Home Sales Archives - Page 4 of 5

July 26, 2013 by changescapeweb Leave a Comment

St. Charles County Housing Market is Strong in 2013

02I97987-300x225 The housing market is very good right now in St. Charles County. There are more buyers looking for houses than there are houses for sale, so it’s a great time to list your home. Recent articles in the St. Louis Business Journal and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch show that the housing market in St. Charles County is strong!

St. Charles County Association of Realtors 2013 Statistics

A snap shot of the first quarter of 2013 shows that 200 more homes were sold in St. Charles County compared to the same period in 2012. That up over 22.78%!

Month over month home sales have outperformed the previous year 20 out of the last 21 month.

The Median sales price is up almost 3.5%.

Year to date days on market went from 103 last year to 71 this year – a decrease of over 31%.

Pending sales in the first quarter of 2013 are up 16% compared to the first quarter of 2012.

The active inventory is down 6% from the first quarter of 2012.

Traffic is way better than you might think

The Blanchette Bridge Construction on I-70 is nearly complete. The Page Avenue Extension (MO-364) is complete to Mid Rivers Drive now. And there have been several other major road improvements in St. Charles County.

Great Schools

We have great school districts, including Francis Howell, Fort Zumwalt, St. Charles, and Orchard Farm with strong academic performance. Also, Francis Howell is No. 1 area large-schools program for sports for 2012-13 in the St. Louis area. Francis Howell was also recently selected as one of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Top Workplaces for 2013.

A Great Place to Visit, and to Live!

AAA Midwest Traveler Magazine July/August 2013 listed St. Charles, MO as the Best Day Tour from St. Louis. In fact, St. Charles rated #2 for Best Small City, Best Romantic City, and #1 for Best Casino. You might just come for the day but wind up deciding to live in St. Charles!

Summer is in full swing & homes are selling faster than they have in years!! It is the time for sellers to put their homes on the market & for buyers to start your home search! This Spring has been the busiest in 6 years & interest rates are hovering around 4.0%. Both home prices & interest rates are on the rise though! Contact me for details today!

April 2, 2013 by changescapeweb Leave a Comment

Existing-Home Sales and Prices Continue to Rise in February 2013

iStock_000016225671XSmall-300x199 The housing market is experiencing a healthy recovery – as shown by February existing-home sales and prices according to the National Association of REALTORS®. Both home sales and home prices have been above year-ago levels for several consecutive months now.

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, says conditions for continued housing improvement are at play. “Job growth in the improving economy and pent-up demand are causing both home sales and rental leasing to rise. Though home prices are rising much faster than rents, historically low mortgage rates are still making home purchases affordable,” he says. “The only headwinds are limited housing inventory, which varies greatly around the country, and credit conditions that remain too restrictive.”

Existing-home prices are up 11.6 percent from February 2012. The last time there were 12 consecutive months of year-over-year price increases was from June 2005 to May 2006. The February gain is the strongest since November 2005 when it was 12.9 percent above a year earlier.

“A strong rise in home values is contributing to housing wealth recovery, which has risen by $1.4 trillion in the past year and looks to top that increase this year,” Yun says. “The extra consumer spending arising from growth in housing wealth is expected to be $70 billion to $110 billion this year.”

The time a home has been on the market has dropped to an average of 74 day, versus 97 days in February 2012.

Foreclosures and short sales still account for about a fourth of February sales, up from 23 percent in January but down from 34 percent in February 2012.

Interest rates for a 30-year, conventional, fixed-rate mortgage continue to hover around 3.5%

You can read more on Existing-Home Sales and Prices here.

P.S. Spring is finally here even if the weather isn’t cooperating! It is never too early to start your home search or get your home ready for the Spring market. This past year was the busiest year we had in home sales in 5 years. This year could be even better! There are large numbers of homes at below-market prices & the Interest rates are hovering around 3.5%! Contact Sandra Meranda for details today!

February 28, 2013 by changescapeweb Leave a Comment

Pending Home Sales Up in All Regions

WASHINGTON (February 27, 2013) – Pending home sales rose in January, and have been above year-ago levels for the past 21 months, according to the National Association of Realtors®. There were healthy monthly gains in all regions but the West, which is constrained by limited inventory but was slightly improved.

In the Midwest the pending home sales index increased 4.5 percent to 105.0 in January and is 17.7 percent above a year ago. This increase is do to affordable home prices and job growth.

Read the full January pending home sales article.

P.S. Spring is just around the corner! It is never too early to start your home search or get your home ready for the Spring market. This past year was the busiest year we had in home sales in 5 years. This year could be even better! There are large numbers of homes at below-market prices & the Interest rates are hovering around 3.5% !! Contact me for details today!

December 19, 2012 by changescapeweb Leave a Comment

Pending Home Sales Rise in October

Pending Home Sales for October 2012 rose 5.8% over September and by 13.2% over October 2011. This is the busiest year we have had in home sales in 5 years! It is the prime time of year for buying and selling real estate. There are large numbers of homes at below-market prices & the Interest rates are hovering around 3.5% !! The home sale numbers have been increasing every month since June 2011.

WASHINGTON (November 29, 2012) – Pending home sales rose strongly in October with mixed regional results, according to the National Association of Realtors® (NAR). Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist. noted there are clear regional patterns. “Contract activity surged in the Midwest”.

If you are thinking about selling a home in St. Charles or St. Louis Counties, working with a Real Estate expert than knows the St. Charles and St. Louis County market can really help you. Sandra Meranda specializes in the St. Charles and St. Louis county home markets. Contact me for help with finding or selling your home.

September 6, 2012 by changescapeweb Leave a Comment

10 Lessons to Learn as the Housing Market Recovers

The busy Summer season is here! This is the busiest Summer season we have had in 5 years! It is the prime time of year for buying and selling real estate. There are large numbers of homes at below-market prices & the Interest rates are hovering below around 3.5% !! The home sale numbers have been increasing every month since June 2011. Call me for details today!

10 Lessons to Learn as the Housing Market Recovers – by Ron Phipps, 2012 Immediate Past President, National Association of Realtors® (NAR)

Headlines abound: The Housing Bust is over… In June, a survey of economists concluded that housing has hit bottom. Realtors®, homeowners and renters, Americans, and citizens of the world all are sighing with collective relief. The economy and housing values both have cycles. It has been more than eighty years since the difference between the top and the bottom was so great.

As Realtors®, we are relieved that we are at the bottom, but we are realistic with the changes in the market and our work. In the not too distant past, the overwhelming majority of our work was prior to sales agreement, now it can be after. In that same time, most transactions closed. The”fallout rate” was nonexistent. Most sobering is what is now required to get to closing and how many things can derail a transaction for a “willing, ready, and able” buyer.

So we are cautiously engaging the new reality, but first we need to pause. If we do not learn from history, we are bound to repeat it. We do not want to repeat the last ten years. So what are the lessons we should learn? Here are 10 lessons that come to mind:

1. The economy cannot recover without housing.
2. Everyone needs shelter, but not everyone needs to own their shelter.
3. High homeownership rates are important but they must be sustainable.
4. Home prices go up and go DOWN.
5. The process of purchasing /financing a home is more complicated.
6. Sound underwriting of mortgages is critical.
7. Home equity should not be used for ordinary living expenses.
8. Financial reserves for family, companies, and countries are necessary.
9. Homeowners confidence in the economy is directly related the value of their own homes.
10. The economy is global.

What lessons did the last decade teach you? We would love to know what you learned from the last cycle.

What is important is that we remember what happened as we prepare to write the future. Most importantly, we should also have a sense of accomplishment that we endured these life lessons.

There are seasons in the weather: spring, summer, fall and winter. So there are in economic cycles. It is great to be at the thaw of winter and the budding of spring.

If you are thinking about buying and selling a home in St. Charles, working with a Real Estate expert than knows the St. Charles market can really help you. Sandra Meranda specializes in the St. Charles and St. Louis county home markets. Contact me for help with finding or selling your home.

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