The CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® reported that home sales increased 12 percent in July in California compared with the same period a year ago, while the median price of an existing home declined 19.6 percent.  Many housing analysts believe the first-time home buyers’ tax credit has helped home sales in recent months.  According to a survey of first-time home buyers, nearly 40 percent reported they would not have purchased a home if the tax credit was not offered.  Because the tax credit has helped so many first-time buyers become homeowners, it is critical that Congress extends the credit beyond the December 1^st deadline, and includes all buyers, not just first-timers.

Closed escrow sales of existing, single-family detached homes in California totaled 553,910 in July at a seasonally adjusted annualized rate.  Statewide home resale activity increased 12 percent from the revised 494,390 sales pace recorded in July 2008. Sales in July 2009 increased 8.1 percent compared with the previous month.  The statewide sales figure represents what the total number of homes sold during 2009 would be if sales maintained the July pace throughout the year.  It is adjusted to account for seasonal factors that typically influence home sales.

The median price of an existing, single-family detached home in California declined 19.6 percent in July compared with July 2008, but rose 3.9 percent compared with June.  The median price statewide during July 2009 was $285,480.  July marked the fifth consecutive month of month-to-month increases in the median price and the smallest yearly decline in 19 months.

C.A.R.’s Unsold Inventory Index for existing, single-family detached homes in July 2009 was 3.9 months, compared with 6.9 months for the same period a year ago.  The index indicates the number of months needed to deplete the supply of homes on the market at the current sales rate.

Freddie Mac, according to the written policy on August 20^th, unless a real estate broker’s sales commission exceeds 6 percent of the property sales price, servicers must not, as a condition of the servicer’s acceptance of an offer, renegotiate the real estate broker’s sales commission to an amount that is lower than the amount that was originally agreed upon between the broker and the borrower.  In the event the sales commission exceeds 6 percent, the servicer must renegotiate the commission to limit it to 6 percent of the property sales price, according to the Freddie Mac bulletin.  Freddie Mac’s policy now is consistent with Fannie Mae’s policy.

The California highest median home price was Santa Barbara South Coast at $885,000 while the lowest median home price was in the High Desert at $110,650.  The California First-time Buyer Affordability Index in the Second Quarter 2009 stood at 67 percent.

The Federal Trade Association (FTC) has announced updated fees that will be charged to entities accessing the National Do-Not-Call Registry beginning October 1, 2009.  The annual fee adjustment, as required by the Do-Not-Call Registry Fee Extension Act of 2007 (the Act) is tied to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for all urban consumers published by the Department of Labor.  The Act specifies that beginning after fiscal year 2009, the dollar amounts charged shall be increased by an amount equal to the amounts initially published in the Act, multiplied by the CPI for the 12-month period ending June 30^th of each year.  The CPI multiplier is 1.4 percent for fiscal year 2010 (from October 1, 2009 to September 30, 2010) and increases the fee for access to a single area code (access to the first five area codes remains free) for a full year to $55.00 (an increase of $1) and an increase in the maximum amount that can be charged to an entity to $15,058.00 (an increase of $208.00).

A study finds that 39 percent of Americans have positive and improving attitudes about their mobile communication devices, which in turn draws them further into engagement with digital resources, on both wireless and wireline platforms, according to a report from the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project.  Mobile connectivity is now a powerful differentiator among technology users.  Those who plug into the information and communications world while on-the-go are notably more active in many facets of digital life than those who use wires to jack into the Internet and the 14 percent of Americans who are off the grid entirely, according to the report.

These findings are the centerpiece of a new typology of technology users released by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & Life Project.  The typology places information and communication technology (ICT) users into 10 categories built around their assets (the gadgets they have), actions (how they use ICTs), and attitudes (how they feel about the role of ICTs in their lives), the report said.