Dover, DE

According to Lawrence Yun, NAR Chief Economist, the pending home sales nationwide are clearly turning in a postive direction. The affordablility of homes with the added tax credit incentive, are driving up the home sales. A leading 'forward looking' indicator, the Pending Home Sales Index, based on contracts signed in July 2009, increased by 3.2% over the June 2009 contracts signed. This also represents a 12% increase over July 2008 contracts. Many home shoppers seem to be seeking those gems brought to the surface by lower home prices. According to Yun, the typical home mortgage now represents less than 25% of a middle-income families monthly income and the payments are the lowest on record dating back 39 years, to 1970. This equates to both greater affordability and rock solid financial purchases.

One thing that is not clear. Once the Fed's tax credit is pulled, what will happen to those pending home sales statistics. It would seem there will be a lull or slight decrease the first quarter after Dec 2009, since the incentive is no longer there. Now is the time to turn those home owner wanna be's into homeowners.

Read the full NAR, Realtor.org article here: http://www.realtor.org/RMODaily.nsf/pages/News2009090101?OpenDocument

According to Saturday's Realty Times, more farmers and landowners are cashing in on a new boom and future wave of energy production. Since the fed announced a half billion dollar grant project last week, a lot of farmers are picking up the scent of a tremendous investment cash cow.

If you or your client has acreage that has a good wind flow of 11 to 13 miles per hour, this could be a potential money maker. Many wind turbine companies are looking for places to install their wind turbines and if your farm happens to be close to high power lines, the better your chances. Some places in Iowa for example, are leasing the space on their land for up to $5000 a year and according to the president of Hertz Farm Management in Nevada, Iowa, Lloyd Brown, those lease prices could go as high as $15,000.

This may not be a great option for row farming, that is those farms that produce ag products planted in geometrical rows, as the wind turbine footprints tend to interrupt the flow of plantings. But for livestock farmers, or those with unused land, this could be a perfect solution to putting that acreage to good use.

This new renewable energy resource can make re-sale farms much more lucrative if there is an added income potential.

Many Doverites recently were sent postcards in the mail about the city's plan to rezone certain properties. The plan is to rezone about 200 parcels to fall in line with the comprehensive rezoning process. The plan to rezone these parcels does not affect the current permitted use of those properties. On Wednesday, Sep 9th, the Director of Planning and Development, Ann Marie Townsend, will be available to field concerns and to show residents the parcels that may be effected. Residents that are concerned should plan to meet with the staff of the planning committee from 4 to 7pm.

As a Green Designee I have begun working with a builder who is on the cutting edge of current technology.He has just completed a Zero Energy Home and we are currently waiting for a rating from NAHB. The desired rating is Gold.

302-249-2576

While housing statistics continue to show some slight improvement, there is still a huge short sale and foreclosure inventory available to prospective buyers.

According to the National Association of Realtors, as reported in RISMEDIA, September 1, 2009:

Nearly one-third of all existing homes sold recently were either short sales or foreclosures, according to National Association of Realtors® data. To help Realtors meet the needs of home buyers and sellers who need these services, NAR has launched a new Short Sales and Foreclosure Certification Program (SFR).

"Foreclosures and short sales can offer opportunities for home buyers, but it's extremely important to have the help of a real estate professional like a Realtor for these kinds of purchases," said NAR President Charles McMillan, a broker with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Dallas-Fort Worth. "Realtors add value to the real estate transaction with their extensive knowledge and market insights, and this new certification will help them serve a growing need."

The SFR certification program is offered by the Real Estate Buyer's Agent Council of NAR. The program includes training on how to manage short-sale, foreclosure, and real-estate owned transactions, and provides resources to help Realtors stay current on national and state-specific information as the market for these distressed properties evolves.

To earn the certification, Realtors must complete a one-day education program, either in-person or online, as well as three one-hour Webinars. The certification program will be offered at the REALTORS Conference & Expo in San Diego, Nov. 13-16.

"As Realtors, we believe that any family that loses their home to foreclosure is one family too many," said McMillan. "Unfortunately, there are situations in which people just cannot afford to keep their homes. A short sale can help families protect their credit by avoiding a foreclosure. When a foreclosed or REO property is sold, it helps the surrounding community by reducing the impact of those properties on home values in the immediate area."

For more information, visit www.realtor.org.

Read more: http://rismedia.com/2009-08-31/nar-helps-realtors-make-short-work-of-short-sales/#ixzz0Q4QJ1ZUw