Posts from January 2011
Subscribe and receive email notifications of new blog posts.
RSS Feed
- 2026 | 6 Posts
- 2025 | 47 Posts
- 2024 | 39 Posts
- 2023 | 35 Posts
- 2022 | 58 Posts
- 2021 | 13 Posts
- 2020 | 25 Posts
- 2019 | 11 Posts
- 2018 | 1 Posts
- 2017 | 42 Posts
- 2016 | 66 Posts
- 2015 | 24 Posts
- 2014 | 64 Posts
- 2013 | 44 Posts
- 2012 | 38 Posts
- 2011 | 79 Posts
- 2010 | 38 Posts
- 2009 | 35 Posts
- 2008 | 1 Posts
26
Housing Market in Q-C 'bubbling'
The Quad-City housing market remains strong, according to the annual prediction of a national real estate firm. Housing Predictor, an independent real estate research firm based in Destin, Fla., ranked the Quad-City region 24th on its Best 25 Real Estate Markets, according to editor Mike Colpitts. The ranking looked at 234 U.S. markets. The survey evaluated the Quad-City multiple listing service, or MLS, which includes Scott, Rock Island, Mercer and Henry counties. "We are doing OK. This prediction is coming out at the worst time of the year and we are still leading the pack," Shane Johnson, chief executive officer of the Quad-City Area Realtor Association, said. "The winter months are normally slow in the real estate industry," said Michael Banks, chairman of the association. "This year, however, things are bubbling more than they have in the past." Portland, Maine, topped the list with projected ap...
19
Experts on Real Estate
Our agents are experts because we learn from experts. View one of our instructors on Fox and see what he says about now being the time to SELL! Keep checking RuhlHomes.com for the most up to date information on the real estate market!
Steve Harney on Fox Business News from Steve Harney on Vimeo.
13
Rental Prices Jump 11.6 Percent in 2010
You would think that with the housing crisis in full swing that there would be so many homes available to rent that rental prices would go down. Seeing the recent numbers from HotPads you would be wrong. The average rental price in 2010 increased by 11.6% during the year. That is a huge jump on many levels:
- For families on a fixed income, that extra rent keeps people from spending their money on other things.
- New couples that are saving to buy are seeing higher rents that push them that much further from their goal.
- Meanwhile, there are the families that have lost their homes in foreclosure who are in the rental pool that now are paying the increased rent and squeezing their household budgets that much more.
7
3 Questions You Must Answer Before Buying a Home
If you are thinking about purchasing a home right now, you are surely getting a lot of advice. And most of that advice is probably negative. Why buy now with prices still falling? Don't you realize real estate is no longer a good investment? Don't you know that people who bought five years ago lost their shirt? We understand the concern your friends and family have. However, let's look at whether or not now is actually the perfect time to buy a home. There are three questions you should ask before purchasing in today's market: 1. Why should I buy if house prices are still depreciating? We believe that in most parts of the country prices will in fact soften in 2011. Price is the major concern for anyone selling a home. When you are buying, COST should be your primary concern however. Your monthly payme...
4
Do Neighborhood Watch Groups Cut Crime and Insurance Costs?
Your neighborhood watch program isn't guaranteed to cut crime in your community, but if it does, that can lower insurance costs and raise property values. Some studies report a reduction in crime after a watch starts, while others found an increase, according to a study by the U.S. Department of Justice. The DOJ report looked at 18 studies from the United States and the United Kingdom. The studies paired neighborhood watch areas with similar neighborhoods that had no neighborhood watch. In 15 of the 18 areas, crime fell in the area with the watch. In three areas, crime increased despite the neighborhood watch. None of the studies was perfect. Some of the watch programs did other projects that might also have helped lower crime rates, like engraving owner information on valuables or working with neighbors to improve the security of their homes. If your program does reduce crime, you'll win in two w...
