Real Estate Loan

Real estate - Boston.com Buying Renting Recent Sales Place an ad Luxury Living Community data Mortgage Commercial Moving Guides Real estate Boston.com Check out the Real estate Section on Boston.com. December 29, 2005 -- Skyline at Station Landing Starting at: $339,000 Allston 2 bedroom $384,390 Newport 1 bed/1 den $755,000 Quechee Lakes, VT 3 bedroom $455,000 Sugarbush, VT 2 bedroom $166,457 Loon Mountain, N.H. Now accepting reservations Newbury 4 bedroom $749,900 Malden 2 bedroom $314,900 The Grandview Starting at: $600,000 Swampscott 3 bedroom $329,000 Boston 2 bedroom $545,000 South Boston 3 bedroom $429,000 Needham 4 bedroom $1,195,000 Dorchester 2 bedroom $314,000 York Beach, ME 3 bedroom $629,000 Battery Wharf Starting at: $1.15MM 210 South Street Regatta Residences Rooney Real Estate NOTE: We are experiencing technical problems that are preventing some photos from appearing in our listings. We are working now to correct the problem. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for using Boston.com Real Estate. Homes New developments Condominiums Open houses Get started All rentals Apt. communities Vacation rentals Get started HOME OF THE WEEK Old styles in a bustling area Amid a neighborhood becoming known for new restaurants, shops, and condos, the residential block where this narrow, four-level home sits may be one of the few things that has yet to significantly change. Homes of the week: Watertown | Sudbury | Westminster See photos of this home Brockton builds on legacy This working-class city's once moribund downtown is being revived by young professionals drawn to the industrial chic of old factories where laborers plied their trade more than a century ago. (The Boston Globe, 12/25/05) Kerouac's Cape home up for sale ON LOCATION Historic cottage for sale The Pratt House in Northampton, which was commissioned in 1859 by Boston doctor Alvah Littlefield and once faced demolition, is now on the market for $1.285 million. (The Boston Globe, 12/25/05) GALLERY Editor's picks: On the market Check out our favorites this week and see all different sizes, shapes, prices, and locations. (Boston.com) Last week's picks METRO HOME FEATURE A safe haven Several designers donated their time and expertise to decorate 13 bedrooms and living areas at a Children's Hospital shelter. (Metro Boston, 12/16/05) See photos of the hospital makeovers Submit photos of your pad to be featured More in Home MESSAGE BOARDS Where are prices headed? Open house advice Things to consider when buying View all message boards NEWS From one generation to another A group of young developers felt a need to give back to their Jewish community in a way that has never been done before. (Boston Globe, 12/18/05) Formal room is hereupon retired Office market shows signs of rebound COMMUNITY SNAPSHOT Holbrook Holbrook offers a mix of properties for first-time home buyers seeking more affordable options and for those in the market for more high-end housing. (The Boston Globe, 12/25/05) More profiles: Hingham | Somerville | Wellesley | Southborough All Community statistics and town data | Compare towns GALLERY A look at Manny's condo Boston.com toured Ramirez's penthouse condo, on sale for $6.9 million, and caught a glimpse into the daily digs of the World Series MVP. (Boston.com) Alternatives to heating See what others are doing to cut down on their heating bill this winter. (Boston.com) Cost comparison What is your home heating plan? Heating tips Q&A about your home heating bills More in home heating NEWS Sellers chop prices as market slows Boston-area homeowners trying to sell their houses are sharply reducing asking prices -- in some cases, by $100,000 or more -- in response to a sudden slowdown. (By Kimberly Blanton, Boston Globe) Holiday season is the ideal time to buy Lilly's five steps to real estate success 14 tips to finding a great apartment Need some help finding your next new pad? Here are a few items you should make sure to check for. (Boston.com) Print the list A sense of community in a rental Sept. 1 moving scenes Self-storage how-to Step-by-step moving guide Print box labels What are your tips for moving? Pointers on renting, your rights and so much more Search rentals Renting guides NEWS Rises in rent outpace some wages The cost of rental housing has increased more rapidly than have wages, making it increasingly difficult for low-income families to afford even modest apartments. (By Stephen Ohlemacher, Boston Globe) Tools and calculators Run the numbers on everything from your income to upfront costs and credit. Instant mortgage quotes Mortgage rates 30-yr Fxd: 6.30% 15-yr Fxd: 5.85% 1-yr. ARM: 5.15% Mortgage quotes Daily commentary NEWS Real estate slump chills 'flippers' Get in, get out, get the next deal. That's the code of the ''flipper." Flipping -- buying and quickly reselling homes -- has helped some investors make a killing over the past few years in markets such as the North Shore. Selling a house? Try some entertainment 10 things you must do when selling 10 tips for hiring a broker Selling or renting your property? click here Latest articles: Real estate transactions ( Boston Globe, 12/29/05 ) A term every home buyer, real estate agent, homeowner should know (Inman, 1:06 p.m.) Dry rot leaves home buyer in the gutter (Inman, 1:06 p.m.) Home sellers beware: Undisclosed info comes back to bite (Inman, 1:06 p.m.) In bankruptcy sale, must co-owner pay 50 percent of expenses? (Inman, 1:06 p.m.) ENeighborhoods exec. has roots in real estate technology (Inman, 12/28/05) Visions of gold entice a tin city (Boston Globe, 12/28/05) Government requirements for disclosure fail to make the grade (Inman, 1:06 p.m.) Electrical panel requires upgrading (Inman, 1:06 p.m.) Should landlords rent to section 8 subsidized tenants? (Inman, 1:06 p.m.) 'House Poor' a profitable read for home buyers (Inman, 1:06 p.m.) Inside capital gains tax law for real estate (Inman, 1:06 p.m.) Ensuring home's proper ventilation (Inman, 1:06 p.m.) America closes doors to architectural expression (Inman, 1:06 p.m.) 5 negotiation tactics for real estate deals (Inman, 1:06 p.m.) HOME OF THE WEEK: Old styles inside, bustling outside (Boston Globe, 12/25/05) ON LOCATION: Historic cottage escaped demolition, now it's a gem for sale (Boston Globe, 12/25/05) BUSINESS LETTERS: Home prices are falling, but why? (Boston Globe, 12/25/05) Brockton builds on factory legacy (Boston Globe, 12/25/05) COMMUNITY SNAPSHOT: Holbrook (Boston Globe, 12/25/05) feedback form | help | site index | globe archives | rss © 20 The New York Times Company

Sell House

Sell House Home Property Online, UK Sell your house / home / property online, advice for UK sellers. Sell Your Home Online With HouseWeb - Sell your house / home / property without an Estate agent. Your online advertisement will include colour photos and a virtual tour. Packages start at £47 and properties are featured on Asserta, Fish4 and many more sites. Guide to Selling Your Home in England, Wales and Northern Island Should I use an Estate Agent? If you choose to market your property yourself, you will need to arrange to value it (many Estate agents offer free valuations, or you could value it yourself if you have a good idea of the current market in your area), negotiate a final price with the buyers, market it and show prospective buyers around your home. Advertising it yourself may include: Making a for sale board and erecting it in your garden. Advertising your home in local newspapers. Advertising it on noticeboards and shop windows in your area. Marketing the property online. Making a brochure describing your house (quite straight forward if you have a computer and a digital camera ). If you have neither the time nor energy to contemplate the above, then you would be better off using a traditional estate agent. However, you can save thousands of pounds in commission by selling your home yourself. How can I make my property more saleable? First impressions can count for a lot when selling a house, so keep in mind the following: Keep the outside neat and tidy. Trim bushes and trees, remove weeds, especially from driveways, and consider adding tubs of flowers or hanging baskets to the front of your property. Try and remove any clutter from the inside of your house. Generally, the less a house has in it and the tidier it is, the larger the rooms appear. Try not to cram small rooms with too many pieces of furniture. Any essential and noticeable repairs should be complete before any viewings take place. Consider whether or not you are prepared to include carpets, curtains in the price of the house, or whether you would sell them separately. What fixtures are included with the house? Generally as a rule of thumb, anything that is physically attached to the house is included as part of the house and must not be removed unless specifically excluded in the contract. Such things would include light switches, fitted kitchen appliances, curtain rails and toilet roll holders. It is adviseable to prepare a list of anything that may be considered a fixture that you are going to remove, to avoid legal problems in the future. I've decided to use an estate agent. How do I choose one? Compare things as: their reputation (if possible), whether they are members of the appropriate professional body eg NAEA (National Association of Estate Agents) and of course the commission rates. These are generally charged at 1%-2.5% of the final selling price, but they can always be negotiated lower, especially on expensive properties. You will need to check if these fees cover all costs, such as advertising, brochures, for sale board etc. Pay attention to the contract you will be agreeing with the agent. Are you agreeing to: A sole agency You can only advertise through one estate agent. You agree to pay the commission to the estate agent if they find the buyer. If you find the buyer yourself (eg through an online service) then you don't pay commission to the estate agent unless you have a contract giving them "sole selling rights" in which case you will have to pay the agent even if you find the buyer yourself. If you are going to advertise the property yourself, make this fact clear to the estate agent and do not agree to sole selling rights with him. A joint agency You employ two or more estate agents who share the commission when the property is sold. Multiple agency You employ two or more agents but the commission is only payable to the one that finds the buyer. Doing your own packing and removals? You can buy cardboard boxes and packing materials online from Cartons Direct . That's The One For Me - Advertise your property online from £19.95 Mouse Price - Their database contains the price paid for any house sold in England and Wales. My Property For Sale - Properties are advertised on Asserta, Propertyfinder.com, Fish4, Channel 4 homes and Sky. House Network - Online estate agents with fee capped at £500. Properties are advertised on the industry leading Rightmove website, in addition to other property websites. Related pages: Lighting | Bedding | Income Tax Preparation | Curtains and Blinds | Home | Home Security Prenuptial Agreements

Home Loan Center Mortgage

Sallie Mae Home Loans -- Click Here to Apply Today search SMHL.com " / Finance your child's private K-12 education to keep your payments practical and affordable Apply Today ! -- Home Loan Center Mortgage Solutions Manage Your Credit Calculators Glossary FAQs You Are Unique! -- At Sallie Mae Home Loans, we understand your individuality. With a Sallie Mae Home Loan you can look forward to: Financial Options personalized for you. Less Paperwork and faster turnaround. One-of-a-kind service and expert support. Not sure where to start? Check out our Loan Center or call us at (800) SLM-6404 to speak with one of our Home Loan Experts. If you are interested in receiving a free copy of our Sallie Mae Home Loans Home Buyers Guide, you can download one now or call us at (800) SLM-6404 to request one by mail. Click here to read the latest version of the Sallie Mae Home Loans Unique Expressions Newsletter or call us at (800) SLM-6404 to request one by mail. What Will My Payments Be? Loan Amount Appraised Value Term (years) Interest rate Property tax (yearly) Insurance (yearly) " name="B1" © FinanCenter Wipe out your student loans! Win up to $25,000 in student loan payoffs, or $12,000 cash. Learn more now. Privacy Statement Terms and Conditions of Use Licenses Contact Us Site Map Sallie Mae is a registered service mark and Sallie Mae Home Loans and the Sallie Mae Home Loans logo are service marks of Sallie Mae, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of SLM Corporation. SLM corporation and its subsidiaries other than the Student Loan Marketing Association are not sponsored by or agencies of the United States of America. Sallie Mae Home Loans, Inc., is an Equal Opportunity Lender. © 2004 Sallie Mae All Rights Reserved.

Investment Property

Australian Investment Properties ... Many of Australias Best - Right Here! Click on the photograph of the property you wish to view. Scroll down to view all of the properties. 250E Luxury apartments due to be completed November 2002: Melbourne CBD, Victoria. Singularly the most centrally located CBD residential property in Melbourne is 250e. Absolute CBD. Right in the heart of the city, it is absolute CBD. There is no other property that can touch it for location and potential investment value. new Arcadia Grove Stage 1 Townhouses and Apartments due to be completed July 2003: East Hawthorn, Victoria. Arcadia Grove offers brand new homes with all features Hawthorn lovers love best. Beautiful garden townhouses and apartments of 1, 2 and 3 bedrooms, are set among leafy streets that lead into a central urban oasis of parkland. Boulevard 610 Luxury apartments due to be completed June 2002: Melbourne, Victoria. From the tranquility of Albert Park Lake to the colour and excitement of St Kilda & Chapel Street, the Boulevard's spectacular location is at the centre of everything. new i.d. Luxury apartments due to be completed October 2003: Port Melbourne, Victoria. i.d. sees the redevelopment of the Joshua Brothers Distillery site in Port Melbourne. The apartments are designed around a courtyard space, with pool and recreation areas and a mix of landscaped surfaces, palms and lush planting. new Pacific International Apartments Melbourne Serviced apartments due to be completed January 2003: Melbourne, Victoria. Overlooking Collins Street and the Yarra, Pacific International Apartments, offers fully furnished and superbly decorated one and two bedroom hotel apartments and hotel suite apartments. Philadelphia Luxury Apartments now completed: Melbourne, Victoria. Located in the residential Golden Mile of Melbourne opposite the beautiful Treasury Gardens. Scala Luxury apartments due to be completed October 2002: Melbourne, Victoria. A sophisticated inner city apartment building, Scala Apartments, Lakeside offer stunning views and an exceptional level of refinement. With 107 apartments, Scala offers you the choice of 1, 2 or 3 bedrooms with some apartments incorporating a study. new Tribeca Luxury apartments due to be completed May 2005: East Melbourne, Victoria. Tribeca East Melbourne will be a development of unsurpassed quality, fusing contemporary architectural design with the existing heritage structures of the Victoria Brewery site. new Westway Apartments Luxury apartments due to be completed October 2003: Maribyrnong, Victoria. Westway offers 67 magnificent luxury style two and three bedroom apartments & townhouses only 5km from the CBD. Close to all amenities such as child care centres, shopping centres, Maribyrnong River, parklands and Universities, Westway is sure to create a lifestyle within its self. new Linc Stage 2 Luxury apartments due to be completed November 2003: Alexandria, New South Wales . Architecturally designed with a choice between live/work apartments, studios, one or two bedroom apartments, Linc is the perfect location for easy living. Ellington Luxury apartments due to be completed August 2002: Tenneriffe, Queensland. Ellington comprises three separate buildings encircling extensive recreation areas and tree lined pedestrian walkways. Set amongst extensive landscaping, incorporating lap pool and barbecue areas, Ellington will provide a green oasis, a tranquil retreat shielding the residents from the hustle and bustle, yet still its just a few minutes from the heart of the action. Last Few Horizons Luxury apartments now completed: New Farm, Queensland. Overlooking the New Farm Park and Brisbane River, Horizons consists of twelve luxury ensuited apartments and two villa, executive residences. The development features a pool and B.B.Q area, north-facing and park views, has lift access to all levels, on-site management and massive entertainment balconies. new Alpha G Luxury apartments due to be completed February 2003: Waterloo, New South Wales. Alpha G is a unique development of 75 space age apartments which will be built on top of a futuristic commercial office space and modern showroom complex. The building features sun shading to the east and west, air conditioning, undercover parking and an entry level cafe. Apex Apartments Luxury apartments due to be completed September 2001: North Sydney, New South Wales. Located centrally in Berry Street North Sydney, Apex offers 77 luxury apartments with security undercover parking, swimming pool and gymnasium. Last Few Balmain Shores Stage 3 Luxury apartments due to be completed December 2002: Iron Cove, New South Wales. Idyllic environment with 340 metres of water frontage in the historic Balmain area, just four kilometres from the Sydney CBD. Balmain Shores Stage 4 Luxury Terraces Apartments due to be completed December 2002: Rozelle, New South Wales. Inspired by the historic architecture of the surrounding area, the final stage of Balmain Shores embraces the convenience and style of terrace living. These boutique buildings are no more than three storeys high and all apartments features balconies. new Garden Square Luxury apartments due to be completed February 2003: Chatswood CBD, New South Wales. Garden Square is a community orientated, environmentally sustainable, new development, occupying a prime position amongst the more traditional red roofed bungalows of Chatswood. An easy walk to Chatswoods many amenities and attractions, Garden Square comes with convenient access to trains, buses, schools and shops. King Street Wharf (Stage 2, North) Luxury Apartments due to be completed June 2002: Darling Harbour, New South Wales. King Street Wharf will be an exciting new waterfront district in Sydney. Formerly wharf 9 and 10 of a former maritime terminal in which Darling Harbour was known as Wharf 8. Stage 2 consists of the construction of twin residential towers (North and South) of Building 3, plus the balance of the waterfrontage retail and strata commercial element, Building 2. King Street Wharf (Stage 2, South) Luxury Apartments due to be completed June 2002: Darling Harbour, New South Wales. King Street Wharf will be an exciting new waterfront district in Sydney. Formerly wharf 9 and 10 of a former maritime terminal in which Darling Harbour was known as Wharf 8. Stage 2 consists of the construction of twin residential towers (North and South) of Building 3, plus the balance of the waterfrontage retail and strata commercial element, Building 2. new Linc - Stage 1 Luxury apartments due to be completed May 2003: Alexandria, New South Wales. Architecturally designed with a choice between live/work apartments, studios, one or two bedroom apartments, Linc is the perfect location for easy living. Last Few Linea Luxury apartments due to be completed December 2002: St Leonards, New South Wales. Brand new, contemporary apartments located amidst the vibrancy of St Leonards dynamic lifestyle attractions. Boasting smart design, captivating views and spacious, open living areas, Linea apartments offer the smooth integration of complete comfort and style. new Medina Classic Serviced apartments now completed: Sydney, New South Wales. Medina Classic Martin Place is ideally located in the heart of Sydneys vibrant CBD and shopping precinct, only one block north of Martin Place. The 49 studio and one bedroom apartments all have fully equipped kitchens and laundries. new Nexus Luxury apartments due to be completed July 2003: St Leonards, New South Wales. Rising through the St Leonards skyline, Nexus is an address where life meets style. Located between the transport hub of St Leonards and the cafe society of Crows Nest, convenience meets necessity in this central location. Pacific International Suites Parramatta Serviced apartments now completed: Parramatta, New South Wales. Fully furnished 4.5 star serviced apartments with a thirty year guaranteed return. new Proximity 1 and 2 Luxury apartments due to be completed June 2004: North Arncliffe, New South Wales. Only minutes from the Sydney CBD as well as beaches, parks and waterways, Proximity defines a new standard for contemporary residential communities. Each apartment offers views, space, parking and privacy, with ample room for individual style. new Proximity 3 Luxury apartments due to be completed June 2004: North Arncliffe, New South Wales. Only minutes from the Sydney CBD as well as beaches, parks and waterways, Proximity defines a new standard for contemporary residential communities. Each apartment offers views, space, parking and privacy, with ample room for individual style. new Quadrant Luxury apartments due to be completed July 2003: Broadway, New South Wales. Located only 1 km from Sydney CBD, Quadrant offers residential apartments featuring a blend of heritage and modern architecture. A vibrant central plaza forms the heart of the development, with restaurants and alfresco cafes in landscaped gardens featuring reflection pools. new State Apartments Luxury apartments due to be completed June 2003: Waitara, New South Wales. Located in the upper north shore suburb of Waitara, the State Apartments comprises 102 stylish and spacious one bedroom + study, two bedroom and three bedroom apartments, all featuring secure undercover parking, split system air conditioning and balconies. new Waitara Grand Apartments Luxury apartments due to be completed June 2003: Waitara, New South Wales. The Waitara Grand Apartments offer 136 luxury apartments over two towers in Sydneys upper northern suburb of Waitara. Waitara Grand features public parklands on two sides of the development and provides a private swimming pool, communal courtyard and secure undercover parking. Back to the Australia Financial Services Directory

Real Estate Prices Still

Agricultural Economist Newsletter: Winter 2001--Farm Real Estate Prices Still Rising in Minnesota Farm Real Estate Prices Still Rising in Minnesota Steven J. Taff Average Minnesota farm real estate sales prices just keep on climbing (figure 1). This despite low output prices, rising input costs, and continued uncertainty about the future of federal subsidies. Sales price increases were seen in all parts of the state except in the northwest. In this annual sales price summary, I can provide only an overview, some cursory analysis, and--as always--a few opinions. I'll not bore you with text that simply repeats what's already shown in the charts. Instead I'll spend some time discussing how land transaction data are recorded, adjusted, and employed. I think it's useful to go through some administrative and procedural details to further our understanding of what these data are and what they are not. If this prospect makes you say, "Just show me the data, Steve," then you can stop right after the sales summary section. Or, if your impatience knows no bounds, go straight to the Minnesota Land Economics (MLE) Web site at http://apec.umn.edu/faculty/sjtaff/landdata/index.html and start working the numbers yourself. Farm Land Sales in 2000 Assessors are required to report initial assessments in late fall, based on sales data to date. That's why the data are reported on a "record year" basis: these are the sales that were, presumably, available for assessor scrutiny at the time the initial estimated market-values are calculated. Final values are set by summer, to be used in the succeeding tax year. So, for example, sales made in late 1999 are used by assessors to set initial values for January 2001. These estimates are adjusted in spring 2001, finalized in summer 2001, and then used for tax purposes in 2002. The adjusted record year 2000 sales data were therefore not available until April of this year. Figure 2 shows the distribution of all farmland sales in 2000. The bulk of the sales lie between $500 and $2,000 per acre. I excluded a small number of sales that exceeded $5,000 per acre as well as those involving parcels of land less than 20 acres in size. Both were excluded as not being plausibly "agricultural"--despite their designation on the Certificate of Real Estate Value (CRV) as "agricultural" land. (Although excluded from figure 2, these data are included in the MLE Web site data.) Even though MAE readers and MLE Web site users can view the full distribution of sales prices, most still ask for a single number that somehow captures the story behind the figures. Obviously, for a set of sales that span such a wide range in prices, any single number fails completely to accomplish this end. Movements in averages, while arithmetically correct, usually fail to tell the entire story. The particular average I use in this article is a location- and size-weighted mean (table 1). In last year's farm real estate report ( agecon.lib.umn.edu/mn/mae699.pdf ), I discussed the usefulness of such weighting as well as the desirability of examining sales data at the smallest geographic scale possible. Table 1. Minnesota farm real estate sales summary Record year Number of sales Acres sold Average price* 1996 2,504 263,728 936 1997 2,641 296,803 1,039 1998 2,724 303,968 1,113 1999 2,212 235,359 1,196 2000 2,258 250,979 1,222 * Location- and size-weighted per-acre mean Figure 1 compares the movements of actual sales price averages with those two other estimates of land value--the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) annual state estimates (based on a farmer opinion survey) and the average assessor estimates (the location- and size-weighted mean estimated market value). The University of Minnesota sales prices averages are location- and size-weighted means. The fact that all three (somewhat) independent estimates of farmland real estate values shown in figure 1 move in lockstep adds credence, I believe, to the conclusion that, on average, farmland values really are increasing in Minnesota. Geographic variations in real estate values for the past 11 years are shown in the box-and-whisker plots of figure 3. (District boundaries are shown in figure 4.) The range of sales prices for each district for each year is shown by the endpoints of the vertical lines. The ends of each box show the prices at which 25 percent of the sales were higher (or lower). The median is indicated by the horizontal bar within each box. So, for example, the median Central district farmland sale was about $1,200 per acre, with 25 percent of the sales lower than $750 and 75 percent lower than $1,850 per acre. In previous years' reports, I've noted the wide variation in average price movements among districts. Such differences were accentuated in 2000 by the continued climb of values in the South East district combined with the continued stagnation in the North West district (figure 5) . Farm Sale Data When a Minnesota property is sold, the transaction details must be recorded at the county courthouse on a form called a CRV. On it, the seller attests that such-and-such a property was sold to so-and-so on a certain date for a specific price. Other information about the property (its size, soil characteristics, prior year's estimated market value) is often entered on the CRV as well. Frequently, the per-acre prices that underlie this article and are also shown in the MLE Web site are not the prices entered on the CRV. Long before a land sales figure enters the official data base, it has been passed through an array of filters and adjustments designed to make comparison among transactions more meaningful and more reliable. Recording the Transactions There are many possible slips between an ownership change and data analysis. Of course, there is always the chance that simple recording errors are made. For example, numbers may be miscopied from bills of sale onto the CRV, or into a computer file, or into a spreadsheet. There is also a chance of misrepresentation. The person who fills in the CRV might have a reason to understate or overstate the actual sales price--perhaps to avoid a tax. This, of course, is illegal, but, as any courthouse veteran can tell you, it occasionally happens. Not every sale receives further processing. Local or state officials remove from subsequent analysis any sale not deemed "arms-length," because it was sold, for example, to a member of the seller's immediate family. Or, a sale might be pulled because the new buyer intends to convert the land to a non-agricultural use. Adjusting the Prices After this filtering, sales prices are frequently adjusted to make comparison among sales more appropriate. First, to expunge the effects of inflation, sales prices are deflated by an officially reported rate to January 2 of the year in which they were recorded. This "adjustment for time" is fairly minor in years (like the past decade) where inflation has been low. The second adjustment is "for terms." Not all farm real estate sales are for the full property. Some are made through a contract for deed, an arrangement that allows the buyer to pay a certain amount now and other amounts at stated intervals. Until the final payment is made, the property remains in the possession of the seller--even though it has been "sold." Because the full payment schedule is entered on the CRV, the Department of Revenue can calculate a present value of the initial and subsequent payments at an official discount rate. This becomes the official sales price of the property, regardless of what the buyer and seller had in mind when they sealed the deal. Adjustments don't end with a time- and terms-adjusted sales price, honestly reported and accurately recorded. In most cases, users of the data are interested in per-acre prices, not per-parcel prices. That means some chosen total price must be divided by some total acreage. But which price? Which acres? Should we use the total price or should we first subtract out the value of buildings, personal property, ancillary property, or machinery to get closer to the "true" land price? In this article (and on the MLE Web site), I choose to follow conventions established years ago in Minnesota. I report the time- and terms-adjusted total sales price, minus the value of personal property, divided by the entire acreage of the parcel. That's why, when I'm being careful, I speak of the average price of farm real estate, not of farm land . Employing the Data The sales reported here are only those recorded between October 1, 1999, and September 30, 2000. These "record year 2000" sales are so bundled because of the way real estate transactions are used to help local assessors value land for property tax purposes. Strange as it may seem, the Department of Revenue does not collect sales data merely to satisfy the data cravings of University economists like me. No, statewide sales data are collected principally to create statistics that are used to "equalize" property tax valuations across county boundaries. Each year, county assessors are required to assign an estimated market value (EMV) to each of the thousands of real estate parcels in the county. The estimate is supposed to be based on an examination of similar properties that were actually sold recently. (The combined valuations for each township, city, or county are the source of the Land Values--in contrast to the Farmland Sales--data on the MLE Web site.) Because every county has its own assessor who uses largely independent valuation procedures, there are inevitably discontinuities across county lines--even for adjacent properties. Farmer Brown wonders why Farmer Olson's land, just across the fence line in the next county, carries an assessed value that is lower by $200 per acre. The state has created an equalization procedure that is supposed to smooth over such discontinuities. Assuming that nearby properties really would sell for similar prices, any observed difference in assessed values for otherwise similar properties is presumed to be evidence that one or both of the assessors is either undervaluing (that is, assigning an EMV that is too low) or overvaluing properties. To test this, the state calculates a sales ratio (the EMV divided by sales price) for every property sold in a particular area. If an assessor systematically undervalues properties (shown by sales ratios that are consistently lower than some threshold), the state might demand the EMVs in that jurisdiction be uniformly raised, to better accord with what is thought to be "true" market conditions. How Accurate Are the EMVs? We can see for ourselves how close the final assessor estimates are by comparing actual sales prices against the previous year's estimated market values for the same property (figure 2). Each point in the figure represents one sale. For example, the rightmost point is for a property that was estimated to have a value of $4,900 per acre, but actually sold for only $2,900 per acre. While some of the estimates are obviously way off (like this example), the bulk are pretty close. In most cases, the EMV was lower than the sale price, but in a neatly predictable manner. A simple one-variable regression model, shown as the straight line in the figure, accounts for nearly 75 percent of the observed variation in farm real estate sales prices. Parting Thoughts What accounts for the ever-onward-and-upward movement of average farm real estate prices in Minnesota? We need only to round up the usual suspects, most of which I have discussed at length in previous issues of MAE . These include 1) perennial farmer optimism about future crop and livestock prices, 2) expected extensions of federal farm subsidy programs, 3) continued favorable local property tax treatment for farmland, 4) the desire of some farmers to increase the size of their current operation by buying adjacent farmland, 5) the desire of some non-farm buyers to use land as a hedge against inflation, and 6) inflation itself. An additional suspect that we need to add is the increasing prominence of location even in rural land markets. We simply can't explain current price levels on the basis of income potential (including subsidies) and speculation potential alone. Clearly, where the land sits with respect to job centers and what it looks like is influencing the price buyers are willing to pay for a particular parcel of land. As always, I caution potential land buyers and sellers about reading too much into the average land prices reported here and elsewhere. If you've got land to sell or if you have a hankering to buy land--look before you leap. The financial stakes are too high for casual empiricism. Hire an appraiser. Talk with your spouse. Check your finances. Think about the children. Be careful out there! Steven J. Taff is an associate professor and extension economist with the Department of Applied Economics at the University of Minnesota. Return to Minnesota Ag Economist Newsletter Index Page University of Minnesota Extension Service HomePage