2011 continues to be a year of distinctly different halves. For the first five months of this year local sales, in units, compared to last year were down almost 13%. For the past 3 months the same comparison shows that unit sales are up over 12%. I believe that by year end we will have sold slightly more units than we did in 2010 and I’m positive that the dollar amount of sales volume will be significantly higher than last year; perhaps close to 10% higher.

 

The supply of homes for sale on the market has also been more stable and more in balance. For the 10 months starting last July there was an average of just over 10 months supply, with a high of over 13 months supply. Since May we have averaged just under 8 months supply with a high of less than 9 months.

 

I recently read an article in Inman News discussing the 10 markets nationwide that have fared both best and worst in housing price recovery over the past 5 years. The markets studied are all larger than our area, but not surprisingly when I compare our local data to the national figures we are very well. The worst areas consisted of 6 markets in California, two in Florida plus Phoenix and Las Vegas. The decline in prices ranged from 67% to 56%. The best markets were less concentrated and ranged from a 17% increase to a .6% increase. The study was based on July prices only. Locally our average July price was up 1.9% from July of 2006, which would have ranked us in the top ten nationally. While I don’t place a great deal of confidence in some of the national studies I see, I do have a lot of confidence in our market and I’m happy I live in the Midwest. I expect the remainder of this calendar year to stay relatively consistent for our local real estate market, even in light of some disturbing national economic trends.

 

We are pleased to report that for the month of September we have added 3 new listings. Our listing inventory is low compared to years past. This is good for our sellers. From our side we certainly would like this number to increase. We are kindly asking you to keep an ear out for any information you can pass on to us when you hear that someone in your circle of friends is interested to sell their home.

 

Please let me know if I can help or any of your friends price their current home or look for your next home. You can always find me at FCTuckerEmge.com or TuckerMobile.com, and keep in mind weekly area open houses are now posted at TuckerOpenHouses.com starting Thursday of every week.