Why Square Footage Matters! Larger Homes Indicate Stable Values

Single Family home sales activity through May 31, 2009 indicates that Northeastern Queens property values are stable across various segments of the market. Covering the areas of Bayside, Beechhurst, College Point, Douglaston, Flushing, Little Neck and Whitestone, 2,750 sales since 2003 that sold for over $10,000 are included in this analysis compared to 11,724 sales for all of Queens.

Median Sale Price: Analysis of the Queens County Single Family home market indicates property values have declined 18% from 2008 and 21.3% since 2006. The sub-market of Northeast Queens indicates that property values are down 12.8% since 2006, with most of the decline occurring in 2009.

A more detailed analysis of the median sale price based on the square footage of the residence indicates an entirely different pattern of price value changes. When the sales data is stratified into the calculated rate per square foot based on sale price, the rate of change for Queens County is -10.58% since 2006 versus -21.3% based on the Median Sale Price. For Northeastern Queens the rate of change is -.37% versus -12.8%. The data clearly indicates that building size represents a significant impact relating to the value of the property.

Sales are stratified into 10 Building Size Groups in order to analyze the demand in the local markets. The most common property being sold is under 1,250 square feet representing 911 sales. This group of properties indicates a weaker overall value indicator which is 5% lower than 2008 and 9.9% lower than the peak of 2006.

Conversely, larger homes appear to be in demand and show no significant indication of property value declines. Houses from 1,750 to 2,000 square feet indicate an overall increase of 12.8% since 2006 with 286 sales analyzed. 2,000 to 2,500 square foot homes experienced a 5% overall since 2006 for a total of 374 sales. Both groups of properties indicate in increase in values from 2008 to 2009.

Overall larger homes appear to be holding stable with modest increases over the past three years when analyzed on a price per square foot basis. The greatest weakness in the market is homes under 1,750 square feet which on an overall basis declined by 13% since 2006, most of this occurring in homes under 1,250 square feet. This pattern appears to be consistent with other areas of Queens and New York City.

Property values in Queens County have declined 10.8% since 2006 based on the sales analyzed. Properties purchased in 2006 and 2007 represent a risk for longer recovery given the decline in values since 2006, but this does not apply to all areas of Queens. There is a definitive decline in sales activity since 2008; however as the peak selling season of May and June continues, sales activity is projected to increase and property values are projected to remain stable with modest increases. Northeastern Queens remains a strong area to live and property values are expected to remain stable into 2010.

New Homes

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Article provided by John Watch, President & CEO of http://www.AccuriZ.com

Article Source: John_Watch

Advantages of Living in a Master Planned Community

Nowadays, most homebuyers are attracted to living in master planned communities. The reason behind this is simple, as there is a minimal need for maintenance and the fact of living a life without stress attached to it. Thus, optimistic homebuyers easily choose master-planned communities as their humble abode. Communities like this give several housing options with leisure, facilities, other necessary services, and open space to move with. This is the best choice for first-time homeowners who have an active lifestyle. And the object for these developers of master planned communities is to preserve an outstanding living environment in the years to come.

If you are planning to stay in a master planned community, always bear in mind that the locality of your house is one of the basic standards. Aspects such as user-friendliness of your work place, the schools close by, the kind of community and the obtainable leisure amenities must all be included in your decision. They will speed up your selection process.

You should be aware of the kind of neighborhood that you have. Are they welcoming enough? Do they have homeowner's association which gratifies to the issues involving the whole community? You have to ask yourself these questions to help you evaluate the kind of environment you are currently living in. For further understanding of what these master planned communities can provide you, read on some of their advantages.

Architectural design- certain architectural guidelines were abided by these communities when it comes to their houses and community amenities. This warranties that people, who are living in the said community, will have only the best quality home designs; it must also match with the remaining houses in the neighborhood. They are conceptualizing an incorporated theme while adding variety and uniqueness to the community. Essential specifications on the community keep the engaging integrity of the streets, landscape and facilities.

Facilities that promote quality of life- there is a security that master planned communities will give its residents a convenient living. There is no need to spend much for the maintenance of the newly-built houses; this will allow homeowners to have enough free time throughout their weekends and holidays. There are many services that one can enjoy in these communities such as swimming pools, tennis courts, trails for hiking and biking, and other leisure facilities.

A good venture in the years to come- there is an assurance that houses in master planned communities preserve their value. Other advantages of these communities include accessible to work, school and other immediate facilities, which are all considered as breathtaking places. The homeowner's association charges are indeed a venture in the years to come; likewise with the improvement of the continuing preservation of community landscaping, swimming pools, parks, recreation centers and other widespread area facilities.

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Looking for more real estate properties? Try these sites Private Homes in Phoenix AZ and Anthem AZ Realty.

Article Source: Flynna_Sarah_Molina

Finding an Excellent New Home Builder

Looking for a good home builder or contractor, isn't an exact science, but hopefully, by the time you're done reading this article, you will at least have a better idea, what you will be looking for. Let's get started.

As a general contractor, the most important thing that I would be looking for any new home builder, would be experience. You can't sacrifice price for experience. If you're looking for the cheapest contractor, there's a good chance that this person will be lacking experience in home building knowledge.

How long has this person been in business? Just because you're new home builder has only been in business for five years, doesn't mean that he isn't capable of building your home. The same holds true for someone who has been in business for 30 years. Just make sure that these people have actually built homes in the past.

What is their attitude like? This is the second most important thing and I tend to focus on this more than experience, sometimes. If you don't get along with the person, you're not going to have a pleasant home building experience. If you think that there lying to you, scammers or generally don't feel comfortable with them, but they seem to have the most experience and build more homes in your area than anyone else. I wouldn't think twice about getting rid of them and finding someone else.

Last but not least, you should contact some of the people that they have worked for in the past. Talking to past clients, is going to play an important role in making your final decision. You need to find out, if these home builders, treated their clients fairly and were they generally happy with the overall outcome and performance, not only of the homebuilder, but each one of his subcontractors.

I would recommend writing out a list of questions and offering your new home builders past clients a free meal. Offer to take them out to dinner, lunch or breakfast, this way you will have their undivided attention and get the low down on your potential future home builder, it could be the best money that you ever spent.

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Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He has just finished a home inspection checklist to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Greg_Vandenberge

Obama Makes $15,000 Available to Help You Buy a New Home Now

Have you been wanting to buy a new home but you cannot afford to make a down payment? This is a very similar situation that many Americans are in because of the recession. In fact even though we are in a small recession that the government will still give away over $1 trillion this next year in government grant funding to those who apply.

The government does not advertise or programs however last year over 5 million people were awarded grant funding. There income ranged from $10,000-$50,000 per year.

Grants you could be entitled to are $10,000 to help you put a new covering on your new home and $2,000 to aid you in paying off credit. If you are a senior you are entitled to $5,000 to use to fix up your new home. Anyone is entitled to $15000 for a down payment on a new home, and some will even be entitled to the option of an investment of up to 275,000 dollars.

The government will give away over one trillion dollars every year, no matter what the state of the economy is. Be one of the people to collect this free non-repayable money from the government.

It may take up some of your time apply for the grants but it is worth doing the research for free money that you never have to repay. You may even be able to get two grants simultaneously.

Don't forget the government will not advertise these grants so remember to apply as soon as you can.

I have found this resource for grants: Government Grant Programs.

They have a consumer review on two of the most popular grant programs.

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Article Source: Marq Samsun

Seven Advantages of New Homes V. Resale Homes

Once you start house hunting there is no doubt one of your first stops will be at a new homes website or community to see what they have to offer in the area you would like to live in. In fact, new homes have stepped up to win the hearts and minds of homebuyers for the better part of the past decade where we've seen an unprecedented explosion in new home construction and buying. What was once considered a luxury reserved for the rich and famous, new construction has opened the door to all price ranges and styles including luxury high-rise condominiums, townhouses, active adult communities and single-family homes.

There are a tremendous number of benefits to owning a new home including the ability to customize the home to your liking, meeting all the new neighbors as they move in and substantial savings in utility costs with new homes now being built to a higher, more energy efficient and green standard.

It's your house. No, REALLY your house. - When you buy a resale home you are purchasing a home that someone else crafted to suit his or her lifestyle. Sometimes it's just perfect and exactly what you are looking for but more often than not there are a few "Why did they do that?" issues with a home that you will have to renovate or remove when you move in to fit your lifestyle. When you build a new home you will be able to choose exactly what you want and where you want it so you can move in and not have to touch a thing.

Everyone else is new too! - Resale communities are great because you can see the neighborhood, how people care for their homes and everything is already established but those same benefits can prove to be cons when you are the only new neighbor on the block. Moving into a new home grants you the privilege of meeting the neighbors when they are also looking to meet new people and settle into the community. There won't be any pre-established social circles to work your way into and you will be discovering new things about your neighborhood at the same time everyone else does.

Newer homes are more attractive when you resell. - Life happens. You might have to relocate or you make a lifestyle change a couple short years after you move in. The good news is that newer homes are more attractive to prospective homebuyers because it's their opportunity to buy a newer home without the price premium associated with new construction. Better yet, you've already purchased all the appliances and upgrades for the home and many parts of the home are still under warranty making the home a great inclusive value. This will compare favorably to older resale homes that may require renovation or updating to make it livable for the modern homebuyer.

Location, Location, Location! YOU choose! - When you shop for resale homes the homes you find are obviously fixed to their current location. How many times have you seen a great resale that would be absolutely perfect if it were a little closer to the community clubhouse or offered a larger back yard for the kids to play? New home builders typically offer a range of model homes to choose from and you can usually place that model on a lot of your choice. Now you can have the home of your dreams in the cul-de-sac you've always dreamed of!

In the current market new homes may be a better deal than resale homes. - That's right, the market shift has turned the tables. Now buyers have the market in the palm of their hands and can get some really outstanding deals on homes but you have to know where to look. Resale home owners may be willing to deal but in the past thirty days I have been able to successfully negotiate $69,117 off the asking price of a new home for a client and then shortly after located a home for another client and negotiated $91,000 off the asking price and we are still in negotiations to get even more from the builder. By the way, these home prices included upgrades! I have never met homeowners who were willing to accept a substantial reduction on the price of their home to the tune of more than $60,000. As a matter of fact, many homeowners have overpriced their homes on the market because they owe more than the home is worth and they cannot afford to go lower in price.

Buying Tip: To score a new home deal you can't walk in and offer builders $400,000 under what they are asking for the home. Fantastic deals can be found however if you find the right buyer's agent who specializes in new homes because their experience, relationships with builders and negotiating ability will help you save thousands of dollars.

That brown carpet and tiny kitchen? Soooooo 1970s! - Kitchen big enough for one? Small closets, shower only bathrooms and carpet everywhere? Not for today's homebuyer! The modern lifestyle is drastically different from what it was even ten years ago and resale homes often lack the oomph and space to satisfy. Today's homebuyer wants a bright, open kitchen with breakfast bar and high-end appliances. We now do most of our living in the kitchen! Soaking tubs in the master suite and walk-in closets are now considered standard staples of the modern home. New homes often feature these amenities as a part of their standard offering and are even starting to prepare homes for the future including the addition of whole house networking and walk-out basements that can be finished as future living space.

New homes save money with efficiency and green building techniques. - Many new homes are taking advantage of the Energy Star standard which sets forth a number of requirements that products like windows and doors must adhere to in order to achieve an Energy Star rating. In addition to Energy Star many builders are now offering green building and living options like the installation of solar panels on the roof of a home to harness the sun's energy and convert it to electricity. If you install enough solar panels you may just have the electric company paying you for the electricity you are producing! These features are often very costly to retrofit a resale home with if it wasn't initially built to these standards.

The next time you start searching for homes be sure to consider all of your options including new construction. When buying new construction you should take into account the fact that most new homes take approximately four to six months to build. You will also devote more of your personal time to building the home as you will need to choose home upgrades and work with your agent through the inspection and financing processes.

Happy hunting!

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Article Provided by: Joshua Ferris

Joshua Ferris is an associate real estate broker in Orange County NY and specializes in both Monroe New York and Newburgh New York real estate. Learn more about Orange County by visiting Josh's Orange County NY Real Estate website.