January 2015 Market Report for the Memphis Area

The Memphis Area Association of Realtors (MAAR) has released the January 2015 Market Report. The report shows January 2015 sales compared to January 2014 for the overall Memphis area (which includes sales in Shelby, Fayette, and Tipton counties) declined by 5.7%. The average sales price of $144,749 was an increase of 1.5% over 2014.  Supply and Demand - Fewer homes on the market tend to increase sales prices. Foreclosure Sales continue to decrease. January of last year there were 195 bank sales as compared to 146 this year – a 25.1% decline. Even the bank sales showed an increase in value over 2014 or 11.3%. This news may not be good news for investors; however, it is good news for the Memphis housing market.  

As in most cities, some communities are stronger than others. In comparison of January 2015 to January 2014, the two strongest markets were Arlington and Lakeland. January statistics show Arlington with a 133.3% increase in the number of homes sold and a 10.4% increase in the average sales price.  Lakeland also had an increase in home sales of 11.0% plus an increase in the average sales price of 20.0%.

For an in-depth report of Market trends for the Memphis area, click on the link below.

January 2015 Market Report

Homeownership Rates: Are they Crashing?

The Census recently released their 2014 Homeownership Statistics, and many began to worry that Americans have taken a step back from the notion of h ... read more

Home Ownership Matters: Buy or Rent?

There are many people deciding on whether to sign a new lease on a rental property or take the dive into homeownership. Every situation is different. However, with rents, home values and mortgage interest rates projected to rise, buying now might make a lot more sense than waiting until next year.

Here are others who seem to agree:

An article at NPR:

“Economists see several reasons why 2015 might be a banner year for homebuying — and not just in San Francisco and Miami.”

An article on Consumer Affairs:

“If you have been thinking about purchasing a home, the first half of 2015 might be a good time.”

An article on Fox Business News:

“As rent increases, it simply makes more sense to buy a home.”

Bottom Line

Buying earlier in the year probably makes more sense than putting off the decision.

Year End Home Market Report Released Yesterday

The Memphis Area Association of Realtors (MAAR) has released the December Market Report. The report shows year-end sales 2014 compared to 2013 for the overall Memphis area (which includes sales in Shelby, Fayette, and Tipton counties) declined by 3.9% while in comparison the month of December 2014 increased by 20.7% over December 2013.  The end-of-year average sales price increased by 6.6% over 2013.  Supply and Demand - Fewer homes on the market tend to increase sales prices. Foreclosure Sales continue to decrease. December of last year there were 214 bank sales as compared to 187 this year – a 12.6% decline for the month and a 20.0% decline for the year. This news may not be good news for investors; however, it is good news for our housing market.  

As in most cities, some communities are stronger than others. In comparison of 2014 to 2013, the two strongest markets were Millington and Collierville. Year End statistics show Millington with a 35.7% increase in the number of homes sold and an 8.8% increase in the average sales price.  Collierville also had an increase in home sales of 5.5% and an increase in the average sales price of 4.6%. Although both Arlington and Lakeland saw declines in the number of houses sold, both show a more than 4% increase in the average sales price. This is good news going into 2015.

For an in-depth report of Market trends for the Memphis area, click on the link below.

December 2014 Market Report

Existing Home Sales - Inventory - Prices are Up

Home Owenership Matters: Good news for buyers and sellers, according to the December 2014 report from the National Association of Realtors, things are looking up!

Memphis Home Statistics for November 2014

The Memphis Area Association of Realtors (MAAR) has released the November Market Report. The report shows year-to-date sales for the overall Memphis area (which includes sales in Shelby, Fayette, and Tipton counties) declined by 5.6% from this same time last year.  However, the average sales price increased by 6.7%.  Supply and Demand - Fewer homes on the market tend to increase sales prices. Foreclosure Sales continue to decrease. November of last there were 233 bank sales as compared to 144 this year – a 33.6% decline. This news may not be good news for investors; however, it is good news for our housing market.  

As in most cities, some communities are stronger than others. In comparison to November of last year, the two strongest markets were Arlington and Millington. Arlington had a 28% increase in the number of homes sold and a 15.1% increase in the average sales price.  Millington also had an increase in home sales of 15.4% and an increase in the average sales price of 21.4%. Although the Collierville area saw a decline of 28% in sales, the average sales price increased by 6.9%.

For an in-depth report of Market trends for the Memphis area, click on the link below.

November 2014 Market Report

7 TV Cover Up Design Ideas

If you don't like seeing that large flatscreen TV prominently displayed, you may want to take a look at this article I found.  It reveals several tasteful cover-ups for your TV.

Click Here for TV Cover-Ups Article