Wednesday, February 25, 2009

HOME SALES
Florida's existing home sales rose 24 percent in January, making it the fifth month in a row that sales activity increased year-to-year, according to the latest housing data from FAR. Florida Realtors also reported a 13 percent gain in statewide sales of existing condos last month. NAR reported that nationwide sales of existing homes - all housing types - fell 5.3 percent last month; at the same time, inventories fell to a two-year low.Read the full story:http://www.floridarealtors.org/NewsAndEvents/n1-022509.cfm

Monday, February 16, 2009

HOMEBUYER TAX CREDIT
The current version of the economic stimulus contains a tax credit of up to $8,000 for first-time homebuyers only, though it does not have to be paid back if the house is owned for three years or more. The amount is far less than the $15,000 initially expected, and analysts say it will provide only a modest boost to the U.S. housing market.Read the full story:http://www.floridarealtors.org/NewsAndEvents/n1-021309.cfm

Friday, February 13, 2009

"The Day the Market got better"

I was working hard in my office on new listings on Feb 9th, 2009, when my phone range.

...It was a investment prospect I had last talked to in August of 2007!!!! He was interested in making a purchase again after not have done anything in the past.., well should we say long time...
...A short time before that a land seller called that had not relisted his property, he was now ready to "do something"
...While getting my oil change, the attendant say my real estate name tage & said "I want to buy a home now!"
...a before that I had a development prospect interested again in developing a new retail center...He had been waiting things out for 9 months to a year.

It felt like that on Feb 9th, there was a surge of new activity, especially these "out of the blue" calls of people ready to get things moving again.

So I have officially labled Feb 9th as the day I reached the bottom of the market in terms of activity levels, no where left but up from here... Really throughout he start of the year, buyer, seller, prospect activity has really picked up, and I think it picked up even more in Feb of 2009.
I actually got pretty excited, I love the real estate business (even in a softer market) so I get really excited to see some activity levels coming back again.

So I am officially labeling Feb 9th, 2009 the day the market got better.

Thats all for now..I'm off to market another property, get that happy buyer & happy seller together for a wonderful deal.
Has anybody else had one of these "moments"?? I would love to hear about it. Leave me a comment.
Chad.
www.chadstewart.com

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

COMMERCIAL
The commercial real estate industry applauded the government's move to include commercial mortgages in a key lending program Tuesday, but experts said the plan's lack of details is disconcerting.Read the full story:http://www.floridarealtors.org/NewsAndEvents/n2-021109.cfm

Thursday, February 05, 2009

MARKETING
Many potential buyers think they won't qualify for a mortgage, and that they must have a substantial downpayment first. But some Realtors are using that information to their advantage, hosting "Why Rent Events" that instruct shoppers on how to buy a home right now.Read the full story:http://www.floridarealtors.org/NewsAndEvents/n2-020409.cfm