If you’re a California homeowner and thinking about putting your place on the market, you’ll be glad to know that the Golden State was recently recognized as having some of the most robust housing markets in the nation – particularly in the central part of the state.
In CNN Money’s list of the “5 Best Markets to Sell a Home,” California cities dominated with four out of five markets being located in “The Land of Sunshine and Opportunity.” Opportunity is right, particularly in the real estate realm, with rising home values and strong demand helping to fuel the state’s economic recovery.
CNN Money named Oakland as the top ranking market for selling a home, with the median list price at a whopping $419,000. Average days on the market for this real estate hot spot was a mere 14 days, indicating that demand for housing is strong and inventory may be slim. Due to this demand, many homeowners in Oakland are receiving multiple offers and even selling at above asking price. [Read more...]
Considering a home purchase in the ‘Sparkling City by the Sea?” There’s a little good news from Trulia, which recently reported that the average list price of homes on the market in Corpus Christi is slightly down to around $210,789. That figure was for property listings through February 6th and reflects a week-over-week (w-o-w) drop of 0.8% or $1,789. As anyone familiar with the trends of coastal real estate knows, it is likely just a matter of time before activity begins to pick up. So it is a good idea to get in before the throngs of spring and summer visitors arrive who may decide to relocate to the Corpus Christi area for good!
If you think that, “Home is where your horse is”, then Lexington, KY is definitely the right place for you! Boasting over 500 horse farms, it should come as no surprise that Lexington is the “Horse Capital of the World.” Located in Fayette County in the Bluegrass Region of Kentucky, it is home to over 600,000 residents. Lexington is surrounded by rolling countryside crossed by gently flowing creeks and is an ideal place for pastureland and horse farms. Residents here have faithfully preserved the city’s historic roots and are very proud of the restored downtown area and other structures that have been here since the 1700s. The painstaking planning put into maintaining the city’s growth while preserving the industry that it is built upon, has taken a concerted effort.
If “slow and steady wins the race”, then Pittsburgh, PA might just be the winner in the improved housing market contest. It appears that throughout 2012, the “City of Bridges” quietly plodded along. According to several market reports, many areas around the city showed price increases, lower inventory and fewer days on the market. In fact it was noted on Wikipedia that in the midst of the late 2000s recession, “Pittsburgh remained economically strong, adding jobs when most cities were losing them, and becoming one of the few cities in the U.S. to see housing property values rise.” In fact, the city’s understated perseverance so impressed President Obama, that he chose to have the 2009 G-20 Summit there.
The real estate information firm RealtyTrac, published its, “2012 Year-End Metropolitan Foreclosure Market Report” at the end of January. The big news was that foreclosure activity increased during 2012. Compared to 2011, within the 212 metro areas examined, foreclosure activity was up in 120 of them. That number represents 57%. However, the RealtyTrac report revealed that the situation was still an improvement over 2010, when 85% or 181, of those same metros experienced high foreclosure rates.
The end of January and beginning of February heralded good news on the home front. The National Association of Home Builders published the results of their latest surveys on the “American Improving Markets Index”, or IMI. The first month of the New Year marked the fifth month in a row that showed improvement. 242 housing markets across the country were deemed as recovering. This number was up from the December total of 201. By February 6th, the total was up to 259 and marked six solid months of continuing home sales.
Across the US, a movement toward smaller communities and slower paces of life is growing—particularly among new parents or parents with younger children. The mechanics of the modern workplace have made telecommuting and remote offices an easy reality for many white-collar workers. Beyond allowing them to downshift to a more laid back lifestyle, it also allows those making the move to embrace the regional flavors of America. To that end, here is a list of five great small towns in the wide-open spaces in the Western US. 
