Sales By Area Criteria: Status: S, Category: RESIDENTIAL
Statistics for Entire Mls from 1/1/2008 to 12/31/2008 Area# of SalesTotal SalesAvg Sales 80 LIV MLS AREA 80 81 LIV MLS AREA 81 82 LIV MLS AREA 82 83 LIV MLS AREA 83 TOTALS

Category:1 Area:80,81,82,83
146	$24,809,858	$169,930
470	$75,283,054	$160,176
223	$36,979,927	$165,829
355	$60,992,566	$171,810
1194	$198,065,405	$165,883

Sales By Area Criteria: Status: S, Category: RESIDENTIAL
Statistics for Entire Mls from 1/1/2007 to 12/31/2007 Area# of SalesTotal SalesAvg Sales 80 LIV MLS AREA 80 81 LIV MLS AREA 81 82 LIV MLS AREA 82 83 LIV MLS AREA 83 TOTALS

Category:1 Area:80,81,82,83
209	$34,766,681	$166,347
607	$98,109,528	$161,630
270	$44,209,807	$163,740
443	$75,130,097	$169,593
1529	$252,216,113	$164,954

Based on the information obtained through the local MLS the average sales price has increased by approximately $1,000 and the number of sales has increased by 335 sales.

If you are interested in buying or selling in Livingston parish or need an appraisal Call me for all your real estate needs

Jannifer Romano

www.livingstonappraiser.com

225-964-2533

Now that the news is out about the American Recovery and Reinvestment act of 2009 , many questions have surfaced about the $8000 first time homebuyer credit. I will discuss these this week. One of the first I get is "What Is a 1st Time Homebuyer and who is eligible to claim this tax credit?". A first time homebuyer is a person who has not owned a home in the last 3-year period prior to the purchase. For married taxpayers, the law tests the homeownership history of both the home buyer and his/her spouse. For example, if you have not owned a home in the past 3 years but your spouse has owned a principal residence, neither you nor your spouse qualifies for the credit. However, unmarried joint purchasers may allocate the credit amount to any buyer who qualifies as a first-time buyer. An example is where a parent jointly purchases a home with a son or daughter. In this case the person qualifying as 1st time homebuyer may take the credit. If 2 qualify it may ony be claimed by one or allocated beteen them.

Livingston Parish Residential Real Estate Market Update- February 2009

The information presented in this post is based upon data extracted from the Greater Baton Rouge Association of Realtors MLS database. For the purposes of my analysis, I included data for detached single family dwellings which sold in Livingston parish for the years 2004 through February 2009. I identified the home sales as either New Construction or Re-Sale because, in my experience, they have distinct characteristics.

The following chart plots unit sales of new construction and pre-owned homes (the bars) as well as overall unit sales and the six-month moving average of overall unit sales. We can see a generally downward trend in unit sales beginning in mid-2007. Examining more closely we can see that previously owned home unit sales have retracted to pre-Katrina levels for this time of year but that new construction unit sales has dropped below pre-Katrina levels.

Examining the absorption chart by price/sq.ft. for homes in the re-sale market segment we can see that overall a buyer's market exist but that for homes priced below $110/sq.ft. a seller's market exists. This is in the range where the highest velocity of home sales occurs.

In the new home segment, we observe that nearly half of the homes sold since the beginning of the year (8.5 out of 18) were priced below $100/sq.ft. and that in this range a seller's market exists. At all other price points buyer's market conditions persist.

The following chart shows the history of average home prices in the parish since 2004. We can see that between 2008 and 2009 the average price of a new home sold dropped over 7%. The average price of a previously owned home also dropped but only very slightly. Re-sale homes appear to be holding their value.

The next chart examines new construction by subdivision. We can see that for most subdivisions where home sales have occurred, a seller's market or near neutral market exists. We can also see that a significant amount (over 60%) of inventory exists in subdivisions for which no home sales have occurred this year.

Based upon this analysis, I believe that in Livingston parish, the market for affordable housing is in pretty good shape overall. There are some serious issues with respect to new construction but they seem to be related to price and location and a prudent home buyer could do quite well.

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©2009 by Don Stern - All Rights Reserved

(225)413-3634 phone (225)313-3698 fax

don@thehomevendor.com - email

www.TheHomeVendor.com www.DonAndAlishaStern.com www.LiveAscension.com www.PelicanPointHomes.com

Spring is here!!! Now is the time to enjoy outdoor fun and sunshine. Start with

St. Patrick Festivities this weekend in Baton Rouge and New Orleans areas. There will be the

annual St. Patricks Day parade Saturday, March 14 in Baton Rouge. See local newspaper for

parade route and time.

Now is the time to plan your summer travel as spring and summer are here. Choose your

favorite travel spots and make your reservations today.

And remember, this is the perfect time to check out your favorite parks and recreations for

summer time fun and camps.

Have a safe and enjoyable summer from the staff at Baton Rouge Area Homes!!!!!!!!

The Louisiana Stixx 12 year old baseball team will host its first annual Bass

Fishing Tournament in False River. The First Annual Bass Classic Fundraiser will be held on April 4,2009

at the False River-Public Landing in False River. Check in time on tournament day will be at 5:30am

with final weigh-ins by 3:00pm. Tournament registration fees will be $125.00 per boat or make the

early bird entry fee of $100.00 if registered by 6:00pm on Monday, March 30, 2009. For more

information and registration contact Jason Freneaux @ (225) 229-2636. There is a 25% guaranteed

payout.

All proceeds will benefit the Louisiana Stixx 12 Year Old Baseball Team.