Kirk Short

April, 2009

Peter Greenberg, the travel editor for "Today's show" and the Newsmax Magazine, based in Florida, has named Wichita, KS the Number 1 city for Best American Values. Wichita ranked high in the following areas: Family friendliness, culture, wholesomeness, devotion to religion and community activities. Hospitality and friendly businesses came in next. We were rated lowest in scenic beauty (it is very flat here) and education (the new $300 million dollar bond issue) should help here.

Kansas City and Edmond, OK were the only other Midwest cities rated.

Investors are starting to re-enter the Wichita real estate market as they choose where to invest and ant a more stable market than stocks. Our team has defiantly seen this over the last two months as we sold 8 twin homes, 2 office builds and one strip center.

Kathleen Sabelius, KS Gov. was sworn in yesterday as Health and Human Services Secretary. Mark Parkinson the Lt. Gov. (a Republican turned Democrat) was sworn in as KS's 45th Governor.

Siemens, a German Corporation, will decide this week if Hutchinson, KS (30 miles NW of Wichita) will be the home of its U.S. plant for building Wind Turbines.

Cessna Aircraft Company laid off 4,000 workers at the end of march and has just announced another 1,300 60 day notices to Wichita workers. Cessna is also suspending the building of a new plant for the $27 million Columbus business jet due to the erosion of the business jet market in the U.S. and overseas.

I was looking through some different articles lately and this one stood out as promising. There was talk about the stimulus plan and the possibility of changes to the Tax Credit for 1st time home buyers. That is a reality now! It is better now because there is $8000 being provided and you do not have to pay it back....you just have to hold onto your home for atleast 3 years....that is acceptable.

On the item of the tax credit....I am however shocked that the credit was not passed onto anyone that would purchase a home in 2009 regardless of whether they are 1st time home buyers or not. This would encourage people to do more. It would also encourage investors who are having to put more money down to buy some of this extra inventory. This would be beneficial for the real estate market in all communities!

Anyways....Check out he article below

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Real Estate Outlook: Encouraging Signs

by Kenneth R. Harney

Could the tide be turning for real estate?

It's probably premature to make that call, but you can't ignore the encouraging signs -- especially when they come in multiples.

First we saw a surprising 6.5 percent jump in home sales for December. Now we've just gotten the latest Pending Home Sales Index, and it's up 6.3 percent, thanks to double digit gains of 13 percent in the Midwest and the South.

The index is based on signed contracts for home sales that haven't gone to closing, but that are scheduled to settle in the coming two or three months.

The National Association of Realtors collects the data from Multiple Listing Services around the country, and most economists accept the index as a reliable gauge of where we're headed in housing activity.

Dr. Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors, attributed the upward movement to "buyers responding to lower home prices and interest rates" that have improved the affordability equation to its most favorable level in 39 years.

Sales in the coming months might also be powered by something no index can measure: Congress is likely to improve last year's $7,500 home buyer tax credit by turning it into a nonrepayable incentive for new sales this year -- all as part of the stimulus package on Capitol Hill.

Though it's impossible to predict how many more home sales a true credit might stimulate -- one that doesn't have to be paid back to the government like the 2008 version -- industry estimates range anywhere from several hundred thousand upward, provided the expiration date runs through this coming December.

On other economic fronts last week, reports of tens of thousands of industry layoffs definitely won't help housing, but new numbers on inventories of unsold homes just might be a plus. Total homes for sale on the market nationwide dropped nearly 18 percent last month to the lowest level since May of 2007.

Mortgage rates inched up slightly last week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association, with thirty year fixed rate loans averaging 5.3 percent compared to 5.2 percent the week before. That's up a notch, but it's still close to 40 year historic lows.

As we've said before on this program: Keep your eyes open for the little statistical improvements in the market that often get ignored by the media: Once they start mounting up, month after month, you'll know we're in turnaround mode.

We're not there yet, but we're headed in a promising direction.

Published: February 10, 2009

The Coffee is always on,

Direct: 316-554-2925
Fax: 316-616-3882
kirkshort@remax.net
http://www.KansasPropertyGroup.com
http://www.MyHomeInKansas.com

What To Expect From Kirk Short When Selling Your Home in the Wichita, KS Metro Area

Are you thinking of selling your home in the Wichita Kansas area? There is much work to do and things to consider before hammering the real estate sign in your front yard. The first step being preparing your home to put on the market. Once your home is ready, it's time to interview prospective realtors. Most people don't know how to properly interview a realtor, and what questions to ask to point you to the realtor who is most qualified and likely to sell your home in the fastest time possible for the best price possible.

Nearly all realtors will put a sign in your yard and submit your listing to the Springfield MLS. They might even hold an open house and place an ad in the local newspaper. What do I offer that sets me apart?

Marketing - Let's face it...nobody buys a home out of the Springfield NewsLeader these days. It's all internet. If your agent is not heavy on internet advertising, your chances of selling are greatly diminished. Your home will be featured on each of my websites, including www.kansaspropertygroup.com, www.realtor-shorty.com, and www.investinks.com. I will syndicate your listing across the internet to various real estate websites, including, but not limited to, Realtor.com, Remax.com, Trulia, Zillow, HotPads, Oodle, Yahoo!, GoogleBase, Craigslist, FrontDoor, and more.

Reporting - I will provide you with Bi-weekly reports from my various websites showing how much activity you've received on the various websites, including how many views your listing has received, and how many people "clicked" on your listing for more information.

Showing Feedback - Electronic lockboxes allow realtors to monitor the showings on their listings. Each morning I check my showings for the previous day and send feedback reports via http://www.kansaspropertygroup.com. The showing agent will be asked to answer questions regarding your home such as how the home showed, whether the price is above market, below market, or just right, what their buyer's thoughts were of the home, and any suggestions they may have regarding your home. The agent's feedback is e-mailed to you so you're getting fresh, unfiltered feedback straight from the source.

Customer Service - Real estate is my full-time job. By full-time, I don't mean that I only work 40 hours per week. I work each time my phone rings. The phone number on the sign in your yard is my personal cell phone number. Prospective buyers will not have to be routed through my office or answering service, or be connected to an office voicemail that is only checked once a day. Their call comes straight to me. And yes....I answer my phone. :)

If you're considering selling your home in Wichita, Maize, Andover, Derby, Goddard, Bell Aire, College Hill or Valley Center, call me. My proven innovative techniques and marketing strategies will ensure that your property will the maximum amount of exposure required to sell in today's tough market.

The Coffee is always on,

How would you like to own a new home for free?

Let's say you are a renter paying $950 a month to rent a small home. I can sell you a $110,000 home with payments $125 below what you are paying for rent, give you a tax deduction on the interest and taxes you are paying and reimburse you your initial down payment and closing costs.

How is this possible?

The federal government is giving 1st time buyers or folks who have not claimed a MTG interest deduction for the last three years up to $8.000 off of the taxes they owe or will give them a refund for the difference if they owe less than Tax credit. 1st time buyers can deduct 10% of the purchase price of a new home up to $8,000 from their tax obligation.

Let's say you bought a $110,000 home. Total down payment and closing costs on a FHA fixed rate loan would be around $7,000. The Tax credit to you would be $8,000 or $1,000 more than it cost you to buy the home. Payments would be at least $125 less than renting the same home plus you get additional tax deductions for the taxes and interest paid. Over $3,000 back the 1st year over costs paid.

Don't want to wait till next year for the tax credit? Have your employer increase the amount of deductions you claim and get the money back each month for the 1st year.

Additional questions: Call me at 316-554-2925 or visit my web site at www.kansaspropertygroup.com

The Coffee is always on,

Kirk D. Short - Broker/Co-Owner

RE/MAX Realty Professionals
10100 W. Maple
Wichita, KS 67209

Direct: 316-554-2925
Fax: 316-616-3882
kirkshort@remax.net
http://www.KansasPropertyGroup.com
http://www.MyHomeInKansas.com

All Real Estate is Local!

Thank goodness I sell real estate in the Wichita, KS metro area.

While real estate values are down 5% -10%-15% in other markets, the

Stable Wichita market showed a 5.7% gain from Nov., 2006 to Nov., 2007.

Wichita's real estate market after 7 years of increased units sold finally slowed down a little bit in 2007 (-3.2%). 2007 was still the 3^rd best real estate market we have ever had.

Wichita, unlike other cities, had a decrease in new residential listings in 2007 (6.2%). This kept our prices from falling. Total homes left on the market at the end of 2007 was basically the same as 2006 and lower than 2004 and 2005. Available new home inventories were up slightly last year but only by 7 homes.

The average sales price for an existing home in 2007 was $117,766. Average days on the market were 62 and the average list to sales price was 97.13%. The average price of a new home was $211,628 and 1820 were closed in 2007.

The real estate market has grown quite a bit since 2000. That year 1,426 new homes sold along with 7,358 existing homes. This year 1,820 new homes sold along with 10,098 existing homes.

What does all of this mean for you? 2008 will be a good year for real estate in the Wichita, KS metro area.

Why? Unemployment rates are low. Interest rates are low. Hiring needs are high. Rental vacancies are low and rental costs are high. Average sales prices are low.

Thinking about buying a new home this year? Give Kirk Short a call at 316-554-2925. We can help.