Posts in category 'Other Related News'
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28
Six Reasons We Should Stop Celebrating Numbers and Start Championing Service
Inman.com recently published an article about the importance of customer service in the Real Estate industry, and we whole-heartedly agree. Excellence in Service is our number one priority at Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors!
Below are the key points from the article:
- Two vastly different cultures seem to be shaping up in the real estate business. Sales versus service. Leads or customers. Quality versus volume.
- Too often the industry continues to celebrate franchises ad broker owners who have the most agents and hail top producers who close the most sales.
- Oddly, personal referrals are the biggest and most certain source of an a...
27
The Quad Cities Experiences the Largest One-Year Gain in Region
Five-year home appreciation in our region was between 6.96% and 15.32% with all of our local Metropolitan Statistical Areas experiencing a positive gain.
"Although interest rates rose sharply during the fourth quarter, our data show no signs of a home price slowdown," said Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Deputy Chief Economist Andrew Leventis. "Although it will certainly take more time for the full effects of the elevated interest rates to be felt, there is no evidence of a normalization in the unusually low inventories of homes available for sale, which has been the primary force behind the extraordinary price gains."
In the past year, home prices are up: 4.33% in Dubuque; 2.02% in Iowa City; 5.50% in the Quad Cities and 2.44% in Cedar Rapids. This compares to other cities: Des Moines up 3.99% and Chicago, IL up 3.89%. This data is provided by the FHFA for the fourth quarter of 2016 (see chart and website below). Of course, there is considerable variation based on price range and location of properties, with more affordable properties appreciating more.
| Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) | Percent Change in House Prices | |
| 1 Year | 5 Year | |
| Cedar Rapids, IA | + 2.44% | + 6.96% |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | + 5.50% | + 11.39% |
| Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | + 3.99% | + 15.32% |
| Dubuque, IA | + 4.33% | + 11.67% |
| Iowa City, IA | + 2.02% | + 12.49% |
| USA | + 6.15% | + 33.05% |
Information courtesy of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) for the fourth quarter of 2016. FHFA stats always run one quarter behind. Their full report is available at www.fhfa.gov. *Rankings based on annual percentage change in house prices.
"With such a low inventory of houses for sale," said Caroline Ruhl, president of Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors, "This could be an ideal time for you to sell your home and move up to your dream house. We recommend that you consult with your real estate professional to learn more about the real estate activity in your local neighborhood. The public can also request a Neighborhood Report from any Ruhl&Ruhl Realtor or go to ruhlhomes.com and click on 'Get Neighborhood Market Activity' underneath the photo on the homepage."
18
Baby Boomers Finding Freedom in Retirement
Within the next five years, more than one in five people will be aged 65+, and one in three households will be headed by someone in that age group according to the Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS) at Harvard University. This means that Baby Boomers will soon be the largest demographic demanding housing in the near future. Let's take a look at why… In a recent Merrill Lynch study , " Home in Retirement: More Freedom, New Choices," nearly 6,000 adults, ages 21 and older, were surveyed about housing.
On the Move
According to the study, "an estimated 4.2 million retirees moved into a new home last year alone." Two-thirds of retirees say that they are likely to move at least once during retirement. The top reason cited for relocation was "wa...
14
Tales from the Empty Nest
RIS Media's Executive Editor shares her top fives ways to "plan" for an empty nest, if you can even plan at all!
1. Expect to miss your kids.
I think I was led astray by those parents who said they popped open the champagne when their final child left for college. I was actually terribly sad (my husband was even worse) and I felt like there must be something wrong with me. Since then, I've read several great articles that explained why it's actually OK to grieve when your kids leave the house, one of my favorites being from Rob Lowe. This gave me great relief-I mean, if Rob Lowe could be a mess, so could I. Read the rest of her tips here!
6
Community Partnership Sets Goal to Revitalize South of Six
A local development project is not all business for a team working to change the South of Six area in Iowa City. As a young boy, Brad Houser remembers growing up in the South District. He fished in the ponds, went swimming and rode bikes with his neighborhood friends. Brad, in partnership with Steve Gordon and other builders and real estate professionals, is turning his childhood memories into an inspiration for a new development, Sycamore Developments. Sycamore's goal is to bring amazing memories to families in Iowa City – and to bring back a neighborhood that is both affordable and allows you to enjoy hiking, fishing, golfing and even scuba diving while being only minutes from the city. A driving force of this project is to improve the Iowa City area. For ma...
