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Archive for August, 2009

National Association of Realtors: U.S. Home Sales for July the Highest Increase in 10 Years

Friday, August 21st, 2009

U.S. home sales posted the highest increase in 10 years, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR) statistics. Worth noting, is that this is the 4th straight month of increased sales. Also worth noting from the other end of the spectrum, is that the median sales price is down 15% from the same month last year, from an average of $210,000, to $178,000. This is both good and bad: good in that housing affordability has improved greatly, bad in that so many individuals have lost equity (albeit, much of it ghost, or shadow equity).

The primary surge in home sales is being driven by first-time homebuyers.
Please click here to read this article.

Miami Housing Market Condominium Boom Rebound?

Thursday, August 20th, 2009

This article, from Channel 4 News out of Miami, shows us something that is inevitable, and bound to happen: that which goes up, must come down, and that which goes up really high and fast, must come down really low and fast, and again, that which comes down really low and fast…is seen as a great opportunity for investors!

It appears that with the continual decline in the Miami condo market (perhaps one of the if not the worst hit real estate markets in the country), investors have been watching and waiting for the opportunity to get back into this market. Like when gold drops to below $300, or oil below $55 per barrel, when condos in good locations drop to very low numbers, the investors re-enter the market. I suspect this time though, their reasoning is much more sound. Eventually commodities get so low in acquisition price, that savvy investors seem to simultaneously think, ‘opportunity’!

One complex alone has sold more than 120 units in 6 weeks time.

I have been seeing something on a much smaller scale, but yet somewhat similar in the Southwest Minneapolis, downtown Minneapolis and Uptown Minneapolis condo markets: Very low pricing (primarily due to short sales and foreclosures…due to a condo glut thanks to overbuilding and apartment conversions), and now somewhat of a buying frenzy for condos in good locations, under $150K. Howver, most of these buyers are not investors, but smart first-time homebuyers.

Either way, it is good to see them being bought, which to me is one more indicator of an at or near bottom for the lower-end, or ‘chaff’ markets.

New Listing, Home for Sale West Bloomington: $299,900 Perfect, 9942 Alabama Road, One Block from the Hyland Preserve

Tuesday, August 18th, 2009

9942 Alabama Road, MLS #3824870. This wonderful West Bloomington, Hyland Preserve home is marketed by Zeb Haney, Realtor with Edina Realty. Offered at $299,900, this home has a new kitchen, renovated formal diningroom, new wood floors, lower-level movie theater, landscaped yard, 3 bedrooms on 1-level, full master suite with 3/4 bath, and much more. Please click here to see the entire listing and take the tour.

Home for Sale Maple Grove: New Listing, Perfect, Updated Home for First-Time Homebuyer, offered at $234,900

Tuesday, August 18th, 2009

Just listed and marketed by Zeb Haney, Realtor with Edina Realty. This nice, 4 bedroom, 2 bath, 2 stall garage has it all for a first-time homebuyer. 9837 101st place North, Maple Grove offers a 3-season porch, 3-wide driveway, secluded backyard, mechanical updates, and all at a great, tree-lined, quiet, family-oriented street.
Please click here to view the listing. 1 Front

New Edina Realty Listing: Home for sale in Southwest Minneapolis – Lynnhurst Neighborhood

Thursday, August 6th, 2009

1 - Front4849 Girard Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN is offered for $850,000. This new listing, in the heart of Southwest Minneapolis’ Lynnhurst neighborhood, is on a rare, double-lot, only 1.5 blocks from Lake Harriet. There are multiple, high-end updates and amenities throughout this home, including a new kitchen, 3 new bathrooms, a finished lower-level, roof, windows, updated mechanicals, driveway, landscaping, paver-patio and much more. Please click here to view this listing.
Also: Video Tour of 4849 Girard Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN

This home has a great floor plan, and has really been designed and updated for entertaining. The 48th and Girard is a block within Lynnhurst that has many children, making 4849 Girard a perfect home for a family. The location offers great schools, coffee shops, restaurants, wine-bars, boutique shopping, Lake Harriet, the parkway, parks, and easy access to 35W, Hwy 100, and 62, as well as an easy shot into downtown Minneapolis. This home is one of the true gems on the housing market currently.

This home of 4849 Girard Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN is being marketed by Minneapolis Realtor Zeb Haney and the brokerage of Edina Realty 50th & France Office.

Deutsche Bank Predicting Half of All Mortgages to be Underwater by 2011

Thursday, August 6th, 2009

Predictions on the condition of the mortgage market vary, sometimes greatly. In this article Deutsche Bank – one of the world’s leading powerhouse banking and investment institutions – is predicting that about half of all U.S. mortgages will be underwater (owing more than their home is worth) by the first quarter of 2011. This is to include ‘Prime’ loans as well, not just ’subprime.’

Whereas I can see the  possibility of this in certainly markets, this would not be a universal, across the board mortgage crisis. Some metro areas are in much better shape than others. For example: the Detroit and Las Vegas areas will be offsetting the curve a great deal (in the negative), while other areas such as the Minneapolis area housing market, or the Dallas and Salt Lake City Housing markets are in much better shape.

It will be quite interetsting to see how this plays out, and I certainly hope Deutsche Bank is wrong in their prognostication for early 2011.

My advice if you are buying a home in the Minneapolis area housing market: if you can (depending on your price-point), buy your next home in Southwest Minneapolis, Edina and sometimes West Bloomington areas.

Minneapolis and Edina Housing Market Continues to See Improvement

Wednesday, August 5th, 2009

While the Southwest Minneapolis and Edina housing market have been fairly stable markets throughout the past 3 years, many other surrounding Minneapolis-area housing markets have been in a continual, declining-mode for the past 3 years. However, as I’ve been noting on this blog, statistics over the past few months have shown continued stabilization thoughout the Southwest Minneapolis metro area.

Key areas of stabilzation are: fewer listings, higher closed-sales activity, less days on the market for active listings, better affordabiltiy (indexes), and still low lending rates.  Of course the upper-bracket listings in the entire Minneap0lis-area is a different story, especially at $1 million dollars-plus, but stabilization does not start at the top. At this point, stabilization will have to start at the lower-levels through the middle, and eventually work its way upward, as more sellers are freed up from their homes, and can then make their next move to upsize.

We still need the banks to work on a better jumbo-mortgage product, in order to help stabilize the upper-bracket.

Overall though, we are seeing legitimate, good news. Let’s hope we do not see any further shoes drop in the economic sector. For this to happen, we need less government spending, lower taxes, and stabilization in employment sectors. Of course this is not happening, and this is the current forseeable trouble on the horizon.