Regarding the CA fires, we at County Properties wish everyone well, including their family, friends and neighbors! Active listings on the market last week were at: 21,120 condos/homes, today the count is 20,545 for all of San Diego County and South Riverside County. On 9/12/2006 the count was 25,000. The decrease in inventory based on supply and demand, indicates the market is headed towards a slow change to becoming a balanced market (under 10,000 is a potential sellers market, over 12,000 is a potential buyers market) A balanced market is considered to be six months of housing inventory on hand, which means it would take six months to sell that inventory to zero homes left for sale.

Real estate news is always good for someone, and that someone is any buyer. Fed's will probably lower short-term interest rates by about a point as its Halloween treat. Mortgage interest rates are tied to mortgage-backed securities, long-term rates may fall significantly by the end of the year.

Before filing an Insurance Claim, your clue report which is a claims history, affects your Insurance Premium. Companies will charge more if you have filed claims in the past. Before filing a claim, its a good idea to ask your agent or the company's underwriting department how it will affect your premium at renewal time. Some companies will ding your Clue Report for simply inquiring about a possible claim. For less expensive losses, it may be cheaper in the long run to pay for repairs yourself rather than file a claim. This is especially true for repairs that wouldn't cost much more than the amount of your deductible. At least for now, most consumers should not fear getting dropped by their insurance company. Under California law, insurance companies are required to renew their homeowner policies at least once if they live in a declared federal disaster area. After that term expires, insurers may then drop their clients. Please refer to your insurance agent for details.