I had a phone call from a gentleman this week asking if I was the listing agent for a home for sale in New Albany. I replied that I wasn’t but that I could help him as a buyer agent to which he replied, “What’s that?†It made me realize that as Realtors, we use a lot of terms that may not be familiar to those not in the business. So I took a moment to explain to him what a buyer agent is along with explanations of other common terms. Real Estate Brokers – Real estate brokers have a real estate broker’s license and operate a real estate brokerage. New Albany Realty is the brokerage that Kate & I work for. Realtors® – A Realtor is a licensed real estate agent who is also a member of the National Association of Realtors® (NAR). We are members of NAR® and thus, are able to call ourselves Realtors. Listing Agents – Listing agents are real estate agents who represent sellers, market their homes and work to get their sellers the best price and terms. In Ohio, with written permission listing agents may also represent the buyers for their listings. Buyer Agents – Buyer agents are real estate agents who represent buyers, help them find homes that meet their criteria, and work to get their buyers the best price and terms. We have 2 Buyer Agents on our team – Bev Klein and Laura Kohler. Bev and Laura are available to assist you with your home search so don’t hesitate to contact them. Kate & Tony work with both Sellers and Buyers and would be happy to work with you!
market analysis
The number of single family homes for sale in New Albany, OH reached a new low in February falling 34% from the same time in 2009. There are currently 168 homes for sale in New Albany Plain Local School District versus 207 in February, 2010 and 256 in February, 2009. The following neighborhoods have reduced inventories from the same time 2009. Some declines are more significant than others.
Today’s buyer has many choices of homes to choose from and has the ability to preview as many as their time allows. Using the internet, buyers can preview and “eliminate†hundreds of homes for sale. As they view these homes, they are looking for reasons to eliminate it from their list. The reasons are varied – they may think it needs too much work, is too small, don’t like the color it’s painted, etc. The reality is that the house may be a good fit for them and the reason they choose to eliminate it from the list could be easily rectified.
A look at a few key metrics tell the story. New Albany Real Estate is on the rebound. While first portion of 2010 was driven by tax incentives and first time home buyers, we really just "borrowed" future sales from July and Aug to hit the June 30th deadline. We were really pretty flat through mid 3rd Quarter 2010. Then we had a good finish and pushed ahead of 2009 in these important areas:
OK, so here's the details of So How We Doin' New Albany by neighborhood: NACC Homes Sold 2010 Hampsted Village Homes Sold 2010 New Albany Links Homes Sold 2010 The Preserve Homes Sold 2010 New Albany Park Homes Sold 2010
Housing Predictor, an independent real estate forecasting service, has ranked the Columbus area 2nd in the country in the Best 25 Housing Markets. Ohioans should feel especially positive as the ranking lists Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati as the top three housing markets, respectively. Check out the article to review the Best 25 Housing Markets as forecast by Housing Predictor. While I think...
Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors, presented the NAR Forecast for 2010 real estate at the annual conference held in San Diego in November. His projections included the following good news: 13.6% increase in the sale of existing homes as well as a return to positive growth in home values as inventory levels continue to decline. Although real estate markets vary...
July is the first month in 2009 where unit home sales in New Albany Ohio were equal to the number sold in 2008. 30 homes sold in New Albany this July, the same as was sold July ’08. At the end of the 1st quarter this year, unit sales were off the 2008 pace by over 50%. Through July, 2009, unit sales are off 25% - a marked improvement over 1st quarter. As you can see in the chart below, TY/LY unit...
We all love our homes, and when it's on the market we wonder why the buyers don't love it as much. They should be lining up and walking through admiring every detail as you do, yes? There's a reason that some homes sell quickly while others languish on the market, sometimes never selling. There are a number of factors why your home hasn't sold - some are impacted by you and others are...
We recently did a market analysis for a prospective seller in New Albany. They were surprised that my actual analysis was different from the one they got using an on-line valuation service.  Zillow.com and Cyberhomes.com are two sites that will generate a suggested market value of your home using computer models. We find their results to be very hit or miss. These programs cannot take into...