Southland home sales are on the rise, and JWS is seeing the staffing needs to match!

There have been a rumbling of rumors lately about the Southern California housing market showing  signs of a healthy recovery, and with May’s sales numbers out, the rumors are confirmed! Home sales throughout the Southland (including Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, San Bernardino, and Riverside counties) show home sales up 21% and the median home price up 5.4% from May 2011 (Los Angeles Times).  Here at JWilliamsStaffing, we’re seeing LA staffing needs unseen since 2008, an additional indicator of a recovery. Check out our current LA jobs for immediate hire.

What’s driving the increase?

While countless articles have stated the Southern California real estate market is rebounding, this is the first time we have substantial proof of a genuine recovery starting to take root. Multiple factors are contributing to the uptick, including:

• Low interest rates: Interest rates are at rock-bottom, and buyers know they can’t stay this low for long. If there’s ever been a time to buy, it’s now, increasing demand for houses.
• Growing consensus that prices have hit rock bottom: Proof that the market has hit bottom is materializing in increased home sales and prices, driving more buyers into the market to get in before prices rise.
• Declining foreclosures: Foreclosures in May were down 19% from LY and foreclosure filings were down 4%. Additionally, foreclosures made up 26.7% of the resale market in May, the lowest level since December 2007. Fire-sale priced foreclosure homes have been a key reason home prices have been driven so low; it’s impossible for a homeowner to compete with the foreclosure next door that’s priced way below market value. With a decrease in foreclosure availability, market value is reestablishing itself at healthy levels, leaving room for profit for current homeowners.

The move-up market is back!

The move-up market is also starting to show signs of life again. Previously, buyers were unable to move up to a bigger home because selling their home at a profit was close to impossible. But with foreclosures down and home sales up, the demand is back, granting current homeowners the benefit of ownership we’ve missed so much: the opportunity to move up to a bigger home once their house has appreciated in value. LA county lenders have confirmed this, stating that they are seeing more customers with equity in a current house looking for loans to move into a bigger house. Move-up buyers and sellers keep the market active and are critical to a sustainable recovery.

Where will we see growth?

New-home construction. Builders are keen on the real estate recovery and are positioning themselves to capitalize on the influx of buyers it promises.  While foreclosures have practically obliterated new-home sales over the past 5 years, new-home sales are now on the rise, and JWilliamsStaffing have the real estate staffing needs to prove it.  JoAnne Williams, chief executive of JWilliamsStaffing in Irvine, confirms that builders have added substantially more temp-to-hire positions than last year, indicating increased permanent job creation in the future.   Specializing in LA staffing and staffing all over California, we have openings for immediate hire. Visit our job postings for openings near you, and apply online. 

Is Temping the “Dating” world of the Job Market?

Is Temping the “Dating” world of the Job Market?

I frequently receive phone calls or e-mails from candidates who have been working on assignment with a company for a few days, and they tell me “If they don’t present me with a job offer this week, I do not want to continue temping for that company.” 

Let’s look at the facts: They like you well enough to have you working with their team, you are privy to proprietary information, they trust you to handle their prospective buyers, you are on an on-going assignment and, in many cases, have been brought in to interview and meet the executives of this company.  Why would you throw in the towel now??? Yet, it happens, and when it does, clients remember the candidate who walked away early on and usually deem them “Not Hirable” now or in the future.

Companies are more and more frequently taking advantage of the ability to increase their sales team through utilizing temps, adding candidates on a “temp-to-hire” basis and generally taking their time to make the final decision about who to ultimately hire for the position(s) available….and they should.  Candidates should also take this opportunity to evaluate a company’s internal structure, their corporate culture, what their long-term mission is, and if the company’s goals are in line with theirs as a potential future employee.

Reframing the way you view temping can be helpful….If you compare temping to dating, would you accept a proposal of marriage on a first (or second) date?  If someone were to propose marriage so quickly, wouldn’t that seem a bit desperate? And if you genuinely liked someone you recently began dating would you insist on a proposal within a few weeks of meeting?  Generally speaking, the answer is “No.” So why then do so many candidates insist on a job offer up front when the candidate selection process is lengthy? 

These days in the job world, we need to explore every opportunity with patience, open eyes, and an open mind; and you just might find exactly what you are looking for, the ideal job offer, just down the road.


written by: Jessica Cahill