10 Best Markets for Real Estate

Inman News examined housing, demographic and economic data for hundreds of metropolitan areas nationwide in developing a list of 10 markets that may be best suited for house-hunting investors.

The analysis considered markets with high affordability, low and dropping prices, a high market share of foreclosure sales, high population growth, an improving unemployment rate that is close to or better than the national average, high projected return on investment (ROI) over the next decade, and a low total cost of ownership-to-rent ratio.

Here they are:
Indianapolis-Carmel, Indiana
Winchester, Virginia, West Virginia
Gainesville, Florida
Tucson, Arizona
Tallahassee, Florida
Hagerstown-Martinsburg, Maryland
Salt Lake City, Utah
Richmond, Virginia
Gainesville, Georgia
Winston-Salem, North Carolina

summarized from Inman News, Andrea V. Brambila
For the full story, visit http://www.inman.com/reports/10-markets-invest/index.html

Self-Driving Cars!

Nevada is the first state to approve self-driving cars. Google worked with the Nevada Legislature to pass laws making the testing of robotic cars legal. The State Department of Motor Vehicles created a driver’s license for the robot cars. Although the cars are not ready for consumers (still a few years out), one has to wonder how this will affect the real estate profession. Think of it….the Realtor’s office may truly be in their car! Here is a link with more information. http://www.pcworld.com/article/231105/nevada_passes_robotic_driver_legislation.html

Pre listing Tools for Realtor and Seller

Here is a 2-part tip for Realtors who are going on a pre-list appointment and for sellers who are receiving those Realtors. The goal is to offer the client (seller) the absolute best service available by the most highly professional, credible and qualified Realtor. This article has been summarized from the 2/10/2012 article from RealtyTimes.com named “Highly Effective Pre-listing Tools” written by Dirk Zeller

1. The Realtor Pledge and Survey:

“I am here to provide you the service that you desire. I will always put your interest first before anyone else. To provide you the best and most professional job, I would like to know your concerns, so we can jointly achieve the desired result. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey below on a scale of 1-5 with 1 being Not Concerned and 5 being Very Concerned.”

Selling your home concerns:
• Communication with Realtor
• Buyer Qualifications
• Multiple Listing Service
• Marketing of your Property
• Advertising
• Open House
• Selling Commission
• Possible Unforeseen Problems
• Systematic Process to the Sale
• Time of Possession
• Pride of Your Property
• Closing Costs
• Security of Your Home
• Salability
• Negotiating the Contract
• Repairs After the Inspection

2. The following is a series of questions the seller may ask the Realtors whom they are considering. These are questions that agents should be able to answer.

• Do you work as a full-time Realtor®?
• Do you have assistants that work for you?
• How many homes did you list last year that sold?
• How many homes did you list last year that failed to sell?
• How many of the listings you took did you actually sell yourself?
• How many transactions did you do last year?
• What was your average list price to sales price for you listings?
• What is the real estate board average list price to sales price?
• What are the average days your listing has been on the market?
• What are the real estate board average days on the market?
• Where do you advertise and how often?
• How do you communicate with sellers and how often?
• Why should I hire you?

Happy Clients, Happy Realtors!

Whitefish Montana makes Best 25 Ski Towns

Just in from National Geographic – "25 Best Ski Towns" and guess what? Whitefish, Montana is one of them! If you are contemplating a visit to Whitefish, here are some tips…

Whitefish is the gateway to Glacier National Park and grew from logging and the Great Northern Railway. The train still carries passengers East and West daily.

Whitefish Mountain Resort at Big Mountain rises stunningly above this classy western town of 5000. There is a free skier shuttle that connects the town to the mountain. The ski area is family friendly with a good first-timer terrain and an abundance of long, wide-open, roller coaster groomers that skiers and snowboarders of all abilities can enjoy. A high-speed quad speeds to the mountain’s summit, which is often engulfed in clouds and studded with thickly rimmed, white trees known as “snow ghosts.”

Experts will find ample pockets of steep and deep terrain, including an abundance of backwoods tree skiing on the mountain’s less visited north side. The world-class groomers always make Inspiration and Big Ravine cruising delights. Advanced skiers should head for the East Rim and the Picture Chutes. Crowds are rarely a problem and views from the Summit House go on for miles!

Stay:
Budget - Hibernation House
High End – The Lodge at Whitefish Lake

Eat:
Budget: Buffalo Café
Gourmet: Tupelo Grille

After ski Party: Bierstube

Shopping: Pedestrian friendly Whitefish has tons of fun and eclectic shops. Enjoy!

Here is the link for more information:
http://adventure.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/trips/best-ski-towns-photos/#/whitefish-skier-montana_48135_600x450.jpg

List of Improving Housing Markets Expands to Nearly 100

This post is straight from RIS media and holds some good news.

The list of housing markets showing measurable improvement expanded by 29 metros in February to include a total of 98 entries on the National Association of Home Builders/First American Improving Markets Index (IMI), released today. Thirty-six states are now represented by at least one market on the list.

The index identifies metropolitan areas that have shown improvement from their respective troughs in housing permits, employment and house prices for at least six consecutive months. The February index adds some metropolitan areas that have been particularly weak; this is due to the fact that the IMI measures improvement from a bottom, and some of the hardest hit markets are showing signs of coming off of extreme lows. Keeping this in mind, notable new entrants to list in February include Miami, Fla; Boston; Detroit; Kansas City, Mo.; Portland, Ore.; Memphis, Tenn.; and Salt Lake City.

“The number of improving housing markets has risen for six consecutive months, and 36 states now have at least one metropolitan area on the list,” noted NAHB Chairman Bob Nielsen, a home builder from Reno, Nev. “This indicates that despite the many challenges that continue to drag on a housing recovery – including the tight lending environment for builders and buyers – improving conditions are slowly but surely spreading from one housing market to the next.”

“While many of the markets on the February IMI are far from fully recovered, the index points out where employment, home prices and housing production are no longer retreating and have held above their lowest recession troughs for six months or more,” said NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe. “This is a sign that a large cross section of the country is starting to turn the corner as local economic conditions stabilize.”

“The fact that there are nearly 100 markets now on the improving list shows that the momentum is building for a housing recovery and that more buyers and sellers are starting to feel confident enough to return to the market,” said Kurt Pfotenhauer, vice chairman of First American Title Insurance Company.

The IMI is designed to track housing markets throughout the country that are showing signs of improving economic health. The index measures three sets of independent monthly data to get a mark on the top improving Metropolitan Statistical Areas. The three indicators that are analyzed are employment growth from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, house price appreciation from Freddie Mac, and single-family housing permit growth from the U.S. Census Bureau. NAHB uses the latest available data from these sources to generate a list of improving markets. A metropolitan area must see improvement in all three areas for at least six months following their respective troughs before being included on the improving markets list.

Seven markets dropped from the NAHB/First American Improving Markets Index in February as they experienced softening house prices. These metros include San Jose, Calif.; Washington, D.C.; Kankakee, Ill.; New Orleans; Worcester, Mass.; Jackson, Miss.; and Sherman, Texas.

A complete list of all 98 metropolitan areas currently on the IMI, and a separate breakout of metros newly added to the list in February, is available at: www.nahb.org/imi [1].

Original post by Susanne, February 6, 2012 @ 4:53 pm In Finance and Economy, Real Estate Information, Real Estate News, Real Estate Trends http://rismedia.com

What's your style...

Traditionalist, Contemporary, Vintage or Eclectic? For the past 2 weeks our office has been streamlining, cleaning and decorating. Each person has his or her individual design sense and the challenge has been pulling together a cohesive look while supporting each person’s style. Here is a quick survey that may give you and your personality some design direction and some handy apps for you…

iHandy level – FREE and self explanatory!

Decomash – FREE and brand new. Take a photo of your living space and the apps finds complementary artwork that matches the room and tells you where to find it!

Color Snap – FREE and so cool! Capture real world colors on your iPhone camera and then match that color to a Sherwin Williams paint color.

1. I enjoy colors that are:
(a) solid and bold, such as orange or red,
(b) softer and muted,
(c) richly hued shades, such as burgundy or gold.

2. When it comes to decorating I think:
(a) less is more,
(b) more is cozy,
(c) formal is more.

3. When I conjure up thoughts of my dream house, it most resembles:
(a) an urban loft overlooking the New York skyline,
(b) a quaint country cottage with a charming garden,
(c) a beautiful manor with precisely manicured lawn.

4. My favorite furniture pieces are:
(a) clean-lined and simple,
(b) distressed,
(c) solid wood with a history.

5. I want to paint my walls:
(a) white, but with a boldly colored accent wall,
(b) cream or off-white,
(c) beige, taupe, or other earthy warm tones.

If you answered mostly a's, then you will most likely enjoy a contemporary Swedish-type design. You're not afraid of color, but you like clean lines and order in your rooms. There's no clutter for you! You like lots of open space.

If you answered mostly b's, you have a shabby chic mentality. Designer Rachel Ashwell began this movement over a decade ago with her salvaged and restored furniture pieces and vintage prints.

If you answered mostly c's, then you are a true traditionalist. You love richly colored fabrics in silk and brocade. You love the formality of it all.

If you had a mix of a, b, and c, you have an eclectic styling sense. You take inspiration from all groups to form a cohesive and very individual, look.

(Article derived from Carla Hill at realtytimes.com)

Super...Super Bowl Spaces

After researching the best spaces for watching the Super Bowl and what to snack on while watching, I have come to the conclusion that the Flathead Valley has some of the best of each! Here is the superest right here in our own backyard. McGilvray Lake Estate (mls #299341), has a poker table, beer bar, super screen TV and all the trimmings for a super Super Bowl experience. For the finest in Flathead Valley Super Bowl food, try Moose's Pizza in Kalispell, burgers from the Flathead Valley Burger Company (mobile truck), or head out to Jersey Boys in Whitefish. Go Patriots...Go Giants.