janmilstead

May 2011 Montgomery Housing Statistics

Filed under alabama, autauga, buy montgomery, buying a home, buying or selling a home, elmore, first time home buyer, home sales, homebuyer, homes for sale, housing market, jan milstead, millbrook, montgomery, Relocation, save money

June 6, 2011

May 2011 Montgomery Area Housing Statistics

Hello Montgomery, Autauga and Elmore Counties !

This report contains valuable insights into our local housing market for the month of April 2011. Inventory is up. If you are considering a home purchase, your time is now while interest rates are still low and there is a lot of inventory to choose from.

This report is in the form of a Excel Spreadsheet. If you need the report in another format – please send me your email address and I will be happy to accomodate.

If you are in the market to buy or sell a home, I can help! Give me a call and let’s discuss your needs and devise a plan to get you where you want to go…

Jan Milstead, Realtor
Assoc. Broker, ABR, CRS, CSP
Aronov Realty Brokerage, Inc.

(334) 399-9637

April 2011 Montgomery Housing Statistics

Filed under alabama, autauga, best, buy montgomery, buying a home, buying or selling a home, economy, elmore, first time home buyer, for sale by owner, foreclosures, home mortgages, home purchases, home sales, homes for sale, House Hunting, housing market, investment, is now the right time to purchase a home, jan milstead, millbrook, montgomery, pike road, prattville, real estate

May 10, 2011

April 2011 – Montgomery Area Housing Statistics

Hello Montgomery, Autauga and Elmore Counties !

This report is in the form of a Excel Spreadsheet. If you need the report in another format – please send me your email address and I will be happy to accomodate.

If you are in the market to buy or sell a home, I can help! Give me a call and let’s discuss your needs and devise a plan to get you where you want to go…

Jan Milstead, Realtor
Assoc. Broker, ABR, CRS, CSP
Aronov Realty Brokerage, Inc.

(334) 399-9637

Filed under housing market

May 10, 2011

2011 March Housing Statistics – Montgomery, AL

Hello Montgomery, Autauga and Elmore Counties !

This report contains valuable insights into our local housing market for the month of March 2011. Inventory is up. If you are considering a home purchase, your time is now while interest rates are still low and there is a lot of inventory to choose from.

This report is in the form of a Excel Spreadsheet. If you need the report in another format – please send me your email address and I will be happy to accomodate.

March 2011 Statistics

If you are in the market to buy or sell a home, I can help! Give me a call and let’s discuss your needs and devise a plan to get you where you want to go…

Jan Milstead, Realtor
Assoc. Broker, ABR, CRS, CSP
Aronov Realty Brokerage, Inc.

(334) 399-9637

Filed under housing market

March 23, 2011

Hello Spring! A Few Tips for Curb Appeal

HELLO SPRING ! Now that we have Marched forward and Spring is in the air, I thought I would pass along a few gardening and curb appeal tips! I hear from so many of my clients that making their homes more environmentally friendly is important to them, and it can even help increase the value of their property.

We all want our yards and gardens to be beautiful, green, and inviting, but also making them good for the environment is just as important. As a homeowner, you can use a number of landscaping design tips to make your house look and feel just as polished on the outside as it does on the inside.

Expand your garden / shrink your yard. Grass yards take a lot of time and resources to maintain. Replace them with wildflower gardens or small outdoor living spaces. The reduction in yard to cut and maintain can reduce your water and fuel consumption as well as giving you a place and “time” for the new outside hammock.

Color is important to all landscape and it is simple to add a little color in the way of flowers and plants. Make sure to choose plants that will thrive in your particular region. Keep in mind their tolerance to various temperatures and moisture levels and make sure that ample sunlight is available to promote a healthy life.

You may choose to purchase a rain barrel. Collecting rainwater and using it to water your yard and plants is a great conservation technique, that not only make you feel good but and will reduce your water bill, therefore growing your pocket book.

Compost is important to your beds and flowers. Maintaining compost will not only reduce your contribution to landfills, but will give you a high quality, free fertilizer for your plants.

Consider planting a tree if needed. Trees not only reduce the CO² in our environment, they also provide shade to your yard and home.

Create an organic vegetable garden. Vegetable gardens can provide you and your family with a delicious, healthy, and very inexpensive food source. Not only is growing a garden a wonderful form of exercise but it is also relaxing and can become a creative hobbie.

Eliminate harmful pesticides from your garden. There are a number of alternatives to the use of toxic pesticides, which pollute both our personal living space and the planet. Your local garden supply center can help you find an alternative that is right for your garden or yard.

Finally, do NOT neglect your mailbox. The way that you maintain your mailbox says a lot about how you feel about little details. An appealing design might include the family’s last name, the street number or address and a colorful display of flowers surrounding the base or possibly even a decorative flag or covering. Your mailbox may be the first impression someone has about your home.

You can find all sorts of wonderful articles and websites for landscaping tips and design. Check out a few on green living as well. One of my favorite websites is www.houselogic.com. A great website for homeowners – be sure to check it out.

As always – if you are looking to buy or sell a home in the wonderful River Region Area – to include Montgomery, Prattville, Millbrook, Wetumpka, Pike Road and surrounding areas – I can help ! Give me a call and let’s get started!

Jan Milstead, Realtor®
Assoc. Broker, ABR, CRS, CSP
Aronov Realty Brokerage, Inc.

(334) 399-9637

Email: jan.milstead@aronov.com

Montgomery Area Housing Statistics – February

Filed under for sale by owner, home decorating, housing market, jan milstead, montgomery, real estate, realtor, save money, selling, www.janmilsteadhomes.com

March 10, 2011

2011 February Housing Statistics – Montgomery, AL

Hello Montgomery, Autauga and Elmore Counties !

This report contains valuable insights into our local housing market for the month of February 2011. Inventory is up. If you are considering a home purchase, your time is now while interest rates are still low and there is a lot of inventory to choose from.

If you are in the market to buy or sell a home, I can help! Give me a call and let’s discuss your needs and devise a plan to get you where you want to go…

Jan Milstead, Realtor
Assoc. Broker, ABR, CRS, CSP
Aronov Realty Brokerage, Inc.

(334) 399-9637

2 Comments

Filed under Best Realtor, buying a home, buying or selling a home, housing market, jan milstead, millbrook, montgomery, prattville, real estate, Uncategorized, wetumpka

March 6, 2011

Marching Forward…

Marching Forward…

Spring and summer months are widely considered the best times to buy or sell a home. This is typically the time you’ll find the largest number of homes on the market. Flowers are in bloom, trees have new leaves and most are happy to leave the dreary days of winter behind them. Spring cleaning is generally performed with renewed enthusiasm and curb appeal is at its best.

As we “March Forward” we are reminded that spring also brings about Daylight Saving Time, also known as “Summer Time”. DST begins on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November.

The clock goes forward one hour at 2:00 AM on the second Sunday in March and falls back to normal time at 2:00 AM on the first Sunday in November. (Spring forward, Fall back)

When DST is not observed, it is called standard time, normal time or winter time.

Daylight Saving Time 2011
Year	Daylight Saving Time Begins time changes from 2:00 AM to 3:00 AM	Daylight Saving Time Ends time changes from 2:00 AM to 1:00 AM

2011	March 13	November 06

The American law by which we turn our clock forward in the spring and back in the fall is known as the Uniform Time Act of 1966. The law does not require that anyone observe Daylight Saving Time; but if we are going to observe Daylight Saving Time, it must be done uniformly. Currently Arizona and Hawaii do NOT follow DST.

By observing Daylight Saving Time we, in effect, create an extra hour of daylight in the evening. An hour in which less lighting is used and thus less electricity. Studies from the 1970s by the U.S. Department of Transportation have shown that we reduce the entire country’s usage of electricity by about 1% each day with Daylight Saving Time.

For Homebuyers and Homesellers this equates to more time in the day. More time for homebuyers to view homes to purchase or for homesellers to have more potential homebuyers view their home.

As always, if you are looking to buy or sell a home in the Montgomery, Prattville, Millbrook, Wetumpka and surrounding areas, I can help ! Give me a call and find out why you should use me as your Realtor®.

Jan Milstead, Realtor®
Assoc. Broker, ABR, CRS, CSP
Aronov Realty Brokerage, Inc.

(334) 399-9637

Filed under Best Realtor, buying a home, buying or selling a home, housing market, jan milstead, millbrook, montgomery, prattville, real estate, wetumpka

March 1, 2011

The Key to the Perfect Home…

How to Find Your Perfect Home

It can often seem elusive or impossible but finding the “perfect” home may not be as hard as it seems. Being prepared – just like doing your homework – will be your best bet. Below are a few easy steps to follow and after you set your parameters – you will be well on your way.

What can You Afford?

Let’s first begin by prequalifying for your home loan. As a Realtor®, I believe this should be your first step and there are a number of reasons why. Getting pre-qualified for a home mortgage will not only tell you how much you can afford but how much you will need as a down payment and prepaids. Prepaids are the taxes, interest and insurance amount you will need to pay at closing. A mortgage originator will be able to give you an estimate of these expenses to get you started.

When you submit a prequalification letter with an offer, sellers will realize that you are serious and capable of buying a home. As a result, they will be more apt to negotiate with you about the market price of the house.

If you don’t know a mortgage originator, ask a Realtor® for a recommendation. We work closely with mortgage originators and certainly know the best in the business.

Location, location, location.

When searching for a home, knowing the area you desire to be in can make the task easier and faster. So before getting started with the house hunting, do a little neighborhood hunting first. There are a number of resources online, from municipal Web sites to forums, that you can use to find out about prospective areas that may be right for you. Contacting a real estate agent is also another great resource in finding an area that can meet your needs.

You can find more information for: Tips for Choosing the “Right” Neighborhood on my website.

There is more to finding a home than just where it sits geographically. There are a lot of things to consider during the home search after defining the neighborhood and location. For most, a home is the most significant purchase they will ever make.

Define Your Home

Let’s define the elements that you want in your home. It could be a garage, basement, extra bedroom or bath, a large kitchen, fireplace or open floor plan. Choosing the style of home that you want is an important first step in finding the perfect place to call home. You may also want to consider whether you prefer a single-level or two-story home. Many home buyers also factor in floor plans when searching for a house, including those that offer an open and flowing design or split floor plan.

Nobody knows the real estate business like a REALTOR®, so let us help you in your search for the perfect home.

In conclusion, you should know that the search for your perfect home is a journey and your ideal home will be changing as your needs and income change. The greatest satisfaction will be at the journey’s end and your new home’s beginning.

As always, if you are looking to BUY or SELL a home in the Montgomery, Alabama and surrounding areas – including Prattville, Millbrook, Wetumpka and Pike Road – give me a call. I can help !

Jan Milstead
Assoc. Broker, ABR, CRS, CSP
Aronov Realty Brokerage, Inc.

(334) 399-9637

http://www.janmilsteadhomes.com/

2 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as alabama, buying a home, homes for sale, housing market, jan milstead, montgomery, neighborhood, real estate, selling a home

February 23, 2011

Tips for Choosing the “Right” Neighborhood

Tips for Choosing the “Right” Neighborhood

“Location, location, location”. There is a reason this term is so commonly used within the real estate industry. Location of a property is one of the most important considerations when selecting a home. Location will affect the value of your home, your day-to-day life, and maybe even your safety. As important as it is to be in the right neighborhood, how do you begin choosing one?

To begin finding the right home in the neighborhood that can best meet all your needs is to know what those needs are. What is it that you and your family will need and want in order to have an enjoyable and functional lifestyle? Nearby facilities such as grocery stores, good schools, and community centers may be necessary for families, access to theaters, restaurants, and a vibrant nightlife may be more important to young professionals.

Research can never replace experience, and if you are planning to purchase a home you will want to be sure the location is right before making what will likely be the biggest investment of your life. A little research can mean not only choosing a home that is right for you, but making sure it is in an area that can meet all of your needs.

Make a list of all of the amenities that are close by in the neighborhood you are considering as your new residence. How close are you to work, doctors, hospitals, family, friends… Keep in mind what distances and routes to each of these places are acceptable and what are not.

Determine what the best features of the neighborhoods are.

Are there parks nearby / quiet areas?
Are the people friendly in the neighborhood?
Is the neighborhood clean?
Are there nice trees and foliage?
Do the lots have large or small yards?
Are there sidewalks?
Is it a safe neighborhood?
What are the market values of the homes in the area?
Are there many houses for sale?
How long ago was the community developed?
What is the average age of the people in the area?
Are there families with small children in the area?

What is the proximity to schools and are you in a good school district?
Whether you have children or not the school district could be vital to the desirability and resale of the subdivision.

Are there community events or organizations?

When you decide upon a neighborhood you will need to be sure as to whether there is a Home Owners Associations and if there are fees. If there are fees, what do they cover?

Finding your perfect dream home is only part of the step. Start with the neighborhood and the perfect house will come…

If you are looking to purchase or sell a home in the Montgomery, Prattville, Millbrook, Wetumpka and surrounding areas of Alabama -I can help. The right real estate agent can make a difference!

Jan Milstead, Realtor
Associate Broker, ABR, CRS, CSP
Aronov Realty Brokerage, Inc.
(334) 399-9637

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as alabama, buying a home, homes for sale, housing market, jan milstead, montgomery, neighborhood, real estate, selling a home

January 20, 2011

2011 Montgomery Housing Market and the New Economy

Thursday, January 20, 2011
Jan Milstead, Realtor, Broker Assoc., ABR, CRS, CSP

For those that need introduction, Dr. Keivan Deravi is a Professor of Economics at Auburn University at Montgomery. His economic forecasts have been used by every gubernatorial administration for 18 years to develop Alabama’s operating budgets. His most recent project has been analyzing the impact of the Gulf oil crisis on Alabama’s economy at the request of Gov. Bob Riley. He has been quoted extensively by The Wall Street Journal, London Financial Journal and The New York Times among many others.

“This is a Reset – Not a Recession.” Dr. Deravi claims that we have arrived at the “New Normal”. Our new Montgomery real estate SOLD levels have taken us back to 2000 – 2001. Nationwide – homes have seen a decrease in price. Some areas have been hit extraordinarily hard. 2010 saw 1,000,000 foreclosures recorded. 2011 predictions are 5,000,000 to be recorded. Dr. Deravi added that 90% of mortgages are in very good shape. 10% of mortgages are in trouble with 50% of the foreclosures coming from 5 states. Dr. Deravi stated “These are very unusual times. This is not a recession, we are experiencing a reset. No one could foresee the degree of correction.”

Predictions of the “New Normal” – Alabama and Montgomery are beginning to show signs of stabilizing. A flat trend will be most welcomed. Things are beginning to normalize. Mortgage Rates are predicted to creep up this year. They are predicted to return to 6 – 6.5% in 2012. HomeBuyers will be “Right Sizing”. Gone are the days of the mini-McMansions. Buyers are predicted to stay in a home 8 yrs now as opposed to 5 yrs.

Dr. Deravi feels that Tourism for the Montgomery area is something to promote and that Mayor Todd Strange is doing a great job with the Dream Montgomery campaign. Promoting the Renaissance, River Walk and continued development of the downtown area is key.

At the end of Dr. Deravi’s speech, a question was posed as to the areas of greatest economic concern for the Capital City. Dr. Deravi stated the education system is of issue. Fix Education in Montgomery and we should see greater growth in jobs and industry. A larger airport would also aide in growth.

2011 Montgomery Chamber of Commerce Business Plan- Goal #1 is to Champion Public Education and Create a Competitive Work Force.

While the discussion was scheduled for just an hour, a lot of information was covered and a clearer picture of direction this great city is headed in began to emerge. It may be years before we see a housing market in Montgomery the likes of 2006 but we are on the right track to “normal”. Normal sounds pretty good after the past couple of years. These are exciting times in Real Estate and I look forward to seeing this city progress.

In the near future I will be posting statistical information regarding some of Montgomery’s neighborhoods – Solds and Homes on the market. As always, you can search all of MLS from my website: http://www.janmilsteadhomes.com/

Stay tuned and I will keep you posted ~
Jan
Jan Milstead,Broker Assoc, ABR, CRS, CSP
Aronov Realty Brokerage, Inc.
(334) 399-9637
email: jan@janmilsteadhomes.com