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Category Archives: news

Suwanee, GA, Market Report, August 2010

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Image by lane.bailey via Flickr

Suwanee, GA is a suburb of Atlanta in Gwinnett, Forsyth and (just a little bit) in Fulton Counties. The population is 2000 was 8,725, but that only included the area inside the city limits, and it had seen tremendous growth since that census.  Money Magazine rated Suwanee in the “Top 10 Best Places to Live” in 2007, and it is one of the wealthiest parts of Georgia. Recently, the City of Suwanee has revamped their old town, adding a large park with a bandshell, condos, town homes and small businesses. It is also home to North Gwinnett High School, Peachtree Ridge and Collins Hill.

Market stats for Suwanee, GA, August, 2010 indicate that there are 636 properties on the market. Overall, there is about an 9 month supply of properties.  There was less that 8 months of inventory as recently as June, but sales are slowing even faster than inventory is shrinking.

In the sub-$200k arena, there are 151 listings, with about a 7.3 month supply.  In June, there was a 4.8 month supply.  Inventories have increased as sales have slowed… although sales for July and August (19 and 15) were exactly the same last year.

Between $200k and $400k, there are 346 listings for sale, and 10.08 months of supply.  Sales for August 2010 were 28 compared with 48 for the same period in 2009.  Enough said.

From $400k to $600k, there are 79 homes on the market. The absorption rate is at 7.4 months.  While 9 sales this year compares favorable with the 4 sales last year, the three month average is exactly the same.  There are fewer listings, though.

In the $600k to $800k arena, there are 24 listings, with about a 6 month supply.  We can look directly to a reduction in inventory for the drop in absorption rate from 45 months in February… sales are still slower than last year, and seem to be decelerating.

The range from $800k to $1m, there are 23 homes listed and approximately 23 months of inventory on the market.  There has only been 3 sales at this price level this year.  Honestly, last year looked a little better, but not much.

Above $1m, there are 35 properties listed. The current absorption rate indicated about 21 months of inventory, but because of the smaller numbers of sales, this could be significantly impacted by just a couple of sales.  Again, we can thank reduced inventory for making the market look healthier.  But, in this segment, we should be seeing reduced inventories…


I have a page dedicated to Suwanee Market Data.

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Wayback Wednesday… Recovery?

Recovery Truck
Image by kenjonbro via Flickr

Recovery… In it or do we need to go to it?  That was my question two years ago this week… and it is STILL a valid question.  And two years ago, I don’t think there were many people (including me) that were expecting the housing slump to last this long.

But here we are, not knowing if a bottom to the market has been established or if there is more blood that needs to run in the streets.

At least now, more of us in the real estate community have figured out that stimulus and incentives aren’t the answer… JOBS are the answer.  There are too many potential buyers out there that are worried about the security of their jobs.  Demand can’t rise until buyers don’t feel threatened.

And that means that the Supply side of Supply/Demand will be out of whack… even thought the supplies have be mostly dropping for well over a year (compared to the previous year).  And even though supply has been coming down, there have been reports of a wave of foreclosures just out of sight over the horizon (those reports have been with us for well over a year, too).

On the flip side, there are some pretty good deals.  Mortgage rates are ROCKING… I heard a report today that rates hadn’t been this low in 60 years.  If you ARE in a position to buy, it might be the best time in a generation.  If not, I understand…

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This is what I feared… Gwinnett Market Report – July, 2010

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Image by lane.bailey via Flickr

I have been kind of expecting this, but of course it will take a couple of months to confirm…

The Tax Credit did not kick the Gwinnett Market into gear…

Instead, its expiration killed sales.  Looking over the last few months of sales we see that for 2010, sales were (compared to 2009):

  • January – down 10.9%
  • February – up 1.7%
  • March – up 10.1%
  • April – up 14.1%
  • May – up 17.3%
  • June – down 0.8%
  • July – down 26.2%

As we look over these numbers, there are a few things to keep in mind…  To start with, the July numbers will likely get a little better.  Although sales are supposed to be reported within 48 hours of closing, there are always stragglers that take a few weeks to make it into the reports.  Contracts had to be written by April 30th, and sales here usually only take 30-45 days to close.  That would be why sales were up in May, but not in June… those sales were likely closed.  I didn’t see a lot of buyers playing chicken with the contract dates.

All isn’t doom and gloom…  Inventories are down a bit from last year.  This is helping to keep the absorption rates at a reasonable level.  But they are still decelerating.

Look for specific reports over the next couple of weeks for Lilburn, Lawrenceville, Duluth, Suwanee, Sugar Hill, Buford and Norcross.

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There IS a New Real Estate Transfer Tax in the ObamaCare Law

Assorted international currency notes.
Image via Wikipedia

One of the forums in which I participate has had stories on both sides of this issue for a couple of months… with the more conservative members saying that there is a 3.8% sales tax on the sale of homes, and those that are more supportive of the President and his policies saying that there isn’t.

Neither side was real specific about their information source… talk radio for some, blogs for others… nobody seemed to be going to the source… the 20,000+ page law signed by the President.  In all fairness, there is a LOT of room in 20,000 pages to hide a lot of little Easter Eggs like this.  And being fair to the other side, if there isn’t a tax, the bill isn’t going to say “there is not a tax” anywhere…

I have an answer…

There is indeed a tax on the sale of real estate.  It doesn’t apply to many people, but it WILL apply to some people that have profit from the sale of their homes. Starting in 2013, those with incomes over $200,000 will have to pay a 3.8% tax on profit from the sale of their primary residence or investment properties.  The exact amount will be based on a formula that includes the profit from the property and the income above $200,000.  The tax is not an income tax, but rather it is a “payroll tax”… officially it is a Medicare Tax.

It does not just apply to real estate, but also applies to investment income and dividends.

The bottom line is that both groups are right… and both are wrong.

But…

It will drive another nail into the luxury real estate market.  It has been in the doldrums for a while.  Adding new taxes will not get it going again.  And if you are thinking that this only affects ‘the wealthy’, think again.  Those homes are not built by ‘the wealthy’.  Those homes are not renovated by ‘the wealthy’.  Those consumers are more likely to hire contractors to do improvements.  And they are more likely to update more often…  They are a driver in the housing sector.  This added tax is NOT putting gas in the tank…

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Re-alignment…

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Image by lane.bailey via Flickr

The time has come.  I will be re-aligning my blogs and websites to be more subject specific.  I have a lot of presence on the web, and for too long they have had overlapping content.  As we get through this re-alignment of the sites, each will be more focused on a specific purpose.  There will still be connections between the sites, but the content will be less connected…

Some of the sites that will be part of the re-alignment are:

  • LaneBailey.com
  • LaneBailey.info
  • GwinnettGarageGuy.com
  • UltimateHomeMarketing.com
  • GarageHomesUSA.com
  • LilburnDwellings.com

I might also be re-designing the looks of the sites at the same time…  It will be fun…

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