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Thank you for visiting the Robison Report.  For years, this news letter was mailed out to the local Community.  Please feel free to comment on articles and pass this site along to others.  I intend for this to be an extremely informative site.  Ken

 How important is the Wal*Mart Super Center?

 Really, really important.  Having this store locate in our Red Bluff Community is a big bonus and something we really need.

 Right now, the published retail sales leakage figure is $92 million.  Ninety two million dollars a year. What that means is that people from our town are leaving to go shopping somewhere else.  Our residents are going to either Redding, Anderson or Chico to buy their goods.  My assumption is that many of these people are traveling to the Anderson Wal*Mart Super Store or to the Redding Costco and other big-box retailers.

 When this money leaves our Community, it hurts us all.  When this money leaves our town, it creates jobs in other places – not here at home.

Not only should we be concerned about the money leaving, but I believe this project is good for the environment and our air quality.  It’s a big benefit to all of us to eliminate people making the long drive out of town to shop.  It’s conservation on all accounts when people can shop locally.

So, my thanks go out to the City of Red Bluff and the City Council for taking the correct stand on this issue.  This is now in Judge Garaventa’s hands, so let’s hope this ends as it should – with folks shopping in Red Bluff.

I once heard there is an old Chinese curse that says “May You Live in Interesting Times”.  Boy, have we experienced interesting times!!!  

2009 may go down as the “Year of the Deal”.  According to our Tehama County Multiple Listing Service, for Tehama County, sales totaled 415 homes.  That’s not bad!  However, the mean sales price was just $158,777 (the median sales price was $147,000).  The average home sales price in 2006 was $271,000!!! .  The only Buyers out there now seem to be bargain hunters and first-time home buyers.    

The entire appraisal process was broken in 2009 and continues to be broken.  The current system of required Appraisal Management Companies is hurting home sales, home values and the economy.  Look for this system to be revised or revamped in 2010, but for now it’s a big headache for home buyers, home owners, real estate agents and real estate lenders.  The current system is costing everyone time and money.   

But for now, it may be one of the best times in history for first-time home buyers.  Interest rates are historically and unbelievably low, the market prices are low from supply and demand forces, prices are additionally low from artificial appraisal pressures and government lending programs are in full swing.  

In addition, most of us believe that interest rates have nowhere to go but up.  That makes it a great time to borrow now at low rates and pay back those cheap loans when inflation steps in.  And, we all know that’s coming. 

 Below is our latest graphical representation of the market.  Please note that this information is primarily derived from the Tehama County Multiple Listing Service and may not reflect the activities of the entire market:  

 

Residential Listings Sold Tehama County

 

Active Residential Listings Tehama County

Average Residential Sale Price Tehama