Posts Tagged ‘National Association of Home Builders’
The Incredible Shrinking House
Posted by tblefko on April 25, 2010
Posted in Buyers, Construction, Consumers, Harrisburg, Market Conditions, Sellers | Tagged: Amy Hoak, Builder's Show, Buyers, MarketWatch, National Association of Home Builders, Real estate, Sellers, Statistics, U.S. Housing Market, Video | Leave a Comment »
What Baby Boomers Really Want in a Home
Posted by tblefko on September 23, 2009
The term ‘Baby Boomer‘ gets thrown around a lot in the world of advertising. It seems like everyone is trying to sell to this segment of the population; including the real estate industry. Economic statistics show that baby boomers account for 28% of the population, but over 77% of all financial assets in the United States. This generation also accounts for more than 50% of all discretionary authority in private organizations as well as in government. But do REALTORS® and builders really know what baby boomers want in a home? Do they know what features they want? What locations are preferential? How much money they’re willing to spend? A new survey conducted by the MetLife Mature Market Institute and the National Association of Home Builders entitled 55+ Housing: Builders, Buyers and Beyond was just released that sheds some light on these very questions.
Posted in Agents, Buyers, Construction, Consumers, Motivation, Technology | Tagged: 55+ Housing: Builders, Agents, Baby Boomers, Builders, Buyers and Beyond, Downsizing, Green Building, High-Speed Internet, Media, MetLife Mature Market Institute, National Association of Home Builders, Property Values, Real estate, Reports, Statistics | Leave a Comment »
New Home Construction Ticks Up In June
Posted by tblefko on July 18, 2009
Image courtesy of Flickr
After months of continually taking it on the chin, construction of new homes nationwide is showing signs of landing a couple of jabs of their own. On Friday, the Commerce Department released new home and multi-family construction numbers for June which showed an increase of 3.6%. This number is particularly impressive because the construction of multi-family units actually fell over 26% for this period which means that the single family homes‘ component had to carry the load. Another positive sign is that applications for building permits, usually seen as a barometer of future activity, rose nearly 9%.
Posted in Buyers, Development, Market Conditions | Tagged: Builders, David Crowe, National Association of Home Builders, Predictions, Reports, Single-family detached home, Stimulus Package, Tax credit, United States Department of Commerce | Leave a Comment »
NIMBY’s Gone Wild
Posted by tblefko on February 5, 2009
Image courtesy of Flickr
Since I have been selling real estate, there have always been NIMBY’s (Not In My Back Yard) show up at planning commissions and protest against high-density developments based upon emotions gone wild instead of looking at the merits of the specific submission by the developer. I am not naive enough to think that every proposed high-density development plan is manna from heaven. There are definitely bad plans served up for our consumption. But when a good plan is submitted and dismissed out of hand as the second coming of the devil, I feel I need to point out the fallacies of the NIMBY mantra.
Assumption #1: Higher-density developments overburden public schools and other public services and require more infrastructure support systems.
The United States Census Bureau has determined that for every one hundred, single-family detached homes built, there are 64 school-aged children that live there. Compare that number with 21 kids living in the same number of apartment units. For some reason, people incorrectly assume that with an increase in housing units there is also an increase in the number of people who live in each unit. In addition, by building more housing in a smaller area there is less need for lengthy water and sewer lines, expensive sidewalks and curbs, and linear feet of roadway.
Posted in Development | Tagged: Crime, Environment, Farmland, High-Density Housing, National Association of Home Builders, National Association of REALTORS, NIMBY, Pennsylvania Association of REALTORS, Property Values, U.S. Census Bureau, Zoning | Leave a Comment »
Now More Than Ever – Use a REALTOR!
Posted by tblefko on February 3, 2009
A recent survey by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) finds that the reason most often cited by people who aren’t moving forward with the purchase of a home is that they can’t sell their existing house. In fact the percentage is shockingly high at 91%. Why do I say ‘shockingly’? Because usually you can’t get 9 out of 10 people to agree on anything. If you couple this with the other top reasons cited, you have a real crisis in confidence.
I’m not telling you these negative perceptions by home buyers so that you can run away and hide and come out next spring when the real estate fairy has had a chance to wave her magic wand and make everything better. No – far from it. Because of the challenging market that we find ourselves in today, it is essential that a professional Realtor be consulted when one is thinking about buying or selling real estate. The days of sticking your home in the MLS, placing a sign in the front yard and getting three offers before sundown are over. If you place your home on the market today, it must be priced right and in tip-top shape. The only way to do this is to consult a professional Realtor who does this for a living and has seen your competition up close and personal. Not only do you need to consult a Realtor, but you need to actually listen to their advice. If they say to trim the shrubs – trim the shrubs. If they advise you to paint the purple bedroom off white - paint it. If they tell you that your home should be priced at $199,000 – list it at $199,000. No more, “I think I’ll try it at $225,500 for a couple of weeks to see if I get any nibbles” stuff. If you overprice in this market you will pay the price by having your home languish on the market and ultimately get passed over because real buyers will think you aren’t serious.
In today’s real estate market, only a professional Realtor is equipped to guide you through this sea of uncertainty and help you dock in a safe harbor.
Posted in Buyers, Market Conditions, Sellers | Tagged: Buyers, Charts, Moving, National Association of Home Builders, Reports, Sellers | Leave a Comment »
