La Hacienda at 3121 Ingersoll Ave en Des Moines es muy bueno - 03/25/10 08:17 PM
La Hacienda Mexican restaurant, a Des Moines institution for many yearson Army Post Rd on the south side has migrated north and sprouted a new location at 3121 Ingersoll Ave in the old Baker's Square location.
Well, it isn't exactly new, it opened last year in June. But Tuesday was the first day I could connive someone into springing for my lunch. Dave Tapp of Iowa News Brokerage was the willing participant who so generously extended the offer to meet me for lunch at a place of my choosing. Thanks Dave! I chose La Hacienda because it's close to my house … (4 comments)

Des Moines metro February 2010 high priced homes report - 03/23/10 10:37 AM
Another month has passed which begets another edition of the Des Moines Metro High Priced Homes report. The high priced homes report appears monthly after the third week of the month. The delay is to ensure that all sales data has been logged by all MLS participating brokerages in order to produce the best report possible. 
The average list price of the high priced homes sold increased slightly from January's $387,890 to $413,305 in February. The closed value increased from $363,080 to $401,658 or about a 10% rise. The spread also shrank from -6.4% to -2.8%. The spread widened on the … (2 comments)

Iowa's foreclosure law examined - 03/23/10 09:57 AM
 
FORECLOSURE. It’s a word we seem to have been hearing all too often the past two years and which has become emblematic of the struggles we face as a nation.  
   Quoting a March 12th RISMEDIA report “RealtyTrac, a leading online marketplace for foreclosure properties, released its February 2010 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report, which shows foreclosure filings—default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions—were reported on 308,524 U.S. properties during the month, a decrease of 2% from the previous month but still 6% above the level reported in February 2009. The report also shows one in every 418 U.S. housing … (0 comments)

Shadow inventory. What is it and what does it mean to you? - 03/23/10 09:43 AM
Many outside of the real estate industry are not familiar with the term “shadow inventory” but this is a phrase that has been edging it’s way into the popular lexicon. Shadow inventory refers to property that is in foreclosure or has been foreclosed upon but has not yet been put back on the market. These properties are held by banks, the government and asset managers working for investors holding mortgage backed securities. It’s referred to as show inventory because the properties will be sold, but they are waiting in the “shadows” to emerge at a later date
            How many homes … (4 comments)

Des Moines area February 2010 home sales show unit increases, price declines - 03/23/10 09:37 AM
February was still a cold and blustery month for Iowa but homes sales did manage to thaw a bit from the year prior.  The sunshine in the prior month sales figures released by the Iowa Association of REALTORS® showed a 6.8% increase in unit sales for the Polk, Dallas, Madison, Jasper and Warren county areas, which comprise the bulk of the markets that the figures reflect.
Sales were up around 15% from January’s unit sales of 371 to 426 units sold in February. Average sales prices also rose about 7% from January’s $141,097 but were still below February 2009’s average sale … (0 comments)

With spring thaw, potholes make huge appearance in Des Moines metro - 03/12/10 09:53 AM
WHAM! Many drivers are hearing and feeling the effects of the spring thaw as they brave the streets of Des Moines this week. Potholes, those ubiquitous harbingers of spring in the Midwest have once again made their appearance. This year however, there's a new twist, less money than ever before to repair them according to Bill Stowe, Des Moines' public works director.
According to recent comments from the city public works office, Des moines has overspent about 1.6 million dollars for snow removal this year and that has eaten into the pothole repair budget. City crews are out all over the … (2 comments)

The battle of 100, and the downside of electronic media - 03/12/10 09:26 AM
Everyday, I, like millions and perhaps billions of others fight a pitched battle. The battle is to keep my email inbox and folders from overflowing. I call it the Battle of 100 because if I can keep my emails in my inbox down to under 100, I feel I'm doing well. This ongoing battle which gets more pitched and more onerous with each passing day shows no sign of abating. It's led me to believe that electronic media is reaching a possibility frontier of sorts, a point of severe diminishing returns.
I'm going to acknowledge upfront that what I'm going to say here … (2 comments)

Monthly Remax Real Estate Concepts breakfast brings people together - 03/08/10 10:20 PM
Each month our brokerage, Remax Real Estate Concepts hosts a monthly breakfast on the second Tuesday of the month. The next one will be held tomorrow, March 9th. They are always in the same place, The Hilton Garden Inn at 8600 Northpark Dr. in Johnston Iowa.
The menu is traditional: pancakes, scrambled eggs, diced potatoes, sausage links, bacon, mixed fruit, juices, and coffee but the event itself is a bit more eclectic. That's because at this event, we welcome all comers. Agents from other brokerages are invited to attend as are builders who don't have listing with our firm and other … (1 comments)

Reserving buyers in a listing agreement- The Pros and Cons - 03/08/10 08:51 PM
When listing a property for sale many brokerages allow for the possibility that a seller can "reserve" a buyer, meaning the seller can create an option in the listing contract that if this certain buyer decides to buy the property, the seller will be able to sell to the prospect directly and save on paying the listing commission.
To enact this process the seller needs to provide the first and last name and contact information of the prospect. The reserve buyer's information is then written into the agreement. If during the listing period the buyer decides to buy the property, the seller … (3 comments)

Manic Monday in Des Moines, Iowa - 03/08/10 08:25 PM
The sun made an appearance after noon today and continued a much appreciated assualt upon the mountains of snow we here in Des Moines carefully piled up all winter. It was a great day for interior pictures and a very good day for real estate activity.
I knew it would be busy as I had two listings to put on the market and a sale to turn in but it turned into a real barn burner of new prospect inquiries as well. By 5pm today I had received three listing inquiries, five buyer agent inquiries, a price reduction, an extention and submitted an offer … (0 comments)

Crafting an effective tax protest for 2010 - 03/07/10 11:11 AM
It's almost that time of year again. That magical time when homeowners have a three weeks window in which to protest the taxable value of their property if they so desire. The period to file a protest in all counties in Iowa is from April 16 to May 5th. Iowa law allows:
The property owner may protest annually to the board of review under the provisions of Iowa Code section 441.35
You may be thinking you have plenty of time as it is still over a month away, however, you should begin planning now and preparing your research.
You can find the protest forms … (2 comments)

The end of "The end of late fees" - 03/06/10 01:33 AM
In late 2004 Blockbuster announced with a huge marketing campaign that beginning on January 1st  2005 the company would end late fees. "Doing away with late fees is the biggest and most important customer benefit we've ever offered in our company's history" said John Antioco, Blockbuster Chairman and CEO.
Well, on March 1st 2010, with far less fanfare, Blockbuster has reinstated late fees. Facing a $435 million loss just in the last quarter Blockbuster probably decided any negative PR was worth it because it's do or die time. With it's common stock at .39 cents, you could buy about 13 shares for … (5 comments)

HUD Homes spreads are big in the Des Moines metro - 03/02/10 01:04 AM
Recent buyers of HUD Homes, or those acquired by reason of home owner default on an FHA mortgage, have been able to garner some pretty hefty discounts in the Des Moines market. A recent check of bid results on Best-Assets.com, HUD's vendor for Iowa on March 1st 2010, shows that some buyers have been netting discounts as high as 51% off list price.
HUD has long been a source of below market priced listings, but in the past they have been available in small quantities. In the past six months however the has been an uptick in the number of HUD listings available. It … (2 comments)

Beyond video, is a talking avatar for agent websites the wave of the future? - 03/01/10 11:22 PM
Websites can be very effective for promoting an agents services and for lead generation. There is, to put it mildly, a raging debate however on how best to maximize the consumer's experience to produce the richest content and achieve the best lead generation. Many pundits have long recommended video and/or audio website enhancement to further these ends. A recent advent, the Avatar, may meld the two and hold promise for more effective promotion and a more robust experience for prospects.
Digital video got its start commercially in 1986. At the time it was revolutionary and even though it has been over two decades, the … (1 comments)