Archive for the 'New Homes' Category
Florida’s existing home, condo sales rise in April
ORLANDO, Fla. – May 24, 2010 – Sales of existing homes in Florida rose 27 percent in April, which means that sales activity has increased in the year-to-year comparison for 20 months, according to the latest housing data released by Florida Realtors®. Another positive sign: Last month’s statewide existing-home median price of $140,100 was 1 percent higher than the statewide median price in April 2009.
Existing home sales rose 27 percent last month with a total of 16,781 homes sold statewide compared to 13,244 homes sold in April 2009, according to Florida Realtors. Statewide existing home sales last month increased nearly 3 percent over statewide sales activity in March. Meanwhile, April’s statewide existing-home median price was 2.3 percent higher than March’s statewide existing-home median price of $137,000. It marks the second month in a row that the statewide existing-home median price has increased over the previous month’s median.
“Buyers responding to the federal homebuyer tax credit before it expired helped to boost home sales across Florida,” said 2010 Florida Realtors President Wendell Davis, a broker with Watson Realty Corp. in Jacksonville. “And buying conditions remain favorable, with a variety of housing options available in local markets at attractive and affordable prices. Plus, current mortgage interest rates are at historically low levels, which gives buyers more ‘bang’ for their buck.”
Florida Realtors also reported a 55 percent increase in statewide sales of existing condos in April compared to the previous year’s sales figure; statewide existing condo sales last month rose 2 percent over the total units sold in March. Though April’s statewide existing-condo median price of $103,600 was down 3 percent compared to the year-ago figure, it was 6.9 percent higher than March’s statewide existing-condo median price.
Seventeen of Florida’s metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) reported increased existing home sales in April while all but one MSA had higher condo sales. A majority of the state’s MSAs have reported increased sales for 22 consecutive months.
Florida’s median sales price for existing homes last month was $140,100; a year ago, it was $138,100 for a 1 percent gain. The median is the midpoint; half the homes sold for more, half for less.
Thenational median sales price for existing single-family homes in March 2010 was $170,700, up 0.6 percent from a year earlier, according to the National Association of Realtors® (NAR). In California, the statewide median resales price was $301,790in March; in Massachusetts, it was $280,000; in Maryland, it was $235,785; and in New York, it was $209,900.
According to NAR’s latest outlook, two trends are influencing a broader stabilization of home prices in housing markets across the nation: months of increased sales activity and lower levels of inventory. “Foreclosures have been feeding into the inventory pipeline at a fairly steady pace and are being absorbed manageably,” said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. “With home values stabilizing, a revival in homebuying confidence will likely help the housing market get back on its feet even as the tax credit impact disappears.”
In Florida’s year-to-year comparison for condos, 7,291 units sold statewide last month compared to 4,703 units in April 2009 for an increase of 55 percent. The statewide existing condo median sales price last month was $103,600; in April 2009 it was $107,200 for a 3 percent decrease. The national median existing condo price was $170,600 in March, according to NAR.
Interest rates for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 5.10 percent in April, up from the average rate of 4.81 percent during the same month a year earlier, according to Freddie Mac. Florida Realtors’ sales figures reflect closings, which typically occur 30 to 90 days after sales contracts are written.
Among the state’s smaller markets, the Panama City MSA reported a total of 128 homes sold in April compared to 108 homes a year earlier for a 19 percent increase. The market’s existing home median sales price last month was $160,000; a year earlier it was $156,800 for an increase of 2 percent. A total of 65 condos sold in the MSA in April compared to 53 units sold the same month a year earlier for an increase of 23 percent. The existing condo median price last month was $187,100; a year earlier, it was $172,900 for an 8 percent gain.
© 2010 Florida Realtors
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East Tampa Purchase
Daniel Haynes
Technical Sergeant USAF
JCSE MacDill AFB
To Whom It May Concern:
Please use this testimonial as my endorsement for Buster Levin toward his nomination for the Tampa Bay Real Estate Young Professional of the Year. We recently relocated to MacDill Air Force Base and Buster helped us find a place to live and saved us thousands on our home purchase along with extending his MacDill Mover’s Rebate Program to us which saved us an additional $2500 over the $10,000 he had already saved us on the purchase price.
Colby and I would like to thank you for everything that you have done for us. The day after Christmas you were ready and waiting for us to arrive at your office and start looking for a home at our new duty location. Having dealt with a few Realtors in our past we were skeptical and thought that we would be shown a bunch of houses that were not in our interest. You were very in tuned to our needs as a military family and are extremely knowledgeable about the military in your community. Being active duty it is quite refreshing to see someone in the local community take such good care of their military neighbors. We were almost overwhelmed with moving from North Carolina to Florida, you have made things so much easier for us by being available anytime we had a question and even better yet, knowing the answer to our questions. We were very grateful that you had found a way to keep some fiancés in our favor with your MacDill Mover’s Rebate Program. Your program made it possible for us to purchase a new home and receive a $1000 check at closing…wow! I would challenge any realtor to show as much dedication and care to what they would call clients or customers that Buster shows to his clients that he considers friends. Outside of being an example for other Realtors to mirror, Buster is a great person to know. We could tell right away that he had an interest that extended beyond that of a realtor. His dedication to us as people is amazing! He has taken customer service to a whole new level in the Real Estate community.
Sincerely,
Daniel D. Haynes
Colby Haynes
New Homes
Buying New Makes Sense
One quick glance at today’s headlines, and it’s no wonder that, as concerned consumers, we’re pinching pennies more than ever. In a recent survey conducted by HSBC Bank USA, 64 percent of us plan to cut unnecessary spending this year. And, in a similar survey by Discover Financial Services, about half of consumers plan to cut down on such non-essential spending as dinners out and movies – even remodeling.
Still, when it comes to buying a house – something that many consumers are doing because of the many good deals to be had in a slow market – most of us prefer new. Even better, buying a new home also makes good financial sense. New homes offer countless advantages for consumers when it comes to saving money. Perhaps the biggest plus is that, since they’re brand-new, the maintenance headaches that often accompany maintenance – as with older homes – simply don’t exist, and won’t for a while.
New homes also use the latest in whole-house systems, like heating and air conditioning, so they’re not likely to break down, saving consumers money. They’re also more energy-efficient, which is also good for saving lots of green. Speaking of green, with interest rates that aren’t too far away from historic lows (just over 6 percent for a 30-year fixed mortgage as of March 11), consumers can also save money on new home mortgages. And, since mortgage interest and real estate taxes are deductible, it’s another way to save money by buying a new home, especially when it comes to tax time.
There’s a saying that when you buy a pre-owned home, you’re buying someone else’s vision of a home, and that’s true. Even if that “vision” involved avocado green counters, white laminate floors in the kitchen and neon Hollywood-style lighting in the bathroom. Today’s homebuilders are offering the latest in popular choices at up-to-the-minute design centers that allow consumers to choose from hardwood flooring to cabinetry, fixtures to lighting – and everything in between.
With a new home, the sky’s the limit when it comes to design choices – and they’re all yours. New homebuyers end up with a house that’s perfectly suited for their needs. Buying new means also adding elements as your home is built – the kind of custom features that would cost far more if they were added after the fact. Consider the cost of such finished spaces as game rooms or media rooms, or such extras as fireplaces and built-in microwave ovens.
Any builder will tell you that it’s much less expensive to choose these kinds of options up-front. In the end, buying new just makes more sense: less worries about maintenance, lower interest rates on mortgages, and design choices that fit your lifestyle. And who doesn’t want that?
Good Time to Buy
Six reasons why it’s still a good time to buy
NEW YORK – March 31, 2009 – The housing market is looking healthier. Here are six reasons why now is the time to jump into the market.
1. Uncle Sam is willing to help. First-time buyers (defined as anyone who hasn’t owned a home in the last three years) are entitled to a maximum $8,000 tax credit; interest rates are at record lows; and the Federal Reserve is doing its best to make mortgage loans available.
2. People have to live somewhere. About 800,000 new households are formed each year in this country, ensuring that the housing market will tighten, even if the economy doesn’t soar.
3. Borrowers leverage their investment. If you put $10,000 into the stock market and it earns 10 percent, you’ve earned $1,000. If you put $10,000 down on a home and its values increases 10 percent, you’ve made $10,000.
4. When prices come back up, you’ll have instant equity. In parts of the country where foreclosures have driven down prices, better times will mean the price of the home you buy will rise rapidly.
5. Mortgage costs stay the same. If you get a fixed-rate mortgage, the monthly payment stays the same – while everything else, including rent, goes upward.
6. You own it. There is something comforting in the notion that your home is your own. You can paint it any color you want, let the dog run in the back yard and hang a swing for the kids in the front.
Want to learn more about the home buyer tax credit? You can sign up for NAR’s upcoming Webinar, “Build Your Business Using the Improved Home Buyer Tax Credit” set for April 28. For more information click here.
Source: The Wall Street Journal, June Fletcher (03/27/2009)