Des Moines Real Estate Statistics Week Ending 7-10-09

Week Ending July 10, 2009

2009 is officially half over and this week I have a lot of statistics to share. So let’s get started!

Active Listing Inventory

The number of homes for sale have increased every single month since January of this year.  Note that it was April of 2008 when listing inventory began to decline.  It will be interesting to watch this chart the remaining months of 2009.  Increasing inventory indicates confidence of sellers in the real estate market. 

Average Days On The Market

Homes continue to stay on the market longer 3 out of 6 months this year.  The homes that are selling quickly are priced well and are in top condition.  If your home is currently for sale, consider having a professional stager come in and look over your home.  Something as simple as rearranging a room may just be what it takes to get that buyer to make an offer!

Accepted Offers

This is where the rubber meets the road.  Contracts written (also known as Sale Pendings) are when a buyer and seller come to a formal agreement and the sale process is put into motion by way of a legal contract.  If you ever wondered when our real estate market hit that proverbial brick wall, it was in July of 2007.  This June more homes went under contract than any other time in the last 3 years with 924 accepted offers.

Closed Transactions
Closing day!  779 buyers closed on their home in June and just like New Listings, this number has steadily increased since January.  I will be watching this statistic very close the next few months.  We were only 3 transactions off of equally last June’s closings.  If you look back up at the dip in Pending on the previous chart where Pendings dropped off in July of 2007 you can see the drop in August of 2007 of closed transactions. 

Average Sale Price

And finally, the trend for the first half of the year shows an overall drop in Average Sale Price.  The first time home buyer stimulus is the cause of this drop.  Most transactions in the first 6 months of this year were for homes priced under $200,000.  If you want to see how the different price ranges fared in the month of June, check out my blog post from last week.

Total Number of Homes For Sale in the Des Moines Area – 5228
New Listings Taken During the Last 7 Days – 245
Accepted Offers (Pendings) During the Last 7 Days – 122
Homes Closed (Solds) During the Last 7 Days – 51
Average Sale Price of Solds – $183,509
Average Days On Market of Solds – 121

If you would like to search for homes in the Des Moines area, feel free to visit my website.  I don’t require a login or password and collect no information about you.  You can always contact me if you have questions. 
Click Here to begin your own home search or go to http://search.homesbyles.iow.mlxchange.com

Les Sulgrove, RE/MAX Real Estate Group

Information on this blog posting is for informational purposes only and not intended as solicitation if you are already working with a REALTOR®.

There is no obligation or fee for any information on this blog posting.
Data Source: Les Sulgrove, RE/MAX Real Estate Group
Des Moines Area Association of REALTORS® MLS.
Des Moines Metropolitan Area defined as: Adel, Altoona,
Ankeny, Bondurant, Carlisle, Clive, Des Moines, Dallas Center,
Desoto, Granger, Grimes, Indianola, Johnston, Norwalk,
Pleasant Hill, Polk City, Urbandale, Van Meter ,Waukee,
West Des Moines, Windsor Heights, Winterset

Des Moines Real Estate Statistics Week Ending 7-4-09

Week Ending July 4, 2009
Happy Birthday USA!

Total Number of Homes For Sale in the Des Moines Area – 5193
New Listings Taken During the Last 7 Days – 231
Accepted Offers (Pendings) During the Last 7 Days – 107
Homes Closed (Solds) During the Last 7 Days – 86
Average Sale Price of Solds – $172,335
Average Days On Market of Solds – 87

If you would like to search for homes in the Des Moines area, feel free to visit my website.  I don’t require a login or password and collect no information about you.  You can always contact me if you have questions. 
Click Here to begin your own home search or go to http://search.homesbyles.iow.mlxchange.com

Les Sulgrove, RE/MAX Real Estate Group

Information on this blog posting is for informational purposes only and not intended as solicitation if you

are already working with a REALTOR®.

There is no obligation or fee for any information on this blog posting.
Data Source: Les Sulgrove, RE/MAX Real Estate Group
Des Moines Area Association of REALTORS® MLS.
Des Moines Metropolitan Area defined as: Adel, Altoona,
Ankeny, Bondurant, Carlisle, Clive, Des Moines, Dallas Center,
Desoto, Granger, Grimes, Indianola, Johnston, Norwalk,
Pleasant Hill, Polk City, Urbandale, Van Meter ,Waukee,
West Des Moines, Windsor Heights, Winterset

Des Moines Real Estate Statistics Week Ending 6-26-09

SMILE!   It’s The Weekend!!!!

Week Ending June 26, 2009
Total Number of Homes For Sale in the Des Moines Area – 5216
New Listings Taken During the Last 7 Days – 335
Accepted Offers (Pendings) During the Last 7 Days – 158
Homes Closed (Solds) During the Last 7 Days – 107
Average Sale Price of Solds – $172,335
Average Days On Market of Solds – 87
If you would like to search for homes in the Des Moines area, feel free to visit my website.  I don’t require a login or password and collect no information about you.  You can always contact me if you have questions. 
Click Here to begin your own home search or go to http://search.homesbyles.iow.mlxchange.com

Les Sulgrove, RE/MAX Real Estate Group

Information on this blog posting is for informational purposes only and not intended as solicitation if you

are already working with a REALTOR®.

There is no obligation or fee for any information on this blog posting.
Data Source: Les Sulgrove, RE/MAX Real Estate Group
Des Moines Area Association of REALTORS® MLS.
Des Moines Metropolitan Area defined as: Adel, Altoona,
Ankeny, Bondurant, Carlisle, Clive, Des Moines, Dallas Center,
Desoto, Granger, Grimes, Indianola, Johnston, Norwalk,
Pleasant Hill, Polk City, Urbandale, Van Meter ,Waukee,
West Des Moines, Windsor Heights, Winterset

Des Moines Real Estate Statistics Week Ending 6-19-09

Bring On SUMMER!!!!!!

Week Ending June 19, 2009
Total Number of Homes For Sale in the Des Moines Area – 5131
New Listings Taken During the Last 7 Days – 354
Accepted Offers (Pendings) During the Last 7 Days – 171
Homes Closed (Solds) During the Last 7 Days – 104
Average Sale Price of Solds – $173,820
Average Days On Market of Solds – 93
If you would like to search for homes in the Des Moines area, feel free to visit my website.  I don’t require

a login or password and collect no information about you.  You can always contact me if you have questions. 
Click Here to begin your own home search or go to http://search.homesbyles.iow.mlxchange.com

Les Sulgrove, RE/MAX Real Estate Group

Information on this blog posting is for informational purposes only and not intended as solicitation if you are already working with a REALTOR®.

There is no obligation or fee for any information on this blog posting.
Data Source: Les Sulgrove, RE/MAX Real Estate Group
Des Moines Area Association of REALTORS® MLS.
Des Moines Metropolitan Area defined as: Adel, Altoona,
Ankeny, Bondurant, Carlisle, Clive, Des Moines, Dallas Center, Desoto, Granger, Grimes, Indianola, Johnston, Norwalk, Pleasant Hill, Polk City, Urbandale, Van Meter ,Waukee, West Des Moines, Windsor Heights, Winterset

Another Counting Exercise…

Really?  Is this what my Blog has become?  Well, YES.. so what about it!

Question:  How many geese does it take to block a road?

Answer:  23.  My favorite one is the 6th one from the right.. the one with its head down… He (or she) was hissing the entire way across the street.  This photo was taken at Waterworks Park, across Fleur Drive from Grays Lake.

I have been walking since March but decided tonight that I wanted to try riding a bike… during my walks, I typically get about 2 miles in… Tonight I put a little over 6 miles on the bike.  Fortunately, it was almost all on bike trails.. The worst part?  The HUGE HILL up 31st street from Park Ave!

Des Moines Real Estate Statistics Week Ending 6-12-09

From The Des Moines Area Association of REALTORS®

New home sales up 21% in May in Des Moines area  

Des Moines, Iowa – June 11, 2009 – The summer home-buying season is off to an active start in the Des Moines area: Figures from May show that home sales were up 21% over April sales.
A report published today by the Des Moines Area Association of REALTORS® shows 694 contracts for home purchases were closed in May, continuing an uptrend from 572 closed contracts in April. The report also shows that the average sale price of a Des Moines–area home was $182,233, up 23% over the previous month. Additionally, the median home price is $150,000, a 7% increase over April.
“We are starting to see the impact of the First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit incentive. As this trend continues, we’ll see sellers turn into buyers looking to move into a larger home,” says Kurt Schade, president of the Des Moines Area Association of REALTORS®. “There’s never been a better time to buy a home in the Des Moines area.”
An $8,000 homebuyer tax credit is currently available for a qualified purchase of a principal residence by a first-time homebuyer until Dec. 1, 2009. The new tax credit does not have to be re-paid if the buyer stays in the home at least three years. But if the home is sold before that, the entire amount of the credit is recaptured on the sale.
The REALTORS®’ report shows there were 5,755 active listings during the month. In May, homes were on the market for an average of 108 days, compared to 95 days in April.

Other statistics and information about the Des Moines housing market are available at the DMAAR Web sitewww.BuyNowDSM.com.  

The Des Moines Association of REALTORS® is a professional association that represents the 1,500 Des Moines–area REALTORS® who are members. The mission of DMAAR is to be the voice of real estate in the Des Moines area. The term REALTOR® is a registered trademark, which identifies real estate professionals who adhere to a strict code of ethics as members of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of REALTORS®.

Week Ending June 12, 2009
Total Number of Homes For Sale in the Des Moines Area – 5160
New Listings Taken During the Last 7 Days – 290
Accepted Offers (Pendings) During the Last 7 Days – 171
Homes Closed (Solds) During the Last 7 Days – 90
Average Sale Price of Solds – $168,863
Average Days On Market of Solds – 99
If you would like to search for homes in the Des Moines area, feel free to visit my website.  I don’t require

a login or password and collect no information about you.  You can always contact me if you have questions. 
Click Here to begin your own home search or go to http://search.homesbyles.iow.mlxchange.com

Les Sulgrove, RE/MAX Real Estate Group

Information on this blog posting is for informational purposes only and not intended as solicitation if you are already working with a REALTOR®.

There is no obligation or fee for any information on this blog posting.
Data Source: Les Sulgrove, RE/MAX Real Estate Group
Des Moines Area Association of REALTORS® MLS.
Des Moines Metropolitan Area defined as: Adel, Altoona,
Ankeny, Bondurant, Carlisle, Clive, Des Moines, Dallas Center,
Desoto, Granger, Grimes, Indianola, Johnston, Norwalk,
Pleasant Hill, Polk City, Urbandale, Van Meter ,Waukee,
West Des Moines, Windsor Heights, Winterset

MY WINDMILL!!!

When I was a boy growing up in rural southwest Iowa in the 1960’s, summers were spent riding in the family car.  On long trips we used to play a game that we called “Windmill”.  As we would crest a hill, my brother and I would scan the horizon for a windmill.  The one that saw and called “MY WINDMILL!” won the game.  I was never very good at the game but realized why when I finally got my first pair of glasses at the age of 13.

Windmills of that time were like the one to the left and would appear near a farm or sometimes out in the middle of a field.  Most were used to pump water for livestock drinking tanks and even a few were still used as a water source on family farms.

Drive Iowa’s rural highways today and it’s evident that windmills are making a comeback on Iowa’s skyline….except they don’t look like the ones I remember.

This week I drove from Des Moines to Storm Lake, Iowa.  My trip was for the Iowa Association of REALTORS summer meetings.  I looked forward to the three hour drive across West Central to Northwest Iowa. 

On the way up and back I drove past several modern “Wind Farms”.  Wind Turbines dot farmland in many areas as far as the eye can see.  They stand over 200 feet high and produce electricity to supplement rural electricity needs.  Owners of the land that these machines stand on are paid rent for their space.

The picture below was taken just south and east of Storm Lake.  I pulled over along side the road to take a few pictures.  The longer I studied the skyline, the more windmills I counted.  It wasn’t until I got home and uploaded the photo to my computer that I discovered just how many windmills were in each picture…

 

How many Windmills (Wind Turbines) can you count?   I know, it’s not fair because I had the luxury of viewing the picture at full size and resolution, so I’m including a part of the image marked with the total number of windmills counted.

Des Moines Real Estate Statistics Week Ending 6-5-09

Week Ending June 5, 2009
Total Number of Homes For Sale in the Des Moines Area – 5170
New Listings Taken During the Last 7 Days – 339
Accepted Offers (Pendings) During the Last 7 Days – 174
Homes Closed (Solds) During the Last 7 Days – 133
Average Sale Price of Solds – $172,012
Average Days On Market of Solds – 109
If you would like to search for homes in the Des Moines area, feel free to visit my website.  I don’t require

a login or password and collect no information about you.  You can always contact me if you have questions. 
Click Here to begin your own home search or go to http://search.homesbyles.iow.mlxchange.com

Les Sulgrove, RE/MAX Real Estate Group

Information on this blog posting is for informational purposes only and not intended as solicitation if you are already working with a REALTOR®.

There is no obligation or fee for any information on this blog posting.
Data Source: Les Sulgrove, RE/MAX Real Estate Group
Des Moines Area Association of REALTORS® MLS.
Des Moines Metropolitan Area defined as: Adel, Altoona,
Ankeny, Bondurant, Carlisle, Clive, Des Moines, Dallas Center,
Desoto, Granger, Grimes, Indianola, Johnston, Norwalk,
Pleasant Hill, Polk City, Urbandale, Van Meter ,Waukee,
West Des Moines, Windsor Heights, Winterset

Des Moines Real Estate Statistics Week Ending 5-29-09

The Wall Street Journal Online reported today that the FHA has finally rolled out the requirements of using the First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit to help fund FHA purchases for First Time Home Buyers.

Here is the link to their story. http://blogs.wsj.com/developments/2009/05/29/how-to-get-the-8000-first-time-home-buyer-credit-upfront/ 

Week Ending May 29, 2009
Total Number of Homes For Sale in the Des Moines Area – 5130
New Listings Taken During the Last 7 Days – 259
Accepted Offers (Pendings) During the Last 7 Days – 150
Homes Closed (Solds) During the Last 7 Days – 108
Average Sale Price of Solds – $181,316
Average Days On Market of Solds – 96
If you would like to search for homes in the Des Moines area, feel free to visit my website.  I don’t require

a login or password and collect no information about you.  You can always contact me if you have questions. 
Click Here to begin your own home search or go to http://search.homesbyles.iow.mlxchange.com

Les Sulgrove, RE/MAX Real Estate Group

Information on this blog posting is for informational purposes only and not intended as solicitation if you are already working with a REALTOR®.

There is no obligation or fee for any information on this blog posting.
Data Source: Les Sulgrove, RE/MAX Real Estate Group
Des Moines Area Association of REALTORS® MLS.
Des Moines Metropolitan Area defined as: Adel, Altoona,
Ankeny, Bondurant, Carlisle, Clive, Des Moines, Dallas Center,
Desoto, Granger, Grimes, Indianola, Johnston, Norwalk,
Pleasant Hill, Polk City, Urbandale, Van Meter ,Waukee,
West Des Moines, Windsor Heights, Winterset

Des Moines Real Estate Statistics Week Ending 5-22-09

It’s Memorial Day weekend in America.  Time to pause and remember those that have fought for freedom.  Some have paid the ultimate price.  This weekend, we honor these men and women, for without their sacrifice, we surely wouldn’t enjoy the freedom we do today.

 

Week Ending May 22, 2009

Total Number of Homes For Sale in the Des Moines Area – 5126
New Listings Taken During the Last 7 Days – 328
Accepted Offers (Pendings) During the Last 7 Days – 184
Homes Closed (Solds) During the Last 7 Days – 98
Average Sale Price of Solds – $171,089
Average Days On Market of Solds – 97
If you would like to search for homes in the Des Moines area, feel free to visit my website.  I don’t require a login or password and collect no information about you.  You can always contact me if you have questions. 
Click Here to begin your own home search or go to http://search.homesbyles.iow.mlxchange.com

Les Sulgrove, RE/MAX Real Estate Group

Information on this blog posting is for informational purposes only and not intended as solicitation if you are already working with a REALTOR®.