Got busy, blog went to the wayside (sorry, clients to make happy)... Anywho, anyone wondering how the $8000 tax credit has affected our local real estate market?
It has been fascinating watching how this $8000 tax credit has affected the real estate market in the Omaha, NE. It has seen a swing and sway. It has been steadier with showings all around, but I have never seen such frenzy for homes under $120k. It is downright ridiculous. I have agents calling ahead of time to see if it's still for sale because all the others they have called on have gone under contract....This I like to hear. Nothing quite like hearing you lost out on yet another home to put a fire under a buyer to submit an offer (hopefully on my listing next)!
FASCINATING SCENARIO 1:
There have been some casualties to this madness. I have two distinct clients that their house sat on the market for a month or two, so when we got an offer, they accepted one lower than they had hoped because they were ready to move on with their lives and cut their losses...
Well, low and behold, during the period of inspection while freshly pending, I had this seriously ridiculous uptick in calls from every buyer wanting to write an offer on the house. I mean I was almost being stalked by the clients and their agents because they wanted to know if it looked like it was going to go through. My question for them is, "Where the heck were all of you the past month or two when we were just waiting for an offer to cross my desk???"
Each of these clients had outstanding homes; priced well, showed well, marketed well (of course), I mean dream listings. The buyers were on the same schedule it seems, everyone was swarming come March and then again in September. The other months were busy, but those two months were literally fanatic, people were going crazy to get offers in and see houses...But this was sad for 2 of my clients in some ways because they missed the frenzy by a couple days and maybe could have gotten more from the frenzy...Hindsight is 20/20. You don't know if it will truly happen until it does.
FASCINATING SCENARIO 2:
I had this adorable first home buyer Hearthstone home, Monticello plan in Carriage Hill. A couple weeks in we got competing offers...I realize that in coastal areas (OR anywhere HGTV films, don't get me started on HGTV and how people think its really how it works HERE) competing offers can be a normal occurrence...We live in Omaha, NE and people here are CONSERVATIVE. When an offer is on the table, they back away, shrug their shoulders, and say something like "humph, guess it wasn't meant to be".
Did you hear me: I HAD COMPETING OFFERS and yet neither of the people came in with full price offers! What the?! Then we went back and forth, one and then the other several times and still NO FULL PRICE OFFERS with closing costs as a concession? What the?! This is every seller and agent's dream. It was absurd. We put the deal together on one of them. It was a good deal, but really, really???!!! I really thought even full price with closing costs paid should have been feasible. Madness I tell you.
(I also must sidenote: the home was priced $6000 below what they paid for it in '05, just to give you an idea of prices in this market)
FASCINATING SCENARIO 3:
While this has been the busiest time I have literally ever seen in the business (psst, I started about 5 years ago when the impending crash media was starting) There are buyers everywhere.... Common sense would tell you that by supply and demand, that prices would be driven up by this demand...And that, my friend is where you would be wrong. Pricing has still had to remain low and offers, oh my, the offers have been coming in the lowest I have seen in years (and there has been a lot of bad times over the years)...Lots of buyers indeed, but not the kind around here, with our conservative nation, that is going to dare overpay for anything. They may want to buy, but they are not getting in to bidding wars, paying full price, or even full price when they are competing against another couple. They still want the entire farm, the cattle, the sheep, and your dog Jack over there to boot...And maybe if you're lucky they won't ask for your first born son.
It has been FASCINATING! I think the $8000 tax credit worked wonders for our local market, but it may have squeezed out all the buyers that would have been next years buyers, but again, we won't know that until it happens. My prediction is fairly bleak. I think people were optimistic, got out of hiding from all the fear the media has produced, and were buying/ selling again with some joy and fervor. However, I think we might hear crickets chirp when it comes to a screeching halt, we will all hold hands and look at one another blinking, anxiously waiting to see how it all plays out once the tax credit expires.
Mark your calendars for the 2nd Annual Green Home Tour put on by the Green Omaha Coalition
Shuttles will run from Village Pointe, so shop the Farmer's Market, hop on a shuttle to view cutting edge homes incorporating eco-friendly building and design as well as lifestyle. The homes will feature tips, tricks, and products that you can incorporate easily into your own life. Going green is much easier than people imagine it to be.
Held 9am -1pm from Village Pointe shopping center. The tour will showcase four west Omaha homes, three of which have undergone a series of green home improvement projects. The fourth home on the tour is a new Energy Star Home. Free shuttle service to the homes will be available at Village Pointe. Tour goers are encouraged to carpool, walk, cycle or take the bus to Village Pointe and use the tour shuttle.
New to the 2009 tour is an information fair at Village Pointe in conjunction with its weekly farmers market. Vendors will include area businesses and nonprofits interested in green living. In addition, Goodwill Industries will be accepting donations on site at Village Pointe throughout the tour, and tax receipts will be available.
It's an intimidating process to start going green, but as soon as you start you realize it was really so much easier and lifestyle changes are easy to make. Recycling that I had regrettably put off for years is shocking to me. I have so little trash after all the recyclables are out of it! It's good for my kids to see and learn as they grow. Elkhorn Sanitation has an amazing program called Curbside Rewards. I was paying for trash removal anyway. I spend $10 more a month, but also get it back in the rewards from recycling that they offer!
I am now on the steps to going more green everyday. All my lightbulbs are changed out, recycling grocery bags are in full effect, recycling is in full effect, I am growing a garden this year, trying to use less paper towels (ugh, this one was the toughest for me) and opting for wash rags, and I have gone vegetarian which is both an ecologically friendly AND body friendly thing to do. I highly recommend the book "Skinny Bitch" : )
It's easier than you think, so why not explore some more ideas into going Green by visiting the tour. It's a fun way to spend a Saturday out at Village Pointe!
Colleen Woodward
Prudential Urban Omaha
Selling Real Estate for the Cure
I have 3 little pork chops. My little love bugs ages 8, 5, and 2...And when I am trying to find a place to go, the internet is my favorite place to search for ongoings and tips on the best kid activities to do in Omaha. So here I am with my own list of TOP THINGS TO DO IN OMAHA WITH KIDS:
Here are the givens of things to do with kids, but beyond this I will get further in to less well known venues:
1. Henry Doorly Zoo: This zoo is absolutely amazing. It is spread far and wide with new attractions being built all the time. Omaha prides this city on our top notch zoo. The butterfly exhibit is breathtaking with the fluttering, gorgeous butterflies flitting all around you. The new gorilla complex is outstanding and takes my favorite badge. I particularly like that so many of the exhibits are indoor/ outdoor, since we do live in a climate that has ALL seasons. This zoo has so much to offer year round. You can spend one afternoon just enjoying the aquarium, jungle, or desert dome and barely leave the zoo's entrance. 
2. Omaha Children's Musuem: The Omaha Children's Museum has an all new look, revamped by my husband's top notch company, Kiewit Construction (Building Group), gotta give a little shout out to their great work! Oh the hours that can be spent here. You can spend one whole day just doing one little exhibit they have tucked into each little section of this place.
There is the water area (don't worry, they provide raincoats, not that it helps sometimes), a grocery store with realistic foods, boxes, and with true mini carts they can go through the "check-out" that has a working conveyor belt (so cute!)...Or the ball-o-mania that is every kid's favorite. They stuff balls through these tubes that get pushed by air up through all these neat twirls into a giant bin, once it hits a certain mark, an alarm starts sounding, the kids scramble to get beneath it as its mouth opens and drops all the balls onto the kids below. There is a playhouse, a specified infant area half walled off on its own, so you can have an infant playing and watch your older ones run around. They can milk a cow, pick corn, deliver mail, put on a play, have a puppet show, make a video of themselves as news reporters, and there are rotating exhibits that go on upstairs. I highly recommend getting a membership. If you go more than twice a year, it pays for itself in most cases. Ditto on the zoo pass!
3. City of Omaha Splash Parks:Hey this one is free and sooo fun! Find the one nearest you, slap on a swimsuit and splash away
4. Elmwood Park: Here nestled in the heart of Omaha is a great park with a public pool (baby pool fenced in- yippee) a huge green space where you will find on any given day, bands practicing, bag pipes playing, people acting out Mid-Evil Times, a great sandy park in the middle, a cheap public golf course to the rear, ample parking, trails galore weaving through the charming area known as Dundee. I love this park!
5. Fontenelle Forest Nature Center:If you haven't been to fontenelle in a while, its time to go. They have this adorable "Mud Pie" program that is Tues/ Thurs, about $2/child for a few hours of creative play. Indoors is a new craft each time, places to dig and find fake insects, a pet rabbit, a snack, TONS of educational toys and play, a cave with chirping crickets, frogs, and all. OUTDOORS: is this wonderful trail area that has educational spots where you match up leaves or there is a pile of true sticks to build something out of, or musical instruments made out of natural things.
6. Kids Create Their Own Pizza: Old Chicago, California Pizza Kitchen will gladly host a group of kids to give a restaurant tour to where the kids then get to create and bake their own pizza! Gather some friends and set it up.
7. Elkhorn Common Ground: This community center has classes for 2 yr old to 10 yr olds about 30-45 minutes each, some back to back named such cool things as: Lego Mania, kid yoga, tumbling, gym fun, tetherball, arts & crafts.
Be back with more soon...So much to cover, so little time : )
RE/MAX The Producers
I have this absolutely fabulous, affordable condo for sale at 2315 Harney St #302. It is 2 bedrooms, almost 1000 square feet, AND has a view....Now your thinking it must be pricey for all those things make the price of condos high...Nope, only $118,900.
That includes:hardwood Bamboo flooring, granite tile counters, cherry stained color cabinets, frieze carpeting in the bedrooms, ceramic tiled bathroom in a complex completely redone in 2006. It is a hidden gem just off Harney (the main road to everything downtown). It has gated, plentiful parking, gated courtyard. It is truly the best value in a condo. It covers all the bases that makes condo living stink. Space..Parking...No washer/dryer in the home...No good view unless you spend a fortune...But here you get all of that. This condo in Downtown Omaha is amazing and wonderful for downtown living.
I mean this condo truly rocks. It would be perfectly suited for any single or couple that works downtown or midtown. And I will be holding it open this coming Saturday, May 30th, 2009 from 10-4pm during the Downtown Omaha Condo Living Tour. All the condos on tour are new construction hosted by the developers. This condo that will be on its own on your way in or out of downtown IS a resale condo. Not new...And waaay better priced than anything you will see.
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Open House Saturday May 30, 2009 10-4 PM @ 2315 Harney #302
Do not miss a chance to peek through this great development and condo!
Colleen Woodward
REMAX The Producers
402.571.5887 Call with questions!
Fence Sitting Defined: A person that doesn't know when to make the decision he/she wants to make so rather than make a decision to go forward or back, they do nothing. Just keep sitting, waiting for what they hope will be a gleaming, blaring sign that they should make a move...
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I AM YOUR BLARING LIGHT! If you live in the Omaha, NE area and have been considering moving, but don't want to sell your house because you have been hearing all the horrors of the market, and yet you are rapidly outgrowing your house or wanting something else. NOW is the TIME people.
Let me break it down to you...If you need to sell a house, well it should have been on the market in February when we started to feel the pull of an upswing in showings and activity. March, April, May became huge months for those lookers that were out in February began closing on the homes they found.
1. Obama's stimulus package of the $8000 credit, completely FREE money that a first time home buyer is getting after buying their first home has made the buyers creep out of the corners to make their move. It was time to strike. This stimulus only goes until November 2009 as of right now. First Home Buyers are on the prowl.
My house isn't a first home buyer price, your response might be...Really?! Really?! I just sold a $750,000 home to first home buyers...They were both newly graduated DOCTORS. Trust me, there are first home buyers in every price range...While it is more normal to see it below the $200k mark, yes that is true, but the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th home buyers that are getting out of their house to sell to the first home buyer are now in the higher price range and looking for their move up. This stimulus is helping everyone get out and move up.
2. Home prices of homes in Omaha that are for sale, they are still at low prices. You are not going to overpay for a house if you are smart. There are still too many distressed homeowners that have to dump their house, so you can still see lots of options for getting a bargain on the buying...
Let's see, so far we have covered that it is great time to sell because there are more buyers in the market right now than we have seen in years AND for buying prices are still low... And the number 3, but also equally number one reason is...
3. Low interest rates. DO NOT be blase about interest rates...They MATTER! For each 1/2 percent difference that rate goes up, you qualify for thousands less of a home than you would if your rate were 1/2 a percent lower. This means low rates, a fixed low payment AND you qualify for a bigger, better house.
So what in the world are you waiting for??? Get your house on the market NOW...Because in all truth, it should have been on yesterday, as in like a month or two ago! Quit giving excuses and ACT. Now. Stop reading this, get off your bum, have a conversation with your loved ones and start decluttering your house, call me to get a FREE market analysis and overview of what selling your home will entail and let's get a sign in the yard already!
Selling Real Estate for the Cure
REMAX The Producers
402.571.5887
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Top Agent Omaha Nebraska Selling Real Estate for the Cure in partnership with Susan G. Komen Foundation
Prudential Ambassador Real Estate: Urban Omaha
I love working for an International Real Estate Company. Local companies tout their affiliation with relocation companies, but Prudential itself brings in so much referral and relocation simply being the #1 'go to' company website IN THE WORLD. It's powerful! We have the top of the line in everything because we have the power of all of our agents (internationally) putting in money for the best of the best in real estate technology, training, and marketing.
Selling Real Estate for the Cure in Partnership with the Susan G. Komen foundation in memory of Ann Lang. Every transaction that closes, a donation is made to the cause in the name of my client.
What Am I Like?
I am very patient and laidback. My 'best' is working under pressure. It's my time to shine because I remain calm and laser in on the issues at hand. Selling real estate is all about the relationships. I live off of referral as part of my business, so my clients are king to me...
It is also important to choose an agent well liked and respected in our real estate community. To maintain good, working relationships with everyone involved in the transaction from agents, to title companies, to lenders makes for a smooth transaction with clients, which is where my calm charm comes in handy. If people like and respect you, they work harder to help out your transaction. Fires may ensue and almost always do, but I fan them without you realizing they are being put out.
My clients are everything to me. My goal is to simply do them right. Make it easy, get them what they want, and honestly, my clients become friends to me because I care about them and their needs that much. It's a wonderful thing helping someone to buy or sell their home. It's emotional usually. It's a big event in their lives. And I am honored to be a part of it.
Would We Be a Good Fit?
If you have a sense of humor, want honest, professional advice, and want a great buying or selling experience...Well, it's my personal goal to create that world for each and every client.
First Home Buyers in Omaha, NE: I have a special place in my heart because they have so much to learn and if they end up with the wrong agent, their entire real estate experience always leaves a lasting impression...I like to get to them first, so they get all the information to make smart, good decisions in home buying.
Foreclosures, Short Sales, Investment Properties in Omaha, NE: Our market has faired better than most in this real estate downturn, but we still have our increased volume of distressed properties, so I specialize in them and enjoy the challenge of finding and closing these deals
I love working with people, so I have worked in all areas of Omaha, Elkhorn, Papillion- La Vista, Gretna, Bennington so nothing is off limits. I have lived in Omaha almost my entire life, so I know the area well and keep well read on the ongoings of our fine town.
"Russ & I wanted to thank you for all you did for us and all your hard work you put in to get our home sold! We were so amazed you called us from the hospital- talk about being committed! You have such a warm and professional style. We will be sure to pass your name on to all that are thinking about selling!" - Colleen, Russ, & Claire
"Colleen, Thank you for all your help, suggestions, holding our hands, and helping us sell this house!" - Anna & Mike
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