Archive for the 'Market Trends' Category
Bryan College Station Real Estate Market Summary Jan – July 2010
August 12th, 2010 categories: Market Trends
2010 January - July Bryan/College Station, Texas Real Estate Market Statistics Let’s start with the question… What do YOU think about the Bryan College Station real estate market? I’d really like to know. Checkout the charts below. We are beginning to see that the market may not be holding for our community. I know we all like to think we live in the BCS/TAMU Bubble but the rest of the world is pushing on our bubble. Hopefully July was just a blip for the market but I don’t think so. Thankfully Century 21 Beal is still actively selling and we are still ahead of last year’s business – I almost feel sorry for the other agents in town. We see that sellers who really want/need to sell are listening to us, pricing the property to get it sold and they are selling. Other sellers are trying to “get what the house is worth” or “get what the comps show” or “get what they need”. As much as I would like to say we have the power to control (more...)| Discussion: Your Comments Please »
Contingency Contracts: Friend or Foe?
June 24th, 2010 categories: Bryan Homes, Buying Real Estate, Market Trends, Miramont, Pebble Creek, Real Estate News, Real Estate True Tales, Selling Real Estate, The Realtor's Life, Woodcreek
In the world of real estate, there are few things more intimidating than the dreaded contingency contract. Though they can be confusing at times, I assure you contingency contracts are nothing to be afraid of. In fact, they can be quite beneficial to both the buyer and the seller when used correctly. Let's begin by discussing exactly what a contingency contract is. A contingency contract is what you use to buy a new home when you need the equity from your current house to make the purchase. It is exactly the same as a standard contract except for the fact that it includes an addendum for the sale of another property by the buyer. For that reason, we will focus on the content of the addendum for this article. It is important to note, however, that ALL parts of the contract can affect the seller's willingness to accept an offer. The first question many people have is , "When can I submit a contingency offer?" The answer: Whenever you want. Will a knowledgeable seller take a contingency offer before your current house is under contract to sale? Probably not. For that reason, it is important that your first priority is getting your current house under...| Discussion: Your Comments Please »
More Bang for Your Buck
March 14th, 2010 categories: Home Improvement & Design, Investment Property, Market Trends, Real Estate News
BRYAN, TX -- Linda and Steve are looking forward to this year's home buying season. They have prepared their house according to HGTV's Curb Appeal. Their REALTOR offered advice on which home improvements would bring the best bang for their buck. So when the young couple stepped up to the closing table Steve and Linda walked away with a profit in their pocket. Thanks to their sweat equity and the REALTOR's remodeling knowledge the sellers recouped most of their monetary investment from the upgrades they performed. Which projects return the highest value for the cost? Remodeling Magazine surveyed appraisers and REALTORS last summer on remodeling projects and the values that they hold in 80 markets. Home Tech Information Systems analyzed the data and factored in regional pricing differences. The results were published in the January 2010 REALTOR Magazine on page 21. There were three categories of home improvements - additions, remodeling and replacements. (more...)| Discussion: Your Comments Please »
Bryan College Station Real Estate Market Report January 2010
February 25th, 2010 categories: Market Trends
2009 was a rough year for most of us, whether we were in real estate, stocks, retail business... Real estate for January 2009 was down 24% in sales compared to the 2008. That was a scary start for the year. 2010 did not start off much different from 2009 but without an additional drop! January 2010 compared to January 2009 is only up 2% in sales. Being up 2% in sales is great, but remember we are comparing it to a year where we were down 24% from the previous year. Thankfully, we have all learned to cut back on our expenses and have learned to live "within our means" and "within our market". January 2010 was not a record month but we are also thankful we didn't have another "Down" month. We started off the year POSITIVE! When 2009 started we had less inventory - properties available to sell. We started the year off 4.6% less than 2008. Starting 2010 we are way up. We have 17% more inventory this January than we did in 2009, but there were fewer new homes put on the market this January than in 2008 or 2009. So, there are more homes on the...| Discussion: Your Comments Please »
How Do I Sell My House FAST? Step 2
February 24th, 2010 categories: Bryan Homes, Castlegate, Hilltop Lakes, Home Improvement & Design, Market Trends, Miramont, Pebble Creek, Real Estate True Tales, Selling Real Estate
This simple guide can help you stay on top of College Station home sales. Today, we will cover step two. Though often overlooked, this can be one of the most important steps to follow to ensure your house sells in a timely manner. It is simple and effective: CLEAN. It sounds simple enough, but you would be surprised how often houses listed for sale are unkept. First of all, the house should be cleaned thoroughly from top to bottom at least once when the house is listed. Does this mean that your house must be kept in immaculate condition at all times? Absolutely not. It should, however, be kept tidy enough that you can have it looking fantastic in less than an hour. This is because you could be called at any time by a Realtor who wants to show your property to a potential buyer, and putting them off may mean that they find another house before even having a chance to look at yours. The results are equally as detrimental if you allow them to show an unkept house. A dirty house can reduce offer values, and even prevent offers altogether. Nobody wants to invest in a house...| Discussion: 1 Comment »
Bryan College Station Real Estate 2009 Market Summary
January 25th, 2010 categories: Market Trends
2009 SUMMARY Bryan/College Station Real Estate Market Statistics 2009 was quite a year! We started off 2009 with January about 24% behind the previous year. We were all concerned that Bryan/College Station might follow the rest of the nation into the recession. Then February came and we were even further behind. We didn't know what to expect the rest of the year but it sure didn't look good. The first quarter was really poor and then April and May turned into months 20% & 27% behind 2008. Then we started seeing the turn. June was only 2% behind. We were SO happy that we were seeing less of a loss. Compared to the rest of the world a little loss was a good thing. When October and November rolled around we were SOOOOO excited! We actually saw increases over the prior year. Yes, 2009 ended 12% below 2008, but compared to the rest of the nation, we did just fine. We sold fewer homes, but we did not see a significant decline in sales prices - just fewer people moving. I'm still SO glad we live in Bryan/College Station! [tomatoframe height="426"]http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=tuc2xRrIkyeZv2EQWaWMh2A&single=true&gid=0&output=html[/tomatoframe] Are you thinking about selling in 2010? It may take a little longer to sell depending...| Discussion: Your Comments Please »
