Real Estate Directory

Prices Went Up?

The five cities where prices increased:

Seattle: 5.7
Charlotte: 5.6
Portland: 2.8
Atlanta: 0.8
Dallas: 0.5

The Rich and Fabulous

The Consumer Research Center of the well-respected Conference Board surveyed almost 2,000 affluent consumers around the world and found that luxury is defined as time.

"Consumers have remarkably similar perspectives on how to define luxury," says Lynn Franco, director of the Conference Board Consumer Research Center. "The largest share of luxury consumers (44%) and the largest share of consumers in each country most strongly agree that 'luxury is having enough time to do whatever you want and being able to afford it.' So, for luxury consumers worldwide, time is the ultimate luxury."

Real Estate Still the Best Investment?

Impending Real Estate Doom? Not if most AMericans can have their way. Hopefully perception is reality as Americans are confident their homes are retaining, even gaining, value, according to a nationwide telephone survey conducted this month by The Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In fact, Americans are nearly as optimistic now about the rising value of their homes as they were a year ago, according to the research.

According to the survey:

• 55% of Americans say their home would sell for more money now than it would have a year ago. (Last summer, 59% of American homeowners felt that way.)
• 85% of Americans believe their house will be worth more five years from now than it is today.
• Nearly three-quarters (74%) of homeowners say they're confident they could sell their home within the next six months at a price they think it's worth.
• The majority - 63% - of Americans think real estate is a good or excellent investment.
• 76% of Americans say the current real estate market has no impact on how they're spending now. (However, 16% say they're cutting back because of a perception of lower residential real estate values.)
• Most home owners - 69% - say they're likely to make renovations or improvements to their home over the next 12 months.
• 27% of Americans say they're likely to purchase a better home over the next five years.

Rural America: the Simple Life

Thousands of  Americans are flocking to small cities that offer opportunities, amenities, a lot more green space and a lot less stress.  Here are a few of the towns that were voted in the 10 Best Small Cities 

• Eden Prairie is located in Hennepin County Minnesota It was formerly a farming town. The city is conveniently located close  to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Eden Prairie real estate consists of single-family homes, estate properties, condominiums and townhouses along with land for sale.
• Fort Collins is located in Larimer County, Colorado, which is appraoximately 1 hour from Denver and all the Denver real estate properties.
• Naperville  is located 28 miles west of Chicago, Naperville is one of the fastest-growing communities in the U.S.
• Cary, North Carolina has a population 100,000. The town’s real estate offerings are varied from Whether you’re an affordable starter home, a larger luxury property or a low-maintenance condominium or townhouse and a wonderful affornbale place to retire.
• Scottsdale is one of several cities comprising greater Phoenix. The real estate market caters to a variety of styles and ranges in home prices, including affordable homes, luxury properties on massive estates in addition to gated and golf communities.
• Fairfield Ct is located on the coast of Long Island Sound between the cities of Bridgeport and Stamford. High end real estate is the rule here.

Naperville Real Estate

I was fortunate enough to visit the Naperville home of a relative in Northwest Chicago. Located 28 miles west of Chicago, Naperville is one of the fastest-growing communities in the U.S. It is the fourth largest city in Illinois, having a diverse population of approximately 133,000. Naperville offers families opportunities to live a lifestyle of rural Americana with the conveniences of a city amenities.

• Voted the “Most Kid-Friendly City in America,” by Zero Population Growth
• North Central College has called Naperville home for more than 125 years and the College of
• DuPage, DePaul University, and Loyola University all have extension campuses in the city.
• Public library system that has been rated the best library system of its size in the country year after year.
• Millennium Carillon, featuring weekly evening concerts during the summer.
• Naper Settlement, a museum village of 19th century homes, shops, and public buildings.
• Riverwalk, a gathering place for the community, offering walking paths, gazebos and paddleboat rides.
• Excellent medical care at Edwards Hospital.
• Six 18-hole courses and one 27-hole course await golfers in Naperville.
• A broad array of cuisine, including Cuban, Spanish, and Mediterranean.
• Nightlife, live entertainment options range from traditional blues music to dueling pianos.
• Naperville’s downtown district and residential neighborhoods offer a real estate for a high quality of life to people of all income levels and backgrounds.

The High Profits In Real Estate

Unquestionably, one can make oneself very wealthy by investing in real estate. This is especially true in real estate hot markets and where real estate is still resonable such as Rural Illinois, as in the Algonquin real estate marketplace such as where prices are up on the new developments, but you can find older family housing which is great for investing. So if you have to beg or borrow, purchase property as soon as you can.

In two years each house appreciates $25,000; now have made $125,000 profit. Of course along the way you have also had numerous tax advantages. So if you sold the 4 homes, you will get $100,000 profit plus the your initial $80K investment. Now if you wanted to pay off the home you are living in, you can with the $80K and still have $100K in your bank account. Or better yet hold on to some of the properties,  sell others and with the profits purchase more Northwestern Illinois Real Estate.

"TOP REAL ESTATE MARKETS?"

Foreclosures.com names the top 25 appreciating markets:

1.	New Orleans LA	$152,000	8.4%
2.	Houston TX	$140,000	7.3%
3.	Little Rock AR	$117,000	7.0%
4.	Odessa TX	$ 67,000	6.9%
5.	Nashville TN	$155,000	6.9%
6.	Albuquerque , NM	$155,000	6.5%
7.	Brownsville TX	$ 73,000	6.2%
8.	Austin  TX	$160,000	6.1%
9.	Jackson MS	$137,000	6.1%
10.	Raleigh NC	$239,000	5.9%
11.	Monroe LA	$164,000	5.9%
12.	Biloxi MS	$140,000	5.9%
13.	Newport  NC	$208,000	5.8%
14.	Fort Smith AR	$112,000	5.8%
15.	Valdosta GA	$115,000	5.8%
16.	Bar Harbor ME	$398,000	5.5%
17.	Atlanta GA	$185,000	5.4%
18.	Hot Springs AR	$159,000	5.4%
19.	Syracuse NY	$105,000	5.3%
20.	Charlotte  NC	$235,000	5.2%
21.	San Antonio TX	$139,000	5.2%
22.	Pascagoula MS	$111,000	5.2%
23.	Spokane WA	$178,000	5.1%
24.	Decatur AL	$139,000	5.1%
25.	Casper WY	$157,000	4.8%

Existing Home Sales Are Up?

What happened to the Bubble?

The National Association of Realtors reported Thursday that that sales of existing single-family homes and condominiums rose by 5.2 percent in February to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 6.91 million units. This despite the predicte 5 % drop compared to last year.

The prices of homes sold in February rose to $209,000 for the nationwide median.That was 10.6 percent above the median price in February 2006.   

Economists believe that both new and existing home sales will dip by around 5 percent this year as rising mortgage rates cuts into demand.

But mortgage rates seem to have perhaps stagnated because of a drop in inflation. But Lereah said all indications so far were pointing to a gradual slowdown in sales to a more sustainable pace.

By region of the country, sales rose by 19.2 percent in the Northeast and were up 11.1 percent in the Midwest and 5.1 percent in the West in February. Only the South showed weakness last month with sales there dropping by 2.5 percent from the January pace.

Lereah said sales activity at present was really a "tale of two cities" with some of the hottest markets showing declines while some medium priced markets still posting strong sales gains.

He said that sales were down by double-digit levels in such hot sales markets as Phoenix, Fort Lauderdale and San Diego. He said, by contrast, sales were up by double-digit amounts in aeas such as Indianapolis, Albuquerque and Houston.

BiggerPockets

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Vegas Tops the Apartment Market

Marcus & Millichap brokerage has recently reported on The Las Vegas apartment market, and says that Vegas Apartments continues to benefit from job growth that leads the nation, bringing more residents here who are looking to rent.

Las Vegas is ranked No. 4 in the firm's annual National Apartment Index, a snapshot analysis of 42 apartment markets based on a series of supply and demand indicators for the next 12 months. .