What a Great Day!!
Today was one of the most informative days I have had in a long time in the real estate world. Being at the Clarity Expo in Scottsdale Az. with a very elite group of professionals from all over the US and listening to what is happening in the world of real estate outside of the Brainerd /Baxter area is a real eye opener. New ideas are always good and refreshing and to a person like me very motivating. I am so excited to get back and implement some if not all the ideas and strategies that were topics today. Getting to meet on a personal level with smart forward thinking people is so refreshing. It is one thing to know a little about things and its another whole thing when you meet someone that “really” knows something. What a great day today.
New housing starts rose 21 percent in January from a year ago
New housing starts rose 21 percent in January from a year ago, the Census Bureau said today, to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 591,000.
That’s up from a record low pace of 479,000 units per year seen in April, but still well off the 1 million to 2 million-a-year range that’s been the norm for five decades. During the last boom, housing starts peaked at 2.07 million in 2005.
Single-family home starts were up 36 percent from a year ago, to a seasonally adjusted rate of 484,000 per year.
Single-family home starts, which typically exceed 1 million a year when the economy is not in a recession, hit an all-time high of 1.72 million in 2005 before plunging to 445,000 last year.
Analysts said builders may be putting up homes on “spec” to beat the expiration of a federal homebuyer tax credit, currently limited to homes under contract by April 30 and closing by June 30.
How True Is this!!!
Dear Employees:
As the CEO of this organization, I have resigned myself to the fact that Barrack Obama is our President and that our taxes and government fees will increase in a BIG way. To compensate for these increases, our prices would have to increase by about 10%. But since we cannot increase our prices right now due to the dismal state of the economy, we will have to lay off sixty of our employees instead. This has really been bothering me since I believe we are family here and I didn’t know how to choose who would have to go.
So, this is what I did. I walked through our parking lots and found sixty ‘Obama’ bumper stickers on our employees’ cars and have decided these folks will be the ones to let go. I can’t think of a more fair way to approach this problem. They voted for change…… I gave it to them.
I will see the rest of you at the annual company picnic.
THE BOSS
Economists are also concerned about a huge backlog
Home prices rose in more than 40 percent of U.S. cities in the fourth quarter of last year, as massive federal spending helped the housing market show signs of stability. Among the biggest gainers was Cleveland.
The National Association of Realtors said today that the median sales price for previously occupied homes rose in 67 out of 151 metropolitan areas in the October-December quarter versus a year ago. That’s a sharp improvement from the third quarter, when prices rose in only 20 percent of cities.
The national median price was $172,900, or 4.1 percent below the fourth quarter last year. That was the smallest year-over-year price decline in more than two years.
Home sales surged in the quarter, outpacing the third quarter and the previous year’s figures. A federal tax credit of up to $8,000 for first-time homebuyers that was originally due to expire Nov. 30 but was extended through April provided much of the fuel. Sales for the quarter hit a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 6 million, up 27 percent from a year earlier.
The big question hanging over the housing market this year is whether the tentative recovery will stumble after the government pulls back support. The Federal Reserve’s $1.25 trillion program to push down mortgage rates is scheduled to expire at the end of March. A month later, the newly extended tax credit for first-time homebuyers runs out.
Economists are also concerned about a huge backlog of homeowners facing foreclosure. If those homes go up for sale at deeply discounted prices, median prices could turn downward again. Indeed, prices in some severely depressed areas are still falling.
Well It Is Official!!!!!!
Well I have made it official I am now working at Realtyscape LLC a Division of Dane Aurther Properties doing business as www.Lakeplace.com and www.Landbin.com
LakePlace.com’s History…
In 2002, business partners Dave Gooden and Cameron Henkel were separately involved in a search for their own lakefront family retreats. They were not sure of an exact location, but both knew what they could afford. After endless Internet searches, newspaper searches, and driving time – they found themselves running into a lot of walls. Although the Internet was undeniably the most convenient way to locate and browse available properties, most websites covered only a small geographic area and were very difficult to navigate. After discussing the problems they encountered, the idea for LakePlace.com was born. In the fall of 2003, LakePlace.com
Fast Forward to 2009…
LakePlace.com is now one of the most visited websites in the Midwest. We brought on some very talented people who have helped us grow into the largest online database of Minnesota & Wisconsin lake property for sale, cabin rentals, and resorts. From the beginning, our goal was to create a solution to a problem, and we hope we have made your search for a lake place a little easier than ours was back in 2002.
Whether you plan to purchase a lake home, cabin, or lake lot, or you just want to get away for a weekend – we hope you will agree that LakePlace.com is a great place to start!
The January 2010 Twin Cities housing market has shaped up to be nearly identical to January 2009.
The January 2010 Twin Cities housing market has shaped up to benearly identical to January 2009.-Pending sales are down slightly from a year ago, but not by much.-New listings are down slightly from a year ago, but not much.-Inventory is rising slowly, but not much.After the roller coaster ride the local market has experienced over thelast four years, perhaps “not by much” is a welcome respite.-There were 558 signed purchase agreements for the week endingJanuary 23, down 2.3 percent from a year ago.-New listings posted 1,522 units, down 0.6 percent from a year ago.-The current inventory of active listings is 20,629, down 17.5 percentfrom a year ago.The February 2010 Supply-Demand Ratio sits at 6.99, which meansthere are 6.99 homes available for each buyer. That’s a drop of 8.5percent from a year ago and the lowest February mark since 2006.
