townhomes: IS NOW THE TIME TO BUY A HOME? - 03/07/10 01:53 AM
I have been a Realtor since 1980 and over a long period in my real estate career this was an easy question to answer.  During the late 1980's and 90's, you could expect an average of about a 3% increase in your home value per year depending on the location, condition, year built , etc.  Beginning in 2003, this all changed with an artificial rise in residential prices; not values.  Based on the sales prices of homes today, the real value of your home now is more closely aligned with home prices in 2002.    
 
"I WISH I HADDA......"  Or … (0 comments)

townhomes: Busy Busy Busy - 06/15/09 01:01 AM
I'm busy and other Realtors I have contacted this weekend have been busy.  Buyers from out of town have been contacting me; parents are looking to buy a condo for their kids for college.   Some buyers that have been waiting for the "right" time may realize it is passing, or has passed them by.  There are plenty of great buys and sellers are ready to do what they need to do.  It appears that mortgage interest rates are climbing a little each week......."What goes Up will go Down and what goes Down will go Up".....look at gas prices too.  College parents … (0 comments)

townhomes: Home Sales Increase - 06/08/09 07:59 AM
We had the usual increase in real estate home sales in May in Tallahassee (Leon County), though fewer than May last year.  There were 153 single family homes sold compared with last year‘s195.  122 homes sold in April; so, our sales in May was a 25% increase.  In May the average single family home in Leon County sold for $224,099, and the average listed price was $237,835.  Therefore the average home sold for 94% of the asking price.  The median sales price for May was $179,000.  The median sales price is what most published homes sales reports use for comparisons.  That … (0 comments)

townhomes: April Sales Report - 05/28/09 10:02 AM
The Florida Association of Realtors has just released the April Single-Family Resale Sales report.  The Tallahassee Metro Area (TMA includes Leon, Wakulla, Franklin, Jefferson, and Gadsden counties) reported a decrease of 28% of number or sales compared to April 2008.  While this may sound bad, the January and February decreases were close to 40% and last April had a 29% decrease compared to 2007.  The worse number of sales decrease in the State was Gainesville Metro Area with a 40% decrease.  On the other hand, TMA had the best Median Sales Price comparison in the entire State with a decrease of … (0 comments)

townhomes: “Now Is The Time To Buy” - 05/24/09 03:14 AM
Have you ever met a sales person that told you otherwise?  No matter what the item is....a car, house, appliance, TV, etc......"if you don't buy today you will regret it later."  Yep, I am a salesman as well; but, I am a believer in informing the customer and letting them make the decision that best fits their personal situation.  Yes, even those that purchased a home at the peak of the market it was the right time for many of them for their personal needs. 
I have been sort of laying low in recent months in encouraging prospective buyers wanting to … (0 comments)

townhomes: March Real Estate Sales - 04/25/09 08:37 AM
Our March sales of single family resale homes were down -22% compared with March 2008, which was the worse in the State.  So what!  They were down -37% in February and -31% in January.  In March 2008 the sales were down -29% compared with the previous year.  So, in reality, -22% looks pretty good and our March sales were up 60% from February.  Our Median Sales Price in March of this year compared with last March WAS THE BEST IN THE STATE!   Our median sales price was down -3% compared to the overall States -30%.  That is good news which the … (0 comments)

townhomes: Real Estate Seminar - 04/25/09 08:34 AM
Coldwell Banker Hartung and Noblin, Inc. has already successfully provided two well attended, free to the public, real estate educational seminars in 2009.
Their third Seminar, titled "Housing Stimulus:  Short Sales, Foreclosures, $8000 Tax Credit?"  will be held Tuesday, April 28, 2009, at the Tallahassee Board of Realtors, 1029 Thomasville Rd.   This Seminar features respected Tallahassee real estate attorney, Susan Thompson, of Smith, Thompson, Shaw, & Manausa, as key speaker.  Also appearing on the program will be well-known CPA, Rick Carroll, with  Carroll and Company, addressing tax issues.   Q&A session will follow, so prepare your questions! 
You don't want to miss … (0 comments)

townhomes: REAL ESTATE INVESTORS - 02/16/09 02:06 AM
We are all aware there were a lot of real estate investors that made a lot of money buying and reselling, and frequently before construction was completed.  Those were the ones that were really knowledgeable of the market; or maybe, just plain lucky.  Then there were those that just got caught-up in the frenzy, didn't know when to get out, when the getting was good and got stuck with a lot of liability.  There are a lot of them particularly in the State of Florida.  When it gets to a point where they cannot, or elect not to continue to pour … (0 comments)

townhomes: HOME MORTGAGE MONEY PLENTIFUL - 01/19/09 12:37 AM
The news you read and see on television about the housing market and getting a mortgage to purchase a home is NATIONAL NEWS.  Yes we have large supply of homes available to purchase in the Tallahassee area and we also have lenders that HAVE PLENTY OF MONEY to loan for a home purchase to those that qualify.  The days of the "easy money" from a lender are yesterday's poor business practice.
The general economic turmoil of our country has created a lot of misinformation and resulting confusion regarding the real estate market and our very healthy lenders in the Tallahassee area.   … (0 comments)

townhomes: FIVE YEAR HOME SALES REVIEW - 11/04/08 12:42 AM
The following is a five year review of the Tallahassee Metro Area single family detached homes, both new and resale, beginning with the third quarter of 2003.  Up to this quarter our real estate market in the Tallahassee area was very stable. The average median appreciation was between 2% to 7%, the supply of homes and number of sales holding a parallel amount and a usual time on the market of about sixty days.  Everything stayed in good balance through the end of the third quarter of 2005 except for the median appreciation which ended 2003 with 10% and rose to … (1 comments)

townhomes: Florida Sales Report for September - 11/04/08 12:39 AM
I just received the Florida Sales Report for existing single family homes for the month of September.  This is the first month in over a year that our number of sales of resale homes have exceeded the previous year's report.  While it was only a 3% increase, it certainly is a good sign; however, we have a long way to go.  Another encouraging sign was the Orlando Metro Area with a 51% increase over September 2007.  This was expressed in the article in Realytimes that expressed the Orlando area real estate market was really hot.  Hopefully this trend will move this way.  … (0 comments)

townhomes: Homes ARE Selling! - 10/19/08 04:46 AM
Not as many as we would like; but, the fact remains there are homes being purchased by BUYERS that are looking to purchase.  They have a smorgasbord of 1,974 homes currently on the market for sale in Leon County.  Now if you are a SELLER, with the help of your Realtor, you need to take heed to the advice appraiser Greg Lane has given in my earlier blog entry.  Single Family home sales in Leon County thus far in October are just a little less than the same period in September.  There have been 58 homes that have closed so far … (0 comments)

townhomes: Appraisers Advice to Selling - 10/19/08 04:42 AM
Greg  Lane, Appraiser with Timberlane Appraisal has provided the following advice to those trying to get their homes sold in this difficult market.
During the real estate boom years, it was much easier to market and sell a home without any professional assistance.  Once you found a buyer, you could put the necessary pieces of the closing package together, find a helpful title company, pray the buyer was working with a local lender, and close the transaction.   However, in today's market, you will never put a fingerprint on the closing table if you home is not priced right to begin with.   … (0 comments)

townhomes: HOME MORTGAGE BENEFIT FROM FAY - 09/18/08 09:03 AM
I recently received an email from Dana Cummins, mortgage loan officer, with BB&T that relates some great home mortgage opportunities for residents of Leon and Wakulla Counties.  She states due to Tropical Storm Fay, the following counties in Florida have been declared disaster areas:  Brevard, Duval, Hendry, Lee, Leon, Okeechobee, Seminole, St. Lucie, Volusia and Wakulla.  This means that until August 23, 2010 you do not need to be a first time home buyer to qualify for a bond loan or down payment assistance.  Also, previous owners will not be required to take the 6 hour face to face homebuyer education … (0 comments)

townhomes: Lake Jackson Property Values - 09/05/08 02:21 PM
With all the water that Fay brought, you would think Lake Jackson would have greatly benefited not only from the rain that fell into the lake; but the primary contributor, natural run off from the surrounding terrain.  According to the article in Monday's Democrat, the lake's level only increased about four feet.  With reported rainfall of eleven plus feet recorded, what happened to all the water?  Some want to blame the holding ponds; however, the county's stormwater management coordinator I think rightly rejects that theory and says it percolates into the groundwater; which may make its way into the lake.  So … (0 comments)

townhomes: Positive Housing Sales Trends - 09/02/08 03:10 AM
This article published in Realty Times Positive Trends in Housing Studies by Kenneth R. Harney gives some very positive signs in the national housing market. 
It relates that home sales in July were mostly up in all areas except for the South.  And as I related in an earlier report, July resale homes in Florida were slightly more than July last year.   Hopefully this national swing will come our way.  But, be mindful the Tallahassee area real estate market typically, sort of, goes to sleep from September until the first of the New Year.  So, if you have a home that … (0 comments)

 
Don Pickett (Coldwell Banker Hartung & Noblin, Inc)

Don Pickett

Tallahassee, FL

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Coldwell Banker Hartung & Noblin, Inc

Office: (850) 386-6160

Mobile: (850) 591-4725

Provide the Tallahassee Florida real estate community and public with analysis of current real estate market trends. Informative ideas for selling and buying homes, townhomes, condos and lots & land.


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