More homes in Middle Tennessee are selling as prices fall. Sales have been up four consecutive months. But, during that time, median home prices have fallen almost 10 percent. Realtor Kim Fennell says business has been gaining steam. Some houses are getting multiple offers, and Fennell says both of her company’s part-time employees have doubled… Read more »
Monthly Archives: November 2011
British Columbia Home Sales Rise – Outside of Vancouver
The British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) reports that Multiple Listing Service(R) (MLS(R)) residential unit sales in the province rose 6.5 per cent to 5,865 units in October compared to the same month last year. The average MLS(R) residential price was up 2.6 per cent to $535,695 last month compared to October 2010. “B.C. home… Read more »
Featured Gay Friendly Realtor: Billy Woomer, Palm Springs
Periodically we’ll feature one of our real estate professionals here to let our readers know about some great Realtors, Mortgage Brokers, and Other Real Estate Professionals. Gay Friendly Realtors and Real Estate Professionals in Palm Springs Billy’s specialty is working with clients on an individual basis. His professional wisdom, his passion for his work, and… Read more »
WI: Home Sales Up for Fourth Straight Month
For the fourth straight month, sales of existing homes and condos rose over last year in every region of Wisconsin, while median sales price was down almost everywhere. Statewide, sales in October were up 13.5 percent, from 3,825 to 4,342, the Wisconsin Realtors Association reported Monday. Median price fell by 7.8 percent to $129,000. WRA… Read more »
Featured Gay Friendly Realtor: Emily Flax, Provincetown
Periodically we’ll feature one of our real estate professionals here to let our readers know about some great Realtors, Mortgage Brokers, and Other Real Estate Professionals. Gay Friendly Massachusetts Realtors and Real Estate Professionals Emily Flax has lived in Provincetown since 1998, originally as the owner of a local Guest House and now as a… Read more »
Regina, Saskatchewan to See Drop in Housing Starts in 2012
Regina and area home builders, who will build close to 1,500 homes this year, will start slightly fewer homes next year, as the new units are absorbed and more resale homes come onto the market, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. Total housing starts in the Regina area are expected to increase about 10… Read more »
Greater Toronto Condo Market Showing Improvement
The high-rise market in the GTA showed another strong month with 2,928 sales, making it the second-best October on record, the Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD) revealed. Current year-to-date high-rise sales of 23,747 also set a new record for most high rise sales in a year – surpassing the 22,316 high rise sales… Read more »
Alberta Likely to See Increase in Housing Starts in 2012
Alberta will be the exception to an otherwise overall national decline in housing starts next year, according to a forecast out this week. The 2011 Housing Forecast, released Tuesday by Altus Group, predicts Alberta’s housing starts will increase by 11.7%, coming on the heels of a 8.1% decline this year compared to 2010. The reason… Read more »
Toronto’s Top Ten Neighborhoods
Home sales continue to rise in Canada, according to the latest monthly report by The Canadian Real Estate Association. Existing real estate purchases rose 2.7 per cent in September compared with August and up 11 per cent year to year. While sales slowed in other parts of the country – Canada’s largest metropolitan area experienced… Read more »
Atlantic Canadian Real Estate Still Soft
The economic and housing market performance in Atlantic Canada is being impacted by a downturn in employment and slower retail spending activity, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s (CMHC) fourth quarter Housing Market Outlook, Atlantic Edition(1). “Low interest rates are expected to only partially offset the weaker economic outlook,” said Alex MacDonald, regional economist,… Read more »
Canadian Real Estate Market Expected to Remain Healthy Through 2012
The Canadian housing market continues to exceed expectations and is now forecast by many experts to remain healthy well into next year despite a slowdown in the overall economy. The Canadian Real Estate Association revised its forecast upward Tuesday after reporting strong October sales. It now projects sales this year will be up 1.4 per… Read more »
Featured Gay Friendly Realtor: Mark Carmien, Northampton
Periodically we’ll feature one of our real estate professionals here to let our readers know about some great Realtors, Mortgage Brokers, and Other Real Estate Professionals. Gay Friendly Massachusetts Realtors and Real Estate Professionals Mark moved to the Northampton real estate market in 1986 and worked in Human Resources for fourteen years, most recently at… Read more »
San Francisco Real Estate Hit by New Conforming Loan Limits
San Francisco Bay Area home prices fell 8.6 percent last month from a year earlier as limits on mortgages backed by the federal government were reduced, DataQuick said today. The median paid in the nine-county region declined to $350,000 from $383,000 in October 2010, according to the San Diego-based research firm. Prices dropped 4.1 percent… Read more »
Sacramento Home Sales Rise as Prices Fall in October
The number of single-family homes sold in the Sacramento region rose sharply in October, but prices continued to fall. Market researcher DataQuick said Wednesday that 1,732 existing homes were sold in Sacramento County last month, a 19.6 percent increase from the same month of 2010. Placer County saw its sales volume increase 31.1 percent to… Read more »
North Lake Tahoe Luxury Home Sales, Prices Climb
Luxury home sales and the median sale price in the North Lake Tahoe and Truckee area climbed once again in the third quarter of 2011 from the previous three months, according to Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, Northern California’s leading luxury real estate services company. A total of 34 homes sold for more than $1 million… Read more »
CA: Southland Home Sales Up, Prices Down Again in October
Southland home sales rose slightly in October compared with a year earlier but were still nearly 30% below the long-term average, while median sales prices dipped reports on housing in California and in the Southern California regions issued on Tuesday shows. The region’s median sale price dipped to its lowest level since January as activity… Read more »
California Home Sales Up as Prices Drop in October
Home sales rose in California last month, but prices fell sharply as fewer high-end properties sold. Market researcher DataQuick said Wednesday that 34,087 homes and condos were sold in the state in October, up 4.3 percent from the same month last year but down nearly 4 percent from September. By comparison, October sales have averaged… Read more »
IA: Home Prices, Sales Up in October
The Iowa Association of Realtors(R) (IAR) reports that home sales and prices across the state were up again in October. IAR’s 2011 October Housing Trends Report shows the number of home sales in October increased by 12.4 percent, with 287 more sales last month than last October. IAR reports 2,606 homes sold/closed in October 2011,… Read more »
Featured Gay Friendly Realtor: Babs De Lay, Salt Lake City
Periodically we’ll feature one of our real estate professionals here to let our readers know about some great Realtors, Mortgage Brokers, and Other Real Estate Professionals. Gay Friendly Utah Realtors and Real Estate Professionals Babs De Lay, founder and principal broker of Urban Utah Home and Estates, has been working in real estate in Salt… Read more »
Arizona Home Sales Improve But Prices Continue to Drop
The Arizona labor market has begun to show some signs of improvement in recent months, although overall growth remains modest and home prices continue to fall, according to the State Monitor report released today by BMO Capital Markets Economics. … The Arizona economy continues to grapple with a depressed housing market. Home sales are continuing… Read more »
Gay Seniors Have New Retirement Community Options
Retirement communities are a common option for seniors who are seeking activities, health care and a like-minded community. For gay seniors, though, finding a community that meets their needs can be challenging. And the recession and housing disaster have made it even more difficult. Living in a retirement community with mostly straight seniors might not… Read more »
Guerneville, California Offers Upscale Amenities and Country Charm
Halfway up Guerneville’s Main Street a sign beckoned to passersby. “Bock! Bock! It’s Chicken Day at the Market.” A chicken potpie, green chile chicken soup, and a Sonoma chicken and arugula salad were the featured menu items one Saturday in mid-September at the Big Bottom Market. The gourmet deli and grocery store’s name, which can… Read more »
AZ: Tucson Home Prices Up Slightly in October
Home prices in Tucson edged upward in October after five straight months of declines. The median sale price was $120,000, a 2 percent increase from the previous month, numbers from the Tucson Association Realtors Multiple Listing Service show. September’s median sale price, at $117,500, reached a low not seen since early 2001. October’s median sale… Read more »
AZ: Phoenix Foreclosure Rates Improve
A new report by Arizona State University says foreclosures accounted for 26% of existing-home sales in metropolitan Phoenix last month, marking the lowest such level since April 2009. But the authors of the report by the university’s W.P. Carey School of Business say the improvement in the foreclosure figures doesn’t mean metro Phoenix’s housing market… Read more »
AZ: Flagstaff Big Home Prices Dropped
Home sales in greater Flagstaff rebounded to their second highest level for October since 2005 as buyers snatched up larger homes at discounted prices. A total of 82 detached, single-family homes sold last month in greater Flagstaff, according to information compiled by the Northern Arizona Association of Realtors Multiple Listing Service. That’s up 60 percent… Read more »
Featured Gay Friendly Realtor: Ron Foster, Houston
Periodically we’ll feature one of our real estate professionals here to let our readers know about some great Realtors, Mortgage Brokers, and Other Real Estate Professionals. Gay Friendly Houston Realtors and Real Estate Professionals Ron is the Broker/Owner of his own Houston real estate firm. Whether you’re buying or selling property in the Houston real… Read more »
Most US Cities Saw Home Prices Dip in 3rd Quarter
Home prices dropped in nearly three quarters of U.S. cities over the summer, dragged down by a decline in buyer interest and a high number of foreclosures high. The National Association of Realtors says the median price for previously occupied homes fell in the July-September from the same period last year in 111 out of… Read more »
Three Ways to Help the US Housing Market
U .S. home prices are set to fall further. There is nothing policymakers can do to forestall this, but there are things they can do to mitigate the severity of the decline. With Europe in disarray, the supercommittee struggling to reduce the federal deficit and a payroll tax increase looming next year, help for the… Read more »
AZ: Phoenix Home Sales, Prices Dipped in October
The latest report released today by the Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service Inc. shows a drop in the number of residential sales transactions and a small dip in sales prices for the Phoenix metro area in October. There were 7,563 sales in October, down from an average of 8,552 a month for the previous 11… Read more »
Featured Gay Friendly Realtor: Fernando Branco, New York City
Periodically we’ll feature one of our real estate professionals here to let our readers know about some great Realtors, Mortgage Brokers, and Other Real Estate Professionals. Gay Friendly New Yorkn Realtors and Real Estate Professionals Fernando is an active member of the New York Board of Realtors, as well as the Westchester Board of Realtors,… Read more »
Arkansas Home Sales Climbed in September
Home sales in Arkansas were up more than 10 percent in September over the same month a year ago, according to the Arkansas Realtors Association. The report showed 2,103 homes sold statewide during the month, up 10.28 percent compared to a year ago. The average price of a home rose 0.67 percent to $146,694. Pulaski… Read more »
AL: Birmingham Home Sales Spiked in October
Homes sales in the Birmingham area surged in October compared to the levels of the previous year. The Birmingham Association of Realtors said today that residential transactions totaled 803 last month, an increase of 43 percent from the 563 home sales recorded in October 2010. Prices didn’t fare as well, weighed down by foreclosure-related transactions,… Read more »
Albuquerque, Boston, Sarasota, And Cincinnati See Huge Foreclosure Jumps in Third Quarter
Foreclosures which had been delayed by the robo-signing scandal and bankrutpcy overflow in some courts have hit some housing markets with a vengeance. It is yet another examples that the crisis is primarily in a few large markets. It is the problems in these market that will have to be resolved to lift their regional… Read more »
Featured Gay Friendly Mortgage Broker: Vicky Frontiere, Las Vegas
Periodically we’ll feature one of our real estate professionals here to let our readers know about some great Realtors, Mortgage Brokers, and Other Real Estate Professionals. Gay Friendly Nevada Realtors and Real Estate Professionals Have you ever heard someone complain about not knowing what’s going on with their loan or not being able to reach… Read more »
FL: Are Naples Home Prices Headed For Another Big Drop?
Home prices may not have hit bottom yet in Naples. Fiserv, a financial analytics company, predicts Naples will take the biggest hit of any metro area in the United States with a price drop of 18.9 percent by June. Prices have already fallen more than 60 percent from their peak in 2006. Nationwide, Fiserv is… Read more »
FL: Half of Third Quarter Palm Beach Home Sales Sold at a Loss
A new report says almost half the people who sold their homes in Palm Beach County from July through September lost money in the deal. Florida’s statistics are much worse than the national average: 1 in 3 homeowners across the U.S.A. is losing money at sales time. It’s a trend real estate experts say we… Read more »
FL: Fort Lauderdale Home Sales, Prices Up in Third Quarter
In Broward County, sales of homes – including existing single-family homes and condominiums – increased 13 percent in the third quarter of 2011, from 6,498, a year earlier to 7,323, according to the Broward Council of the MIAMI Association of REALTORS and the local Multiple Listing Service (MLS) systems. Broward sales of existing single-family homes… Read more »
FL: Miami Home Sales Rose in Third Quarter
In the Miami Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), sales of homes – including existing single-family homes and condominiums – increased 51 percent, from 4,239 in the third quarter of 2010 to 6,412 in the third quarter of 2011according to the 25,000-member MIAMI Association of REALTORS and the Southeast Florida Multiple Listing Service. This rise marks 13… Read more »
Featured Gay Friendly Realtor: Scott Cotrell, Tampa
Periodically we’ll feature one of our real estate professionals here to let our readers know about some great Realtors, Mortgage Brokers, and Other Real Estate Professionals. Gay Friendly Tampa Bay Area Realtors and Real Estate Professionals Hello and welcome to Tampa Bay – I love the Tampa/St. Petersburg region, and enjoy helping clients find their… Read more »
Canadians Bought 1 in 10 Florida Homes in Last Year
Canadian buyers continue to snap up Florida real estate, says a recent survey of foreign buyers produced by the National Association of Realtors on behalf of the Florida Realtors association. The survey tracked foreign buyers for a 12-month period from mid-2010 to mid-2011. “For that period, one in four Florida homes was purchased by a… Read more »
Western Florida Home Sales Up in October
Single-family home sales in Escambia County rose 18.5 percent in October over the same month last year. Pensacola-based Metro Market Trends reported 295 houses sold last month compared with 249 in October 2010. Median sale prices also took a 22.3 percent jump, topping out a $119,111, versus the $97,333 median recorded by MMT for the… Read more »
Florida Real Estate Market Beginning to Improve
State economists and local housing officials are heartened by what they see as signs that the housing market has stabilized and is expected to begin improving after 2012. John Tuccillo, chief economist for Orlando-based Florida Realtors, said state median home sales across the state have increased 15 percent since January and home prices have increased… Read more »
San Francisco Bay Area Homes Continue to Slip Underwater
Homes around the Bay Area are continuing to slide underwater – the term for a home worth less than what is owed on the mortgage – according to a report from real estate research firm Zillow. Nearly a quarter (24.6 percent) of homes in the nine-county area were underwater in the three months ended in… Read more »
Featured Gay Friendly Realtor: Julia Fordtner, Phoenix
Periodically we’ll feature one of our real estate professionals here to let our readers know about some great Realtors, Mortgage Brokers, and Other Real Estate Professionals. Gay Friendly Phoenix Realtors and Real Estate Professionals Originally from Northern New York, Julia has been living in Arizona for 25 years. She enjoys helping others through the transition… Read more »
FL: Orlando Home Sales, Prices Down Slightly From September 2010
Metro Orlando’s median price for existing-home sales appeared to be recovering last month at the same rate as most of the state’s other metropolitan areas, according to a report released Thursday by Florida Realtors. The midpoint resale price for a single-family home in the four-county Orlando metro area during September was $125,200, down 2 percent… Read more »
Chicago Home Prices Dropped in 3rd Quarter From 2010
Home prices dropped in nearly three quarters of U.S. cities over the summer, including the Chicago-area, dragged down by a decline in buyer interest and a high number of foreclosures. The National Association of Realtors says the median price for previously occupied homes fell in the July-September period from the same period last year in… Read more »
More Than Half of Inland Empire Homes Underwater
Home values in the Riverside metropolitan area were 1.5 percent lower in the third quarter of this year than in the second quarter and down 5 percent from a year earlier, according to a report this week from Zillow Inc. The median value of an Inland home, as determined by the Zillow Index that looks… Read more »
Featured Gay Friendly Realtor: Bill Smith, Las Vegas
Periodically we’ll feature one of our real estate professionals here to let our readers know about some great Realtors, Mortgage Brokers, and Other Real Estate Professionals. Gay Friendly las vegas Realtors and Real Estate Professionals Bill was born and grew up in Orange Grove (near Corpus Christi), Texas, and lived in the state for most… Read more »
Las Vegas Home Prices Reach 1998 Levels
Las Vegas home values slid in August to a new post-recession low and to levels last seen in October 1998 in a widely-watched real estate report released today. The Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller home price indices report found values in a 20 big U.S. cities it tracks rose an average 0.2 percent from July to August… Read more »
Orange County Home Values May Not Return to 2006 Levels Until After 2017
If you bought a home during housing’s price peak in 2006 or 2007, don’t expect to see its value to get back to what you paid for it by 2017. But if you buy this year, you could see your home’s value rise around 34.6% within the next six years – a gain of about… Read more »
Los Angeles Had Highest Rate of Short Sales in Second Quarter of 2011
Los Angeles had the nation’s highest number of housing short sales in this year’s second quarter, with Phoenix a close second, according to foreclosure data firm RealtyTrac. Short sales totaled 9,145 in Los Angeles for the quarter, making up 25% of all sales with an average short-sale price of $350,237. Phoenix saw 8,434 short sales… Read more »
Featured Gay Friendly Realtor: Lorine R. Williams, Us Virgin Islands
Periodically we’ll feature one of our real estate professionals here to let our readers know about some great Realtors, Mortgage Brokers, and Other Real Estate Professionals. Gay Friendly US Virgin Island Realtors and Real Estate Professionals Realtor of the Year (1996 & 2006) Coldwell Banker’s Diamond Award Winner (2006) Lorine R. Williams has served the… Read more »
California Home Prices Down, Sales Up in September
California home sales picked up in September from the same month last year as prices came down. Sales were up 6.7% as bargain hunters paying cash snapped up foreclosures. Sales figures remained below the average for September in Southern California and the Bay Area, according to DataQuick, a real estate information service based in San… Read more »
Will Price Gap Between Sacramento and San Francisco Bring Home Buyers East?
Twenty-nine cents on the dollar. That’s what homebuyers now pay for a typical house in the Sacramento region compared to buyers in San Francisco. And if history is any guide, that mounting price gap could have a big impact on Sacramento’s housing market and economy in the not-too-distant future. The last time the spread between… Read more »
Delinquencies Endanger the New York City Housing Market
New York is the largest city and the most misunderstood housing market in the nation. Sellers think that the market in New York has held up rather well and ask a lot for their property. Most buyers look at the listing price, laugh and just walk away. The result has been very low sales volume… Read more »
Lake Tahoe Real Estate Sales, Prices Dipped in Third Quarter
Based on a quarterly report released this week by Lake Tahoe-based Chase International, Lake Tahoe home sales took a four percent dip in units sold in the third quarter, while prices fluctuated in sync with the rest of the nation. The median price of a home in Lake Tahoe is $370,500, down ten percent from… Read more »
Detroit’s Economy Picking Up
Detroit, for so long the butt of jokes nationwide due to the levels of poverty and dilapidation on display to any visitors, is making a speedy return to the pinnacle of America’s manufacturing industry. The good feeling around Michigan is practically tangible. We should know – Benzinga is based in the state. While the Tigers… Read more »
GA: Atlanta Home Prices Down, But Sales Up in September
What’s happening in the Atlanta real estate market? Where are home prices headed? What kind of predictions are being made for 2012? Unfortunately, there’s not much in the way of good news. Here is our Atlanta housing market update for the third quarter of 2011. Home Prices Declining, Despite Small Uptick in Early Summer At… Read more »
Featured Gay Friendly Realtor: Justin Broadway, Gatlinburg
Periodically we’ll feature one of our real estate professionals here to let our readers know about some great Realtors, Mortgage Brokers, and Other Real Estate Professionals. Gay Friendly Tennessee Realtors and Real Estate Professionals I’m a Gatlinburg real estate broker who specializes in properties in the Great Smoky Mountains. I focus on the details, so… Read more »
CA: Palm Springs Home Sales Jumped 9.4% in September Over 2010
Coachella Valley homes sales saw a 9.4 percent jump in September over last year, according to a realty tracking firm. Sales of existing homes in nine Coachella Valley cities, including Palm Desert, and the unincorporated community of Bermuda Dunes totaled 550, up from 545 a year ago, according to Data Quick Information Systems. Sales were… Read more »
CA: San Diego Economy Likely to Remain Weak Thru 2013
San Diego will see a period of slow growth as it continues rebuilding from the recession, with some positive signals in commercial real estate and Asian tourism, a panel from UCLA’s Anderson Forecast said Monday. Those experts predict the national economy will gradually rebound in mid-2012, expanding by a modest yearly pace of 2.5 percent… Read more »
WA: Seattle Home Prices Drop, Sales Jump
September home sales in Seattle increased 26.2% when compared to the same month last year, DataQuick said Wednesday. Sales in the area were spurred in part by reduced home prices across the market, the real estate data firm concluded. The metro area, which includes Seattle, Tacoma and Bellevue, saw 3,747 new and resale home closings… Read more »
New Study: Gay Neighbors Raise Prices in Liberal Neighborhoods, Depress Prices in Conservative Ones
When gay people move into a neighborhood, do property values go down? Newly published research suggests the answer is yes — but only for neighborhoods with negative attitudes toward gay people. A look at sociopolitical attitudes and home prices in a major Ohio city finds “an increase in the number of same-sex-couple households is associated… Read more »
