Real Estate Prices
Real estate horror stories - Dec. 2, 2002 Enter Ticker Symbol Search CNN/Money Autos Real Estate Money's Best Home Markets & Stocks News Jobs & Economy World Biz Technology Commentary Personal Finance College Credit and Debt Insurance Interest Rates Retirement Tax Center Ask the Expert Five Tips The Good Life Millionaire in the Making Money 101 Moneyville Retirement Planner Savings Calculator Asset Allocator Mutual Funds Money Magazine Video CNN TV Fortune 500 Best Employers Money 101 Portfolio Calculators Real-time Quotes Last 5 Quotes SPONSORED BY include virtual="/fn_adspaces/markets-stocks/last_five_quotes/sponsor.88x31.ad" -- CNN/Money Email newsletters RSS Mobile news Money archives Buy story reprints Find a Mortgage SPECIAL OFFER Personal Finance Your Home Real estate horror stories There's never been a national bust but keep an eye on your backyard. December 2, 2002: 11:57 AM EST By Leslie Haggin Geary, CNN/Money Staff Writer New York (CNN/Money) - During the past three years, real estate has been a shelter in the storm. Since 2001, home prices have gained about 6.3 percent annually, according to the National Association of Realtors . And in dozens of hot markets , from San Francisco to Providence, RI to Topeka, KS, homeowners have seen double-digit price increases over the past year. Next to the seeming flimsiness of stocks, real estate looks rock solid. For the past 40 years, home sales prices have outpaced inflation by one or two percentage points per year, and there has never been a national decline in real estate values. But that's just part of the picture. When you drill down to local markets, instead of steady rises, you may find vertiginous spikes followed by stomach-churching drops. What's more, when busts hit, it can take years -- maybe even a decade -- for individuals who bought at the top of the market to recoup their investment. To see how grim it can get, we looked at annual sales figures for 138 metro areas across the country during the past three decades to spot where local bubbles burst, what drove prices into the cellar and how long it took for property owners to recoup their money. Here are some of the factors that can kill a real estate boom. Population shifts It's obvious. Jobs equal workers. Without work, residents leave, and home sales dry up. Consider the case of southern California. Once home to a thriving defense industry, military cutbacks hit the region especially hard in the early 1990s. Some 1 million individuals left the area, according to Ingo Winzer, president of The Local Market Monitor , a real estate consulting firm that tracks housing prices nationwide. In Los Angeles, home prices shed 21 percent of their value between 1989 and 1996, with the typical house selling for $172,900. (The peak was $214,800 in 1989 following a five year, 77-percent jump.) An exodus can hit smaller communities, too. Syracuse, NY once boasted 250,000 residents back in the 1950s, when it was a thriving industrial city. No longer. Many of those jobs are gone and Syracuse lost a full 10 percent of those inhabitants from 1990 to 2000, when its population dropped to 147,000 residents. Home prices, not surprisingly, fell too. Half of all property owners in the county who sold homes in 1997, for example, sold at a loss. Vacant buildings were not uncommon. (At one point, there were more than 1,000 empty dwellings.) Local recessions Ask housing experts about local busts and one of the first places they'll mention is Houston, TX. When the oil market was kicked in the teeth back in the mid-1980s, home prices in this city tumbled fast. In just three years, from 1985 to 1988, the typical home price dropped by 21 percent -- or from $78,600 to $61,800. Related Stories • Did you pay too much for your house? • Real estate or stocks? • Milking the bubble • Rev up your resale value "Prices fell so much that people owed more on than their mortgages than their homes were worth," said David Weil, an economics professor at Brown University. " They'd drive to the bank and drop off their keys to their homes and just leave." Houston isn't the only city where home prices have fallen when the local economy languishes badly. Take the stock market crash of 1987, which hit New York City's financial industry hard. Prices peaked at $183,000 in 1988, and anyone who bought then had to wait until after 1997 to get to even money. Another victim? Hartford, CT. From 1984 to 1988, the typical home price soared 92 percent to $167,600 from $87,400. Then the insurance industry started laying off or moving out. Hartford's population growth slowed to zero. And home prices starting falling. In fact it wasn't until last year that someone who bought at the 1988 price would have made their money back. Fast run-ups in housing values Are markets that have soared quickly especially prone to a bust? That's a question no doubt troubling many homeowners. But the answer isn't simple. Certainly, there have been plenty of hot markets that suddenly turned sour. Consider Honolulu, Hawaii, for example. Back in 1995, the average tab for a house in this community hit a record $360,000 -- a whopping 122 percent increase from the decade before. Then suddenly, prices began to drop. By 1999, a $360,000 island retreat was being unloaded for $290,000, a 19 percent discount, according to NAR. Prices started to finally rise in 2000, but anyone who bought at the island's real estate peak didn't recoup their money until this year. Hawaii's housing woes were tipped off by several factors, not the least of which was the decline in the Japanese economy, which squelched real-estate investment in Hawaii. Honolulu was also in trouble in part because few fundamentals, other than investment dollars -- were pushing the market. In fact, during the boom years, the island's population was climbing at a 1 percent rate, too low to justify the massive run-up in housing values. Bottom line: it's important to look at what drives housing spikes before you assume there will be a catastrophe, said Winzer. Rising interest rates "People tell you that housing never goes down, but that's just not true -- you try to sell a house when interest rates have gone up," said Stephen Cauley, associate director of the Ziman Center for Real Estate, Anderson School at UCLA . To illustrate his point, Cauley points to the early 1980's, when double-digit interest rates were being used to fight inflation. That made the cost of borrowing money for a home almost prohibitively expensive. "It was horrendous for the housing market," said Cauley. "There were no transactions." By 1982, the number of existing home sales had slid to 1.92 million, the lowest number on record, according to NAR. Many markets -- notably Detroit, Providence, Chicago and Philadelphia -- saw home prices stay flat or fall between 1979 and 1982. These days, of course, high interest rates seem a distant threat, though they are beginning to creep up. Current mortgage rates are hovering just above 6 percent for a fixed, 30-year loan. But even if rates go up a full percentage point, rates are still low, said Cauley. How will all this play out? If history is any guide, there won't be one big pop, the kind that usually come with stock-market crashes. But that doesn't make it any less painful. --* Disclaimer Selling? Buying? Click to compare top local real estate agents More on YOUR HOME • Your Home: Bracing for higher rates • Refinancing demand lags again • A rose is (not) a rose TODAY'S TOP STORIES • Most overvalued housing markets • Risks to the economy in 2006 • Which was the worst ad of all in 2005? CNN Money contact us | subscribe to Money magazine advertising -- | site map | glossary | RSS | press room OTHER NEWS: CNN | SI | Fortune | Business 2.0 | Time © 2005 Cable News Network LP, LLLP. A Time Warner Company ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Terms under which this service is provided to you. privacy policy Reprints of site stories are available.
Buy House
- Drought - AFA - USOC - CC Hockey Williams had to buy house, handle influx of big money (09/04/05) By FRANK SCHWAB THE GAZETTE ENGLEWOOD - Cornerback Darrent Williams was drafted April 23 by the Denver Broncos. He had three months and five days to get his life together in a new city before he reported to training camp. A few days after he was drafted, Williams had a lot on his mind, aside from the defensive and special-teams playbooks he had to learn. He had to find a house, furnish the house, get a car, hire a financial advisor and maybe buy his mom a house and a car, among other things. "It's different," Williams said. "I never had to look into buying a house or anything like that." His signing bonus was $1.275 million and his base salary is $230,000 this year. Williams said the hardest part probably was buying his house. Assistant defensive backs coach Jimmy Spencer gave Williams the name of a real estate agent shortly after he was drafted, which helped. Williams had never been to Denver, although he got some advice on the area from Broncos running back-Tatum Bell, a former college teammate. Williams stayed in the dorms during his first three years of college at Oklahoma State, then moved into an apartment his last year, so buying a house was a major step. "It was real hectic," Williams said. "I've never purchased anything really in my life, especially not a house. And now there's the mortgage and the payments and the loans and all the crazy stuff you have to go through." Williams said he looked at about 20 places before settling on a townhouse in Parker. "It was fun at first but it got old," Williams said. "I'm like `I'm tired of this. I just want to buy this and get it over with.'" Williams also had to buy a car and make a few other important purchases, but he said the other thing - aside from working out with the team, learning the playbook and going through the offseason camps - that stressed him out was hiring a financial advisor. "That was real stressful because these guys call you every day like they're your best friend now," Williams said. "You don't even know these guys. But everybody acts like they got your best interests. It's all about the money so you have to be careful with it." Williams eventually hired the same financial adviser employed by Broncos second-year receiver Darius Watts. Williams had his flat screen plasma television hooked up before he left for the Broncos' headquarters on the day the team reported to training camp. He still has some things on his to-do list - he is in the process of getting his mom a house but he was caught up enough that he could concentrate on his job. "I got moved in and everything, so I don't have to worry about anything," Williams said. "I can focus on football until the season is over."
Purchase Property
Home Buying - Home Buying and Home Selling Advice - Buying a Home You are here: About > Home & Garden > Home Buying / Selling Home & Garden Home Buying / Selling Essentials 10 Things Home Buyers Shouldn't Do Best Tips for First Time Home Buyers "Must-Do" Tasks Before You Sell How to Buy a Home, Step by Step For Sale by Owner Advice Articles & Resources How To Buy a Home How To Sell a House Celebrity & Historic Credit Reports & Scores Design & Remodel Home Maintenance Inspections & Appraisals Investing & Foreclosures Modular & Manufactured Mold, Radon, Lead, etc. Mortgage Advice Moving & Relocation Real Estate Careers Real Estate For Sale Vacation Homes Buyer's Guide Before You Buy Top Picks Home Buying Books Foreclosure Books Mortgage Books Product Reviews Forums Help FREE Newsletter Sign Up Now for the Home Buying / Selling newsletter! See Online Courses Search Home Buying / Selling From Janet Wickell , Your Guide to Home Buying / Selling . FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now! Getting Ready to Sell Your House Guests and lots of activities make it difficult to show a house during the holidays, so home owners sometimes put off selling their homes until after the first week in January, when life starts returning to normal. If you're in that category take some time to evaluate the condition of your home before you list it with an agent or sell it by owner . Be sure to analyze your situation to determine if selling is your best move, then think about the home's curb appeal and get the interior and exterior in tip-top shape . It's not a bad idea to do a few inspections to make sure the house is ready for potential buyers. Handle as many tasks as you can now and you'll find that the sales process will be a breeze. Monday December 26, 2005 | permalink Before You Buy Gas Logs Gas logs are growing in popularity every year, so manufacturers have geared-up to offer us a wide selection of appliances. You'll find gas logs to put in a hearth, freestanding gas stoves, and fully contained fireplace units that are mounted to a wall. But did you know that the dangerous gas byproducts produced by gas logs is not always vented to the outside? It's important to understand the differences between vented and vent-free logs before you buy a gas log fireplace. Saturday December 24, 2005 | permalink Pros and Cons of Becoming a Real Estate Agent You've decided you want to become a real estate agent, but what's your motivation? Do you understand the type of work real estate agents do and are you savvy about the true pay they receive for their work? It can be a rewarding career choice, but it's definitely not the best option for everyone and there are lots of things to consider before you decide that a real estate career is right for you. Wednesday December 21, 2005 | permalink Step-by-Step Directions Help You Measure Square Footage Each year, home owners discover that their new home's square footage is not the figure that was stated when the house was advertised. Owners sometimes decide to sue the people who were involved in the transaction, especially if the difference is significant. Real estate agents and for sale by owner sellers can reduce their risks of encountering a lawsuit by knowing how use accepted standards to measure and calculate a home's square footage . Get it right the first time so that everyone's happy with the results. Wednesday December 21, 2005 | permalink Buying Land for Your New Home If you've looked and looked, but can't find the perfect combination of land and house, maybe it's time to consider building. And while buying land for your new home can seem intimidating at first, you'll find it really isn't a horrible task if you fine-tune your wants and needs before you start searching for real estate. Tuesday December 20, 2005 | permalink Buying a Home with Great Resale Potential A few generations ago it wasn't unusual for people to live in the same home for many years, somtimes the rest of their lives after becoming homeowners. We're more mobile today, always "moving up" to a larger house or relocating to a new town. So it makes sense to put some thought into buying a home with good resale value , one that will sell easily and put extra dollars in your bank account if you do decide to move. Tuesday December 20, 2005 | permalink What's a Quit Claim Deed? Home buyers usually receive a general warranty deed when they purchase real estate, because it's a type of deed that offers several guarantees from the seller that the title to the property is good. Another document that's sometimes used is a quit claim deed . It works perfectly for some situations, but it's important to understand the limitations of a quit claim deed before accepting one when you purchase real estate. Friday December 16, 2005 | permalink How Credit Scores Are Calculated Everyone looking for a mortgage to buy a home--and that's most of us--finds out right away that credit scores play a huge role in the types of loans and interest rates that are offered to them. It's helpful to study your credit reports and scores before you apply for a mortgage, and to do it as early as possible to give yourself time to correct errors before a lender takes a look. Wednesday December 14, 2005 | permalink Moving Tips and Timeline Buying a home is exciting, but let's face it... moving is a chore. A big one. The only way I know to get through it without an excess of stress is to manage the moving process in little steps instead of letting it overwhelm you at the last minute. Start early and stay organized and you'll be ready for the moving truck before you know it. Monday December 12, 2005 | permalink Typical Home Buyer Closing Costs Closing costs are the expenses associated with buying real estate. You can expect to pay a large chunk of your closing costs the day the trasaction is complete, when the property becomes yours, but some closing expenses are nearly always paid before that day. There's no single set of expenses that every home buyer must pay--every transaction is different--but it's a good idea to become familiar with typical closing costs so that you'll have a better understanding of the items billed to you on your HUD-1 settlement statement . Wednesday December 07, 2005 | permalink Display Latest Headlines | | | Read Archives powered by Movable Type Important disclaimer information about this About site. 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Real Estate Agents &
Mortgage Web site design & Real Estate agent website design, hosting and marketing. Mortgage Originators Over 1 Million online apps generated Over 5,000 mortgage originators choose Myers Leading clients generate over 50% of their business online Real Estate Agents & Offices Customizable, easy to use web sites Award winning lead generation tools Showcase your listings Products: :: Mortgage Originators :: Real Estate Agents & Offices :: Company: :: About Us :: Contact Us :: Employment :: Partners :: Why Choose Myers? Myers Internet has been a leader in mortgage website design since 1995. Myers pioneered mortgage web site design and is known for its mortgage banker websites, mortgage broker web sites and mortgage loan officer websites. A mortgage banker, mortgage broker or mortgage loan officer can get a Myers mortgage web site "off the shelf" or a mortgage website made to order. Mortgage bankers, mortgage brokers and mortgage loan officers can make their own changes to a Myers mortgage website, or hire a mortgage website design specialist to give their mortgage website design a unique look. A mortgage banker, mortgage broker or mortgage loan officer can choose from many mortgage web site design styles and mortgage websites products. Whether you're a mortgage banker, mortgage broker or mortgage loan officer, there is a mortgage web site design to suit your budget. What are some of the benefits you can expect with a Myers mortgage website? What are some of the benefits you can expect with a Myers mortgage website? A Myers mortgage website can take online mortgage applications 24/7. A Myers mortgage web site has mortgage calculators which other mortgage websites don't. Consumers visit Myers mortgage web sites to learn about the loan process. Potential borrowers use the mortgage web site to notify a mortgage broker about their desired mortgage interest rate. People go to a Myers website to see if they could benefit with a refinance mortgage A Myers mortgage website can help sell the mortgage broker or loan officer A Myers mortgage web site has important loan program information. A Myers mortgage website can help a consumer determine the mortgage loan they can afford. A mortgage broker or loan officer can display their interest rates on their Myers mortgage web sites A consumer can get confidential mortgage loan details at a Myers mortgage website. Consumers can enter the mortgage payment sweepstakes at a Myers mortgage web site. A mortgage broker or loan officer can create referral business at their mortgage website. Borrowers can get answers to frequently asked questions at a Myers mortgage web site. Consumers can find out about a bi-weekly mortgage at a Myers mortgage website. Myers is also a leader in real estate website design. Myers offers real estate agent web sites, real estate broker websites, REALTOR® websites and real estate office web sites. Real estate agents, real estate brokers and REALTORS® understand the importance of a real estate website which includes cutting edge real estate web site design. A real estate web site is a real estate agent's online real estate office. The benefits of a Myers real estate web site are numerous: A Myers real estate agent website, real estate broker web site, REALTOR® website, or real estate office website can all be personalized to suit the needs of the client. Our real estate web sites can include customized content. Custom web site content helps the real estate website be optimally indexed by search engines. A Myers real estate website can help convert visitors into prospects. The real estate agent website, real estate broker web site, REALTOR® website, and real estate office website all offer numerous lead-capturing tools. You can get a real estate agent website, real estate broker web site, REALTOR® website, or real estate office website which can display your and others' listings. You can get an advanced real estate website design which allows clients to save their property searches. A real estate agent website, real estate broker web site, REALTOR® website, or real estate office website can each have a Flash introduction. A good real estate web site design includes rich content. We have real estate website designs which come with over seventy-five pages of content featuring tips and information for home buyers and sellers. Myers real estate websites include practically everything a real estate agent or broker will ever need.
Colorado Real Estate
Telluride Real Estate Corp. - Steve Catsman - Telluride Colorado STEVE CATSMAN THE LOCAL SOURCE FOR TELLURIDE REAL ESTATE As a leading realtor in the Telluride market and Managing Director of Telluride Real Estate Corporation , Steve is dedicated to making the relationship with Buyers and Sellers a friendly, well rounded and rewarding experience. With a dynamic and dedicated real estate staff offering unmatched service and support, a powerful marketing presence and over three decades of experience in selling a variety of Real Estate in Telluride makes Steve Catsman your Local Telluride Real Estate Source . Steve's affiliation with Christie's Great Estates has opened new channels of opportunity, with access to high net worth clientele through a network of more than 650 real estate brokerage offices and 15,000 estate agents in the Christie's Great Estates affiliate network. This network should afford Steve's listing clientele a great deal of exposure on a national and international basis through its full color brochure display program and the Great Estates magazine circulation of over 100,000. Resort Real Estate in Telluride, Colorado Homes, Condos, Land and Ranches Steve has hand picked some of the most exclusive Telluride Homes on the market for his featured homes page. Or if your looking for that weekend ski place try a Telluride Condo. Located downtown by the gondola and chair lifts or slope side in Mountain Village, these condos are one of the best deals on the market. If a legacy is what you desire, Steve suggests Gray Head or a Telluride Land parcel to build the home of your dreams. Sprawling ranches in the Telluride area in excess of 35 acres are avaiable. Contact Steve today to start your search. On our real estate web site you will be able to find almost every realtor property listing in the Telluride area through our Regional Listings Search. Simply click here and start your Telluride Real Estate Property Tour. Steve Catsman Out standing in his field. Would you like to be notified when new real estate listings hits the market? Click here. Telluride Ranches | Telluride | Condos | Homes | Land | Featured Properties | Market Report | Free Brochure Home | Steve's Bio | Sell Your Home | Contact Us | Newsletter | Resources | TREC | News Local Communities: Gray Head , Town of Telluride , Mountain Village , Ridgway , Aldasoro Elk Run , The Preserve , Sunnyside Ranch , Ski Ranches , Diamond Ranch and West Meadows Maps : Mountain Village | Ski Ranches | Telluride | Regional Map | Air Travel Gray Head Development: Overview | Site Plan | Equestrian Center | Owner's Cabin Land Parcels: 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 9 | 11c | 16a b c Your Local Source for Telluride Real Estate Steve Catsman, Owner/Director Telluride Real Estate Corporation 970.728.6629 Fax 970.728.4917 EMAIL: steve@catsman.com WWW.CATSMAN.COM 137 W. Colorado, P.O. Box 1739, Telluride, CO 81435