Denham Springs Louisiana Real Estate Buzz!

Archive for February, 2010

http://www.batonrougerealestateappraisal.com/ – Baton Rouge Real Estate Appraisers: NAR Says January 2010 U.S. Home Sales Fall 7.2 Percent

The Source Is Baton Rouge Business Report. The Baton Rouge Business Report Is Dispensing Information From The National Association Of Realtors Regarding January Home Sales, see below. AND NOTE, This decline is despite efforts by our Federal Government to offer the $8,000 Tax Credit, which was supposed to help national home sales.

“Sales of previously occupied homes took a large drop for the second consecutive month in January, falling to the lowest level since summer. It is understood as another sign the housing market’s recovery is faltering. The National Association of Realtors said sales fell 7.2% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.05 million from a downwardly revised pace of 5.44 million in December. The results, the weakest since June, were far worse than forecast. Economists expected a slight increase, to a rate of 5.5 million.

Sales declined throughout the country, falling the most—nearly 11%—in the Northeast. Sales fell by about 7% in the South and the Midwest and by more than 5% in the West.“

http://www.accuratevg.com/ - Greater Baton Rouge Real Estate 2009 Declines -4.3% Year Over Year

Zillow.com is reporting that Baton Rouge Metro (Greater Baton Rouge) had a -4.3% decline since 1/2009, see the charts below. The Zillow report can be read here! Also according to Zillow, the Shenandoah market, comprised of approximately 2,800 homes, experienced a -2.3% decline in the same period.

For Your Greater Baton Rouge Home Appraisal Needs, Give Accurate Valuations Group A Call at 225-293-1500

http://www.accuratevg.com/

http://www.batonrougerealestateappraisal.com/ - Baton Rouge Real Estate FHA News: BREAKING FHA NEWS from NAMB DC Conference

The Guys Are At It Again, But This Time In DC….Click Below!

http://www.batonrougerealestateappraisal.com/ - Are Baton Rouge Realtors Performing BPOs For Lenders Illegally?: No More BPOs For You! (How You Could be Violating RELRA)

On February 16, 2010, Renee Porsia posted an interesting article on AgentGenius entitled, “No More BPOs For You! (How You Could be Violating RELRA)“

It’s an interesting read and I recommend appraisers take time to read this one! Here’s a snippet:

“Perform a BPO and you may be violating the Real Estate Licensing and Registration Act (RELRA) and the Real Estate Appraisers Certification Act, and could be prosecuted by the Real Estate Commission or the State Board of Certified Appraisers or both.”

“For those Brokers/Realtors who are currently performing BPOs or those who have been performing BPOs to get extra income, those days are over and they should be grateful they have not yet been caught thus far.”

Mary Thompson also wrote on Active Rain about this very topic, “Just say no to BPO’s… in place of a bona fide appraisal“

Tags: bpos, broker price opinions

http://www.accuratevg.com/ - Baton Rouge Real Estate: Greater Baton Rouge Foreclosures Were Low In 2009

In a one paragraph report, the Baton Rouge Business Report is reporting the following:

“The 2009 foreclosure rate in Baton Rouge ranks among the lowest 25% for U.S. metro areas, according to a new report. Baton Rouge had the 157th highest foreclosure rate among 203 U.S. cities, according to RealtyTrac, which follows the market for seized homes. One out of 121 homes in the Capital Region was involved in the foreclosure process in 2009, a 139% jump from the year before. RealtyTrac warns the actual increase may be due to improvements or changes in reporting techniques. Three other Louisiana cities had lower foreclosure rates than Baton Rouge: Shreveport was ranked 163rd, with one foreclosure per 140 homes; Lafayette was 170th, with one foreclosure per 183 homes; and Houma-Thibodaux was 193rd, with one foreclosure per 363 households. Nationally, the foreclosure rate averaged one for every 45 households. Las Vegas and Fort Myers, Fla., were the two weakest markets, with one out of every 8 homeowners facing foreclosure during 2009.”

Tags: Baton Rouge Estate Appraisers, baton rouge real estate, baton rouge real estate agents, baton rouge real estate appraisers, baton rouge real estate trends, baton rouge realtors

http://www.batonrougerealestateappraisal.com/ - Baton Rouge Real Estate: Ascension and Livingston Parish Home Sales Increase In January 2010

According to the 2/16/2010 Baton Rouge Business Report Real Estate Weekly, home sales were up in January 2010 in Ascension and Livingston Parishes. Read the complete report at the link above. The short article states:

“The number of houses sold in Ascension and Livingston parishes in January was higher than what was recorded the year before. There were 73 houses sold in each parish, according to figures from the Greater Baton Rouge Association of Realtors Multiple Listing Service. In January 2009, there were 64 homes sold in Livingston and 63 in Ascension. Ascension even saw a modest increase in the average sale price, up from $203,016 in 2009 to $203,400 in January. Livingston saw a significant drop in average sale price, down to $148,587 from $175,459 in January 2009.

MLS home sales were down 16% in East Baton Rouge, from 242 in 2009 to 203 in January. The average sale price went up, from $194,209 to $195,101. In the category that includes MLS sales in parishes such as West Baton Rouge, Iberville and the Felicianas, there were 22 houses sold in the first month of the year, compared with 25 in January 2009. The average sale price rose to $144,984 from $105,076 the year before.”

http://www.denhamspringsappraisers.com/ - Denham Springs Real Estate: New Juban Lakes Apartments Construction Beginning

The Advocate News Paper is reporting on Juban Lakes Appartments Beginning Construction here! According to the article, this will be a $13,000,000 development off Buddy Ellis Rd with a total of 244 units in two phases. Lease rates will be $775 for a one-bedroom uni, $885 for a two-bedroom and $1030 for a three-bedroom.