REAL ESTATE ECONOMICS

This recently from Texas A&M

“Despite the national slowdown, Texas is still strong,” says James Gaines, Ph.D., research economist with the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University. “There’s no reason prices shouldn't continue to rise despite the increase in foreclosures and the slowdown in transactions, construction, and new-home starts.”

REAL ESTATE TRENDS

According to a National Association of Realtors economist, 12% of homes sold for more than the listing price.

Nineteen percent of sellers said that the primary reason for selling their home was because it was too small, while 13% said the neighborhood was less desirable and 10% decided to move so they could be closer to their job. The typical home seller owned their home six years.

Twelve percent of sellers said they sold their home without a real-estate agent, down from 13% a year ago and 20% -- the report's recorded high -- in 1987. Of those who sold their home on their own in this year's survey, 40% said they sold the property to someone they already knew.
Of those who did use an agent, 73% used a full-service agent, 8% used a discount broker and 7% used a minimum-service agent who may have done as little as list the home on the Multiple Listing Service, the survey found.

So it looks as if the complications of selling and buying a home make the full-time professional realtor more and more valuable to sellers as well as buyers. If you need help, call a professional realtor at Tyler Texas Real Estate!

REAL ESTATE IN RETIREMENT PLANS

The law allows your qualified plan or IRA to own just about any kind of real estate. You can invest directly in property: single family and multi-unit homes, co-ops, condos, apartment buildings, even improved or unimproved land. You can invest indirectly in real estate investment trusts. If you buy a property for your IRA, the income and appreciation normally builds up tax-free until you start to take withdrawals.

This is a source of money for real estate investing yet untapped for the most part.

HOME STYLES

It's been a while since I described a particular home style. There are a number of Colonial Revival style homes in the Azalea District of Tyler Texas. Here are the main distinctives of this lovely architecture:


Symmetrical façade
Rectangular
2 to 3 stories
Brick or wood siding
Simple, classical detailing
Gable roof
Pillars and columns
Multi-pane, double-hung windows with shutters
Dormers
Temple-like entrance: porticos topped by pediment
Paneled doors with sidelights and topped with rectangular transoms or fanlights
Center entry-hall floor plan
Living areas on the first floor and bedrooms on the upper floors
Fireplaces

TYLER TEXAS REAL ESTATE

In the latest news releases regarding real estate nationally, Tyler Texas is mentioned as one of the nation's "hot spots". In much of the rest of the country, real estate is under a bit of a cloud; but not here!

We do have some excess properties on the market right now, but buyers aren't in short supply. And the first quarter statistics have us up 9.3% (annualized) in property values. Many folks are calling and emailing, wanting to find farms and ranches and executive retreats and second homes. And the contacts are coming from all over the country.

Better call and pick up your piece of the pie!