Say this is your house and you want to sell it. What would you list it at? The most you could, of course! But say you’re the buyer. What would you offer? Hey, your number just shrank!

Check out this home on a cul-de-sac with a greenbelt view in northwest Huntington Beach.

Now, let’s divide our loyalties, shall we?

The details: 2 stories, 2,489 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 3 baths. Built in 2001. “This home features professional landscaping with custom pavers leading to entry door …  many upgrades and excellent improvements made with the builder when the owner purchased this home,” the listing says. The upstairs loft could be a fourth bedroom. The backyard has privacy and two covered patios.

Closest listings in the area: $549,900 - $1,065,000, Redfin says. Closest similar homes sold in the last 6 months: $700,000 - $1,193,000.

So, you’d ask ….. what?

But you’d offer …. what?

Hint: The listing is not $1,065K. And I doubt they’d accept $700K! At least not today.

Put prices in the comments …

Read more:

• Bad economy creates upswing in home improvements
• Surf City open house preview (1/16)
• Surf City asking prices creep down
• These Surf City homes are about to be foreclosed (1/15)
• A $3.5 million house with a kitchen only chefs could dream of
• Huntington Harbour tops list of places to seek a deal
• Swap your H.B. house for one near Sin City?
• Surf City leads coastal neighbors in distressed homes

There were 313 single family homes available in Huntington Beach as of Thursday. In escrow: 86. Closed sale in the last two weeks: 17.

The most expensive sale was in ZIP 92649: $3,750,000 for a 5,154- square foot, 4-bedroom, 5-bath house that was on the market for about a month.

The least expensive one sold was in ZIP 92647: $457,500 for a 1,200-square foot, 3-bedroom, 2-bath house, also on the market for about a month.

ZIP 92648 had the most houses available: 116, compared to ZIP 92647, which had the fewest: 60.

The available houses were listed an average of 96 days.

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In a poll in this blog a few weeks ago, 45 percent said they’d postpone making home improvements because of the recession. Some 29 percent said they’d go ahead with their renovation plans, anyway and 26 percent said they’d do it themselves instead of hiring someone.

But some folks seem to be more gung-ho.

In a recent national poll by Angie’s List, 50 percent of that Web site’s members said it’s a good time to take advantage of home improvement deals because of the dive in the economy.

Just 19 percent figured it’s a bad time.

More than 60 percent said they’re planning a home improvement project in 2009, and most of them will hire professionals to get the job done, according to that poll’s results. They plan to spend an average of $23,450. Projects include home additions or remodeling, painting, repairs and landscaping.

Angie’s List is a Web site where hundreds of thousands of consumers around the U.S. share reviews of local companies.

CLICK HERE for the site’s home improvement tips.

Related:

Renovating in the recession? A Realtor’s warning

Read more:

For the 22 business days ending Dec. 29 , DataQuick’s freshest homebuying stats show these trends in Surf City:

• City sales totaled 100 — that’s -35% vs. a year ago. Countywide, sales were +22% vs. a year ago.

• Of the city’s 4 ZIP codes, none had sales gains vs. a year ago, and none had a gain in median selling price vs. a year ago.

• 3 of Huntington Beach’s 4 ZIP codes beat the -29.2% overall performance of the countywide median for the past year.

Here’s how the latest DataQuick report breaks down Surf City ZIPs; change is vs. a year ago:

• For more on overall Orange County homebuying trends, CLICK HERE!

Read more:

It’s beginning to look a lot … less like Christmas. Which is great if you are buying or selling homes. As this cyclical market switches gears, here’s a look at what’s open this weekend:

1321 Alabama (above)

6032 Kenwick Circle

6431 Morningside Drive

1802 Park Street

17081 Saint Andrews Lane

19301 Surf Drive

6972 Derby Circle

9705 Pettswood Drive #1

16852 Ross Lane

20092 Shorewood Circle

Read more:

• Surf City asking prices creep down
• These Surf City homes are about to be foreclosed (1/15)
• A $3.5 million house with a kitchen only chefs could dream of
• Huntington Harbour tops list of places to seek a deal
• Swap your H.B. house for one near Sin City?
• Surf City leads coastal neighbors in distressed homes
• $1.35 million Surf City foreclosure: What would you offer?
• Lender: Worst is over, especially for coastal cities
• Bank owned Surf City fixer for $677K not far from beach
• Expert: Foreclosure properties discounted average of 38%
• Poll: Is new home appraiser rule good or bad?
• H.B. sales down 15% over a year ago
• What does this Surf City home prices chart really say?
• H.B. market snapshot: 214 condos available, 6 close