I get this question almost everyday “How’s the market?”. I think the question really is “Are we going to be OK?”. I have to answer it the same way every time. YES, we are going to be OK. How do I know? Because we have been OK in the past and we will be OK in the future. I have heard it said that the American Economy is an anvil that has worn out many hammers and it will wear out this hammer too.

Check out the chart

Median home prices over 20 years

This is why I believe we will be OK. For over 20 years we have seen an increase in home values that fall on a 4% curve and we are just about back to that curve after a big run up in prices over the last few years. We are making adjustments but the result will be that our homes are going to go up in value again.

I love data and history. If you turn on the news today you will hear the same thing I am writing today. You will also hear how everything is going to crash again and this is just a “dead cat bounce”. The truth is that no one really know (except God) how things are going to turn out but I am choosing to believe that our history can be a pretty good predictor of our future. Home prices have stablilized for lots of reasons but mostly because supply is fallling. No one is building spec homes right now. The foreclosure market is getting realistic on pricing and those houses are getting multiple offers and selling quickly. I am talking about a pattern. Certainly I can find a house that has set on the market for a while that really should have sold but has not. Look closely at that house and you will see something that keeps it from selling. It can be a major problem with the house or something as simple as a neighbor that has an eyesore in his backyard that no one wants to look at but most of the houses worth having are clearing out and doing it pretty quickly.

If you feel like things are falling apart the I would encourage you to turn off the news for a week. You’ll feel better and just possibly you’ll be better because of it. I do think we will find what we seek. Look for something good and you’ll find it. Look for something bad and you’ll find that too.

Call me when you know someone that is looking to buy or sell in this market. Both are possible but they’ll need help. Help pricing, help marketing, help finding the good ones before someone else does. I can help.

Live a Good Life!!
Jerry Robertson
678-231-1578 Cell

Here are the latest tips and sites I found. Enjoy and don’t forget to share with your friends!!

Amazing Gigapixel Photography: It isn’t uncommon to see digital cameras with 12-megapixel or larger sensors. But check out gigapixel photography which is about one billion pixels. Gigapixel images are created by stitching hundreds of photographs together. The resulting panoramas are breathtaking! Gigapixel photography is typically used with wide, expansive subjects. However, one innovative photographer has combined gigapixel photography and microscopic imaging. The results are stunning. Click the images. They’ll open in the GigaPan viewer and then zoom in on portions of the photos.Prepare to be amazed! http://www.gigapan.org/index.php

Genealogical Research Is Very Interesting: Why not work on your family tree? You can do considerable research within websites. At this site find links to birth and death records, deeds and much more. The site is organized by state. So, it helps to know where your ancestors lived. But you’ll find clues as you do your research. http://www.usgenweb.org/

Google City Tours Helps Plan Visits To New Cities: You probably want to plan a trip carefully to a new area. Use Google’s new City Tours feature. City Tours puts together a travel itinerary for you. All you need do is enter your destination city! Along with your itinerary, you’ll get maps showing you where to go. In most cases, it will give you a three-day itinerary. Also, it only gives you an hour at each attraction. Check out each attraction with Google’s link to make sure you want to go there. City Tour itineraries are easily edited. So, you can add or remove attractions as you see fit. http://citytours.googlelabs.com/

It’s a Good Life!!!!
Jerry Robertson

One of the benefits of being in real estate is we get to see things happening. That is better than seeing what has happened usually. If we can see it while it is happening we get to participate and perhaps even mold a little of the results.

I want to share a few observations that I see happening.

Inventory (the number of houses available) is falling in most segments. Property priced under $250K is being sold and since we have almost no new construction going on there is little coming on the market to replace them. Inventory is down about 30% over all from this time last year. As the sellers of those houses close on their deals they will be moving up to the $250K to $350K market and that inventory will begin to fall.

List prices are holding up  to the offers being made. I see multiple bids on well priced property and much of that is going for a price that is somewhat higher than was advertised. It seems that many sellers (banks and individuals) are listing property at a price that the market likes. I don’t think we will see to much of the overpriced home as we advance toward a recovery in the housing market. Some sellers are being jolted as their neighbors homes sell for a price much lower than they are willing or are able to accept so they take their property off the market further reducing inventory and helping to stabilize pricing.  Some buyers are missing out on the perfect home because they are unwilling to commit to a list price or even over bid while other buyers are very willing. This trend will continue to stabilize the prices we see at closings.

Appraisals are continuing to come in low in some areas. This offers protection for the savvy buyer just in case they offer a bit too much. Most well crafted offers include an appraisal contingency that allows the deal to proceed if the appraisal comes in low. The seller is offered the chance to lower the price to the appraised value and the deal closes so don’t worry about paying too much.

Interest rates are stable or edging up slightly and that is affecting how much people can buy. It has been said that we do not live in our homes but that we live in our payments. On a $200K property a change in interest rate of just 1% has the same effect as a 10% price increase. With rates at historic lows that means we have little choice but to go up. Inflation fears will prevail for a while to come with the current economy and if inflation increases interest rates will follow.

Foreclosures are still happening but at a slower rate than before. Most of the sub-prime mortgage fiasco is now through the system and we are facing the Alt-A foreclosures. The number of those is much smaller than the Sub-prime version but the price point is higher. They tended to be buyers that needed creative financing to accommodate the purchase in the face of unverifiable income and self-employment history vs. W2 type employment.

The affordability index measures how able a family is to buy a house they can afford. It is at an all time high which means there has NEVER been a better time to buy.

The point of all these observations is to show you the trend that we are seeing and to encourage you to make your move if you are thinking about buying. Mortgage money is available if you have the means to pay it back. A job, a down payment of at least 3.5% and a decent (not perfect) credit history will get you a mortgage. In most cases it will be less then rent for a similar number of bedrooms and you are moved from the position of tenant to owner.

Share this with your friends that are thinking about buying and then call me with their names and work number and I’ll take great care of them. We want the folks that are ready to enter this market to win and I believe they will win big.

Thanks for listening,
Jerry Robertson
678-231-1578 Cell

We all know that inflation is a potential problem in todays economy but do you know how much it can affect your ability to buy a house?? As inflation goes up it usually drags interest rates with it. Even if the house costs the same price the payment will increase and we all know that we don’t live in the house, we live in the payment!!

Check out this report on Inflation and Housing

Have a great day and thanks for listening,

Jerry W. Robertson

If you know someone facing foreclosure this info might be a help to them. Feel free to link them here. It’s knowledge that can help battle the fear and give those facing this situation some hope. If there are questions or you need some help please call me. Everything you tell me will be held in the strictest confidence. Click here for the info. You can print out out if you like or just read it online.

Thanks for listening
Jerry Robertson
678-231-1578 Cell

There are lots of stories in the news that can really be discouraging if you watch too much of it. Don’t focus on the bad stuff unless that is what you want. I believe we get what we focus on so here is something a bit more positive. Click here to get the report. I am sure you will be glad you did.

Thanks for listening,
Jerry Robertson

I hope you are all having a great summer. I have something that might help with the last minute planning of a summer party. Click here for the info. Party planning and menus to help make it a great time.

Remember, I am never too busy for your referrals!! This is the best time to buy and I am here to help.

Thanks for listening
Jerry Robertson

Compare Auto Parts Costs: Unlike other shopping sites, Frugal Mechanic is dedicated to car parts. Select the make, model and year of your car. You’ll be presented with a list of auto parts categories. There’s also a box where you can search by part number. After you find your part, you can see prices at numerous auto parts sites. If you decide to buy a part, just click through. http://frugalmechanic.com/

Microsoft Windows 7 Release: Microsoft plans to release Windows 7 on Oct. 22. This poses a dilemma for computer buyers. Do you buy a new computer now, or wait until Windows 7’s release? Microsoft doesn’t want to deter customers from buying new computers. So, it has launched an upgrade program. It offered a similar program for Vista. Computers purchased June 26 or later qualify for a free upgrade. To qualify, a machine must be running Vista Home Premium, Business or Ultimate. You’ll get a comparable version of Windows 7.

Genealogy Can Be Interesting and Valuable: The Internet provides a wealth of information for genealogists. There is no one-stop spot for genealogists. The National Archives is an outstanding research site. You can access a variety of databases containing genealogical records. The National Archives also contain records that are not online yet. It’s site will help you track down copies of the records. You will find plenty of tips and advice for making the most of your search! http://www.archives.gov/genealogy/

Making Plans For Your Trip: There is always so much to do before taking a trip. Plants, mail, cameras and packing will all need to be considered, plus more. Planning carefully before going on vacation may start by making a list of everything you need to do. Packwhiz can eliminate a lot of the pre-vacation stress. It helps you create a customized packing list. You can access it anywhere you have an Internet connection.Start by selecting some options for your trip. Packwhiz will generate a list based on your destination, transportation and accommodations. http://www.packwhiz.com/

I saw part of this video at UGA during my son’s orientation. I loved it. It’s a bit long but worth it. Tell me what you think….