Again, hopeful news. And, no, I’m not cheer leading. Not my style (much to the consternation of some.)

What could be good about foreclosures? Not much. And nothing good for those who’ve lost their homes.

What is good is when there are fewer of them. And this week is specially good because of the 11 foreclosures which came on the market the week ending 1/11/09, three are already sold. And *sshhh* I sold one of them!

That’s right. And I haven’t seen any foreclosures go under contract the week the get listed since I’ve been tracking this.

First numbers:

Total new foreclosures listed: 11*

• single-family: 10
• townhouses:    0
• condos:           1

Then pictures:

As always, whether the news is good or bad, you’ll see it here.

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If you have questions, comments or a good joke to share shoot me an email.  I’m a full time Realtor®, I love what I do and would be thrilled to hear from you.

* All data from Triad Multiple Listing Service (MLS).

Tags: Foreclosures in Greensboro, Greenboro housing statistics, Greensboro Realtors, Multiple Listing Service

It would be easy to believe that no one is buying houses, what with all the horrendous scary disgusting sober news out there. I don’t know what its like in other markets, but the fact is that according to my decidedly unscientific pull of data from the Triad Multiple Listing Service (the database into which all transactions involving Realtors in our area entered) shows that between April 1 – September 30 of this year, nearly 2000 properties closed, just in my city of Greensboro, NC. (Our MLS reaches across the Piedmont Triad area of North Carolina which includes several counties and cities.)

Now, for sure that number is lower than for the same time frame of last year – just over 2500 properties – buy there are still people buying homes. And they are getting some good deals. It’s a good time to buy.

Are there down sides to buying now?

That depends, as it always has, on your particular situation. If you have stable income, have a good credit record and won’t be looking to move in under about 2 or three years then it’s a good idea to start looking. This is a historic “buyer’s market” and it won’t always be such.

If you are having trouble paying your car loan, don’t have any savings or wonder every day whether your job will be there when you walk in, then perhaps you need to sit things out until things settle down for you.

But this is not new. These are basic questions a buyer should always ask themselves before getting into home ownership.

So, check your credit (go to this site to get started), check out your bank balance and put some money by for a downpayemnt, and call a Realtor to start looking.

Go on! You don’t have anything to lose. And you may find your next home, just waiting for you.

Tags: Greensboro, Greensboro Realtors, Real estate market, real estate statistics

Well, lots of reasons, actually.

Granted, if you’ve always wanted to be featured on an episode of “Flip That House” or “Property Ladder” or the lesser known “Watch Me Get In Way Over My Head About Something I Know Very Little About”, the ship may have sailed on you. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

The truth is, buying a house makes sense now just as it has for generations and for the same reasons: stability, pride of ownership, security.

Yes, security.

“Crack Kills”, you may be thinking to yourself. But no. I’m not high. There is security in owning your own home. As much security as in anything. Where things have gotten of track in some markets is that some folks started thinking of their houses as slot machines wired to come up a winner on a regular basis instead of thinking of them as….houses.

Buy a home, stay in it for an extended period of time, expect a modest increase in value, and when you sell you should have built equity and walk away with cash in your hand.

But even if you break even after selling, you are still a winner. You will have enjoyed the impressive tax benefits of deducting mortgage interest and property taxes. And, unless you are living in your parents’ basement rent free, you have to pay to live somewhere, right? Better to pay your own mortgage than pay your landlord’s mortgage.

Talk to a good lender, borrow within your means, look at homes you can afford, pay your bills and start relaxing about whether it’s time to buy a house. Because, if you qualify for a mortgage that is comfortable for you and you will be in the same place for a few years, it’s time to buy.

Really.

Tags: Greensboro, Greensboro Realtors, Real estate market