate your posts and give you thumbs-up votes, or chose your answer as the Best Answer. Once you earn the points you need, becoming a VIP is all about consistent high quality contribution.

Coming soon you’ll be able to track your VIP stats in your My Trulia account so you can know exactly what you need to do to stay on top of the game. In the meantime, you can learn more about the Trulia VIP program and the points you can earn from your community involvement here. Check it out and be sure to send us your feedback.

Please join us in congratulating the Trulia VIPs by commenting on their Trulia Blogs or on this post!

81% of Adults See Negative Aspects to Purchasing a Foreclosure

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Today, Pete Flint, CEO of Trulia and Rick Sharga, Sr. VP of Marketing at RealtyTrac, hosted a call to discuss the latest results of an ongoing survey tracking home buyers’ attitudes towards foreclosures. The online survey conducted on their behalf between November 5-9, 2009 by Harris Interactive showed a notable increase in consumers’ willingness to buy foreclosed properties. The survey also found strong interest in certain segments, including real estate investors, current home owners looking to “trade up” to a larger property and renters.

Real Estate Investors

In the difficult economic climate that currently exists, home foreclosures present significant opportunities for many consumers, including real estate investors. According to the survey, nearly one in four US adults (23 percent) are at least somewhat likely to purchase a second home or investment property, and of these, 92 percent are at least somewhat likely to buy a foreclosed property.

Trading Up

With the recently expanded housing tax credit including a new $6,500 credit available to current homeowners looking to purchase a new home or trade up, interest levels in purchasing foreclosed properties will likely increase during the next several months. Currently, 24 percent of homeowners are at least somewhat likely to “trade up” to a larger home, and of these, 88 percent are at least somewhat likely to consider a foreclosed property, according to the survey.

Renters

Renters are showing strong interest in buying foreclosed properties with 57 percent at least somewhat likely to purchase a distressed home in the future. Additionally, younger adult renters are significantly more likely to purchase a foreclosed home: 61 percent of renters ages 18-34 and 65 percent of renters between the ages of 35-44 are at least somewhat likely to consider purchasing a foreclosure compared to only 40 percent of renters 55 years and older.

Discounts & Opportunities

Consumers expect to get a lot for their dollar when purchasing foreclosed homes and are willing to invest: nearly two out of three U.S. adults (65 percent) expect a discount of 30 percent or more when buying a foreclosed property. Respondents in the Northeast expected the biggest discounts, with 43 percent expecting foreclosed homes to be discounted by 50 percent or more.

“Even during the darkest economic times, dreams don’t die. Foreclosures are providing never before seen opportunities for new segments of homebuyers and allowing renters to become first time buyers, allowing investors to grab great deals and allowing families to trade up to larger homes,” said Trulia co-founder and CEO Pete Flint. “Until unemployment levels off and starts to get better, we expect foreclosures to continue to play a big role in the 2010 housing market.”

According to the survey, 95 percent of U.S. adults are willing to invest money in renovations when purchasing a foreclosed property. Additionally, more than half (55 percent) of respondents are willing to spend 20 percent or more of the purchase price to make improvements on a distressed property. Trulia found in a separate study that that the average person invests up to $30,000 when purchasing a new home for things such as furniture, paint, hot water heaters, etc. As more consumers purchase distressed properties, excess housing inventory levels will decrease and additional money will be poured into other industries, helping to stimulate the economy as a whole.

Unnecessary Negative Stigma

“The most active and qualified buyers in today’s market are highly interested in foreclosures, which is not surprising given the discount that often comes with a foreclosure purchase,” said Rick Sharga, senior vice president of RealtyTrac. “It is somewhat surprising that consumers cite hidden costs as the biggest negative aspect to buying a foreclosed home because most bank-owned foreclosure sales include the same title protections and other safeguards that are in place for non-foreclosure sales. As myths such as this are put to rest and consumers take more time to educate themselves on the process for purchasing foreclosures, they will be able to take advantage of the great bargains that currently exist in the real estate market.”

The November survey found slightly lower levels of negative sentiment towards purchasing foreclosed properties; 81 percent of U.S. adults compared to 85 percent in May 2009. Comparison of top concerns among those who think there are negative aspects of purchasing a foreclosed home between May 2009 and November 2009 surveys:

Most Likely to Buy Foreclosures

• 57 percent of U.S. adults ages 18-34 are at least somewhat likely to consider purchasing a foreclosed home, compared to a little less than one-quarter of those ages 55 and older (24 percent).
• Current renters (57 percent) are more likely to consider purchasing a foreclosed home than current homeowners (38 percent).
• One in two U.S. adults (50 percent) that are single/never been married are at least somewhat likely to consider purchasing a foreclosed property compared to 40 percent of adults that are married and 34 percent of adults that are
  divorced/separated/widowed.

To listen to a replay of Pete Flint and Rick Sharga discussing the results of the survey and other insights into the real estate market, click here.

Trulia’s December Price Reduction Report – Home Price Reduction Levels Drop to 2009 Low

photo credit: matthijs

Our December home price reduction report shows that 22% of homes currently on the market in the U.S. as of December 1, 2009 have experienced at least one price cut, the lowest level since Trulia started tracking price reductions in April, 2009. The total amount slashed from home prices also dropped from $28.1 Billion in November to $24.7 Billion in December, representing a 12% decrease. The average discount for price-reduced homes slightly increased to 11% off of the original listing price compared to 10% in the previous four months. The number of listings on Trulia also decreased by 9% from the previous month.

December Price Reduction Highlights

• 22% of U.S. homes as of December 1, 2009 have experienced at least 1 price cut
• $28.1 Billion in price reductions
• Average national price reduction slightly increased to 11%
• Minneapolis, MN leads the nation in price reductions with 40%
• Luxury homes listed at $2M plus see an average of 14% cut vs. the 10% cut for homes listed under $2M
• Luxury homes over $2M on Trulia is less than 2% of current listings but is responsible for 26% of the $24.7 Billion in home price reductions

South Reports Least Amount of Homes Reduced

The South has the lowest levels of price reductions, with 19% of current listings experiencing at least one price cut, a 21% decrease from the previous month. Kentucky, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Mississippi are all seeing less than 15% of listings with price reductions. (Regions according to the U.S. Census Bureau).

• South- 19% of listings with price reductions
• West- 20% of listings with price reductions
• Midwest- 22% of listings with price reductions
• Northeast- 25% of listings with price reductions

“We saw some of the highest levels of reductions last month, as home owners raced to sell their homes in advance of the November 30 expiration of the tax credit,” said Pete Flint. “We are now seeing fewer reductions at the low end of the market as those sellers are increasingly in sync with market prices. With the expansion of the tax credit to repeat home buyers and extension to April 30, we expect to see an increase in price reductions at the higher end of the market in the first quarter of 2010.”

For the first time since Trulia started tracking price reductions in April 2009, one major U.S. city has reached 40 percent of listings with price reductions – Minneapolis. This is the second straight month that Minneapolis has held the top spot for highest percentage of price reductions.

Cities experiencing significant increases in percentage of listings with price reductions from June 2009 to December 2009 include:

• Kansas City, MO – 40% increase in price reductions
• Omaha, NE – 39% increase in price reductions
• Houston, TX – 32% increase in price reductions
• Minneapolis, MN – 29% increase in price reductions
• Arlington, VA – 28% increase in price reductions

Cities showing signs the highest percentage of declines for listings with price reductions from June 2009 to December 2009 include:

• Las Vegas, NV– 30% decrease in price reductions
• San Jose, CA – 30% decrease in price reductions
• Long Beach, CA – 25% decrease in price reductions
• Honolulu, HI – 23% decrease in price reductions
• Albuquerque, NM – 22% decrease in price reductions

Luxury Market Still Hardest Hit

Luxury homes (those listed at two million dollars and above) continue to bear the brunt of discounts being offered with an average of 14 percent being slashed from the original asking price compared to 10 percent for homes listed under $2 million. Additionally, luxury homes represent less than two percent of all current listings on Trulia, but are responsible for 26 percent of the $24.7 billion in home price reductions.

December Price Reductions – Top 50 U.S. Cities

For more info on Trulia’s national home price reduction report, please visit our press release in the Trulia News Room

Bringing a new aerial perpective to real estate

We know that when home buyers and sellers search for real estate online, they want to see as many listing photos and maps as they can to get a realistic view of each property and the surrounding neighborhood.  With that in mind, we’re thrilled to be one of three companies providing users with a new aerial perspective by integrating Google’s new API with high-resolution overhead imagery.  Bottom line: not only is it a super high quality image but it’s also a useful tool that gives a better glimpse into what the area around a home looks like.  We’ve placed this new view below the existing Google StreetView to give a more contextual view of each listing.  Check out how it looks in this San Jose listing:

This is a brand-spanking new Google Maps product.  So new, in fact, that it’s currently only available in two cities: San Jose and San Diego.  You can learn more about Google’s new aerial perspective here. Happy house hunting!

Trulia’s New iPhone App and Mobile Website

We’ve just released an updated version of the Trulia iPhone App and a brand new mobile web site accessible on every mobile phone!  Now it’s even easier to find homes for sale and other real estate info on the go.  We’ve seen mobile usage continue to increase as more people transition from traditional mobile phones to smartphones and we’re looking forward to more great mobile announcements in the future.

Updated Trulia iPhone App:

Using our updated iPhone App, users can now scroll through big, color photos for all properties for sale and search for homes by zooming the iPhone map.  You can also find properties that have a reduction in price and see the most popular homes for sale in your local area.  And of course, you can still find Open Houses, email properties to a friend, get driving directions, save your favorite properties to your iPhone and more.

Nearly 300,000 users have downloaded the Trulia App so far and we’ve connected thousands of buyers looking for real estate information with local real estate agents.

Find out more about Trulia’s Real Estate iPhone App or download it directly from the Apple iTunes store.

Trulia Mobile Web Site:

The new Trulia Mobile Web Site provides access to users on the go, regardless of their mobile phone!  Find homes for sale, see big, color photos of every home, get advice from the Trulia Voices Community, and login to access your My Trulia Saved Searches and Favorite properties.  All you need is a mobile phone with a web browser and you’re in business.

Find out more about Trulia’s Real Estate Mobile Web Site or visit the mobile web site by typing m.trulia.com in your browser.

Trulia Mobile Web Site