1st Half 2008 Home Sales For West Chester & Liberty Township, Ohio

 Sales were down for the 1st half of 2008 when compared to the 1st half of last year.  This should come as no surprise to anyone.  Everywhere you look and/or read the message is the same for the most part. (Some of the reports make things out to be worse than others). Unit sales (closings)  were down 12.28% in West Chester and Liberty Township. 

Does this mean that you won’t be able to sell your home if you need to?  It most certainly does not.  I am successfully selling homes each and every month of this year and some of them pretty quickly.  What all of this does mean is: (1.) you must prepare your home for the market (2.) you must price it properly and (3.) you need a strong marketing effort.

Average sale prices were down 5.94% for the 1st half of 2008 when compared to the same period in 2007. There is no way to paint this statistic in a good light.  This is a large decrease in the average sale price for West Chester and Liberty Township homes. Again, this emphasizes the need to price your home correctly in today’s market.  Thinking of selling?  Click here to learn the current market value of your West Chester and Liberty Township. Ohio home.

Interest rates continue to be very volitale.  In the last week I have seen rates move lower to 6.20% for a 30 year fixed rate mortgage from a recent high of 6.55%.  The rates are changing daily.  If you need a referral to a good lender with competitive rates and closing costs please let me know.  Mortgage rate locks can become crucial right now. Read this article in my August online newsletter.

Moving to West Chester, Liberty Township, Mason Or Cincinnati, Ohio?  Click here to receive our Relocation Packet, full of information and completely free, with no obligation!

Your questions and comments are always welcome!

March 2008 Home Sales For West Chester & Liberty Township, Ohio

 Sales were once again down in March 2008 when compared to March of last year.  Unit sales (closings)  were down 6.31% in West Chester and Liberty Township.  The percentage decreases are smaller than they had been previously, for instance the 29.27% decrease that we saw in January  So the downside trend in unit sales may be slowing which is good news if it continues.

Average sale prices were down 10.09% over March of 2007 and there is no way to paint this statistic in a good light.  This is a huge decrease in the average sale price for West Chester and Liberty Township homes.  The median sale price was even worse, down 14.15% when compared to the month of March 2007.  Home prices are falling and these numbers reflect a continued and perhaps worsening trend.  The numbers from April will need to be closely examined to see if this is a one month drop or a continuing trend.  Thinking of selling?  Click here to learn the current market value of your home.

Interest rates continue to be very volitale.  In the last week I have seen a swing from 5.60% for a 30 year fixed rate mortgage to at weeks end 6.05%.  The rates are changing daily.  If you need a referral to a good lender with competitive rates and closing costs please let me know.

Moving to West Chester, Liberty Township, Mason Or Cincinnati, Ohio?  Click here to receive our Relocation Packet, full of information and completely free, with no obligation!

And finally, the Cincinnati Enquirer ran this story recently on the foreclosure problem in Ohio and some assistance that is available.  I am going to write a couple of posts on this issue of home foreclosure in the next week or so, so check back here for that.

Your questions and comments are always welcome!

The supply of homes for sale in West Chester and Liberty Township increased again.

As of the beginning of February the selection of homes for sale in West Chester rose 5.91% when compared to the beginning of January 2008 and a whopping 15.41% when compared to the same time in 2007.

The story is much the same in Liberty Township with the number of homes for sale increasing 6.99% as of the beginning of February when compared to the beginning of January 2008.  The percentage increase of 10.25% when compared to the beginning of February 2007 is more favorable than the West Chester increase.

The selection of homes to buy right now is terrific if you are thinking of buying.  Get out and take a look at the opportunities that are out there right now.

Interest rates are hovering around 5.50% right now for a 30 year fixed rate mortgage, which are much lower than they were just a few months ago

Opportunities for first time homebuyers are particularly good right now, especially when you consider the great rates and downpayment options provided by the FHA Loan program.

I would love to hear your thoughts!

This post is a little bit about a number of things…

First interest rates;  today a 30 year fixed rate mortgage is 5.49% compared to 5.95% just over two weeks ago (and a full 1.00% below what it was 18 months ago).  As I have said many times recently, and yes I probably do sound like a broken record, these rates are unbelievable.

I spent the weekend showing homes and made several observations to share as I went around this weekend.  There are a large number of vacant homes and condos for sale right now (motivated sellers).  And this should come as no surprise, the builders are very aggressive and very motivated right now.  There are lots of incentives out there and not all are advertised.  If you are thinking about new construction whether it’s building or simply buying a market home, it is a great time to do so.

A buyer asked me the other day;  "How will I know when the housing market has bottomed?"   My answer:  You won’t.  The only sure way to know that the market has bottomed out is when it’s on the way back up, and if it’s on the way up, it’s too late.  What I do know is the market has dipped and we are at the bottom of that curve.  It’s okay to buy down here.

Finally in the last two weeks there have been 116 new listings come on the market in West Chester and Liberty Township, Ohio and there have been 41 pending sales in that time.  So things are selling and we are continuing to see a great deal of new listings.

December 2007 Home Sales For West Chester & Liberty Township, Ohio

So, one by one let’s review…

Number of closed units, not good.  Down by 21.00% is not a good sign at all.  Yes, it was December, but that is compared to December of 2006.

Average sale price was up to $253,213 in December.  This is probably the most over examined statistic in real estate today.  What is doesn’t mean is that prices are rising, they are not.  What it simply means is, the average price of the homes that did sell, was higher.

The average days on market moved up to an average of 102 days on the homes that closed in December.  A very large increase over December 2006 that really bears watching.

The list price to sale price ratio was considerably lower in December.  In December of 2006 homes that sold in West Chester and Liberty Township sold for an average of 97.54% of list price vs. 95.72% in December of 2007.

For a bit of really good news…  look to mortgage rates which are hovering around 5.65% for a thirty year fixed rate mortgage.  These are unbelievable times to be buying a home!

I will continue to monitor these market numbers  for West Chester and Liberty Township Ohio and will share them as they become available.

I would love to hear your thoughts as well!