This article was originally posted on DothanHomeSearch.com

This historic marker is located just south of Dothan at the Florida State line, erected on the east side of the highway.

From the Historic Chattahoochee Commission website:

Southern Boundary of the United States, 1795-1819
Location: Located on Highway 231 at Ellicott's Crossing.
Marker Dedication or Erection Date: October 27, 1995
Marker Text:

On October 27, 1795, the United States concluded the Treaty of San Lorenzo with Spain, establishing 31 north latitude as the boundary between its southern territory and West Florida. Despite Spanish delays, commissions representing the two countries began the eastward survey at the Mississippi River. They passed this point in August 1799, and continued to the Chattahoochee River. They later abandoned the boundary survey east of the river due to persistent Indian attacks. The 381 mile survey became known as Ellicott's line in reference to Andrew Ellicott, surveyor for the U.S. commission.

Erected by the Houston County Commission, Dothan Landmarks Foundation, and the Historic Chattahoochee Commission, 1995.

Tags: Historic+markers+around+Dothan

This article was originally posted on DothanHomeSearch.com

The Dothan area real estate market was the only area in Alabama to show positive sales growth in June, data from the Alabama Center for Real Estate shows. According to a story in The Dothan Eagle, Dothan was the only market in Alabama to show an increase in June, compared to last year. As posted earlier, home sales here are down about 12% through the first half of the year, compared to the same period in 2007.

So why is this market seemingly stronger than many others around the state? A couple of reasons. First, Dothan has experienced a population boom over the last several years. Second, our local economy is diverse and not reliant on any one industry for growth. Another factor might be affordability. A median price of around $135,000 puts home ownership within reach of many Dothan area residents.

Keep in mind that we do not use statistics from ACRE in our reports here. We use data from the Dothan MLS, which will not include most for sale by owner properties and some new construction, but is timely and overall very representative of the Dothan real estate market as a whole.

Why do you think the Dothan real estate market is not following the trend of sharply declining sales similar to other areas around Alabama and the nation? Let us know by commenting below.

This article was originally posted on DothanHomeSearch.com

Even in the smoothest transactions, closing is stressful for home buyers. You are signing dozens of documents, most of which you are trusting the closing attorney and not asking what you are signing. Add to that the fact that you are likely making the biggest, single financial transaction of your life.

For the folks out there that feed off of stress, the Type A personalities among us, here are three ways (plus a bonus!) to help increase the level of stress at your closing.

Poor choice of mortgage provider

By all means, go online to your favorite search engine and type "low cost mortgages" or something similar in the search box, then surf on over to AllICareAboutIsMyRate.com to get the "best deal" on your new mortgage. It won't happen every time, but we see the vast majority of such endeavors end in misery for the buyer. Everything from bouncing rates and fees to asking for the same documentation five different times. If you are really interested in weeks of stress and confusion, don't use a local mortgage broker or a reputable online one.

Buy a car a couple of weeks before closing

You may be approved and ready to close, but your mortgage provider is going to check your credit again a couple of days before closing. Any new line of credit, such as financing a car, will likely change your credit score enough to cause questions to be asked by the mortgage company. So be ready to explain to your lender how you are going to pay for that new boat AND make your new house payment.

Don't check the repairs

You will likely (or you should) have the home you are buying professionally inspected. You should have reserved the right in the sales contract to request certain repairs, based on this inspection. Once you submit your list of repairs to the seller, don't worry about checking to make sure they are done. You'll be able to determine that at your walk-thru, which is usually the day before closing. After all, 24 hours is probably plenty of time to get that piece of damaged drywall repaired and painted, or have a contractor come back to fix something they did a poor job on.

BONUS ROUND - Don't ask for a survey

If the home you are buying is in a platted subdivision, there is no need for a survey, right? Except that things change. Fences and storage buildings are built and driveways and parking pads are expanded, and it is not uncommon for encroachments to present themselves after closing. So while this one might not cause problems at closing, the problems down the road will be enough to cause you some stress. Keep these ideas in mind as you think about your closing. If you have had an experience at closing of your home, share it with us by commenting below.

Tags: home+buyers, closing

This article was originally posted on DothanHomeSearch.com

My son and I had the opportunity to visit Chattahoochee State Park on a church outing a few weeks back. Take a minute and read about this park just a short drive from Dothan. Chattahoochee State Park

Location – southeastern Houston County, right on the Chattahoochee River and the Florida state line. Drive time from Dothan – around 30–40 minutes from just about anywhere around town Cost – $2 per person, $1 for kids and seniors. $2 per person for fishing, kids 12 and under free. Camping and RV hook-up available, as well as a small charge for horses Amenities – Swimming and fishing, lots of picnic and play areas Best advice – if you go during the summer, take some bug spray. Watch out for poison ivy! Website – Houston County Parks – Chattahoochee

Built in the 1930's by the Civilian Conservation Corps, Chattahoochee State Park contains nearly 600 acres of south Alabama nature at its best. Despite the name, the park is now maintained by Houston County, which has performed several upgrades to the park, including an hunting area for the handicapped. The twenty acre lake was also restocked after the county took it over. CC Pond, as my dad used to call it, has in the past been a great fishing spot. The Alabama State record for Shell Cracker was caught in the lake back in 1962. The park includes primitive camping areas, a RV camping site, wildflower areas, and a 20 area lake. The park also has a designated horse trailer parking area, picnic areas, swimming, fishing as well as the hiking and horseback trails.

There are many remnants of the long abandoned CCC camp still around, including a fireplace, a flag pole area, goldfish pond, and other features. The history of the Civilian Conservation Corps, began in the early 1930's as part of President Roosevelt's plan to put young men to work during the depression, is an interesting one. If anyone knows of any other projects the CCC had in our area, I would be very interested in hearing about them. Let us all know by commenting below!

Tags: Things+to+do+around+Dothan, Chattahoochee+State+Park

This article was originally posted at DothanHomeSearch.com

The number of homes for sale in and around Dothan fell back last month from the all-time high in May. As of July 1, there were 954 single family homes on the market. However, if you read yesterday’s real estate market update, you know that we are back up over 970 this week. Inventory We seem to be stuck, at least for the time being, at between 950 and 975 homes on the market, which again means we are in a strong buyers market. It is hard to imagine much fluctuation in these numbers in the near future. Absorption rate The absorption rate for July is down again to 8.59 months of inventory. What this means is that it would take about eight and a half months to sell every home currently for sale in Dothan at the current rate of sales, if no new listings came on the market. The downward trend is continuing, and that is a good sign that the Dothan real estate market is healthy. Inventory and absorption rates can vary between different areas around Dothan. If you would like to see these numbers for a particular area, drop us an email or leave a comment below with your request!

Tags: absorption+rate, Dothan, real+estate+market

This article was originally posted on DothanHomeSearch.com

Back in late December we looked at some predictions for what the Dothan real estate market may do in 2008. Since the year is halfway gone, now is a good time to look to see how our predictions are faring.

Home sales

Prediction – down 10% from 2007 Actual year-to-date – down 12.4% in units, 9.1% in volume Nothing surprising about this stat. Pending sales are strong, so I’ll stick to this prediction.

Homes on the market

Prediction – remain steady between 850 – 950 units Actual – inventory today is 956 single family homes I may have underestimated this one by a bit. Inventory in other areas of the country is steady to falling, so I am going to revise my prediction and say that the number of homes for sale in the Dothan area will hover between 920 and 980 for the rest of 2008.

Mortgage rates

Prediction – steady around 6% with less than 0.5% fluctuation Actual – today’s rates are around 6.25% The only change I will make here is to say that there is a far greater likelihood of rates being closer to 6.5% at the end of the year than under 6%.

Foreclosures

Prediction – upward trend Actual – steady to slightly up Up until May, the number of homes in foreclosure in Alabama had dropped significantly. Then June came and they jumped 22%. The upward trend will likely continue, if for no other reason than the overall weak economy.

New Construction

Prediction – housing starts in Dothan down Actual – housing starts in Dothan down We nailed this one. There were 178 residential new construction permits issued in the first six months of 2007, compared to 133 so far in 2008.

Median Price

Prediction – down Actual – no change The median price of homes sold in the Dothan area in 2007 was $135,000, and the median price so far in 2008 is exactly the same. I still think we will end the year with a slightly lower median. The overall Dothan real estate market is sound, especially when compared to some other markets around the country. Expect the remainder of 2008 to be much the same as the first half. What are your thoughts on the real estate market here in the Dothan area? What do you see happening in the future? Chime in by commenting below!

Tags: Dothan+real+estate+market

This article was originally posted on DothanHomeSearch.com

While the number of homes sold and closed in June was down compared to May and also to June of 2007 (114 to 122 and 133 respectively), the number of homes in pending status was up significantly when compared to the same time frames

.

The 87 homes listed in pending status in the Dothan MLS is the highest monthly total since March, and the second highest since April of 2007, over a year ago. Since pending sales are considered the prime indicator of future market activity, the Dothan real estate market looks to be in good shape for at least the next few months.

Sales sagged a bit in June, but it was still the second biggest month so far this year. It will be interesting to see how the next couple of months shape up, as July and August typically begin the late summer into fall seasonal slowdown.

If you are reading this and wondering if it is a good time to buy or sell a home in Dothan, then we need to talk. Pick up the phone and call me at the office, 334–793–6990, or on my cell, 334–596–0808. I’m not going to give you a hard sell or anything like that, we will just talk about your situation and try to figure out what is best for you right now. Sound fair?

Tags: Dothan+real+estate, homes+sales+in+Dothan

This article was originally posted on DothanHomeSearch.com

There is nothing else to say about the new home market here in Dothan other than it is flat. New home starts continue to be low and the number of new construction homes on the market is at an all-time high. There were 21 new residential construction permits issued in June, down from 23 in May and June of 2007.

Here is the trend over the last twelve months.

Inventory of new construction homes on the market remains steady. There are currently 221 listed in the Dothan area MLS, up slightly from last month. The median price of these listed homes is $199,900, over $60,000 more than the overall market median which is around $135,000. Average days on the market is 196 days.

Is the long-term trend any better? Maybe. The new home market in Dothan hopefully bottomed out around the first of this year.

What does all this information mean to you? If you are in the market for a new home, then you have a lot of choices and some bargaining power, especially in higher price ranges.

If you have an interest in building or purchasing a new construction home, give me a call or use the contact form. As a Certified New Homes Specialist (CNHS), I have extensive training in the new home market and would be happy to consult with you on your real estate needs.

This article was originally posted on DothanHomeSearch.com

May was a strong month for home sales around the Dothan area. The number of homes sold was up around 20% over April, and with 122 homes sold, May of 2008 almost equaled the 124 sold in May, 2007.

The number of pending home sales has been fairly stable since the first of the year, and has closely followed last years numbers. There were a little over 80 homes listed as pending as June began. Again, we look at pending home sales as a good measure of activity to come in the next 30 to 60 days.

Despite a couple of bumps, the number of homes sold has closely followed totals from last year, albeit about 15% lower overall. We hit a big slowdown in mid-summer last year, and it remains to be seen whether the same will happen this year, since summer is getting cranked up.

I'll have a report on inventory and absorption rates later in the week.

If you are reading this and wondering if it is a good time to buy or sell a home in Dothan, then we need to talk. Pick up the phone and call me at the office, 334-793-6990, or on my cell, 334-596-0808. I'm not going to give you a hard sell or anything like that, we will just talk about your situation and try to figure out what is best for you right now. Sound fair?

Tags: Dothan+real+estate

This article was originally posted on DothanHomeSearch.com

There is plenty of advice out there on things you need to do to get top dollar for your home. I'm here today to speak to those sellers that are not really interested in getting the most they can get (for whatever reason), so here are some tips you can follow to help insure that you get a low offer.

1. Don't look at your competition

If you are not concerned with your bottom line, then don't worry about what other homes in your neighborhood are selling for or what condition they are in. In the majority of neighborhoods, there are several homes for sale, and most of these have fairly similar amenities compared to yours. Buyers WILL see them all and WILL base their offer accordingly, looking at overall condition and updates and upgrades. Since you aren't looking at your competition and adjusting these things accordingly, buyers ARE going to offer you less.

2. Put off routine maintanence

Don't worry about fixing those rotten door casings, changing out your air filters, or replacing your worn roof. Time is money, and you're wanting low offers anyway.

3. Use comparable sales from the past 12 months

These are the comparables that appraisers use, right? Yes, appraisers will use comps from the past six months because they have to, but appraisal values do not adjust as quickly as real market value. So if you want a low offer, price your home slightly above the recently appraised value. To get a true picture of the current market, you'd need to go back to 2003 or 2004 for pricing comparables.

4. Show signs of desperation

Are you justifying your above market asking price with the rationalization that "I can always reduce it later"? There is really no better tool you can use to get a low ball offer than start chasing the market, or reducing your price regularly to get to the price you should have originally listed. Repeated price changes mean one thing to buyers; "they'll come down some more". And what if you list too high and don't come down? That would go under a post title of "How not to receive any offers at all."

Are you putting something to the effect that you are a "motivated seller" in your marketing efforts? That is another great way to generate a low ball offer.

5. Hire a timid agent

This one is probably the easiest of all. Be sure to hire an agent that will list at whatever price you want and will not give you lip about doing this and doing that to make your house more attractive. Your best choice is a good friend or a licensed family member that does real estate part-time, just to have something to do.

Here's the facts sellers. There are entirely too many choices out there right now for buyers, so generating a low ball offer is not as hard as it was in the sellers market of 2004-2005. Employ each of these steps to help insure an offer that is well below your list price.