REAL ESTATE: California’s slow slog to recovery noted in WalletHub survey

July 31--It's nice to look across the horizon holding a glass of economic recovery that's a little more than half filled, so to speak.

But while we are in recovery mode, a just-released study by WalletHub.com shows the Inland region post-recession may be getting a better foothold on the market, but it's still got one heck of a way to go to catch up with its metropolitan counterparts when it comes to employment and earnings power, or overall economic health.

Out of 150 cities rated, WalletHub reported the city of San Bernardino ranked dead last.

Fontana ranked No. 140, and Riverside clocked in at 139. Anaheim, Huntington Beach, Long Beach, Ontario and Moreno Valley had only slightly better ranks. Rancho Cucamonga, with a rating of 93, bested the high-energy zones of San Diego and Santa Ana.

Irvine ranked No. 82 -- not bad among its Southern California counterparts but still well below that of San Francisco. The City by the Bay ranked No. 45.

So what did WalletHub experts cite for our low marks?

San Bernardino had the smallest decrease in the ratio of part-time to full-time jobs, the lowest home price appreciation -- along with another housing boom-and-bust town, Stockton.

Even as the housing bubble popped years ago, SoCal residents have long declared that this was a region that was among the first to feel the effects of the Great Recession, and one hit the hardest. Early on, Inland economist John Husing and company predicted it would be 2015 -- and maybe 2016 -- until the region had fully healed.

With 2014 halfway over, the question remains, are we nearly there?

SCAM BUSTER

There's no shortage of scams in the area, so any workshop to educate folks on how to spot and call out the bad guys bears checking out.

They're a sophisticated lot, robo-calling, boiler-room building, knock-on-the-door pretending you-are-someone-else shysters.

So put this on your calendar: State Assemblywoman Cheryl Brown, D-San Bernardino, is going to host a free Senior Scam Stopper Seminar from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Rialto Senior Center, 1411 Riverside Ave., Rialto, to dish out fraud prevention tips that relate to home repair, telemarketing, unclaimed property, identity theft, mortgages and a host of other cons afoot in the Inland region.

The sessions can be helpful, or at least, assure your senior that they aren't the only ones being targeted.

Experts offering the tips are legit, hailing from the California Public Utilities Commission, the Department of Consumer Affairs, the State Insurance Commission, the U.S. Postal Service, as well as the Rialto postal, police and fire service. If you plan to attend, call 909-381-3238 or write [email protected].

FULL HOUSE

It's annual installation dinner for Realtors associations across the Inland, and this year, the Southwest Riverside County Association of Realtors bears mention.

The trade group, with 4,000-plus members who live and work in Southwest Riverside County was named Medium Business of the year by the Murrieta Chamber of Commerce, for its work to spur a merger between the Hemet/San Jacinto Association of Realtors and SRCAR.

The consolidation, undertaken a few months back, was aimed at reducing duplicate efforts, eliminating geographic boundary line crossovers, building real estate-related brain power and bolstering professional services for members of both associations with offices in Murrieta, Menifee and Hemet. For the merger efforts, this year's Realtor of the Year award went to two real estate industry veterans -- Lisa Neugebauer and Terry Ryan.

The awards were presented at the July 18 annual installation dinner at Monteleone Meadows. The 2015 SRCAR board of directors includes Linda Hofstatter, president; Adam Ruis, vice president; Walter Wilson, past president; and Howard Dellsite; David Hale, Debbie Kosum; Mike Mason; Joe McGowan; Lisa Neugebauer; Terry Ryan; Rochelle Wren; Wendy Whitelaw; Denyse Wilson; and , government affairs director.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9423 or [email protected]

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