January 2012 Real Estate Stats for Salem Oregon

Great Horse Ranch for Sale in Aumsville.  Check out the video of the property!

In the month of January 2011, there were 1049 new listings that came on the market and a total of 6451 listings available.  In the month of January 2012 there were 935 new listings that came on the market and a total of 5238 on the market.  That is a 23.16% decrease in listings available this year over last year at the same time. more….  Click Here for the entire eNewsletter with all stats and a few articles from us!

Hope the trend is here to stay!!

Where to buy foreclosures, 2012 starts out with a bang! Interest Rates

First off, Happy New Year.  Here is to a great 2012!

the shed @ Roberts Crossing!

Crazy year in the Salem Or real estate market.  No doubt it has been an incredible time for buyers.  Sellers that have been able to stomach the sale are the ones that are realizing their loss on the home is being made up in the interest rate and the home they are buying.  In most cases the buyers we have worked with have bought much more house and their payments were not that different because of the great rates they were able to lock in.  At the end of the post is a copy of the rate sheet we received from Wells so you can see for yourself how great these rates are.

It is funny to look back at my last years post titled the Perfect Storm & Perfect Storm 2.  Because we are still in it.  Prices are incredibly low, inventory is still high, off a little bit from last year but still about 12 months of inventory and as you can see these rates are crazy low.

A couple of positive things happening already this week is

1. FHA removing the 90 day hold on reselling a home after purchase.  That is great because we are seeing investors back in the market now big time but there play is a buy and hold (rent) but the flippers can now take a foreclosed property that is doing nothing but causing the value in neighboring like homes decline being flipped at a higher price after fixing it up is HUGE.

2. Fannie Mae /www.HomePath.com 3% down owner occupied and 10% investor financing.

Looking for a foreclosure?  Well,  I would search Salemlisted.com but you can also check out www.homepath.com this is the website for Fannie Mae we can help you with offering on these homes but it is nice to use the site to see what the financing incentives are.  It is a great way to stay on top of the foreclosure market.  Why I like to keep an eye on these guys is because they have a lot of inventory on their books and they want to get them sold.  They offer incredible financing for these properties that they own.  Right now you can purchase a Fannie Mae home for as low as 3% down plus they have some other incentives plus for an investor you can get into some of these homes for only 10% down.  If you have any interest in learning more about the foreclosure market please don’t hesitate give us a call or email.  503.881-2313 – ty at prurep dot com.

If buying or selling real estate is your plans for 2012 lets sit down and discuss your goals as they pertain to real estate and see if we can help you.

Short Sales are still going to be a huge part of the Salem Oregon real estate market.  Short Sales are definitely a harder sale and a harder purchase but this option can be good for both buyer and seller.  It does get the Seller out of a tough position and in most cases the buyer can get a good buy.  They take a lot of work and we have been on both sides of the deal so if you would like some consulting on some of your options we would love to discuss those with you.

Again, Happy New Year!

June Residential Home Sales Statistics Salem Oregon..hmmmm

   So here we are half way through this year and you would expect to see our sales increasing at least a bit.  We continue to see pressure on home prices and inventory seems to be staying the same right around 12 months.

Rates have been staying at all time lows but the truth is nobody feels confident enough to get off the fence and make a purchase.  Even if some prices are so incredibly low.

We are seeing a lot more activity right now in all of our listings in all price ranges so hopefully that will translate into contracts and people moving into their dream homes!

Here are the Sales Stats for June 2011 Residential only! Let me know if you would like any more information.  We would be glad to help!  June 2011 Residential Home Sales Stats

Alert! new listing in West Salem – 1676 Onyx Dr Salem Or 97304 – Great Views

Brand new listing! The Heights in NW Salem – 1676 Onyx Dr NW – Click Here for Listing Detail

This is a great neighborhood just 2 blocks from Chapman Hill Elementary.  If you are looking in West Salem make sure you take a second to see this great house! call today 503.945.0234 for a showing or more information.

Home for Sale – 3543 Burning Tree Dr. S – Salem Oregon – $389,999

How cold is that post title?

Summer selling season is here and we are seeing major price reductions in all price ranges.  One of the biggest drops in price this week is our listing at Illahe Country Club in Salem Oregon.  If you like to golf  or just look over a golf course, you will love this home and where it sits.

Check out this great home for under $100/sq ft with incredible views!

Make sure you check out facebook fan page! there is so much fun happening there: “like” here!

bike riding, vacation, april home sale stats — 2 out of 3 ain’t bad

What a great weekend.  We spent the time with friends at Black Butte Ranch near Sisters Oregon.  What a great place to hang out.  Bike riding for miles on perfect trails through really cool terrain.  Golf, tons of tennis courts and great pools.  If you haven’t been, I say you must take a break on the ranch.

Vacations are so needed.  Especially, in an economy like ours.  You know that you have to recharge but are you doing it.  There is really nothing better than to hang out with your family in a space that is not you’re home.  It is so hard to get away in your own home the popular phrase (staycation) is great but eventually you really need to get away.  Even a day trip, or a hike or even a drive up the coast will clear your head, reconnect with the reason you work so hard, and get you refocused.  So what did I come back too? you ask..   The April sales statistics.

What is most concerning is that we are still seeing so much downward pressure on price which is effecting the entire market.  As you can see over 50% of the sales are from distressed properties.  Which again if you’re in the market as a ready to go Buyer you’re in the driver seat.   If you’re interested in checking out some of these deals you can search here Salem area foreclosures.

 

QR code Revolution – It is here and here to stay

run you're qr reader over the code to check out our new listing video

Really love the QR revolution, for sales, marketing, advertising for the good of tree’s.  It is really killer.  So how are we using this crazy little code.  An example of my first QR experience, we were walking around Sausalito, CA and there was a great condo/town home with a flyer in the window with just the words FOR SALE and the QR code.  So I loaded up an app because there is an app for that,  I use Kaywa Reader and I also use it to generate my codes, pointed my new fancy reader app at the weird looking black box and BAM I had the listing in the palm of my hands.  It was only about 2mil over my price range but so cool and I didn’t have to carry around that flyer around.  Felt like we saved a forest.

I see that very very soon we will have no need for a flyer box.  So if you’re in the flyer box building business or you own a ton of flyer box company stock .. my suggestion would be to sell.  The reason is simple it is so easy and it will save our little real estate business about $150 bucks a month in color copies.  I like to load the listing video into the code because I think that is such a better user experience instead of the straight listing page.  So maybe we will have to codes: QR Code 1 – Killer Listing Video and QR Code 2 – Listing Detail.  We list a house the sign goes out to the house, on the sign will be 2 6″ x 6″ code stickers on the sign and we are done.  We have become much greener and I think we are giving the consumer so much more than a piece of paper with 4 to 5 photos on it.  Now you see a 2 minute video and you can see all of the listing detail with 21 pictures plus our contact info in the palm of your hand which makes us a text, phone call or email away from that interested party.

Over the past view weeks I have come across some great articles about the QR code and it’s future and also the new designs and some companies that are making a business out of this free media distributor.

10 Ways For Entrepreneurs To Build Brands Online

…QR Code: Have people scan your unique QR code instead of handing out text-filled cards.Twtbizcard: This site lets you transform your Twitter profile into a business card.Bump: This is an app that allows you to bump phones together to connect with people.9. NewsletterSending out a monthly newsletter will allow you to build up a vast network. If y…

from Mashable | The Social Media GuideBusiness & Marketing

Starbucks and Lady Gaga team up for scavenger hunt

…customers scan QR codes on in-store banners, magnetic chalkboards and posters, they’ll see the first of many clues in the coffee retailer’s seven-round scavenger hunt.“SRCH by Starbucks featuring Lady Gaga,” as the initiative is called, will start with the in-store QR code scan and take customers through a series of cerebral and digital clues.Pl…

from Mashable | The Social Media GuideBusiness & Marketing - May 24, 2011 (2 days ago)

Open House Update!, Preston Winery, Wiking in Oregon!

Go to wine country! Here is a one of our favorite wineries pictured above.  Nothing better than hanging out in the yard and have a taste or two - Preston Winery.

On the wine note a friend of mine Tim Miner , make sure you check out his new project Trail Sherpa,  shared this today an article in the NY times about “Wiking” in Oregon check it out some great national press here is the article . I think that sounds so cool! What a concept!

Back to Real Estate, our Spring Home Tour that was held last Sunday was great! We had 4 of the 60 homes open and the traffic was great.  We hold a lot of open houses and what was different about this one was the amount of Buyers that we saw.  Some Buyers had something to sell and some were truly ready to go.  You would have thought that on such an event we would have seen many more lookers but there was a lot of interested parties.

One success story from the open houses was we listed this house on Friday and Tuesday we received 3 very good offers.  Wow! that hasn’t happened since 05 and very rarely does a home create such a buzz at an open house.

So why did this happen.???  We found out that this home was loved by many people that had seen it for years and wanted to own it.. None of the people that I have talked to had never even seen the inside they just loved the way it looked … wow says a ton about Curb Appeal.

Pricing: we priced the house just a little underneath the comps about 3% below what we thought it would sell at.  We had many calls from agents saying what a great priced home it was and they couldn’t believe it.  What that has created is a multiple offer situation that may in fact get the Seller more than the asking price.

This is not a distressed property, it is not bank owned or in foreclosure it is a great looking home that was priced correctly and we had a great system of getting that house in front of many buyers.  It is even over the FHA limits for Marion county.

If you have any questions about you’re homes market value or would just like to discuss you’re options in the market please don’t hesitate to give us a call. 503.945.0234.

Freddie Mac offering Closing Costs on Bank Owned Homes

Search for homes in Salem Oregon http://SalemListed.com

Summer Sales Event from Freddie Mac on their Bank Owned Homes (REO’s).  They are offering some great incentives for Buyers:

• Up to 3.5% towards Buyers closing costs
• Limited 2 year warranty – click here for details
• Up to 30% off new appliances

This truly is a great time to buy and if your in the market for distressed property Freddie Mac homes are a great way to start.  They offer great incentives and financing options available.  Check out their website to search for homes and review all the details of the programs they are currently offering.  If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to give us a call 503.945.0234.

Freddie Mac Homesteps – http://homesteps.com

Fannie Mae Homepath – http://homepath.com 

QR Codes are so cool!

QR codes are becoming the rage. I love them. I can see a day very soon where the QR code will be on the yard sign and no paper will be needed.

We do videos for our listings and the above QR code is for a new listing we have at Illahe.

Check it out. Can’t wait for the day that we don’t have to print so many flyers! It is coming soon!