Sandra Nickel

If you are thinking of selling your Montgomery home this spring, now is the time to start getting ready to sell. Below are 5 things to do before putting the ‘For Sale' sign in the yard:

1. Have a presale home inspection. Be proactive by arranging for a pre-sale home inspection. An inspector will be able to give you a good indication of the trouble areas that will stand out to potential buyers, and you'll be able to make repairs before open houses begin.

2. Organize and clean. Pare down clutter and pack up your least-used items, such as large blenders and other kitchen tools, out-of-season clothes, toys, and exercise equipment. Store items off-site or in boxes neatly arranged in the garage or basement. Clean the windows, carpets, walls, lighting fixtures, and baseboards to make the house shine.

3. Get replacement estimates. Do you have big-ticket items that are worn our or will need to be replaced soon, such your roof or carpeting? Get estimates on how much it would cost to replace them, even if you don't plan to do it yourself. The figures will help buyers determine if they can afford the home, and will be handy when negotiations begin.

4. Find your warranties. Gather up the warranties, guarantees, and user manuals for the furnace, washer and dryer, dishwasher, and any other items that will remain with the house.

5. Spruce up the curb appeal. Pretend you're a buyer and stand outside of your home. As you approach the front door, what is your impression of the property? Do the lawn and bushes look neatly manicured? Is the address clearly visible? Are pretty flowers or plants framing the entrance? Is the walkway free from cracks and impediments?

Learn more about selling your Montgomery home at HatTeam.com.

What is my Montgomery home worth?

www.REALTOR.org/realtormag Reprinted from REALTOR® Magazine Online by permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® . Copyright 2003. All rights reserved.

The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight has ranked Montgomery among the top ten cities for median home price appreciation when compare to 300 metropolitan areas in a fourth-quarter home price appreciation index. Montgomery ranks 8th with 4.06 percent appreciation for the year, 3.25 percent appreciation for the quarter and 29.01 percent appreciation over the past 5 years.

Montgomery real estate is definitely holding its own compared to other parts of the country. These statistics along with the $8000 first time home buyer tax credit, an abundance of inventory and record low interest rates, make NOW a great time to buy Montgomery real estate. You can learn more at HatTeam.com.

Search all Montgomery real estate and homes for sale.

After holding fairly stable for a year, pending home sales declined in the face of job losses and an eroding economy, according to the National Association of Realtors^®.

The Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator based on contracts signed in November, fell 4.0 percent to 82.3 from a downwardly revised reading of 85.7 in October, and is 5.3 percent below November 2007 when it was 86.9. The current index is the lowest since the series began in 2001.

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said a weakening was inevitable. "Mounting job losses and very weak consumer confidence deterred home buyers from signing contracts in November," he said. "December's housing market activity could be comparably lower due to ongoing problems in the economy, so a real estate-focused stimulus plan is urgently needed."

Let's take a look at the sales statistics for 2008 to see how the Montgomery AL real estate market looks:

Montgomery real estate saw pending sales decrease by 18% in 2008 compared to 2007. The average sales price dropped 4% to $143,536 while sold listings were down 27% from 2007. Market times showed a decrease by 4 days over 2007.

The good news is that buyer activity has increased substantially the fist two weeks in January. This will result in stronger sales and, hopefully, indicate a turnaround.

For the latest Montgomery AL real estate market conditions in your area, please call me at 800-HAT-LADY or visit HomesForSaleInMontgomeryAlabama.com.

Information is provided by the Montgomery Area Association of Realtors and is deemed accurate but not guaranteed.

Pending home sales eased against a deteriorating economic backdrop but remain in a stable range, according to the National Association of Realtors^®.

The Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator based on contracts signed in October, slipped 0.7 percent to 88.9 from an upwardly revised reading of 89.5 in September, and is 1.0 percent below October 2007 when it was 89.8.

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said a review of the past year is instructive. "Despite the turmoil in the economy, the overall level of pending home sales has been remarkably stable over the past year, holding in a generally narrow range," he said. "We did see a spike in August when mortgage conditions temporarily improved, which underscores two things - there is a pent-up demand, and access to safe, affordable mortgages will bring more buyers into the market."

Let's take a look at the sales statistics for November 2008 to see how the Montgomery AL real estate market looks:

This Novmember, Montgomery AL saw market times decrease by 16 days, when compared to November 2007. Pending sales have decreased 11% in November 2008 from November 2008. The average sales price dropped 22% to $115,405 while sold listings were down 30% from November 2007.

Once again it is important to note the impact of foreclosure resales on overall statistics. As of today, 50% of the pending sales in Midtown are foreclosures that average $43,261. When the value of these sales is deducted from the overall pending sales data, the average sales price of the other pending sales is $174,432---a marked increase over 2007! Clearly, foreclosures continue to dilute sales price averages but non-foreclosure sales continue to gain ground.

For the latest Montgomery AL real estate market conditions in your area, please call me at 800-HAT-LADY or visit HomesForSaleInMontgomeryAlabama.com.

Information is provided by the Montgomery Area Association of Realtors and is deemed accurate but not guaranteed.

Montgomery Among Top Best Performing Cities

Amidst the gloom and doom, there's some good news to report about metro Montgomery. Among large metro areas, Montgomery ranked 38 in the Best Performing Cities in 2008 survey conducted by the Milken Institute/Greenstreet Real Estate Partners. The Best Performing Cities ranking depicts those U.S. metropolitan areas that are recording the top economic performance.

Cities were ranked according to how well they are creating and sustaining jobs and economic growth. The ranking depicts those U.S. metropolitan areas that are recording the top economic performance for wage and salary growth.

Nationally, Montgomery ranked #38 in wage and salary growth for 2008, moving up from the #76 ranking in 2007. In other rankings, Montgomery is # 71 for 5-year job growth, and #65 for 1-year job growth. In Alabama, Montgomery ranked second behind Huntsville, which ranked as the #5 metro area overall.