Stratford, CT

I wanted to share with everyone an example of ‘HOUSE COOKING"...

...as it pertains to mold testing companies and what they are sometimes asked to do by their clients.

This is a big ugly blemish in the Indoor Air Quality industry

I can't remember how many times we've had a client who wants us to re-write our microbial reports to suit their needs when it comes to potential insurance claims or real estate negotiations.

Using one word can change the outcome dramatically, that's why the language we use is so critical and litigious

There are in fact numerous companies that will go in on it with their clients to ‘cook' the lab numbers and make them worse than what they are. They can manipulate the test by opening windows, stomping around floor to kick up particulates, leave air machine on for more/less time than necessary...

I call these companies THE MOLD MAFIA.

They are normally in cahoots will insurance companies, sometimes Realtors and sometimes the homeowner themselves!

.

That is why it is critical to use an IAQA or IICRC certified mold testing company whose reputation you can count on.

Finding testing companies who follow the IICRC and IAQA protocols are your best bet.

Here is a sample of a letter from one of our clients who is hoping to get their remediation paid for by their insurance company to the sum of $15,000.

This is an excerpt of the actual letter we received from client:

"I am sorry to be so tough but I still think the wording under #1 is still going to pose some problems for us and I would really like it re-worded. Can you just delete the sentence "According to the American Conference of Government Industrial Hygienists, it is a significant fungal amplification if the total interior fungal spore count is ten (10) times greater than the total exterior fungal spore count"? Then for the next sentence instead of "However due to the occupant's health condition" put instead "Due to the elevated Aspergillus/Penicillium, we highly recommend professional remediation"?

Then for the paragraph after that could you leave the first sentence and change the second sentence to "The elevated microbial spore count is therefore not from the HVAC system but is most likely from the roof being punctured" and then the rest of the paragraph is fine. The way you have it written now still leaves it somewhat of a mystery/guess and it shouldn't be with the way those samples came back?

I realize it may seem I'm being difficult but part of the reason I had you come to test and then plan on having you come to re-test (and the outlay of $3000 out of my pocket because this was the second test done) was so that I could try to get the $15,000 remediation job covered. If this isn't written correctly I'll be out $18,000, instead of $3000. So please if you could think of changing the wording in these two areas I would really appreciate it? Thanks so much"

So this client wants us to risk our reputation and credibility for us to write that they have a worse contamination problem than they really do.

Our answer was a polite: "TOO BAD!!We will not ‘cook' your house!"

We can't, won't and don't guarantee what lab results will be, so if the results don't suit client, oh well.

That's what a 3^rd Party Certified Mold Tester is for. They have nothing vested in your mold, so you can be assured of unbiased science.

If you need a mold testing company to behave unscrupulously, I'm sure you will have no problem finding one that will want to play.

But it won't be Turtle Clan

TURTLE CLAN ENVIRONMENT TESTING INC. is comprised of a team of EXPERTS with over 100 years intellectual capital to bring to our clients.

We are A CERTIFIED 3RD PARTY MOLD TESTING COMPANY, MOLD TESTERS, MOLD TESTING WITH OFFICES IN CONNECTICUT and NEW YORK serving the Greater Tri State Area and all of Fairfield County Connecticut, Litchfield County Connecticut, New Haven County Connecticut, Middlesex County Connecticut, Hartford County Connecticut, Westchester County New York , Duchess County New York, Putnam County New York, Orange County New York

For MOLD TESTERS, MOLD TESTING, MOLD TESTING COMPANIES near Greenwich CT ,Stamford CT, New Caanan CT, Darien CT, Norwalk CT, Wilton CT, Weston CT, Southport CT, Westport CT, Fairfield CT, Easton CT, Stratford CT, Redding CT, Ridgefield CT, Bridgeport CT, Newtown CT, Trumbull CT, Shelton CT, Danbury CT, Milford,CT, Fairfield CT, Southport CT, Westport CT, Greenwich CT, Monroe CT, Lakeville CT, Sharon CT, Washington CT, Brookfield CT, Roxbury CT, Warren CT, Sherman CT, Kent CT, Salsbury CT, Torrington CT, Goshen CT, Litchfield CT, Thomaston CT, Watertown CT, Winsted CT, New Milford CT, Bethal CT, Cos Cob CT, Ridgefield CT, Oxford CT, Seymore CT, Naugatuck CT, Derby CT, Ansonia CT, Shelton CT, Orange CT, Devon CT, New Haven CT, North Haven CT, East Haven CT, Branford CT, CALL 203-380-8009 or 860-364-4694 TODAY

For MOLD TESTERS, MOLD TESTING, MOLD TESTING COMPANIES near Scarsdale NY, Eastchester NY, Armonk NY, Bedford NY, Rye NY, Ryebrook NY, Mamaroneck NY, Larchmont NY, Dobbs Ferry NY, Hastings NY, Irvington NY, Terrytown NY, Greenburg NY, Whiteplains NY, New Rochelle NY, Portchester NY, Mount Vernon NY, Yonkers NY, Tuckahoe NY , Bronxville NY, Ossening NY, Sleepy Holow NY, Poundridge NY, Chappaqua NY, Katonah NY, Mount Kisco NY, Purchas NY, Pawling NY, Patterson NY, Millbrook NY, Millerton NY, Amenia NY, Dover Plains NY, Poughkeepskie NY, Fishkill NY, Putnam NY, Croton on the Hudson NY, Peekskill NY, Cold Springs NY, Mahopac NY, New City NY, Pearl River NY, Nyack NY, - Ardsley, NY - Ardsley on Hudson, NY - Armonk, NY - Baldwin Place, NY - Bedford, NY - Bedford Hills, NY - Briarcliff Manor, NY - Bronxville, NY - Buchanan, NY - Chappaqua, NY - Cortlandt Manor, NY - Crompond, NY - Cross River, NY - Croton Falls, NY - Croton on Hudson, NY - Dobbs Ferry, NY - Eastchester, NY - Elmsford, NY - Goldens Bridge, NY - Granite Springs, NY - Harrison, NY - Hartsdale, NY - Hastings on Hudson, NY - Hawthorne, NY - Irvington, NY - Jefferson Valley, NY - Katonah, NY - Larchmont, NY - Lincolndale, NY - Mamaroneck, NY - Maryknoll, NY - Millwood, NY - Mohegan Lake, NY - Montrose, NY - Mount Kisco, NY - Mount Vernon, NY - New Rochelle, NY - North Salem, NY - Ossining, NY - Peekskill, NY - Pelham, NY - Pleasantville, NY, Port Chester, NY - Pound Ridge, NY - Purchase, NY - Purdys, NY - Rye, NY - Scarsdale, NY - Shenorock, NY - Shrub Oak, NY - Somers, NY - South Salem, NY - Tarrytown, NY - Thornwood, NY - Tuckahoe, NY - Valhalla, NY - Verplanck, NY - Waccabuc, NY - West Harrison, NY - White Plains, NY - Yonkers, NY - Yorktown Heights, NY
CALL 914-361-9703 TODAY

Connecticut Mold screening,IAQA, Connecticut MOLD TESTERS, Certified NEW YORK MOLD TESTERS, the BEST mold testing company in Connec ticut and New york

As a transplant from West Los Angeles into the New England woods of Connecticut, I couldn't wait to frolic like a nymph in the fall foliage of my 210 year old farm by a stream.

My dear friend would grab me by the collar and warn me of ticks and Lyme disease.

Like a kitten being carried off in her mothers' mouth, he would guide me away from tall grass and woodland shade as I teased him for being a puss. .

My personal nightmare with Lyme disease began with strange flu like symptoms and headaches.

I had always been a really healthy fit active woman who never ate white,

ate lots of fruits and veggies and wasn't on any medication what so ever.

So when I had to take some Motrin for a headache I was having it was a big deal.

But then I started eating Motrin like they were candy...

4 tablets every 3 hours for the excruciating, debilitating headache pain and 106 degree fever.

I would actually break down and cry like a baby I was in so much pain. I learned later that this was due to the central nervous system being attacked.

This went on for about 3 weeks until I couldn't bear it any longer and dragged myself into the emergency room at 2:00 in the morning where I waited with 5 big strong men, each of whom were in tears just like me.

We all sat crying like babies waiting for our turn..

.

A Lyme carrying tick no bigger than a dot had bitten each of us.

We all had Lyme Disease.

If I hadn't had a bulseye,

they would have given me a spinal tap

...thinking I had spinal meningitis.

After the first tablet of Doxycyclene, I began to feel the vise loosen and recover.

However, after 5 weeks of taking the Doxy, I had a whole new set of problems waiting for me....

Chronic Lyme Disease

My homeopath was one of the doctors who said there was no such thing as " chronic Lyme disease".

He believed that the symptoms I was feeling were due to the antibiotics wiping out my flora and leaving me with a system that was out of balance.

He told me that I had to now embark on building my ‘garden' back to normal,

and to follow THE PHASE ONE DIET from Doug Kaufman at Knowthecause.com.,

( Nothing you have to buy except clean organic food he lists for free on his website.)

I credit DOUG KAUFMAN for saving my life.

I went on total body, liver, candida cleanses as well as started taking probiotics.

I began exercising again, eliminated caffine, and before long I started feeling like my old self again.

I went from feeling like I was 200 years old woman and about to die, to feeling like I was a kid again, sleeping really well....I felt like my old self again!

If I hadn't gone through it first hand, I'd probably find all of this hard to believe.

But I wanted to share my story with anyone who is going though this hoping it might be of some help. That there is a light at the end of the tunnel!

It's a very scary real disease that doctors on the West coast say doesn't even exist...

that it's psychological, hysteria...

There is so much still unknown and not talked about and I would love to hear from anyone who can share their story so we can all help each other.

Some useful links:

http://lymeaway.wordpress.com/

http://www.mdjunction.com/lyme-disease

http://www.revolutionhealth.com/stories/view/546d5247932a4c34869cc04377918e03

http://lymeepidemic.blogspot.com/

http://www.oprah.com/community/thread/92112

http://www.lyme-disease-research-database.com/lyme_disease_blog.html

TURTLE CLAN ENVIRONMENT TESTING INC. is comprised of a team of EXPERTS with over 100 years intellectual capital to bring to our clients.

We are A CERTIFIED 3RD PARTY MOLD TESTING COMPANY, MOLD TESTERS, MOLD TESTING WITH OFFICES IN CONNECTICUT and NEW YORK serving the Greater Tri State Area and all of Fairfield County Connecticut, Litchfield County Connecticut, New Haven County Connecticut, Middlesex County Connecticut, Hartford County Connecticut, Westchester County New York , Duchess County New York, Putnam County New York, Orange County New York

For MOLD TESTERS, MOLD TESTING, MOLD TESTING COMPANIES near Greenwich CT ,Stamford CT, New Caanan CT, Darien CT, Norwalk CT, Wilton CT, Weston CT, Southport CT, Westport CT, Fairfield CT, Easton CT, Stratford CT, Redding CT, Ridgefield CT, Bridgeport CT, Newtown CT, Trumbull CT, Shelton CT, Danbury CT, Milford,CT, Fairfield CT, Southport CT, Westport CT, Greenwich CT, Monroe CT, Lakeville CT, Sharon CT, Washington CT, Brookfield CT, Roxbury CT, Warren CT, Sherman CT, Kent CT, Salsbury CT, Torrington CT, Goshen CT, Litchfield CT, Thomaston CT, Watertown CT, Winsted CT, New Milford CT, Bethal CT, Cos Cob CT, Ridgefield CT, Oxford CT, Seymore CT, Naugatuck CT, Derby CT, Ansonia CT, Shelton CT, Orange CT, Devon CT, New Haven CT, North Haven CT, East Haven CT, Branford CT, CALL 203-380-8009 or 860-364-4694 TODAY

For MOLD TESTERS, MOLD TESTING, MOLD TESTING COMPANIES near Scarsdale NY, Eastchester NY, Armonk NY, Bedford NY, Rye NY, Ryebrook NY, Mamaroneck NY, Larchmont NY, Dobbs Ferry NY, Hastings NY, Irvington NY, Terrytown NY, Greenburg NY, Whiteplains NY, New Rochelle NY, Portchester NY, Mount Vernon NY, Yonkers NY, Tuckahoe NY , Bronxville NY, Ossening NY, Sleepy Holow NY, Poundridge NY, Chappaqua NY, Katonah NY, Mount Kisco NY, Purchas NY, Pawling NY, Patterson NY, Millbrook NY, Millerton NY, Amenia NY, Dover Plains NY, Poughkeepskie NY, Fishkill NY, Putnam NY, Croton on the Hudson NY, Peekskill NY, Cold Springs NY, Mahopac NY, New City NY, Pearl River NY, Nyack NY, - Ardsley, NY - Ardsley on Hudson, NY - Armonk, NY - Baldwin Place, NY - Bedford, NY - Bedford Hills, NY - Briarcliff Manor, NY - Bronxville, NY - Buchanan, NY - Chappaqua, NY - Cortlandt Manor, NY - Crompond, NY - Cross River, NY - Croton Falls, NY - Croton on Hudson, NY - Dobbs Ferry, NY - Eastchester, NY - Elmsford, NY - Goldens Bridge, NY - Granite Springs, NY - Harrison, NY - Hartsdale, NY - Hastings on Hudson, NY - Hawthorne, NY - Irvington, NY - Jefferson Valley, NY - Katonah, NY - Larchmont, NY - Lincolndale, NY - Mamaroneck, NY - Maryknoll, NY - Millwood, NY - Mohegan Lake, NY - Montrose, NY - Mount Kisco, NY - Mount Vernon, NY - New Rochelle, NY - North Salem, NY - Ossining, NY - Peekskill, NY - Pelham, NY - Pleasantville, NY, Port Chester, NY - Pound Ridge, NY - Purchase, NY - Purdys, NY - Rye, NY - Scarsdale, NY - Shenorock, NY - Shrub Oak, NY - Somers, NY - South Salem, NY - Tarrytown, NY - Thornwood, NY - Tuckahoe, NY - Valhalla, NY - Verplanck, NY - Waccabuc, NY - West Harrison, NY - White Plains, NY - Yonkers, NY - Yorktown Heights, NY
CALL 914-361-9703 TODAY

Connecticut Mold screening,IAQA, Connecticut MOLD TESTERS, Certified NEW YORK MOLD TESTERS, the BEST mold testing company in Connec ticut and New york

Stratford CT OPEN HOUSE Sunday January 31 1-3 p.m.

Stop by this bright and spacious 2,291sf Vintage colonial on 1355 Nichols Avenue, Stratford, CT

PRICED AT $259,900

• House built in 1910 — Set on conveniently located .13 acre property
• Walkup Attic could add additional 200+ square feet of living space if finished
• Huge 12’6 x15’6 Eat-In Kitchen has tile floor and lots of space — Above average condition
• Hardwood flooring on main level— needs refinishing
• 3-4 Bedrooms—2 with walk-in-closets—one bedroom presently used as playroom
• City Sewers and City Water
• 2 FULL baths—one on each floor
• Gas furnace with baseboard heat; gas cooking
• 2,291 Sq. Ft. of usable living space
• Exterior — Vinyl Siding
• Interior -- needs paint throughout
• Backyard Shed included; trampoline and jungle gym negotiable
• Washer/dryer negotiable
• Full unfinished basement
• Schools: Second Hill Lane, Flood, and Bunnell High School
• A Commuter’s Delight — Minutes to Merritt Parkway, Route 8, I-95 and Metro North.
• Property Taxes are presently $6,499 for 2009-2010
• Sale subject to lender approval. Listing agent has pre-qualified sellers. Mitigation team is prepared to proceed when an offer is accepted. Buyer(s) MUST include mortgage pre-approval with offer.
• House sold AS-IS
• More info at www.1355NicholsAve.com

Come see this spacious colonial in the Bunnell School District!

Stratford CT OPEN HOUSE Sunday January 31 1-3 p.m.

Is 2010 the year to buy a house?

Prices bottom, mortgage rates increase, and foreclosures move upstream

It certainly looks that way: After a steep run-up in prices during the first half of the decade, home values have plummeted back to 2003 levels. Fixed mortgage rates are sitting near record lows. And the foreclosure epidemic—while painful for many home owners—has created some wonderful opportunities for bargain hunters. If that's not enough, Uncle Sam is handing out thousands of dollars in tax credits to nearly all first-time buyers and the bulk of existing home owners who close a purchase by June.

But while the 2010 outlook appears inviting, there's one key catch. "You need to have a stable job," says Mark Zandi, the chief economist of Moody's Economy.com. The economy is showing signs of life, but the unemployment rate is already at 10 percent and expected to go higher. And while those mortgage rates are attractive, buying a house makes sense only if you can bank on your income stream. So before you consider purchasing a home, take a hard look at your job, your company, and your industry. That said, here are 10 things to know about real estate in 2010:

1. Prices to bottom: After more than three years of falling, real estate values have shown signs of stabilization in recent months. At the national level, home prices slid nearly 9 percent between the third quarter of 2008 and the same period this year, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller home price report. That's a notable improvement from the second quarter's nearly 15 percent annual drop and the first quarter's 19 percent decline. This improvement will give way to a bottom in home prices—finally!—in 2010, but not before additional declines, Zandi says. Zandi projects home prices will hit bottom in the third quarter of 2010 after logging a peak-to-trough decline of roughly 37 percent, based on the S&P/Case-Shiller national home price index. "That means we've got another roughly 10 percent [decline] to go," Zandi says.

2. Mortgage delinquencies up: Amid falling home prices and a nasty labor market, roughly 1 in every 7 mortgages was either past due or in foreclosure by the end of the third quarter—the highest delinquency rate in the 37-year history of the Mortgage Bankers Association's National Delinquency Survey. Two factors are expected to drive delinquencies even higher next year. First, nearly 1 in 4 homeowners currently owes more on their mortgage than the property is worth, which increases their odds of default. And secondly, the national unemployment rate—which already stands at 10 percent—will peak at about 10.5 percent in the first quarter of 2010, says Patrick Newport, an economist at IHS Global Insight. Additional job losses mean more borrowers won't be able to pay their mortgage bills. "The [delinquency] rate is going to stay up there for quite a while because the job market is going to be really weak for a while," Newport says.

3. Foreclosures move upstream: The number of foreclosure sales will increase to about 1.9 million in 2010, according to Moody's Economy.com. And while we've already seen a growing number of more expensive homes heading into foreclosure, Heather Fernandez, vice president of marketing at the real estate search engine Trulia, expects the trend to pick up steam next year. (Trulia is a U.S. News partner.) "We are poised in 2010 to see a surge of foreclosures from prime borrowers. Hundreds of billions of dollars in option [adjustable rate] mortgages are set to be recast" next year, Fernandez says. Option adjustable rate mortgages allow borrowers to make lower monthly payments for an initial period, after which the payments adjust—or "recast"—higher. For some borrowers, the new payments can be more than twice their initial payments. Combined with other factors, like the loss of a job, a recasting option adjustable rate mortgage can make borrowers more likely to default. "These are [properties] at higher price points [and] potentially in more desirable neighborhoods," Fernandez says.

4. Mortgage rates to rise: Anyone who purchased a home in 2009 was presented with some extremely attractive mortgage rates. Rates on 30-year, fixed mortgages fell to an average of 4.88 percent in November, down sharply from 6.09 a year earlier. A key factor behind the plunge was a Federal Reserve program, first announced in November of 2008, that purchased debt and mortgage-backed securities from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. But the program is slated to expire at the end of the first quarter, and if private investors don't step up, fixed mortgage rates could jump. (The Fed, of course, could always decide to extend the program.) The unwinding of this Fed program, the improving economy, and mounting concern over government deficits could push rates on 30-year, fixed mortgages to roughly 5.5 percent by mid-2010 and close to 6 percent by the end of the year, says Mike Larson of Weiss Research. "Almost all signs to me point higher," Larson says.

5. Buyer's market remains: With prices still falling, mortgage rates remaining historically attractive, and additional homes hitting the market in the form of foreclosures, the dynamics of the real estate market will continue to favor buyers over sellers in 2010. That means those looking to buy a home next year should not feel pressured to act impulsively. "You don't need to have a sense of urgency, but understand that as time progresses the balance of power as we get into 2010 is going to slowly but surely shift away from [buyers]," Larson says. "It is not going to be a strong seller's market, but it will be more evenly distributed as the year goes on." Data from the real estate firm Zillow show that home buyers are already losing the leverage they once enjoyed. While home buyers landed a median discount of 4.6 percent off listing prices in January, the size of the gap fell to 2.7 percent by October. Expect this gap to close further as 2010 marches on.

6. Modification plan could be modified: While the Obama administration has put nearly 700,000 borrowers into temporarily restructured mortgages, it had found permanent fixes for just 31,382 struggling homeowners through November. What's more, critics have identified two key shortcomings of the government's $75 billion antiforeclosure plan. First, the program isn't much help for borrowers struggling to stay in their homes as the result of a job loss. And the rickety labor market is a key factor behind rising delinquencies. At the same time, the plan does not sufficiently address the issue of negative equity—owing more on your home loan than the property is worth—which also works to increase foreclosures. "The current modification program does not address negative equity and is therefore destined to fail," Laurie Goodman, a senior managing director at Amherst Securities Group, told a congressional committee in written testimony on December 8. "It must be amended to explicitly address this problem." Zandi says the government may move next year to overhaul the modification program in two ways: improving troubled borrowers' negative equity positions by writing down some of the mortgage principal, and helping to turn troubled homeowners into renters.

7. FHA lending standards may increase: While banks have jacked up lending standards in the face of mounting delinquencies, mortgages backed by the Federal Housing Administration—which come with a minimum down payment of just 3.5 percent—have remained accessible to a wide swath of borrowers. The FHA guarantees nearly 30 percent of new-home purchase mortgages today, up sharply from just 3 percent in 2006. But the rapid growth has occurred alongside an increase in mortgage delinquencies. As a result, the FHA's reserves have dipped below congressionally mandated levels. The development has put pressure on the Obama administration to beef up its requirements for agency-backed home loans. In early December, the Department of Housing and Urban Development announced that it would make several changes to FHA mortgage requirements: raising up-front cash requirements, boosting minimum credit scores, and perhaps charging more for insurance premiums. Additional new restrictions may be in store. Taken together, the developments could work to choke off the supply of mortgage credit to borrowers who can't get financing elsewhere.

8. Tax credit available through June: On top of lower prices and cheap mortgage rates, Uncle Sam is offering an additional incentive to get buyers into the market next year. In early November, President Obama signed a bill extending and expanding a popular tax perk for home buyers. The legislation gives qualified first-time home buyers a tax credit of up to $8,000 if they close the purchase of a primary residence by the end of June. Meanwhile, qualified current home owners are eligible for a credit of up to $6,500 when they buy their next principal residence. But while the tax perk may make a home purchase more tempting, would-be buyers should make sure they have the job security and financial wherewithal to handle the transaction before going ahead. "Don't let [the home buyer tax credit] be the thing that drives you to act," Larson says.

9. Markets will vary a great deal by region: The performance of the national housing market is much less important that the dynamics of your local market, and sales and pricing trends will vary a great deal from one area to the next in 2010. "There will be geographic pockets where the values will still continue to decline, and there will be geographic pockets where they increase," said Dale Siegel, a mortgage broker and the author of The New Rules for Mortgages. That means anyone interested in buying real estate next year can't just read the national headlines. Instead, find a good blog that covers the local housing market and consider speaking with a real estate agent with experience in the area. Check out online listings—pay close attention to pricing and inventory trends. And make sure to head out to open houses to get a firsthand feel for the market.

10. Mobile maps can help: Advances in technology have enabled would-be home buyers to increase the efficiency of their searches. For example, Zillow's iPhone app allows home buyers to see the estimated values and listed prices of the properties they pass on the street. The app, which is free, has been downloaded more than 830,000 times. Trulia has unveiled a similar product that allows users to find nearby open houses as well. "If you are sitting in a neighborhood having brunch on a Sunday, you can very easily pull up your phone [and] walk into open houses," says Trulia's Fernandez.

Article from US News and World Report

Another Big Gain in Existing-Home Sales

Existing-home sales rose again in November as first-time buyers rushed to close sales before the original Nov. 30 deadline for the recently extended and expanded tax credit, according to the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®.

Existing-home sales - including single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops - rose 7.4 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 6.54 million units in November from 6.09 million in October, and are 44.1 percent higher than the 4.54 million-unit pace in November 2008. Current sales remain at the highest level since February 2007 when they hit 6.55 million.

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said the rise was expected. "This clearly is a rush of first-time buyers not wanting to miss out on the tax credit, but there are many more potential buyers who can enter the market in the months ahead," he said. "We expect a temporary sales drop while buying activity ramps up for another surge in the spring when buyers take advantage of the expanded tax credit, which hopefully will take us into a self-sustaining market in the second half of 2010. In all, 4.4 million households are expected to claim the tax credit before it expires and balance should be restored to the housing sector with inventories continuing to decline."

Conditions Optimal for Buyers
An NAR practitioner survey shows first-time buyers purchased 51 percent of homes in November, compared with an upwardly revised 50 percent of transactions in October. According to Freddie Mac, the national average commitment rate for a 30-year, conventional, fixed-rate mortgage fell to 4.88 percent in November from 4.95 percent in October; the rate was 6.09 percent in November 2008. Last month's mortgage interest rate was the second lowest on record after bottoming at 4.81 percent in April 2009.

NAR President Vicki Cox Golder said conditions are optimal for buyers in the current market. "Inventories have steadily declined and are closer to balanced levels, which indicate home prices in many areas are either stabilizing or could soon stabilize and return to normal appreciation patterns," she said. "This means buyers still have good choices but are purchasing near the bottom of the price cycle with historically low mortgage interest rates. Throw a tax credit on top and it really doesn't get any better for buyers with secure jobs and long-term ownership plans."

Inventories Fall
Total housing inventory at the end of November declined 1.3 percent to 3.52 million existing homes available for sale, which represents a 6.5-month supply at the current sales pace, down from an 7.0-month supply in October. Raw unsold inventory figures are 15.5 percent below a year ago. The last time there was a lower supply of homes on the market was April 2006, when it was at a 6.1-month supply.

"Nearly all markets experienced a solid sales gain from one year ago," Yun said. "The only markets with measurably lower sales were in San Diego, Riverside, and Sacramento (Calif.), where inventory shortages for lower-priced homes are limiting sales."

Sales Rise Across the Board
For the second month in a row, sales have risen in all price classes from a year earlier. Prior to October, the only consistent gains were in the lower price ranges. The national median existing-home price for all housing types was $172,600 in November, which is 4.3 percent below November 2008. Distressed properties, which accounted for 33 percent of sales in November, continue to downwardly distort the median price because they generally sell at a discount relative to traditional homes in the same area.

Single-Family Homes
Single-family home sales jumped 8.5 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.77 million in November from a level of 5.32 million in October, and are 42.1 percent above the pace of 4.06 million in November 2008. The median existing single-family home price was $171,900 in November, down 4.4 percent from a year ago.

Condos
Existing condominium and co-op sales in November were unchanged from a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 770,000 in October, but are 60.1 percent above the 481,000-unit pace a year ago. The median existing condo price was $178,000 in November, which is 3.1 percent below November 2008.

By Region

• Sales in the Northeast rose 6.6 percent to an annual level of 1.13 million in November, and are 52.7 percent higher than November 2008. The median price in the Northeast was $223,400, down 13.1 percent from a year ago.
• Existing-home sales in the Midwest increased 8.4 percent in November to a pace of 1.55 million and are 53.5 percent above a year ago. The median price in the Midwest was $140,800, a decline of 0.4 percent from November 2008.
• In the South, existing-home sales rose 4.8 percent to an annual level of 2.39 million in November and are 44.8 percent higher than a year ago. The median price in the South was $151,400, down 1.4 percent from November 2008.
• Existing-home sales in the West increased 10.6 percent to an annual rate of 1.46 million in November and are 28.1 percent above November 2008. The median price in the West was $231,100, which is 4.1 percent below a year ago.

Information obtained from the Realtor Magazine