Real Estate Information

A May 8, 2009 Gallup Poll has uncovered some VERY interesting information about where Americans are headed with their heads and their wallets.

People were asked which of 4 common investment vehicles, (stocks, bonds, real estate, savings accounts), would be the best long-term strategy. Their answers?

34% said Savings Accounts, 33% said Real Estate. 

Not surprisingly, Savings Accounts ranked very low in the past when people day-trading on E-Trade in their pajamas thought they were the next Warren Buffet. This was of course also the same for Real Estate at the height of the boom.

If you could pass the "mirror test" in 2004-2006, (breathe on a mirror and see if it fogs up), you were making boat-loads of cash flipping real estate. In 2005 50% of Americans said they'd choose real estate for investment.

That said, the Savings Accounts portion of the poll is completely unremarkable since most people just want some safety these days, yet the real estate portion is very remarkable.

In a supposedly "bad" market, 33% of Americans say that's where they would put their hard-earned cash. Of course you may be thinking, "it's probably just a bunch of naive 1st-time Buyers thinking this is the next boom." If so, you'd probably be wrong. Just look at which demographic group most highly picks real estate:

The highest percentage of those who view real estate as the best option are those in the higher income bracket, made up of many saavy investors and other people with cash on hand.

 This report comes on the heels of an April 16, 2009 poll that showed 71% of Americans feeling like RIGHT NOW is the time to buy. (Video HERE.)

I am not a Financial Planner, CPA or any other version of a certified financial guru, but I like real estate because of the "tangible" nature of it. The world financial markets may crumble, but you can still enjoy your home or vacation property, or at least camp on it!

Just curious, where are the people you spend time with putting their money?

Full Gallup Poll Article here: http://www.gallup.com/poll/118300/Savings-Accounts-Real-Estate-Seen-Best-Investments.aspx

The 2009 "Power Broker" report, produced by RIS Media, was just released and a (big) little company in a little place called St. George, Utah is once again turning heads.

Keller Williams St. George Realty was named as a "2009 Company to Watch" in the report, and Keller Williams Las Vegas (which is actually the Vegas office PLUS St. George) was ranked #213 in the "Power Broker" section of the report.

Click on this link for full report: http://rismedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/ris_pbsurvey_09.pdf

This comes on the heals of January 2009 reports that showed that our Keller Williams St. George office had sold 19.6% more real estate in 2007/2008 than in 2006, while virtually every other "top 10" brokerage in Washington County was down for the same period. (SEE IT HERE)

This is good for our our clients, our agents and the economy. I'm lucky to be working with such a growing, community-minded (see "KW CARES") and forward-thinking group of people. Go KW!!

Don't you just LOVE the $8000.00 first-time home buyer tax credit? I'm sure I will get a variety of answers to that question. If you are buying you SHOULD love it and if you aren't your answer will vary based on your political opionons. Regardless, it is a really great tool that has been instrumental in the "jump-start" of real estate again in the good old USA.

There is a lot of buzz out in the real estate world right now about the first time home buyer tax credit being used as a down payment.

 As things are right now, you don't get the tax credit until after you close so you can't use it as a down payment unless you can get mom and dad to "float" you the money for a few weeks. This is completely legal and ethical, and we are seeing many home buyers do just that. Those that don't need the money as downpayment are spending it on home repairs and upgrades.  

Essentially, your family would have to give you a "gift" and then have you pay them back with the money from the tax credit.

There are plans in the works to change that rule and provide a way for buyers to used the tax credit as a down payment, applicable at closing. It would have to work in a similar fashion, since Uncle Sam is not going to send you 8 grand until you prove that you have purchased a home, but may provide a way for buyers to cut the "gifter" out of the picture. 

I want YOU to buy a house!

There are some kinks yet to be worked out because lenders don't want to be left holding the bag if the buyers don't repay them with the tax credit. I don't blame them...

In whatever form it comes it will be a welcomed addition and hopefully provide many more first time home buyers the means to not only purchase a home, but to do so in a more "cautious" manner than we saw in the previous hyped-up, $0-down-driven real estate boom.

Thoughts? Questions?

Blake Bench is a professional mortgage planner with Bank of America in St. George, UT. He can be reached at (435) 705-4128 or blake.bench@bankofamerica.com.

You know it wasn’t too long ago when you knew every single person you saw in Larson’s Frostop and people were parking their cars on an angle along the side of St. George Boulevard. Boy have times changed or what?

World-famous comedian Brian Regan played Tuacahn Ampitheatre last week while the arguably #1 Triathlon in the State of Utah, the “SG TRI” was run at Sand Hollow State Park. As far as I know, St. George didn’t even see their first Triathlon until around 2001!

With event such as these and Tuacahn’s “Broadway in the Desert” and other incredible events, St. George can now comfortable boast great culture and entertainment, in addition to amazing weather, golf and nearby national parks.

I saw the Regan show and it was painfully funny. That guy has such an amazing knack for taking the incredibly mundane, heating it up with his physical humor, and making your gut and jaw ache from laughter. The amazing part is that they SOLD OUT 3 nights straight of the 2000+ seat venue and had added seating everywhere but the rafters….I’m sure some fire codes must have been broken.

2009 Tuacahn Highlights

And it's not like the Tuacahn shows are a bunch of wanna-be amatuers. This is professionally produced, professionaly-paid theatre by people with real resumes!

Along with many others, I too fear the thought my home town (and that of my Father and his Father) becoming a booming metropolis with heavy traffic and other nonsense, but I welcome these events as well as the myriad of new parks & recreation areas, and what it means for my children and their children. 

I think you would be hard-pressed to find very many other areas where there are clean, safe parks within 1 mile or LESS of every home, public FREE "splash pads" for kids to play on and more!

Thankfully, the City Fathers seem to be doing a wonderful job of creating a comfortable balance between the new and the old and this area still enjoys small-town charm, (with the convenience of Big-Box retail and an “In n’ Out Burger” of course.)

In summary, it’s no surprise to me that people will continue to move here. If you don’t already, you should try it. The warm ready Dixie sand feels doesn’t feel too bad between your toes either!

I don't know if it was a commercial for cold cereal, or "Big-League Chew" or something else, but as a kid there was this commercial that ran during Saturday morning cartoons where the kid is playing outfield in a baseball game. The ball is hit and headed his way when he realizes it is actually about 50x the size of a regulation ball and he says, "I got it, I got it....YOU got it!"

That pretty much sums up just about every real estate transaction being handled by today's real estate Professional. It isn't any one person's fault, it is just the way it is. Several factors may account for last minute delays: Increasing "tight" lending standards for one and honestly, a current bottleneck due to heavy buyer activity may be the biggest culprit.

Just this last week we ran into a classic case of "close yet so far away" on a transaction.

Our Buyer was coming from Salt Lake City and had just closed on the sale of their personal residence the night before. They arrived on Tuesday and for whatever reason, their Lender didn't have loan documents ready to sign so they graciously put the Buyers up in a hotel for the night.

The next day their moving truck showed up with the crew saying "where do we put this stuff? We gotta' be in Las Vegas later this afternoon." At the same moment the Lender called and told us that FHA was asking for a termite inspection as a final condition for closing the loan!

WITH the moving company there, the Termite Inspector (Wade of Western Pest Control, a great guy), showed up to inspect. No problem, the home was only built in mid 1990's right, shouldn't be any critters, right? Wrong.

TERMITES! Nothing major, but had to be treated right then. This of course delayed closing, move-in, the works! Sheesh.

Fortunately the Buyers are tremendous people and were so excited about their new home purchase they were able to forgive all of the inconveniene of the day.

I don't know whether sharing this story will make me look stupid or experienced, but it happened and other agents, buyers and seller can and should learn from it.

Lesson? Just like in every facet of life there are going to be hiccups, snags, unexpected delays. When you are dealing with the purchase or sale of your home the stress is enhanced. Here are a few tips to create a little "insurance" against these types of incidents:

 1. Get a "thorough but basic" understanding of the Purchase Contract (REPC): The oxymoron in the heading for this point illustrates this key point: Don't waste your time becoming a real estate Attorney all of the sudden when you buy or sell, but DO get a very solid understanding of the contract deadlines, consequences of missing them, and methods to extend them if necessary.

A solid real estate agent should be able to make this all very clear. (toot my own horn moment coming up right....NOW!!) The Larkin Group prides itself on being able to take a complex, legally binding document and making it very plain and simple for the average Joe.

2. Turn in all necessary documentation YESTERDAY! This means items requested by Lenders, Title, Real Estate agents, etc. This could be pay stubs, employment verification, repair histories, HOA info, whatever. I have seen dozens of deals get delayed because buyer or seller procrastinated in delivering key information.

3. Hope for the best, plan for the worst: "Be optomistic and pessimistic all at once!" Meaning...certainly put all of your energy and faith into the process going smoothly and as planned, but always remember that it could get delayed and sometimes it is just noone's fault. I have had many clients put themselves in a bad situation by moving out of their current residence becuase the proposed closing was scheduled for say June 1st, then the deal was delayed until the 10th!

I've seen sellers have to move back in because buyers bailed at last minute, and buyers have to find immediate, emergency housing in the interim. Not fun.

Be prepared mentally and emotionally for this most exciting purchase or sale of your lifetime and you will have a great experience every time.

Until next time...

The tides are a turnin' in many parts of the St. George area real estate market this month! Friends and clients on my mailing list have been hearing about this for the past few months and the positive news keeps coming.

In an article from today's "Spectrum" newspaper titled "Local Economy Stabilizing", local & regional economist Lecia Langston said Washington County's economy is beginning to stabilize. Well it's about time!

For so long our area was "insulated" from the major ebbs and flows of the economy, feeling only a percentage of the cyclical changes that may have been felt in other major metropolitan areas. Why? Well if you live here you know the answer, and if you are moving here you also understand. Great location, weather, scenery, national parks, low crime, the works!

Outside of all the economists' hard-to-understand charts and graphs, what we are seeing "on the ground" is this: Properties hitting the market and selling in a few days or less for list or even above list price, with the final price and terms being determined through a "bidding war." (see this WSJ article on just that: BIDDING WARS)

Here are some hard figures to consider:

1. "Pending" sales up nearly 40% since February. All of the major financial and housing experts use pending sales as a major indicator of housing market health.

2. "Active" listings down 12% in that same time frame. Real estate, just like handguns and hammers, is about supply and demand. Lower supply is what we want.

There is still a TON of foreclosure inventory coming, but I think this is a good thing. Why? Because every well-priced home that hits the market right now, especially under $300k, is selling in just a few days. This tells us the public is finally ready to pull the proverbial trigger and get into the housing market.

Housing has always driven the rest of the financial markets. When people are buying, sellers are getting paid and spending that $$ on other homes, goods and services. In that process, real estate agents, title and mortgage people also get paid. They in turn spend money, and the eternal sales cycle continues.

Please feel free to comment or ask questions on this page about the figures above, as well as your personal opinions about the market. Onward!

Some time back I posted an entry titled "If I Gave you $10,000  to Buy a House, would you do it?"  I was of course referring to the St. George / Washington County Home Buyer "grant" of $10,000. It was exciting news for sure.....at the time.

That news now pales in comparison of the combined incentives available for buyers in this current market, particlularly FIRST TIME home buyers (defined as anyone who has not owned a home in the past 3 years.)

Let's take a brief look at those options:

$8000.00 First-time home buyer tax credit - Detailed summary HERE.

You literally get either an $8000.00 check from the US Govt, or a credit in the same amount against your tax liability if you buy a home between Jan 1, 2009 and Dec 31, 2009. (Assume you owe nothing in taxes, you're getting $8k. Assume you owe say $4000.00, you're getting $4000.00)

Who gets it? First-time home buyers only. Does it have to be paid back? NO. The "old" tax credit (from way back in the pre-historic age of 2008 and President Bush) was $7500.00 and had to be paid back. Not this one, it is yours to fix your home up, go to Disneyland, stuff in a mattress, whatever.....forever. Income qualifications are broad and very few will make too much for this.

$10,000 Home buying grant in Washington County / St. George -Email us for Details

This is an income qualified "grant" and also depends on how many people in your household. If you are couple with no children, $32,000 is the cutoff. I believe it goes up $5000.00 per child thereafter. The key stipulation with this program is that is has to be paid back in full if you sell or refinance the home in the first 15 years after.

$6000.00 Utah "Home Run" New Homes Grant - Just signed into law LAST NIGHT by Governor Jon Hunstman. Detailed summary HERE.

There are only 1600 of these babies available and then the pot of gold is gone. The funding comes from President Obama's stimulus package and the $$ that was allotted to Utah. The premis is this: Offer a $6000.00 incentive to those who buy a vacant, never-been-lived-in home, so we can get some of this vacant inventory "mopped up.'

Unlike the Washington County incentive, this does NOT have to be paid back and income limits are HIGH: $75,000 for individuals and $150,000 for married couples.

Total Incentives to buy: $24,000

Kind of makes me wish I were buying....

Not only that, it has also upset alot of people who feel like their hard-earned tax dollars are being used to pay their neighbors an incentive to go buy a home. There is some truth to that I'm sure, but as a member of the industry who looks at vacant homes all day long I have to support these measures.

Additionally, we have actually arrived at a place where owning IS cheaper than renting for many people, and if not literally so, it is effectively the case based on all of the tax benefits of owning a home. (not to mention getting an $8000.00 check after closing!)

Sorry to sound like just another home-peddling realtor, but we are truly heading into the "Perfect Home-Buying Storm." I read a report this week that showed the following: Since they began tracking interest rates in 1971, obtaining a (legitimate) loan has never been more affordable....ever. Add to that (now) low pricing and these incentives and I can't see why a qualified individual would wait.....for what?!

In closing, let me illustrate how these incentives "hit home." I put a contract together on a foreclosed property with a young first-time buying family just yesterday. The home had been on the market JUST 1 day and will need several thousand in maintenance items to be really "livable" by most people's standards, (carpet, paint, some appliances, yard cleanup, etc).

Now the average family buying their first home will do everything they can to come up wtih their downpayment, but as for making alot of repairs, which almost all foreclosures require, most people don't have it!

As a young family with 1 baby and consistent, but "limited" income, that $8000.00 will come in very handy for them.

What say you?

I love good news, don't you? In a period of NEVER-ENDING financial pain, death, destruction and just generally bad news once again my beloved Beehive State is a ray of light.

In second edition of a report called "Rich States, Poor States: ALEC-Laffer State Economic Competitiveness Index", Utah was just ranked #1 in terms of its' forecasted ability to recover economically.

Here are the top and bottom 5:

Sorry New York - things don't look bright for you. And they beat up on California of course for more over-spending, tax hiking and general stupidity in policy-making.

Full Article HERE.

The average US citizen looks at NAR (National Association of Realtors) as nothing more than another lobbying group that spends its' days and nights telling buyers that every day is the "right time to buy."

What people (this includes Realtors themselves) don't realize is that they are doing a CRITICAL work for the country in getting legistation passed that benefits us all. So what did they do this time? Nothing besides creating an opportunity for 1st-time home buyers to get $8000.00 of FREE MONEY from the government!

Yes, FREE, so long as you hold the home for at least 3 years. That is pretty easy since I am counseling ALL of my clients to buy for the long-term.

Many thanks to one of my lending partners, Blake Bench of Countrywide Home Loans, for this timely breakdown of how the latest ("latest implying one of MANY bailouts...) multi-GAZILLION dollar (gazillion with a "g") bailout legislation.

This sign is posted on the doors of Congress....

The information is not only timely, but downright critical to not only those of us either working in the industry, or trying to buy or sell real estate right, but the greater populiation at large. Until we get the real estate markets more healthy, there will be major financial pain worldwide.

The only thing most of us hear about the bailout package is that GM and others want taxpayers to pick up the tab on a few million transmissions.....good to know, but not relevant to real estate. Here it is:

• Tax Credit: The tax credit for first time home buyers has gone up from $7,500 to $8,000. I also understand that this new amount doesn't have to be repaid. I have been helping buyers see that they could use this money to repay a gift from a relative. Maybe then they can come up with a down payment. (I wish that they had passed the $15,000 credit for any homebuyer but sometimes when you wish upon a star your dreams don't come true.) I have to add the disclaimer for all buyers to talk to their accountant or tax advisor about this since I am not licensed to give that type of advice.  Here is a breakdown of the tax credit:

Still not making sense? Here is a step-by-step explanation: 2009 Tax Credit Explained

• Help for struggling home owners: Many borrowers from the last few years put nothing down or very little down toward the purchase of their home. With home values now lower many are upside down and can't refinance. New legislation may allow them to refinance with LTV's up to 105% of the homes current value if they have stayed current on their payments. I am going to call all of my database and see if I can help them lower their payments.
• Modifications: Billions of dollars are set aside to help people modify their loans without refinancing. They do not have to have missed payments to qualify for this.
• Keeping Interest Rates Low: Bear in mind that current interest rates are "artificial" in nature and WILL NOT stay this low for ever. (This subject merits its' own discussion) These "artificial" rates are part of the government's plan to "prop up" the ailing economy. Treasury and Federal Reserve will continue to purchase Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage-backed securities to ensure stability and liquidity. The Treasury will also provide up to $200 billion in capital to ensure that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac can continue to stabilize markets and hold mortgage rates down

Departing from Blake's starter course on the bailout, let me add the following advice: Make sure you completely understand the rules, regulations and consequences (good and bad) of things like tax credits and local "grants" for home buyers.

In the meantime, chime in with any key information or ideas you have on this bailout business!

Hello real estate fans! Occasionally, (because I am too tired, or busy, or lazy or in this case - because this is a great piece), I will "borrow" content from colleagues in the business who bring a relevant point of view to the table.

This week I hope you will take the time to read a post on the UtahCeoMagazine.com blog written by local Broker and friend, Graig Griffin. He talks about the value that every sale of a foreclosed property brings the local real estate market.

I share his sentiments. The quicker we can "mop up" these homes, get them "off the books" so to speak, the better. The challenge that all of that vacant inventory creates affects every one of our lives whether we own a home, rent one, or simply live in a distressed housing market - which we ALL do.

One of my favorite comments in this piece is about the changes in the 2009 St. George Parade of Homes brought on by the challenges in the housing market:

"Most of the Parade homes are what I would consider “normal” houses, meaning that the odds of prospective purchasers arriving on planes without propellers is pretty low. Any plane, really."

As a related side-note, there is actually a home on tour for $259,900 this year. If that doesn't sound very cheap to you, remember that a few years ago there were almost NO homes on tour under $750k.

Here is the link, enjoy and be sure to comment on that blog site if you like it, don't like it or just want to share your opinion!

http://www.utahceomagazine.com/blog.php