It’s time for this Warner Robins Realtor observer to tackle the New Year’s
roundup of the Year in Real Estate (along with the traditional disclaimer that,
since the actual statistics won’t be tallied until 2014, this has to be a lot
more sizzle than steak!) But this is one time in the year when we local residents get to take pause to relax, perhaps
put a bottle of bubbly in the fridge for later on, and take a sweeping view of
the general direction of things across the land.
If you’ve been reading
here throughout the year, you already know that 2013 Middle Ga real estate activity might easily justify chilling a superior vintage champagne:
it’s been a pretty darn good year! A smattering of last week’s press reports
confirms it:
· * From the East Coast to Oahu (where there
was a “1 in 3 chance” that if you sold a house, it was for more than the asking
price), reports were of steadily rising prices.
· * The Business
Insider reported that the Big Apple “managed to shatter several real estate
records in 2013.” One of the records was a tidy listing for a modest little 62,000
sq. ft. private coop residence. Sure, $130 million may sound a little steep to
us here in Warner Robins, but that might be because
so few of our digs have 82-foot swimming pools or tennis courts…at least not indoors,
inside our five-story apartment atop a skyscraper.
· * More down to earth might be NAR’s
assessment that “Housing prices rose faster than expected” — with a lot of
credit given to the fact that “affordability remained high.”
· * Another factor: “More first-time buyers”
were entering the market due to “rising rents and pent-up demand.”
· * Following suit, the Dallas News was touting a local home market that “came roaring back
in 2013;” one that had “builders rushing to keep up with demand for new
houses.”
· * The Realtor®
web awarded credit for the strong real estate year to “Low mortgage rates,
all-cash buyers, and tight inventories” that sustained the housing market
recovery. Our area real estate saw much of
the same.
· * There was one notably bleak spot: “ACT
real estate hit hard by election” the Times
reported. “Uncertainty” about election politics had created “subdued
performance during the year” and some “negative house price growth.” The best
news: this was the Canberra Times –
and the country was Australia!
So let’s wish those
Down Under a quick turnaround; then, after a relaxing day watching the Rose Parade
and a bowl game or two, let’s get ready to charge into an equally dynamic 2014.
Happy New Year,
everyone!
Joe Barbee
Associate Broker/Property Manager
478-978-3428
TheBarbeeTeam@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment