After a long and painful downturn in the housing market, home prices in many—but not all—regions of the U.S. are showing signs of recovery. According to Zillow, a real estate listing website, home values rose 5.1% across the U.S. between February 2012 and February 2013. Many local housing markets are performing considerably better than the country as a whole. Home values rose more than 13% in 10 of the 30 largest housing markets for which Zillow has data, and rose more than 20% in five of them. Most of the 10 … [Read more...]
Vacation Homes Increasingly Enticing for Buyers
May 2, 2013 by Leave a Comment
The vacation housing market is looking bright these days in part because of favorable economic conditions, but second-home sellers attribute the increase to strategic marketing as well. “We tell people this is an important investment and not just another toy,” says Peter Colvin, co-developer of Kingfisher Cove, a luxury lakefront cottage community near Saugatuck, Mich. For Colvin, also a longtime investment advisor, you must first create reasonably priced vacation homes, and then convince potential buyers … [Read more...]
Is The Phoenix Real Estate Market In Another Bubble?
April 23, 2013 by Leave a Comment
According to Michael Orr, Director of Real Estate at W.P. Carey school of business at Arizona State, we are not even close to a bubble at this point. Michael has thus put together a 'top ten' list of reasons why we are not currently in a bubble. CLICK HERE to read his findings. … [Read more...]
Metro Phoenix luxury home sales on the rise
April 22, 2013 by Leave a Comment
The number of metro Phoenix luxury houses for sale is on the rise, something real estate analysts say is a good sign for the market because fewer of the houses are foreclosures or short-sale listings. At the beginning of April, there were 2,267 houses listed at $500,000 or more on the market, a 3 percent increase from March, according to the latest report from a local real estate firm and Arizona State University housing analyst Mike Orr. Of the upscale houses for sale, 90 were short sales. That compares … [Read more...]
Selling your home? The cards are in your favor
April 22, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Selling your home? In most parts of the country, you have finally regained the upper hand. So says Beth Braverman, CNN Money on April 8, 2013: 4:33 PM ET. To get your best price, though, you need to finesse your timing, list competitively and match your marketing strategy to local conditions. Lower your sights to make more money. Rising prices breed rising hopes: In a recent poll, brokers complained that 75% of homeowners think their agent's recommended listing price is too low. Pricing your property above … [Read more...]
7 Metros With Fastest Rising List Prices
March 26, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Nationwide, median asking prices continue to rise, reaching $189,900 in February. Meanwhile, inventories of for-sale homes on the market are reaching record lows, Realtor.com reports in its latest analysis of February MLS data. The markets seeing some of the largest increases in asking prices are the areas seeing some of the largest declines in inventories. California housing markets continue to post some of the largest price increases in the past year, but other strong performing markets also include Phoenix, … [Read more...]
Homes Selling Faster As Buyers Outweigh Supply
March 19, 2013 by Leave a Comment
According to Realtor.com, homes sold faster this February than any other February since 2007. This should be very familiar to Phoenicians who have sold or bought a home in the last year within the valley. Homes in Phoenix, Arcadia, Scottsdale and most cities within Maricopa County have seen days on market numbers plunge and within certain price ranges, seen multiple offers the day a property is listed. Investors have definitely exacerbated the situation as they have come into the market with cash offers making … [Read more...]
5 Cities Where Houses Are Still Cheap
March 12, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Buyers have been rushing into Phoenix in search of big deals. Short-sale purchases increased 43% during the fourth quarter of 2012 compared with a year prior, according to RealtyTrac. It’s not just investors who are behind the trend. Owner occupants are also competing for these properties. Given the competition, experts say, buyers looking to pick up a short sale will have a better shot if they come to the table with an all-cash offer. But real-estate agents warn that the window of opportunity to snatch up … [Read more...]
Phoenix Area Real Estate Prices Soar
February 8, 2013 by Leave a Comment
It's no surprise that the Phoenix real estate market has been leading the charge over the past year as real estate home values have bounced back quite strongly in many cities around the country. What is surprising though, is how much they have come back here. A recent study conducted by a Phoenix real estate specialist, Mike Orr found that Phoenix median home prices rose 34 percent in 2012 and foreclosures were down by 51 percent. To read the rest of the article, please click here. … [Read more...]
Phoenix home values soar at the end of 2012 to lead nation
January 23, 2013 by Leave a Comment
According to Kristena Hansen, a reporter with Phoenix Business Journal, January 22, 2013 - The metro Phoenix housing market has long been known for its volatility, so it should be no surprise that it lived up to its reputation through the end of last year, posting the largest — by far — home-value gains in the nation. The latest figures released Tuesday by Zillow Inc. show Phoenix home values soared by 22.5 percent year-over-year during the last three months of 2012. That’s significantly better than the … [Read more...]
