Archive for November, 2006

Hot Spots Worth Noting

Wednesday, November 29th, 2006

According to the NAR’s monthly report, existing home sales rose for the first time in eight months in October. While .5% may not seem like much, the fact that it was an increase and not another decrease was good news for many. A few areas/cities in the U.S. that are doing […]

Most affordable suburbs

Wednesday, November 29th, 2006

BusinessWeekOnline has come out with a list of the best affordable suburbs for 2006. The findings were based on a combination of media home price, cost of living, crime and local schools.
The top 25 are:
1. Sandra Heights, NM
2. Roswell, GA
3. Columbia, MD
4. Sharon, MA
5. […]

First Latino Real Estate Brand Launched

Tuesday, November 28th, 2006

Earlier this month, Casa Latino Real Estate, launched the first nationally recognized franchise model for a Latino real estate brand. Although still relatively new, the company reports signing franchisees in Phoenix, AZ; Albuquerque, NM; Las Vegas, NV; St. George, UT; Ft. Lauderdale, FL; and Austin, TX.
The company is looking for people whose business philosophy […]

The Changing Demographic of the American Home Buyer

Monday, November 27th, 2006

A recent study sponsored by the Mortgage Bankers Association called “America’s Regional Demographics in the ‘00s Decade: The Role of Seniors, Boomers and New Minorities,” project that two emerging forces will change the face of the American home buyer in the next several decades — aging Baby Boomers and Hispanic and Asian immigration.
Different areas of […]

California Housing Market Will Take Time to Recover

Tuesday, November 21st, 2006

Ken Rosen, chairman of the Fisher Center for Real and Urban Economics at UC Berkeley believes it may take three years for the California housing market to recover. The main reason being that housing prices have well-surpassed salaries in California. He believes that it will take three to four years for incomes to […]

KB Homes CEO May Get Windfall

Tuesday, November 21st, 2006

Wouldn’t it be great to receive $175 million in severance pay, pension benefits and stock options when you left your position as CEO? Bruce Karatz, who stepped down last week as chief executive of KB Home may be thinking that it is in fact, one sweet deal.
Sure, he retired amid a controversey surrounding […]

Billings MT market remains strong

Monday, November 20th, 2006

Another market which has missed the effects of the so-called real estate market bubble burst is Billings, MT. The median price of a single-family home in Billings noted in the first ten months of 2006, was an increased of approximately 4% to $167,900. Sales volume is also on the […]

Luxury Continues Doing Well

Thursday, November 16th, 2006

Luxury apartments seem to be surviving the recent downturn in the market. Across the U.S., millionaires and billionaires appear to be snapping up those luxury apartments with $2, $5, and even $10M+ price tags. Let’s not forget those $5M+ sprawling estates. They do not appear to be languishing on the market either […]

Boise Becomes Big Draw

Thursday, November 16th, 2006

Affordable housing is alive and well in Boise, Idaho, and its drawing huge crowds of interested home owners. Boise’s metropolitan area has experienced a 16% jump in population since the July 2000 Census. Boise has several attractive features that appear to be fueling its growth. Amazing mountain vistas, a fast growing economy, […]

New Orleans Becoming Buyers Market

Wednesday, November 15th, 2006

Prior to Katrina, home sellers in New Orleans were enjoying a market that had homes selling for more than 35% their value. Even post Katrina, a shortage of undamaged housing fed sales and home values. Things looked good for sellers. However, buyers may soon have the upper hand in the New Orleans […]