Iowa City Homes: Weekly Market Update February 21, 2011 - 02/21/11 09:35 PM
I'm out and about telling anyone who will listen that spring has sprung in the Iowa City Real Estate Market. (Even though you'd never know from the temperatures). I have numbers to back up my words again this week too as you can see from the graph below.
66 homes under contract - That's a good number for February and up from last week. 6 homes sold in Iowa City last week - 4 single family homes and 2 condos. It's February and I'm busier than I have ever been.  If this is any kind of sign of what's to … (4 comments)

A Sunny Saturday in the Goosetown Neighborhood Iowa City - 02/20/11 09:18 PM
Yesterday after a really busy week I finally found time to whip out my camera and take some photos of houses in the Goosetown neighborhood. I'd just finished showing homes in the area and couldn't resist stopping a while to take some photos of what is truly a wonderful Iowa City neighborhood with some really charming houses. Goosetown is in the north of Iowa City. It's affectionately named Goosetown, because of the Bohemian immigrants who settled there in the 1850's and kept geese in their yards. It's about a mile from downtown Iowa City, making it a very popular choice amongst … (6 comments)

Iowa City Homes: Weekly Market Update February 14, 2011 - 02/14/11 02:18 PM
It's mid February and the real estate market in Iowa City is heating up. So much so that I figure it's time I started up my weekly market updates again. I ran into someone yesterday who was totally surprised at the idea that spring has actually sprung in the real estate market in Iowa City. He's thinking of listing his house in spring. I told him it's already here and he should get moving! I can talk all day long of course, but it's better if I back that statement up with data. Hence my idea to start up the weekly … (1 comments)

Things to Do in Iowa City This Weekend - February 12, 2011 - 02/12/11 11:59 AM
The sun is out and Valentine's Day Weekend is getting off to a great start. There are a couple of things going on in Iowa City tonight if you're into live music, or perhaps like me you're an Agatha Christie fan, in which case The Englert is the place for you. This weekend the Iowa City Community Theatre is presenting And Then There Were None -  Classic Agatha Christie, definitely a must see if you're a Whodunnit fan like me. Saturday's performance starts at 7.30pm and there's a matinee on Sunday at 2.00pm. Getting back to the live music, we have … (0 comments)

Why Replacing the Carpet is a MUCH Better Idea than Giving Buyers a Credit at Closing - 02/10/11 10:26 AM
Selling a Home in Iowa City: Do I Really Need to Replace the Carpet in My Home Before Putting it On the Market?
Nine times out of ten the answer to this question is yes, you do need to replace the carpet in your home before listing it for sale in Iowa City. When I was a home owner and not a real estate agent I had a different perspective on this. My guess is that when you read this post you will too. Buyers should be able to see past the carpet and appreciate the house, right? That makes perfect sense to you and me. … (8 comments)

An Early Reminder: Deadline for Filing the Homestead Tax Credit & Military Exemption in the Iowa City Area - 02/09/11 11:39 AM
There are many tax breaks associated with owning your own home. One of the lesser known ones is the Homestead Tax Credit. This is a small tax break, usually $115 - $130 on a home in the Iowa City area. What the credit means is that your property taxes are reduced by the amount of the credit every year. It's not a refund. This is purely a tax break that reduces your property tax liability. It may not seem like a lot, but it's certainly enough to fill up your car with gas a few times in the year ... (Although … (0 comments)

Homes Sold & Average Price - North Liberty IA January 2011 Compared to January 2010 - 02/08/11 06:15 PM
12 homes sold in North Liberty IA in January 2011 compared to 18 in January 2010. 5 single family homes, 4 attached condos, 1 detached condo and 2 zero lots. In both Coralville and Iowa City it seems condo sales are on the rise. It's not happening in North Liberty yet, but there's still plenty of time. North Liberty has a big selection of new construction condos, both apartment style and townhouses. Typically the next few months are the strongest of the year for condo sales so we can expect to see much better numbers in the coming months in North … (1 comments)

Homes Sold & Average Price - Coralville IA January 2011 Compared to January 2010 - 02/06/11 10:51 AM
14 homes sold in Coralville IA in January 2011 compared to 3 in January 2010. It won't surprise you to learn Coralville did better than Iowa City and North Liberty by a long way for home sales in January... 8 single family homes sold in January, 5 attached condos and 1 zero lot.  In both Coralville and Iowa City it seems condo sales are on the rise. That's good news as we head towards the strongest selling time of the year for condos.

The average price for a single family home in January 2011 was $267,056. That's up from last … (3 comments)

A Nice Way to End the Week - A Pretty Day in Coralville IA - 02/04/11 07:23 PM
A couple of days have passed and things are sort of getting back to normal in Coralville after the worst storm in at least a decade blew through town. (Blew being the operative word with winds reaching 50 to 60 miles an hour). On Monday I posted a "before" photo taken in front of the Marriott Conference Center in Coralville. Today it's time for a couple of "after" shots. A much prettier day as you can see with beautifully blue skies and temps almost balmy at 23ºF/-3ºC. All I can say if you're thinking of relocating to Iowa is, expect the … (1 comments)

Bob Marley's Birthday Means Even More to Celebrate in Iowa City This Weekend! - 02/04/11 05:53 PM
It's Super Bowl Weekend. Plenty going on in Iowa City this weekend. After 10 years in the US I do get the importance of Super Bowl Sunday. It's right up there with several soccer events I can come up with. Iowa City will be humming this weekend I'm sure. What kicks it up a notch for me is the fact that this weekend also celebrates the life of Bob Marley. His birthday was February 6, 1945.I'm a Brit. Outside of Jamaica I can't think of anywhere more attached to reggae music than the UK. We just love it! Reason enough right … (0 comments)

Homes Sold & Average Price - Iowa City January 2011 Compared to January 2010 - 02/04/11 10:04 AM
13 homes sold in Iowa City in January 2011 compared to 17 in January 2010. 6 single family homes, 5 attached condos, 1 detached condo and 1 zero lot. The interesting thing about the numbers is that it seems condo sales are on the rise. That was the case for the number of condos sold in December and now in January. At least when it comes to condos it looks like the market may be turning around. That's great news as we head towards the spring market. (Typically the strongest selling time of the year for condos).Generally speaking the prices reflect … (0 comments)

The Highest & Lowest Priced Homes in Iowa City Today - 02/03/11 10:31 AM
Yesterday was an upside down day in Iowa City. After the worst storm of the season the entire area came to a standstill. It got me thinking about extremes so I decided to look at the Iowa City MLS to see what kind of extremes we have on the prices of homes in Iowa City. The highest priced home in Iowa City currently listed on the Iowa City MLS is 47 Crabapple Ct, Iowa City - $1,410,000. It is in the Walnut Ridge Subdivision and as you would expect in a home of this price is luxury at its finest. If … (1 comments)

Knocked Us of our Feet it Did - Coralville and Iowa City After The Storm! - 02/02/11 04:29 PM
That's it. I keep my mouth shut next time. We've had a bitterly cold winter in the Coralville and Iowa City area this year, but up until yesterday we were pretty lucky as far as missing major storms is concerned. Actual snow fall has been on the low side. On Monday I had to go and jinx it for us all by just provoking those guys at the weather service to get it wrong! They didn't. We got the snow they predicted. In fact we were one of the harder hit areas and got about a foot of snow overnight. Today … (3 comments)

Worst Storm of the Season... And Yet, Spring is on its Way... Are You Ready to Move? - 02/02/11 11:38 AM
Hard to believe with our worst winter storm of the season upon us that we're just weeks away from the peak home buying time of the year in Iowa City. Students and new members of Faculty coming to the UIOWA for the Fall Semester.  Med Students and Fellows relocating to Iowa City for their three or four year stint at the UI Hospitals.  They'll soon be out in numbers looking for a new place to call home. Add to that the renters who are ready to buy a home and need to be out of their apartments either at the end … (0 comments)

Buying or Selling a Home in Iowa City: What Does Sale Pending Mean? - 02/01/11 12:13 PM
What does sale pending mean? Can I still look at a house that is sale pending?This is one of those questions I get asked by buyers and sellers alike. Buyers want to make sure no-one else comes along to threaten their accepted offer. Sellers are excited and want the neighbors to know the hard work has paid off and they will be moving soon. For both the "Sale Pending" rider is a sign that they've reached the home stretch. Not too much can stop them now... Or can it?Judging by other posts I've read on the subject, the definition of sale … (3 comments)