Category: Buying

Buying

Hattiesburg Real Estate- New Listing

210 Bellegrass Blvd   Hattiesburg , MS  39402   $222,900

Vacation every day! Enjoy Bellegrass amenities.  Charming 3 bd, 2 ba with office.  Open floor plan. Oak Grove Schools.

Call Crye-Leike today for info on this and many other homes!

 

Buying

Crye-Leike Celebrates $3.8 Billion In Sales For 2011 And 35 Years Of Service

Real estate agents from across Crye-Leike’s Chattanooga region gathered at the Chattanooga Golf and Country Club to help the company celebrate its sales success in 2011 and 35 years of business.

Since first opening its doors in Memphis in 1977, Crye-Leike has helped thousands of buyers and sellers with their real estate needs. The company’s Chattanooga realtors honored the milestone as they jumpstarted the new year of real estate sales at their regional 2012 Kick-Off meeting.

In the crystal ball segment of the program, Crye-Leike Co-founder and CEO Harold Crye offered his words of wisdom and discussed predictions for the 2012 housing market.

“The market is slowly stabilizing, and we expect sales to increase modestly as the economy gradually continues to recover,” said Mr. Crye. “We expect to see more renters become buyers as rents continue to rise and mortgage rates remain at a historic low for now. We do anticipate mortgage rates will also soon be on the rise.”

Crye-Leike’s overall sales were good in 2011, with agents companywide helping Crye-Leike reach a final figure of $3.8 billion in sales for the year with a total of 24,470 properties sold.

“We think the market is turning the corner and real estate sales will be on the upswing in 2012,” said Mr. Crye. “For the past three years, we’ve been holding steady along the $3 billion in sales mark, and expect to rise to $4 billion in sales for 2012. We feel like we’ve hit the bottom of the housing market, as we saw a surge in sales and were up in the fourth quarter last year.”

Crye-Leike’s Chattanooga market sales in 2011 totaled $327 million from 1,746 properties sold. The company is expecting its sales in the Chattanooga market to increase by five percent in 2012. Locally, Crye-Leike is currently home to 259 agents helping home buyers and sellers from eight different offices throughout the region.

At this year’s kick-off meeting, hundreds of Chattanooga agents attended the event and were awarded and applauded for their service and sales achievements in 2011. With existing-home sales finishing on an uptrend in December and rising for three consecutive months at the end of 2011, Crye-Leike’s agents are excited to see the market bouncing back slowly, officials said.

“We thank all of our agents for the terrific job they do of caring for our customers, of helping us build a great company reputation, and for sticking with us through these tough times,” said Mr. Crye. “We wish our agents a successful 2012 as we encourage everyone to keep believing in their dreams of homeownership.”

 

Buying

Hattiesburg Housing Market Improving!

List of Improving Housing Markets Expands to Nearly 100

February 6, 2012 – The list of housing markets showing measurable improvement expanded by 29 metros in February to include a total of 98 entries on the National Association of Home Builders/First American Improving Markets Index (IMI), released today. Thirty-six states are now represented by at least one market on the list.

The index identifies metropolitan areas that have shown improvement from their respective troughs in housing permits, employment and house prices for at least six consecutive months. The February index adds some metropolitan areas that have been particularly weak; this is due to the fact that the IMI measures improvement from a bottom, and some of the hardest hit markets are showing signs of coming off of extreme lows. Keeping this in mind, notable new entrants to list in February include Miami, Fla; Boston; Detroit; Kansas City, Mo.; Portland, Ore.; Memphis, Tenn.; and Salt Lake City.

“The number of improving housing markets has risen for six consecutive months, and 36 states now have at least one metropolitan area on the list,” noted NAHB Chairman Bob Nielsen, a home builder from Reno, Nev. “This indicates that despite the many challenges that continue to drag on a housing recovery – including the tight lending environment for builders and buyers – improving conditions are slowly but surely spreading from one housing market to the next.”

“While many of the markets on the February IMI are far from fully recovered, the index points out where employment, home prices and housing production are no longer retreating and have held above their lowest recession troughs for six months or more,” said NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe. “This is a sign that a large cross section of the country is starting to turn the corner as local economic conditions stabilize.”

“The fact that there are nearly 100 markets now on the improving list shows that the momentum is building for a housing recovery and that more buyers and sellers are starting to feel confident enough to return to the market,” said Kurt Pfotenhauer, vice chairman of First American Title Insurance Company.

The IMI is designed to track housing markets throughout the country that are showing signs of improving economic health. The index measures three sets of independent monthly data to get a mark on the top improving Metropolitan Statistical Areas. The three indicators that are analyzed are employment growth from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, house price appreciation from Freddie Mac, and single-family housing permit growth from the U.S. Census Bureau. NAHB uses the latest available data from these sources to generate a list of improving markets. A metropolitan area must see improvement in all three areas for at least six months following their respective troughs before being included on the improving markets list.

Seven markets dropped from the NAHB/First American Improving Markets Index in February as they experienced softening house prices. These metros include San Jose, Calif.; Washington, D.C.; Kankakee, Ill.; New Orleans; Worcester, Mass.; Jackson, Miss.; and Sherman, Texas.

A complete list of all 98 metropolitan areas currently on the IMI, and a separate breakout of metros newly added to the list in February, is available at: www.nahb.org/imi.

Editor’s Note: The NAHB/First American Improving Markets Index (IMI) is released on the fourth business day of each month at 10:00 a.m., ET, unless that day falls on a Friday – in which case, the index will be released on the following Monday. A full calendar of release dates can be found at www.nahb.org/imi.

http://www.nahb.org/news_details.aspx?sectionID=2223&newsID=14965

 

 NAHB/First American Improving Markets Index (IMI)
Permits Growth Prices Growth Employment Growth
Trough From Trough From Trough From
 MSA Date Trough Date Trough Date Trough
1 Florence, AL 03/31/09 2.6% 02/28/11 0.6% 07/31/09 3.9%
2 Tuscaloosa, AL 05/31/11 8.8% 02/28/11 3.6% 06/30/09 1.7%
3 Fayetteville, AR 03/31/09 1.2% 02/28/11 1.0% 02/28/10 3.0%
4 Napa, CA 06/30/11 31.2% 02/28/11 0.3% 02/28/11 3.3%
5 Boulder, CO 11/30/09 11.6% 01/31/11 6.2% 01/31/10 2.7%
6 Denver, CO 03/31/09 2.8% 02/28/11 2.1% 01/31/10 1.4%
7 Fort Collins, CO 03/31/09 4.5% 12/31/10 4.6% 12/31/09 3.5%
8 Greeley, CO 11/30/10 8.1% 02/28/11 3.3% 12/31/09 0.1%
9 Bridgeport, CT 03/31/09 1.2% 02/28/11 4.5% 01/31/10 1.4%
10 New Haven, CT 04/30/11 26.0% 02/28/11 0.0% 02/28/10 2.1%
11 Cape Coral, FL 03/31/09 3.1% 02/28/11 8.1% 01/31/11 1.7%
12 Deltona, FL 03/31/11 2.6% 03/31/11 15.1% 01/31/11 3.3%
13 Jacksonville, FL 04/30/09 1.4% 02/28/11 1.5% 02/28/10 2.3%
14 Miami, FL 04/30/09 7.3% 03/31/11 2.6% 03/31/10 1.7%
15 North Port, FL 01/31/09 2.7% 02/28/11 6.2% 06/30/11 1.2%
16 Punta Gorda, FL 01/31/09 1.6% 02/28/11 11.5% 06/30/09 3.5%
17 Tampa, FL 03/31/09 1.7% 03/31/11 3.8% 12/31/09 2.6%
18 Athens, GA 03/31/11 4.2% 01/31/11 2.7% 01/31/10 0.8%
19 Augusta, GA 12/31/08 1.7% 03/31/11 3.0% 05/31/11 0.0%
20 Honolulu, HI 12/31/08 0.4% 01/31/11 3.4% 08/31/10 3.1%
21 Ames, IA 07/31/10 7.4% 02/28/11 6.3% 05/31/11 2.4%
22 Davenport, IA 05/31/09 1.8% 12/31/10 4.1% 01/31/10 0.7%
23 Des Moines, IA 02/28/09 4.5% 01/31/11 2.6% 05/31/11 1.5%
24 Dubuque, IA 12/31/08 5.0% 02/28/11 3.1% 04/30/09 5.8%
25 Waterloo, IA 03/31/09 1.4% 11/30/10 0.9% 07/31/09 4.1%
26 Elkhart, IN 04/30/09 2.2% 02/28/11 1.5% 08/31/09 10.4%
27 Indianapolis, IN 01/31/09 0.4% 02/28/11 3.0% 10/31/09 0.6%
28 Lafayette, IN 01/31/09 15.7% 02/28/11 5.4% 07/31/09 4.0%
29 Muncie, IN 04/30/11 11.1% 02/28/10 3.4% 02/28/11 2.7%
30 Lake Charles, LA 04/30/11 6.2% 02/28/11 0.9% 11/30/10 3.6%
31 Monroe, LA 03/31/09 3.3% 05/31/10 3.6% 03/31/11 1.3%
32 Shreveport, LA 01/31/09 1.9% 03/31/11 5.6% 10/31/09 3.2%
33 Boston, MA 02/28/09 1.1% 03/31/11 0.7% 07/31/09 2.9%
34 Springfield, MA 04/30/11 3.8% 03/31/11 2.5% 08/31/09 2.6%
35 Cumberland, MD 05/31/10 3.1% 01/31/11 6.2% 06/30/11 6.5%
36 Lewiston, ME 06/30/11 16.1% 01/31/11 1.4% 06/30/11 3.8%
37 Ann Arbor, MI 05/31/09 0.1% 12/31/10 4.5% 07/31/09 3.0%
38 Detroit, MI 04/30/09 8.6% 03/31/11 6.8% 06/30/09 2.4%
39 Grand Rapids, MI 04/30/09 2.9% 02/28/11 7.7% 07/31/09 5.0%
40 Lansing, MI 05/31/09 4.4% 02/28/11 10.6% 08/31/09 2.7%
41 Monroe, MI 12/31/09 2.7% 02/28/11 7.6% 10/31/09 2.5%
42 Muskegon, MI 11/30/09 0.2% 01/31/11 6.1% 12/31/10 1.6%
43 Duluth, MN 05/31/11 2.9% 03/31/11 4.6% 09/30/09 0.6%
44 Minneapolis, MN 03/31/09 1.8% 02/28/11 2.5% 09/30/09 1.5%
45 Rochester, MN 03/31/09 0.7% 02/28/11 2.4% 12/31/10 1.5%
46 Columbia, MO 11/30/08 1.7% 02/28/11 1.5% 08/31/09 3.6%
47 Jefferson City, MO 08/31/10 1.0% 03/31/11 3.9% 02/28/10 2.1%
48 Joplin, MO 02/28/11 5.0% 02/28/11 15.4% 08/31/09 1.2%
49 Kansas City, MO 03/31/09 3.2% 02/28/11 5.2% 06/30/11 1.2%
50 Hattiesburg, MS 01/31/11 2.2% 03/31/11 4.1% 04/30/11 3.6%
51 Fayetteville, NC 12/31/08 2.1% 01/31/10 0.3% 10/31/10 3.2%
52 Winston-Salem, NC 03/31/09 1.9% 11/30/10 0.1% 01/31/11 2.4%
53 Bismarck, ND 03/31/09 15.3% 02/28/10 8.8% 12/31/07 8.8%
54 Fargo, ND 04/30/09 4.9% 02/28/11 3.0% 07/31/09 4.2%
55 Grand Forks, ND 04/30/09 3.0% 12/31/10 7.7% 09/30/10 4.2%
56 Lincoln, NE 01/31/09 1.6% 01/31/11 4.2% 07/31/10 3.2%
57 Omaha, NE 07/31/10 4.5% 03/31/11 2.7% 02/28/10 2.6%
58 Manchester, NH 02/28/11 2.1% 02/28/11 0.5% 01/31/10 1.8%
59 Ocean City, NJ 03/31/09 1.0% 03/31/11 6.3% 05/31/11 5.7%
60 Syracuse, NY 03/31/11 2.9% 03/31/11 10.2% 08/31/10 1.5%
61 Cincinnati, OH 01/31/09 0.2% 02/28/11 2.1% 12/31/10 1.6%
62 Springfield, OH 01/31/11 13.4% 03/31/11 2.5% 01/31/10 3.5%
63 Toledo, OH 05/31/09 1.4% 01/31/11 0.6% 06/30/09 3.4%
64 Youngstown, OH 06/30/11 5.2% 02/28/11 3.9% 06/30/09 4.0%
65 Oklahoma City, OK 05/31/09 0.6% 02/28/11 1.0% 01/31/10 4.0%
66 Tulsa, OK 10/31/10 0.8% 02/28/11 4.4% 02/28/10 3.1%
67 Corvallis, OR 04/30/11 5.7% 02/28/11 4.3% 07/31/09 4.9%
68 Portland, OR 03/31/09 2.6% 03/31/11 3.7% 11/30/09 2.0%
69 Erie, PA 03/31/11 4.6% 02/28/11 3.1% 02/28/10 3.9%
70 Philadelphia, PA 03/31/09 0.7% 02/28/11 2.9% 02/28/10 0.5%
71 Pittsburgh, PA 02/28/09 1.6% 01/31/10 6.5% 02/28/10 4.1%
72 Williamsport, PA 03/31/11 46.3% 02/28/10 8.5% 12/31/09 3.9%
73 Chattanooga, TN 05/31/11 2.6% 02/28/11 4.0% 08/31/09 3.2%
74 Clarksville, TN 01/31/09 2.7% 02/28/11 1.3% 08/31/09 5.1%
75 Kingsport, TN 02/28/11 0.4% 01/31/11 1.6% 02/28/10 2.8%
76 Memphis, TN 04/30/09 2.8% 03/31/11 1.1% 09/30/10 3.1%
77 Nashville, TN 03/31/09 1.6% 02/28/11 1.4% 09/30/09 3.7%
78 Amarillo, TX 10/31/08 1.7% 01/31/10 3.2% 04/30/10 4.6%
79 College Station, TX 10/31/10 5.5% 02/28/11 10.2% 12/31/07 3.6%
80 Corpus Christi, TX 01/31/11 5.1% 12/31/10 4.3% 11/30/09 6.0%
81 Dallas, TX 05/31/09 0.9% 02/28/11 0.5% 12/31/09 3.6%
82 Laredo, TX 12/31/08 1.3% 01/31/10 2.9% 09/30/09 7.1%
83 Longview, TX 04/30/09 3.2% 03/31/11 5.9% 10/31/09 7.9%
84 McAllen, TX 01/31/09 0.4% 11/30/10 1.9% 12/31/07 5.2%
85 Midland, TX 04/30/09 3.6% 01/31/10 8.7% 08/31/09 10.0%
86 Odessa, TX 02/28/09 24.5% 11/30/10 8.9% 08/31/09 9.0%
87 Tyler, TX 03/31/09 0.4% 12/31/10 0.8% 07/31/10 5.3%
88 Victoria, TX 09/30/10 4.2% 02/28/11 6.2% 11/30/09 4.8%
89 Provo, UT 02/28/09 2.7% 03/31/11 1.1% 12/31/09 4.6%
90 Salt Lake City, UT 03/31/09 2.3% 03/31/11 0.4% 02/28/10 3.6%
91 Danville, VA 03/31/09 1.8% 11/30/10 11.4% 11/30/09 2.9%
92 Winchester, VA 04/30/11 7.9% 10/31/10 8.4% 08/31/09 5.4%
93 Burlington, VT 03/31/11 6.1% 01/31/10 1.3% 09/30/09 4.5%
94 Bellingham, WA 04/30/11 2.7% 03/31/11 0.2% 06/30/11 0.4%
95 Kennewick, WA 03/31/09 4.2% 03/31/11 0.3% 12/31/07 4.4%
96 Madison, WI 01/31/09 1.3% 02/28/11 0.8% 08/31/09 2.1%
97 Casper, WY 11/30/10 7.0% 01/31/10 3.2% 12/31/09 8.5%
98 Cheyenne, WY 12/31/08 6.0% 12/31/10 3.0% 01/31/10 2.8%


Buying

Swing into Spring: Five Easy Ways to Welcome Warm Weather

Blooming bulbs and Spring breezes signal that warmer weather is on the way.

Sure, many of us will do an all-out session of Spring cleaning, but even small, simple jobs can bring the season’s freshness inside.

Shake the winter doldrums out of your organized home with these five easy ideas to swing into Spring:

Let the Light Shine: Wash the Windows!

Sunny days look brighter through clean windows, so tackle the grime that winter storms have left behind on interior and exterior windows now. Whether you’re an advocate of the diluted-vinegar-and newspapers approach, or prefer to wield a squeegee like the pros do, choose a bright, still day to clean exterior windows.

Freed from their dark winter coats, clean windows spill sunshine inside, raising everyone’s mood!

Catch the Breeze: Open Windows on a Warm Day

Cold weather brings shut windows and tightly-closed doors–which can create a build-up of stale odors in any home. When you live with them, your nose learns to ignore them, but nothing whispers “Spring is here!” like a freshly-aired house.

Solution: let breezes blow! Air out the house one sunny afternoon to bring Spring’s freshness inside. Opening doors and windows to catch a breeze will chase away old cooking smells and any stale or musty odors that have built up during the winter months.

After an hour or so, close windows and doors, then tackle surfaces with an electrostatic cleaning cloth to capture any dust or pollen that’s settled out in the breeze. Run the vacuum cleaner to remove dust from floors–and enjoy the Springtime freshness!

Blooming Wonder: Bring the Season Inside

Even if the budget won’t stretch to regular purchases of cut flowers, Spring’s blooming make it easy to spark up a home with fresh blossoms.

Cut small branches from a flowering tree, or gather ready-to-bloom daffodils and tulips from the garden.

Even an inexpensive bundle of cut flowers from the supermarket cooler can bring a welcome breath of Spring indoors.

Displayed simply, in a tall water glass, vase or mason jar, they’ll add a splash of Spring color and fragrance to your home.

Fresh Start: Clean Out the Refrigerator

The arrival of a new season is a good signal to clean out stored food in refrigerator and pantry. As farmers’ markets and roadside stands open to offer fresh food for the new season, create a good home by cleaning out the remains of winter.

Make a quick check of expiration dates of food stored in refrigerator or pantry, and toss expired foodstuffs.

Look sharp for the last survivors of holiday gift baskets! If you haven’t eaten the smoked salmon spread or served the Texas Hot Chili Mix by now, donate these treats to the food bank, so they’re enjoyed by others.

Give vegetable storage areas special attention. Bearded carrots, limp celery and shriveled onions can be tossed into a crockery slow-cooker overnight to make vegetable stock–or consign these items to the compost bin. Be ready to store Spring’s bounty in a clean and roomy vegetable crisper!

Cull the Cuddly: Wind Down the Winter Warmers

Fall brings no greater pleasure than pulling out fleecy sweats, flannel pajamas and warm blankets–but by season’s end, these cuddly favorites are frequently worse for wear.

As warm weather approaches, take a hard look at the family’s cold-weather bedding and favorite winter warmers. Separate out the stained sweats, pilled flannel sheets and shrunken loungewear for recycling or donation.

As you return winter bedding and clothing to closet storage areas, make a quick list of any needed replacements. Look alert! End-of-season clearance sales make it easy AND cheap to replace worn-out linens and faded clothes.

Ready to swing into Spring? Welcome the season from your organized home!

By Cynthia Ewer
Editor, Organized Home

http://organizedhome.com/clean-house/swing-into-spring-in-your-organized-home

Buying

Questions on Purchasing a Home?

Join us at our office on March 20, 2012  at 6:30 for the next Home Buyer Seminar. The Crye-Leike office is located at 118 Fairfield Dr., directly behind the Shell station on Hwy 98.

Topics of discussion  include:

  • Credit
  • Loans
  • Home Inspections
  • The Closing Process

Please call Crye-Leike (601 336 6941) today to reserve your seat. We look forward to seeing you there.