WESTBANK SINGLE HOME SALE STATS AS OF OCTOBER 2010

See charts below for Westbank Single Family Home Statistics and compare 2009 numbers to 2010 as of October (Click each Chart to Enlarge):





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Dos & Don't of Selling Your Home

Many people think that selling a home is easy.  All you have to do is put a sign in the front yard and wait for people to call.  The fact of always being available for phone calls and that many calls are from people that are just being nosy is not considered.  Neither is all the paperwork involved and legal issues that they are leaving themselves wide open for.  Selling your own home can become your part-time job that needs your full time attention.  Having a Real Estate Agent has many more advantages than you might think and actually save you money instead of costing you more.  Most people selling their home on their own have no idea how to price their home or how to keep up with price checks in the current market.  Buyers see these homes as "Discounted Properties" instead of a regular listing, therefore, you could actually make less selling your own property than if you paid for professional help.  Your local Real Estate Agent can give you up to date information on comparable homes as well as insight on what you need to do to get your home ready for the market...    and also much more. 

A good Realtor can save you much time, money and stress in selling your home.

 

If you are selling yourself, or even if you have an agent, you still want to be aware of what buyers are thinking about your home and how you can win them over.  Most buyers will not be as honest with a homeowner than they would with a Realtor.  Below are links to 3 articles written for House Logic that give more information on dos and don'ts of selling your home, as well as pricing.  If you still need help, give me a call.

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  (New!)

  Pet Odor Can Chase Away Buyers

  Don’t let pet odors derail your home sale. Read
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  Dos and Don’ts of Homebuyer Incentives

  Homebuyer incentives can be smart marketing or a waste of money. Find out when and how to use them. Read
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  How to Use Comparable Sales to Price Your Home

  Before you put your home up for sale, use the right comparable sales to find the perfect price. Read

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Southshore Home Sale Statistics & Homeowner Advantages

How are Home Sales on the Southshore this year compared to last year?  Let's go over some facts before finding out.  Everyone is worried about the economy now days.  So much so that some very qualified Buyers are afraid to take advantage of the lowest interest rates in years and some very low home prices.  The fact remains that this will not last forever and if you are one of the people with a steady job, good credit, with the need or desire for a new home, it is time to seize the market!  Don't believe you can afford a home?  Don't know if your credit is good enough?  Well, what will it hurt to find out!  Here is a link to my list of preferred lenders - you can call one of them to find out if you are ready now, or if not, how far are you from getting there and what to do: CLICK Here for MORTGAGE LIST. 

First, let's look at the statistics.  Most of the statistics I've been posting are for the Westbank, but this time I will give you the Home Sale numbers for the whole Southshore (Click on Chart below to enlarge for Detail):

It appears that as the tax credit incentive disappeared, so did buyers.  Soon after we started out the year, we were above last year's numbers, but we have been going more down hill ever since July.

There are still plenty reasons to buy a home now.  With interest rates being at an all time low, buying now will put more money in your pocket than if you wait to buy later when rates shoot up.  Click Here to find out Why this is a Great Time to Buy a Home. 

Read this article below to find out about Homeowner tax advantages:

                                                                                                                                                                      



7 Homeowner Tax Advantages

When you’re evaluating how much home you can afford, make sure you factor in the tax advantages of homeownership. Read

Below are more articles for your information on tips to improve your credit and determining how much home you can afford:

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  4 Tips to Determine How Much Mortgage You Can Afford

  By knowing how much mortgage you can handle, you can ensure that home ownership will fit in your budget. Read
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  7 Tips for Improving Your Credit

  Here’s how to clean up your credit so you get the least-expensive home loan possible. Read

Remember, If you have any questions about any information provided here or if you need to weigh your options, feel free to give me a call.  I am here to help.

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Is It Time To Make Repairs in Your Home... Or Just Replace the Items?

When Plumbing, Heating, Roofing problems exist in your home, or when any large appliance fail, it can be a very heavy load on your mind as well as your checkbook.  You don't want to go through the expense of replacing if you can spend a lot less money to fix the problem and it will not break again for some time. So should it be replaced or repaired?  How do you know?

Below are informational links from HouseLogic to explain how you can decide.  These articles were written by experts who can guide you through to make good decisions:

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  Do You Need to Replace Your Plumbing?

  What to look for and consider to determine if you should replace plumbing and deteriorating pipes. Read
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  Heating Equipment: Repair or Replace?

  The decision to repair or replace heating equipment depends on its age, the cost of repair, and how much money a more efficient system will save you. Read
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  Roofing: Repair or Replace?

  Deciding whether to repair or replace roofing is largely an exercise in timing—you don’t want to reroof too soon and waste money, but you don’t want to wait too long either. Read
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  Water Heaters: Repair or Replace?

  When deciding whether to repair or replace a water heater, consider its age, the severity of the problem, and how much money a new energy-efficient unit will save. Read
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  When to Repair or Replace Large Appliances

  When deciding to repair or replace appliances, consider age, repair cost, pricing, energy efficiency, and whether to modify your kitchen to accommodate a new unit. Read

Copyright 2010 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

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Successful Homebuying

Buying a home doesn't have to be so stressful.  Having the right Realtor on your side to not only help with finding the right home for you, but successfully help you to complete your purchase is the key.  Here at NOLA Westbank Homes, I am committed to providing my Buyers and Sellers with up to date and accurate information to help them every step of the way.

Below you will find several articles provided by House Logic and the National Association of Realtors that will do just that.

Not sure if this is the right time to buy your new home?  This link will bring you to a brochure to help you know if this is the right time for you:  7 Reasons Why Now Is A Great Time To Buy A Home

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  Keep Your Home Purchase on Track

  You’ve found your dream home. Make sure missteps don’t prevent a successful closing. Read
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  7 Steps to a Stress-free Home Closing

  By doing homework in advance, you’ll understand what you’re asked to sign when you close the sale of your home. Read
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  8 Tips for Finding Your New Home

  A solid game plan can help you narrow your homebuying search to find the best home for you. Read

Visit houselogic.com for more articles like this.

Copyright 2010 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

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WESTBANK HOME SALE STATS AS OF AUGUST 2010

Statistics as of August 2010:

Announcement:

                New Orleans Westbank Realty Team has a new name.  We have re-structured and are now NOLA WESTBANK HOMES     But...  Our Blog name will stay the same.

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National Housing Trends

June housing sales were up for the 10th month in a row as closed units were up 11.4 % over June 2009 while prices climed 8.8% for the same period.  All regions of the country were up in both units closed and average prices.  The main reasons are believed to be the continued impact of the tax credit and low interest rates.

In both our region here in the South and the Midwest, June 2010 housing units rose 8.5% over June 2009.  The highest increase is in the Northeast which rose 28.3% over June 2009, the strongesat results for any region for the sixth consecutive month.

The increase in housing sales for the 10th month in a row where housing sales for the present month were above the same month from the prior year; and price increases just hit their 7th month in a row on the same basis.  Housing sales for the entire year are expected to be above the level of 2009 in the range of 4-7% even with a decline in this year's second half.  Home prices will continue to strengthen for at least the next three months but may level out thereafter.  The upper price end  of most housing markets remains soft at this time with no significant recovery in sight at this time.

Below are charts with more information graphs showing Home Sale trends including Housing Inventory, Mortgage Rates and Affordability nationwide:

In my post to come I will give you an update of the local housing sale statistics.

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Smart Kitchen Remodeling

Most people realize that the Kitchen and Bathrooms are generally the 2 areas of the home that make a big difference when it comes to selling your home and can cost you the most money...
And if you bought your home at a discount so that you can fix these areas up for yourself to your liking, the articles I gathered below will be sure to help.

Since I was not here last week to blog (I was on vacation), I thought that I would gather a few articles this week to make up for the time lost...

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  Green Kitchen Remodeling

  If you’re ready to remodel your kitchen and want to go green, here’s how to create the healthy, energy-efficient, eco-friendly kitchen of your dreams. Read
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  7 Smart Strategies for Kitchen Remodeling

  Keep the same footprint, add storage, and design adequate lighting so you preserve value and keep costs on track. Read
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  Smart Options: Kitchen Flooring

  Choose kitchen flooring that marries your priorities—durability, sustainability, low maintenance, or an open floor plan—with the options. Read
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  10 Tips for Saving Energy in the Kitchen

  Maintain your large kitchen appliances is part of a smart home energy efficiency plan. Read

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