http://www.denhamspringsappraisers.com/ – Western Livingston Parish Quarterly Sales By Zip Code Q1 2010 versus Q1 2011 Results

Accurate Valuations Group (Home Appraisals) has completed an analysis of the Western Livingston Parish housing market from First Quarter 2010 versus First Quarter 2011. The results are below.

70726. For Zip Code 70726, home sales volume was down 24%, Average Sales Price was up 3% and Average Sold Price Per. Sq. Ft. was down 9%.

70706. For Zip Code 70706, home sales volume was up 30%, Average Sales Price was down 8% and Average Sold Price Per. Sq. Ft. was down 12%.

70785. For Zip Code 70785, home sales volume was up 47%, Average Sales Price didn’t change and Average Sold Price Per. Sq. Ft. was down 3%.

70754. For Zip Code 70754, home sales volume was down 37%, Average Sales Price was up 18% and Average Sold Price Per. Sq. Ft. was up 7%.

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Author’s Bio:
Bill Cobb is Greater Baton Rouge’s Home Appraiser frequently called upon by banks, homeowners, and savvy real estate investors to assess property values. A home appraiser with 20 years experience, Bill Cobb brings a wealth of knowledge to the table as a home appraiser.

Bill’s company, Accurate Valuations Group, serves Greater Baton Rouge (East Baton Rouge Parish, West Baton Rouge Parish, Western Livingston Parish and Northern Ascension Parish).

Contact Bill Cobb and Accurate Valuations Home Appraisal Group for your next home appraisal:
Office: 225-293-1500, Cell: 225-953-0638
Fax: 1-866-663-6065
info@accuratevg.com
http://www.accuratevg.com/

http://www.batonrougefhaappraisers.com/ – How To Understand Baton Rouge Home Appraisals: Market Conditions Section. The challenges local home appraisers now face when valuing Greater Baton Rouge homes after the Federal Tax Credit Expiration.

I recently completed a refinance appraisal assignment off Sharp Rd and witnessed a trend I wanted to bring your attention to. This is still the recovering Post Hurricane Gustav market of MLS Area 42, zip code 70815, generally Broadmoor and Sherwood Forest areas. I say Post Hurricane Gustav because Gustav’s damage in 9/2008 disrupted this housing market more than most realize. I believe the 2 weeks it took to restore utilities had a psychological impact on this market as home sales prices dipped, see chart below. Chart represents home sales from $100K to $300K in 70815 from 1/1/2007 to present.

As a home appraiser appraising in any local market that is now NOT always increasing every year as in prior years, it’s now crucial to know where the market has been, where it is now and where it might be in the future.

Cautions On Interpreting Market Data Post Federal Tax Credit Expiration. This post below illustrates that just because the Federal Tax Credit artificially elevated home sales and possibly home prices, doesn’t indicate an always favorable appraised value for your home. The word favorable is a favorable value in the home owner’s mind, not necessarily market reality. The areas listings inventories or homes for sale, has been building or increasing for months now while at the same time home sales have been slowing. This could be attributable to the national economy finally catching up with the local economy, more difficulty now in qualifying for a mortgage and/or the shift within the Greater Baton Rouge housing market toward more affordable housing, ie., closer to $100/sf versus $135/sf to $160/sf.

Appraisal Assignment: 38 year old 2,850sf living area home, 3 Bedroom, 2.5 Baths, off Sharp Rd in between Broadmoor and Sherwood Forest areas.

MLS Search Parameters

3 to 5 Bedroom Slab Homes in Area 42 Between $150,000 to $275,000, Zip Code 70815, 10/4/2008 to 10/7/2010, Ages 16-20 to Max Age.

Sold Results: Median Sales Prices!

Sold results indicate an increasing median sales price since 10/4/2008 of +11% and +7.5% over the past year.

Sold Results: Average Sold Price Per Sq. Ft.!

Sold results indicate an increasing average sold price per sq. ft. since 10/4/2008. In Broadmoor, the increase has been $4/sf or +5.3%. In Sherwood Forest, the increase has been $2/sf or +2.7%.

HOWEVER, The current market conditions, the Fannie Mae 1004MC or Market Conditions Form describes a different market condition THAT MUST BE ANALYZED AND RECONCILED BY THE APPRAISER.

COMPETING HOME SALES ARE DECLINING – From 18 to 3!

ABSORPTION RATE IS DECLINING – From 3 Sales Per Month Down To Just 1!

TOTAL COMPARABLE ACTIVE LISTINGS IS INCREASING – Inventory Is Growing!

MONTHS OF HOUSING SUPPLY IS INCREASING – FROM 5 TO 22!

NOTE: When the top right 4 boxes are checked for Declining, Declining, Increasing and Increasing, that’s not a good market indication!

Chart Showing Slowing Home Sales!

Conclusion.

When appraising local Greater Baton Rouge Homes, it’s important for both the appraiser and the homeowner to know that ALL market conditions are examined and reconciled to arrive at a value conclusion. In the above market examination, YES, the median sales prices and average sales prices per sq. ft. were increasing, but were also still recovering. If one examines the very first chart in this post, you’ll find that this market still hasn’t fully recovered to the $180K median sales prices of 2007/2008 prior to Gustav.

And, it’s very important to lenders underwriting the loan if there’s only 1 competing home per month selling resulting in a 22 month supply of competing housing, declining absorption rate (declining number of homes within the large inventory being removed from that inventory), increasing number of months on the market and increasing number of listings being added each month.

I do hope locals can now better understand part of the appraisal process. Home appraisals in 2010, with the newer 1004MC form and more and more requirements being added each month it seems, take much longer to complete now with much more investigation and reporting requirements.

REO OR FORECLOSURE RATE!

And, for those that would like to know to know the REO or Foreclosure rate for this assignment, the chart is below showing only 2 “MLS” foreclosures for homes 2500sf to 3100sf since 10/4/2008. There could have been several more take place outside of these 2 listed in MLS as many national lenders today choose not to list their REO inventories in the MLS anymore….up to 70%. In my report, I stated, ” It’s also stated here that a recent article (The Landmines Within by Michael Tarabotto http://activerain.com/blogsview/930436/The-Landmines-Within ) stated that as much as 70% of REOs never make it into the MLS – Meaning that it might be impossible to know or state the exact # of competing REOs if
they’re not being listed. MLS is reporting 2 comparable REO listings.”

Data used with permission of the GBRAR MLS, search dates 1/1/2007 to 10/07/2010, extracted on 10/07/2010.

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]]> http://www.southpointappraiser.com/2010/10/08/how-to-understand-baton-rouge-home-appraisals-market-conditions-section/feed/ 0 http://www.southpointappraiser.com/2010/09/19/western-livingston-parish-home-appraisers-video-easterly-lakes-2010-update/ http://www.southpointappraiser.com/2010/09/19/western-livingston-parish-home-appraisers-video-easterly-lakes-2010-update/#comments Sun, 19 Sep 2010 06:49:15 +0000 http://www.southpointappraiser.com http://www.southpointappraiser.com/livingston-parish-real-estate-news/denham-springs-real-estate-news/western-livingston-parish-home-appraisers-video-easterly-lakes-2010-update/

http://www.batonrougerealestateminute.com/ – Western Livingston Parish Home Appraisers Video: Easterly Lakes 2010 Update. Western Livingston Parish Home Appraiser, Bill Cobb, updates the housing market numbers for Easterly Lakes Subdivision in Watson Louisiana 70706.

http://www.batonrougerealestatebuzz.com/ – Baton Rouge Real Estate Home Sales: Highs and Lows For September 7, 2010

Rebekah Allen, with the Baton Rouge Business Report, has an update on Baton Rouge home sales as published on September 7, 2010 and quoted below:

“After several months of hoping that the worst had passed in the fragile housing market, the real estate industry experienced record-breaking lows in July.

Experts blamed the historic decrease on the expiration of the homebuyer tax credit and mounting evidence that the economy isn’t ready to rebound.

According to the National Association of Realtors, existing home sales in July dropped 25.5% from the previous year. New home sales plummeted 32.4% from the previous year.

The Capital Region was not immune to the downward trend. July home sales dropped 24.4% in East Baton Rouge Parish from the previous year, 30.6% in Ascension Parish, 25.4% in Livingston Parish and 45.8% in the other parishes, including Iberville, West Baton Rouge, and East and West Feliciana.

But there was some good news, particularly in the neighboring parishes.

Home sales for the first seven months of this year have increased 11.6% in Ascension over the same time period one year ago, 17.3% in Livingston and 33.9% in the other parishes. East Baton Rouge Parish, however, has reported a 6.3% decrease.

Ashley Greer, team leader for Keller Williams Realty in Denham Springs, says her location has seen 38% more business this year than last, and she’s confident that the momentum will continue through the rest of 2010.

“We’re just one exit outside of Baton Rouge,” she says. “You get all of the amenities of a big city without having to pay as much for it.”

Greer adds that home-owners are attracted to the strong school system in Livingston.

“Livingston schools are continuing to build. We have some of the best schools, so parents don’t have to send their kids to private schools,” she says. “Everything we’ve increased our tax dollars to pay for is paying off.”

Appraiser Bill Cobb says Livingston Parish is attracting buyers with affordable price points. He says the bulk of new home sales occurred in the $120,000 to $169,900 range.

The average sale price in July was $197,076 in the Capital Region, down from $203,735 one year ago.

“Builders keep asking, ‘When is the market coming back?’ which is the wrong question,” Cobb says. “The right question should be, ‘How can I deliver a product that locals can better afford?’”—Rebekah Allen”

The Link Is Here: http://www.businessreport.com/news/2010/sep/07/startup-gnit1/

Tags: Baton Rouge Homes, Baton Rouge Homes For Sale, Baton Rouge Housing, Baton Rouge Housing Market, Baton Rouge Real Estate, Greater Baton Rouge Real Estate

http://www.batonrougerealestatebuzz.com/ – Livingston Board of Realtors Housing Market Update Numbers Released For September 2010

Click Below To Enlarge The Numbers!

To Read The LBOR 2010 Newletters, Click Below!

http://www.denhamspringsappraisers.com/ - Denham Springs FHA Appraisers Study: Livingston Parish Housing Bucks National Trend Plunge Of 15 Year Lows!

This morning, “The Guys” from TBWS reported existing home sale fell 27.2%, the lowest number of sales since 1968, see the video below.

The Baton Rouge Business Report is reporting on a National Assocation of Realtors housing study and I quote: “Sales of previously occupied homes fell to the lowest level in 15 years last month as the economy weakened. The National Association of Realtors says July’s sales fell by more than 27% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.83 million. It was the largest monthly drop on records dating back to 1968. June’s sales pace was revised downward to 5.26 million. Home sales picked up in the spring when the government was offering tax credits. But the market has struggled since the tax credits expired on April 30. It would take 12.5 months to sell off the 4 million unsold homes on the market at the current sales pace. The median sale price was $182,600, up 0.7 percent from a year ago.” I have included three charts below from Mortgage News Daily’s July Existing Home Sales: Recap and Charts to help put this in perspective. I then discuss the local Baton Rouge Housing Market Numbers.

While the NAR study covers the entire U.S., how do the local Western Livingston Parish housing sales numbers compare? By Western Livingston Parish, I’m defining Denham Springs, Watson and Walker, MLS Areas 81, 82 and 83, the more active portion of Livingston Parish. The answer is that I see Western Livingston bucking the national trend. Within the Greater Baton Rouge Association of Realtors data extracted from 1999 through August 25, 2010, covering almost 12 total years, the lowest yearly rate of home sales was in 1999 with 759. As of 8/25/2010, there have been 654 home sales. If this pace of home sales continues, 2010 projections will be approximately 980 sales, which would conclude a healty housing market.

The chart below, extracted from data from the GBRMLS on August 20, 2010, shows that the median sales price in MLS Area 81, Denham Springs north of Interstate 12, has continued to remain stable to increasing slightly. The chart actually shows an increase in median sales price from 8/2009 to 8/2010 of +3.49%. The chart also shows a fairly low 7.4% REO or Foreclosure Rate for this market as well, 235 foreclosures out of 3,175 homes sales since 1/1/2004.

HOWEVER

I want to responsibly point out that just because the NATIONAL “number” of home sales have been declining in 2010 doesn’t mean the LOCAL “housing prices” are equally declining significantly! And, this is an important point. As a home appraiser, the one thing I hear from local homeowners is a misunderstanding of the local market. They say things to me like, “I know this is a horrible time to be refinancing and getting an appraisal with the housing market the way it is, but we just couldn’t pass up the low mortgage rate”. I hear this constantly from locals and you can’t watch the national news and apply that to our local market. Linda Fredericks, former President of the Greater Baton Rouge Association of Realtors, is correct when she delivered the message that housing marketings are “local” and you can’t apply the national news headlines to a one size fits all local housing market!

Take The Baton Rouge Business ReportPoll: When will the U.S. housing market recover? So far results are:

NOTE: Data Used With Permission of the GBRAR MLS. Data was extracted on 8/25/2010 from periods 1/1/2009 through 8/25/2010.

Tags: Western Livingston Parish, Denham Springs Housing Study, Denham Springs Real Estate, Watson Louisiana Housing Study, Walker Louisiana Housing Study

http://www.batonrougerealestatebuzz.com/ - July 2010 U.S. Home Sales Plunge To 15-Year Low, How Does Western Livingston Parish Compare?

This morning, “The Guys” from TBWS reported existing home sale fell 27.2%, the lowest number of sales since 1968, see the video below.

The Baton Rouge Business Report is reporting on a National Assocation of Realtors housing study and I quote: “Sales of previously occupied homes fell to the lowest level in 15 years last month as the economy weakened. The National Association of Realtors says July’s sales fell by more than 27% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.83 million. It was the largest monthly drop on records dating back to 1968. June’s sales pace was revised downward to 5.26 million. Home sales picked up in the spring when the government was offering tax credits. But the market has struggled since the tax credits expired on April 30. It would take 12.5 months to sell off the 4 million unsold homes on the market at the current sales pace. The median sale price was $182,600, up 0.7 percent from a year ago.” I have included three charts below from Mortgage News Daily’s July Existing Home Sales: Recap and Charts to help put this in perspective. I then discuss the local Baton Rouge Housing Market Numbers.

While the NAR study covers the entire U.S., how do the local Western Livingston Parish housing sales numbers compare? By Western Livingston Parish, I’m defining Denham Springs, Watson and Walker, MLS Areas 81, 82 and 83, the more active portion of Livingston Parish. The answer is that I see Western Livingston bucking the national trend. Within the Greater Baton Rouge Association of Realtors data extracted from 1999 through August 25, 2010, covering almost 12 total years, the lowest yearly rate of home sales was in 1999 with 759. As of 8/25/2010, there have been 654 home sales. If this pace of home sales continues, 2010 projections will be approximately 980 sales, which would conclude a healty housing market.

The chart below, extracted from data from the GBRMLS on August 20, 2010, shows that the median sales price in MLS Area 81, Denham Springs north of Interstate 12, has continued to remain stable to increasing slightly. The chart actually shows an increase in median sales price from 8/2009 to 8/2010 of +3.49%. The chart also shows a fairly low 7.4% REO or Foreclosure Rate for this market as well, 235 foreclosures out of 3,175 homes sales since 1/1/2004.

HOWEVER

I want to responsibly point out that just because the NATIONAL “number” of home sales have been declining in 2010 doesn’t mean the LOCAL “housing prices” are equally declining significantly! And, this is an important point. As a home appraiser, the one thing I hear from local homeowners is a misunderstanding of the local market. They say things to me like, “I know this is a horrible time to be refinancing and getting an appraisal with the housing market the way it is, but we just couldn’t pass up the low mortgage rate”. I hear this constantly from locals and you can’t watch the national news and apply that to our local market. Linda Fredericks, former President of the Greater Baton Rouge Association of Realtors, is correct when she delivered the message that housing marketings are “local” and you can’t apply the national news headlines to a one size fits all local housing market!

Take The Baton Rouge Business ReportPoll: When will the U.S. housing market recover? So far results are:

NOTE: Data Used With Permission of the GBRAR MLS. Data was extracted on 8/25/2010 from periods 1/1/2009 through 8/25/2010.

Tags: Western Livingston Parish, Denham Springs Housing Study, Denham Springs Real Estate, Watson Louisiana Housing Study, Walker Louisiana Housing Study

http://www.batonrougerealestatebuzz.com/ – August 2010 U.S. Home Sales Plunge To 15-Year Low, How Does Baton Rouge Housing Compare?

The Baton Rouge Business Report is reporting on a National Assocation of Realtors housing study and I quote: “Sales of previously occupied homes fell to the lowest level in 15 years last month as the economy weakened. The National Association of Realtors says July’s sales fell by more than 27% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.83 million. It was the largest monthly drop on records dating back to 1968. June’s sales pace was revised downward to 5.26 million. Home sales picked up in the spring when the government was offering tax credits. But the market has struggled since the tax credits expired on April 30. It would take 12.5 months to sell off the 4 million unsold homes on the market at the current sales pace. The median sale price was $182,600, up 0.7 percent from a year ago.”

While the NAR study covers the entire U.S., how does the local Baton Rouge housing sales numbers compare? The answer is that I see a similar trend. Within the Greater Baton Rouge Association of Realtors data extracted from 1999 through August 24, 2010, covering almost 12 total years, for all of East Baton Rouge Parish itself, the lowest yearly rate of home sales has been in 2010 with 2,032 year-to-date. If this pace of home sales continues, 2010 projections will total 3,048 sales, the lowest within the 12 year period.

What about a monthly sales numbers comparison? This comparison leads to the same conclusion. The two lowest monthly housing sales periods in East Baton Rouge since our MLS began tracking the numbers in 1999 have taken place in 2010, see chart.

Take The Baton Rouge Business ReportPoll: When will the U.S. housing market recover? So far results are:

Tags: Baton Rouge Economic Report, Baton Rouge Homes For Sale, Baton Rouge Housing Market, Baton Rouge Real Estate, Baton Rouge Real Estate Agents, Baton Rouge Realtors

http://www.batonrougerealestateappraisal.com/ – May 2010 Baton Rouge Housing Video: Numbers Show A Stable Market

Today is June 9, 2010 and by this time, the solds for May 2010 would have been reported within the local GBRAR MLS related to the $8,000 Tax Credit. The video below was prepared by Tony Zito, with Zito Real Estate Group, and shares the number of pending sales for each month from February 2010 to today on June 8 2010. Tony also shares the sales for each May from 2004 to this past May 2010. Be sure to check out Tony’s Blog @ http://perfectbatonrougerealestate.com/

The questions in my mind are these:

1.) What impact did the $8,000 Tax Credit have on Greater Baton Rouge area home sales in 2010 leading up to the April 30 deadline? In the video below, I think you’ll find that it had a significant impact on local home sales.

2.) Was our market functioning based solely on this government stimulus and will home sales drop off after this stimulus has been removed? The answer to this question and concern will be answered by the market in the coming months.

http://www.gbrprelistingappraisals.com/ – Denham Springs Livingston Parish Pre-Listing Home Appraisals Video 225-293-1500.

This video describes what’s included in a “Pre-Listing” Home Listing Appraisal for the Greater Baton Rouge Housing Market performed by Bill Cobb with Accurate Valuations Group! Visit http://www.gbrprelistingappraisals.com/ and find out more about having a video made for YouTube to help sell your home faster. Plus, this appraiser can help your home get found on Google for interested buyers. So, we not offer Pre-Listing Appraisals, but a full marketing package and a listing on the Greater Baton Rouge Realty Video Visual Tours Website: http://www.gbrrealtyvisualtour.com/

Tags: Denham Springs Real Estate, Denham Springs Home, Denham Springs Homes, Denham Springs Listing Appraisal, Denham Springs Listing Appraisals, Denham Springs Pre-Listing Appraisal, Baton Rouge For Sale By Owner, FSBOBR.com, FSBO.com, For Sale By Owner Baton Rouge, For Sale By Owner Greater Baton Rouge