Why do the realty associations continue to cook their own goose? The members have no right to blame the "media reporting" for negative public perception about the current real estate market.
Let's use Texas as an example. The Texas Multiple Listing Services just published residential real estate statistics for the month of August, 2010. When compared with 2009, they show home sales for Dallas as "down 19%", Houston as "down 16%", and Ft. Worth as "down 14%". As for the "median price", this same period shows Dallas as ""up 5%" Houston as "down 1%", and Ft. Worth as "up 1%". One would likely conclude that fewer homes are selling even with sale prices holding steady.
Meanwhile, within 24 hours, the Houston Business Journal published a story about how Texas is expected to well regarding the appreciation of home prices over the next 12 months. It specifically refers to the Houston area as the market with the expected largest appreciation of home prices over any other city in the country. The same article includes the Dallas area with an expected rise of nearly 3%. This story compares with areas such as Florida which are expected to show continued depreciation among home prices over the next year.
Heck, here is the story:
http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2010/09/27/daily6.html?surround=lfn
The information in both of these reports are not that much different. However, the irony of the Texas MLS "reporting" the negative home sale comparison while a business publication with no stake in the real estate market gives the information a positive local slant.
Real estate, like most commodities, is about today and the near future. What happened more than a year ago shouldn't have a bearing. Yet, like way too many of the realty associations and industry organizations, the negatives continue to be reported.
Suppose the Texas MLS had simply released the story about how home prices are beginning to appreciate in many areas when compared with last year, and not paraded the sales comparison. They could have given buyers and sellers some hope.
Meanwhile, the last I saw, apartment rental occupancy was way up in these same areas, especially in Ft. Worth, over the past year. At least the realty associations didn't report on that, too.
Showing posts with label texas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label texas. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Friday, November 6, 2009
The affordable college towns
I always try and point out what I find to be positive research as it relates to real estate since there doesn't seem to be enough in this turbulent market.
Now Coldwell Banker has released some of its data researching housing prices in college towns across the country. I'd bet the ranch that you would not have guessed that Akron OH came up as the most affordable college town. I never would have, either.
And while this is a good thing for the agents who will be sharp enough to use this in the higher ranked cities, I give a writer in Austin TX credit for incorporating amazing public relations skills into this.
http://austin.bizjournals.com/austin/stories/2009/11/02/daily22.html
You see, Austin did not finish in the top 10 most affordable college towns in the country according to the research it reviews. Or the top 20. Or the top 30. For that matter, Austin didn't even finish in the top 50. To me, and I'm sure to a lot of others, not finishing in the top 50 of a national list is nothing to crow about, with the possible exception being a significant rise from a previous year or earlier research. Yet, there are no comparisons to past research in this article either.
The fact is that Austin came in 59th on this national list. Yet, this article provides a glowing report on the city of Austin, the University of Texas, and the local real estate market. As they say in the P.R. industry, this is a textbook case of "turning a negative into a positive".
Yet, this is not to toot the horn of the writer or the publication doing the spin. It is to make realty agents and offices aware of the need for positive publicity. Over the past couple of years, it seems like the only other real estate statistics coming out of the Austin market have been to show the drop in home sales in comparison with past years. Instead of simply reporting that "x,xxx homes sold last month" and leaving it at that, we always seem to get the comparison. Once the people hear that the total is, for example, 842 homes fewer than sold in the same month last year, it practically negates the value of the information.
Instead of sitting and repeating the negative statistics about the current market compared with one year ago, we should be turning this market into a positive. It's a start.
Now Coldwell Banker has released some of its data researching housing prices in college towns across the country. I'd bet the ranch that you would not have guessed that Akron OH came up as the most affordable college town. I never would have, either.
And while this is a good thing for the agents who will be sharp enough to use this in the higher ranked cities, I give a writer in Austin TX credit for incorporating amazing public relations skills into this.
http://austin.bizjournals.com/austin/stories/2009/11/02/daily22.html
You see, Austin did not finish in the top 10 most affordable college towns in the country according to the research it reviews. Or the top 20. Or the top 30. For that matter, Austin didn't even finish in the top 50. To me, and I'm sure to a lot of others, not finishing in the top 50 of a national list is nothing to crow about, with the possible exception being a significant rise from a previous year or earlier research. Yet, there are no comparisons to past research in this article either.
The fact is that Austin came in 59th on this national list. Yet, this article provides a glowing report on the city of Austin, the University of Texas, and the local real estate market. As they say in the P.R. industry, this is a textbook case of "turning a negative into a positive".
Yet, this is not to toot the horn of the writer or the publication doing the spin. It is to make realty agents and offices aware of the need for positive publicity. Over the past couple of years, it seems like the only other real estate statistics coming out of the Austin market have been to show the drop in home sales in comparison with past years. Instead of simply reporting that "x,xxx homes sold last month" and leaving it at that, we always seem to get the comparison. Once the people hear that the total is, for example, 842 homes fewer than sold in the same month last year, it practically negates the value of the information.
Instead of sitting and repeating the negative statistics about the current market compared with one year ago, we should be turning this market into a positive. It's a start.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Hands free devices - but only in school zones?
I understand the intent of a new law, even if there are some inconsistencies. A regulation goes into effect next Tuesday (Sept. 1) in Texas requiring motorists to use a "hands free" device for phone calls, texting, and e-mails - but this law impacts school zones.
Anyone caught doing so within a school zone is subject to fine.
However, the various cities and counties need to post a sign at the entrance to a "school zone". While the majority are already indicated, this will mean additional costs for some cities and counties in the state.
Personally, count me among those who question the message this law sends. Us "older" folks will hopefully take this to mean extra steps to protect children. But I'm afraid that too many of the younger set, for whom the law is most intended, will do their own interpretation and think it OK to text and call and read their handheld devices when "outside" of a school zone. They will see it in the same category as "No ice cream after 9 PM" and go for 2 scoops at 6:00.
From a real estate standpoint, this could hold value for realty agents in the marketing of listings, and add appeal to potential buyers with young children.
A young family could then purchase a home down the block from a school and live in "a safety zone". According to this new law, their home would technically be "safer" than a similar home literally a block away (which happens to be outside of the school zone).
Will we see price increases for multiple bedroom homes located in or across from a school "safety zone"?
If it could result in a price increase and/or perceived as increased value for homes within these zones, how soon before this becomes a sales and negotiation point? This is different from zoning change requests, challenges to neighborhood boundaries, and other such attempts to impact local property values. Different because a home can't suddenly be included within a "school zone".
Thus, some current homeowners could have the luck of the draw and have one more sales feature than a neighbor further down the block. All because people are being told where they can text and call from with both hands on the wheel. There are no expressways or interstate highways which are considered part of a school zone, and that is the case all over and not just in Texas.
In reading up on this law, I didn't see anything indicating this is only a start toward banning texting or calling unless it is a hands free device in other places.
Just as bad, this regulation targets motorists. They will still have to be on alert for students walking across the street who are texting their friends.
That should want to make them call or text their local politicians. Even if they have to do it while driving on the expressway...................
Anyone caught doing so within a school zone is subject to fine.
However, the various cities and counties need to post a sign at the entrance to a "school zone". While the majority are already indicated, this will mean additional costs for some cities and counties in the state.
Personally, count me among those who question the message this law sends. Us "older" folks will hopefully take this to mean extra steps to protect children. But I'm afraid that too many of the younger set, for whom the law is most intended, will do their own interpretation and think it OK to text and call and read their handheld devices when "outside" of a school zone. They will see it in the same category as "No ice cream after 9 PM" and go for 2 scoops at 6:00.
From a real estate standpoint, this could hold value for realty agents in the marketing of listings, and add appeal to potential buyers with young children.
A young family could then purchase a home down the block from a school and live in "a safety zone". According to this new law, their home would technically be "safer" than a similar home literally a block away (which happens to be outside of the school zone).
Will we see price increases for multiple bedroom homes located in or across from a school "safety zone"?
If it could result in a price increase and/or perceived as increased value for homes within these zones, how soon before this becomes a sales and negotiation point? This is different from zoning change requests, challenges to neighborhood boundaries, and other such attempts to impact local property values. Different because a home can't suddenly be included within a "school zone".
Thus, some current homeowners could have the luck of the draw and have one more sales feature than a neighbor further down the block. All because people are being told where they can text and call from with both hands on the wheel. There are no expressways or interstate highways which are considered part of a school zone, and that is the case all over and not just in Texas.
In reading up on this law, I didn't see anything indicating this is only a start toward banning texting or calling unless it is a hands free device in other places.
Just as bad, this regulation targets motorists. They will still have to be on alert for students walking across the street who are texting their friends.
That should want to make them call or text their local politicians. Even if they have to do it while driving on the expressway...................
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