Ahhh, The 80’s

Bad weather and growing problems in the mortgage industry forced the steepest one-month decline in sales of existing homes in nearly two decades, dashing hopes that the housing market is headed for an imminent recovery, the National Association of Realtors reported today. Sales of previously owned homes in March fell by 8.4 percent compared with February, the group reported. It was the largest one-month drop since sales of existing homes plunged 12.6 percent in January 1989, the last time the country was in a housing recession. It was also 11.3 percent below the number of units sold in March 2006.

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Who You Gonna Call?

It was only a few weeks ago that we sat in our homes or offices watching the snow fall and dreading the cold temperatures that awaited us outside. Well, we made it through the dark days of winter! Spring is here and it brings with it thoughts of new life and new beginnings.For some of you those new beginnings may include the decision to move.I am sure it comes as no surprise that I would recommend that if you are thinking about buying or selling a home, your first call should be to a Realtor. I recently received an e-mail from a reader of this column who inquired if I would recommend that she utilize the services of the same Realtor to help sell her current residence and help find her a new home. Her e-mail probably is one of many questions you may have about how to choose a Realtor to help you through your real-estate transaction.

April Showers Bring May Houses

You see it at every corner.  Elizabeth Razzi from the Post will explore new home construction every Sunday. 

There are 40,409 new, single-family houses on the market in the Maryland and Virginia suburbs, according to Hanley Wood Market Intelligence, a construction-industry research company. That doesn’t include condominiums, which are certainly in flush supply, or even townhouses. And nearly one-third of that unsold inventory sits in just two jurisdictions, Prince George’s and Loudoun counties.

To see this article, please click here.

NVAR’S SPRING PREDICTIONS

Home Shoppers will Find Plenty of Choices this Spring

Potential homebuyers in Northern Virginia will continue to have many choices and negotiating tools as spring moves forward, while interest rates remain at favorable levels, below where they were one year ago.The Northern Virginia market slowed slightly in March, but seems to be following similar trends to the national market. National Association of REALTORS Chief Economist David Lereah noted recently that home sales data suggests an underlying stabilization in the housing market, but it will take another month or two to clarify.

Be sure to check out the numbers from March here.  Or, continue reading the article.

Is Your House “Dumb”?

Who needs a light switch when you can just use a remote control?  Smart homes are increasingly on the rise, and new home builders are incorporating this new sensation in their plan.  Wired for sound, sight and excitement, smart homes have one box that controls all.  Internet, TV, and phone are just the begining.  Joe Robinson from the L.A. Times talks about the digital home.

How does it work? Installers connect your house’s electronic and digital devices to a command center, a hard drive that looks like a stereo receiver and can stream music, store movies and manipulate security cameras, among other functions. All can be activated by a remote control, wall keypad, off-site computer via the Web or cell phone.

Read the rest here.