March Madness coming up

It is hard to believe that March 2013 was my "slow" month and that March 2014 has 4 things pending to close!  A sign of the times for sure.

Maine Housing Report January 2014

February 21, 2014

MAINE REAL ESTATE SALES JUMP 8.58% IN JANUARY SALES PRICES UP 2.78%

SOUTH PORTLAND (Feb. 21, 2014) — Buyers of single-family homes in Maine are not waiting on the sidelines for the spring sales season.  January home sales were up 8.58 percent, according to Maine Listings.  Realtors reported a statewide median sales price (MSP) of $166,500 in January 2014 – an increase of 2.78 percent over January 2013. The MSP indicates that half of the homes were sold for more and half sold for less.

The National Association of Realtors today announced a 6.0 percent decrease in January sales nationwide, while the national MSP jumped 10.4 percent to $188,900.  Regionally, sales in the Northeast dipped 3.1 percent and the regional MSP increased 6.6 percent to $241,100.

Angelia Levesque, 2014 President of the Maine Association of Realtors, said the increased number of pending sales is a “good sign that we’ll have a strong spring market. Maine buyers need more housing inventory—especially in the first-time homebuyer market.  Today’s buyers are able to take advantage of low interest rates and secure a bigger home for their money.”

Levesque, a Realtor with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate/The Masiello Group in Bangor, ­­­added that currently, Maine is witnessing a “stable and healthy real estate market.  Homebuyers are not deterred by the snowy weather.  There is no need for sellers to wait until spring; now is really the time to place your home on the market.” 

Below are two charts showing statistics for Maine and its 16 counties.  The first chart lists statistics for the month of January only, statewide.  The second chart compares the number of existing, single-family homes sold (units) and volume (MSP) during the “rolling quarter” months of November through January.                                               

Maine Real Estate Statistics – January 2014 Housing Report—2/21/14

October on Mount Desert Island....

I am LOVING this month! I've had more business this month than all summer combined - crazy! Plus things in-town are winding down a bit which is great....such a funny life here with the seasons and craziness. It has been great to take a deep breath from time to time and get outside and enjoy Acadia - so gorgeous this time of year!

Last weekend I took a mini-vacation despite being busier than ever...but it was great to catch up with some of the best girls on the planet and soak up some long lost Boston. I love the mixture of new and old architecture.....this picture is from Copley Square - the John Hancock building with the Trinity Church reflection.

Funny story on this house above, the seller in his eighties is my Grandmother's cousin and I just found that out - who would have thought! Small world.

Business AND Busy-ness

Summer in Maine - what a treat! This is the time of year we wait for all winter...hot, sunny weather, all of the local businesses are open, real estate is picking up, taking trips to the beach (once for me so far this summer), and bbq-ing with friends (less and less as the craziness of August arrives). It sometimes feels like living here on the coast of Maine is all or nothing! No complaints though from me....it feels great to be busy with work and busy with life. In the craziness of it all, I am fortunate that I recently got to visit some dear friends who camp annually on Hermit Island near Bath, Maine. It was so great to take a couple of days to visit, beach it, enjoy the campfire, and even take in a lip sync concert care of my favorite 3 and 5 year olds.

Here are a few pictures from the days that I was lucky enough to "play" tourist.

April Showers...

Pretty cool shot from the Shore Path in Bar Harbor last week...couldn't help but think how lucky I am to live here!

Cold day for showings, but look at that VIEW!

I was lucky enough to show Highland Rose with Kim Swan the other day. A very COLD and windy Mid-Winter day, but just LOOK at that view!! Highland Rose is an exceptional waterfront listing nestled into the rocky coast of Maine overlooking Frenchman Bay. It was a great day in my real estate world to have shown this property!

Tis the Season!

As I type the snow is falling and the wind is howling! The first real storm of the year is always so exciting. The rush at the grocery store the day before, the lines at the gas station full of plow trucks, and of course the buzz from everyone canceling/making plans. To hear any complaints about the weather this early in the season is quite obnoxious - I mean, HELLO, this is Maine after all.

The calm after the storm is also a nice feeling, as the sun shines on the fresh new snow it creates a clean and sparkly look. One of my favorite things about Winter in Maine is the beauty and quiet after a fresh snow. With Christmas around the corner a fresh blanket of snow is welcome, but in my opinion, if we are celebrating Winter in Maine snow is welcome through February (too bad it will still snow through April though right!?).

First Time Buyer Tax Credit EXTENDED

I am so happy to have represented another first time buyer!! It is so amazing seeing the joy on a new homeowners face when they actually get through piles of paperwork and are officially a HOMEOWNER! I recently represented a buyer who thought it might not be a reality to own a home - and I was so proud that they made it through all the inspections and bank appointments to find at the end of the tunnel there was their new home.

Sometimes I really do forget how rewarding my job can be (I feel like I need that after some of the roller coaster deals that fall through though, ha). How lucky are we to live in a country that encourages home ownership (especially right now w/ the help of the 1st time buyer tax credit). I was at another closing recently when my buyer (after signing pounds of paperwork) said "somehow I think it was easier when we all just staked our claim w/ a flag in the ground." Of course I envisioned the Wild West and people running for their "claim" yikes - I guess those would have been the days...

To get back to my subject line (oh yes I struggle with focus), some great news for those 1st time buyers who haven't found the right house yet - the tax credit has been extended through April 30, 2010. There are still some GREAT buys out there, so let's go looking?!!

Septic Inspection??

Twice in the last month I've had buyers request septic inspections. No big deal right? Well the last two inspections I have attended have been big deals - one tank was buried down 5 feet - as opposed to the traditional 2 feet. Those people brought in their own excavator to dig down to the tank, my oh my.

Today, I attended another inspection that seemed it would be quite easy, as we could see the pipe exiting the home & I had the septic design. The septic design may have been just a tiny bit off - which caused some minor frustration to the inspector. I tried to make small talk, even the occasional joke - but after awhile there was silence. After standing out in the 35 degree brisk morning for a more than a few silent moments I finally heard the beautiful sound of the metal poke tool hitting the concrete septic tank!!!!

Soon after this the inspector was pulling the cover off the tank and getting down and dirty to inspect the interior of the tank (with flashlight and mirror!). Thankfully this particular tank was in great shape.

.....On to the next glamorous Realtor job.

Btw, I do love my job - I love that there is a different spin each and every day!!

Education galore!!!!

Tomorrow I'm heading to Portland for a 2 day "Innkeeping Bootcamp" hosted at the gorgeous Danforth Inn (by far my favorite place to stay in Portland). If you are wondering if I am in the market to buy an Inn, that is actually not true (well for now anyway :-)). I am going to take the class to learn more about the process a buyer and innkeeper go through when purchasing an Inn, or in other words purchasing a lifestyle. Our company, The Swan Agency Sotheby's International Realty has a specialty division that markets B&Bs and other lodging properties, so this is all content I should know by now. I feel that the more I can learn about during a somewhat "slow/down" market the better I will be in the future. Although, I don't feel much of a slowdown right now, craziness.

SOO...from the Innkeeping Bootcamp in Portland, I'll be heading up the coast of Maine to the Maine Association of Realtors convention hosted at The Samoset Resort (another fave of mine). From there I'll take several courses and I'm sure be overloaded with info come Thursday. This is my first MAR convention, and so I hear there is a lot of work but also a lot of play...I'll keep you posted with that.

Since I'll be gone for a few days I'm cooking up some food for the Mister - who normally can survive on black bean burritos. So far I've made him some crazy egg dishes - he prefers me not to call it quiche? oh boys.

I'll be blogging, facebooking and tweeting from both conventions so to keep up check me out:

@erica_bates

facebook.com/ericabates