Ruhl&Ruhl REALTORS
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3
The Quad Cities Experiences the Largest One-Year Gain in Region
Five-year home appreciation in our region was between 6.96% and 15.32% with all of our local Metropolitan Statistical Areas experiencing a positive gain.
"Although interest rates rose sharply during the fourth quarter, our data show no signs of a home price slowdown," said Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Deputy Chief Economist Andrew Leventis. "Although it will certainly take more time for the full effects of the elevated interest rates to be felt, there is no evidence of a normalization in the unusually low inventories of homes available for sale, which has been the primary force behind the extraordinary price gains."
In the past year, home prices are up: 4.33% in Dubuque; 2.02% in Iowa City; 5.50% in the Quad Cities and 2.44% in Cedar Rapids. This compares to other cities: Des Moines up 3.99% and Chicago, IL up 3.89%. This data is provided by the FHFA for the fourth quarter of 2016 (see chart and website below). Of course, there is considerable variation based on price range and location of properties, with more affordable properties appreciating more.
| Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) | Percent Change in House Prices | |
| 1 Year | 5 Year | |
| Cedar Rapids, IA | + 2.44% | + 6.96% |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | + 5.50% | + 11.39% |
| Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | + 3.99% | + 15.32% |
| Dubuque, IA | + 4.33% | + 11.67% |
| Iowa City, IA | + 2.02% | + 12.49% |
| USA | + 6.15% | + 33.05% |
Information courtesy of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) for the fourth quarter of 2016. FHFA stats always run one quarter behind. Their full report is available at www.fhfa.gov. *Rankings based on annual percentage change in house prices.
"With such a low inventory of houses for sale," said Caroline Ruhl, president of Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors, "This could be an ideal time for you to sell your home and move up to your dream house. We recommend that you consult with your real estate professional to learn more about the real estate activity in your local neighborhood. The public can also request a Neighborhood Report from any Ruhl&Ruhl Realtor or go to ruhlhomes.com and click on "Get Neighborhood Market Activity' underneath the photo on the homepage."
28
Six Reasons We Should Stop Celebrating Numbers and Start Championing Service
Inman.com recently published an article about the importance of customer service in the Real Estate industry, and we whole-heartedly agree. Excellence in Service is our number one priority at Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors!
Below are the key points from the article:
- Two vastly different cultures seem to be shaping up in the real estate business. Sales versus service. Leads or customers. Quality versus volume.
- Too often the industry continues to celebrate franchises ad broker owners who have the most agents and hail top producers who close the most sales.
- Oddly, personal referrals are the biggest and most certain source of an a...
25
Best Time to Sell Ever
Inventory is down 10% across the region, and prices are up. Homeowners who have contemplated selling should seize this opportunity to sell at top dollar. And Move-up buyers have the most to gain, as they can sell in a seller's market and buy in a buyer's market!
Home prices have appreciated from 6% to 12% in our region over the past five years, and from 2% to 5.5% in the past year.
Why is Inventory Falling?
- Homebuilders aren't building as many homes as they used to or as the market needs. This stems from lenders tightening up on lending due to restrictive government regulations. Some homebuilders are focusing on pre-solds instead of spec-homes, which create inventory. Plus, we need "affordable homes," and are seeing very few being built. There is a huge opportunity for builders who fill this affordable new home niche - lots of pent up demand.
- Investors have bought thousands of homes and turned them into rentals. This has been smart and lucrative for the investors, but it has taken a lot of affordable home inventory off of the market.
- Sellers are reluctant to sell until they find a property to buy. In fact, sellers would be far better off if they listed their property as "subject to getting an accepted offer on the home of their choice." Then, when sellers receive an offer on their property, they are in a much stronger position to negotiate a better deal on the property they wish to purchase. There are many other advantages to sellers who follow this process instead of finding a property they wish to buy and writing an offer subject to the sale of their home and then listing their home. The chances of actually getting the home they wish to buy are drastically improved if they have already listed their current home. Speak with a Ruhl&Ruhl Realtor for guidance.
- Sellers don't want to give up their low fixed-rate mortgage payments. However, interest rates are still low!
| 30-year Fixed Rate Conventional (no points) | 4.00% |
| 15-year Fixed Rate Conventional (no points) | 3.25% |
| FHA/VA 30-year | 3.75% |
| 5/1 Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM) | 3.125% |
Buyer's or Seller's Market?
We consider a buyer's market to be more than six months of inventory, and a seller's market to be three months or less of inventory. Four to six months is a balanced market, favoring neither buyer nor seller. Location and price range impact months of inventory.
| Market | Price | Months of Inventory |
| Cedar Rapids | Below $350,000 | 2.3 months |
| Above $350,000 | 7.4 months | |
| Dubuque | Below $350,000 | 2.4 months |
| Above $350,000 | 7.2 months | |
| Illinois Quad Cities | Below $300,000 | 2.5 months |
| Above $300,000 | 8.3 months | |
| Iowa Quad Cities | Below $450,000 | 1.6 months |
| Above $450,000 | 5.4 months | |
| Iowa City | Below $350,000 | 4.6 months |
| Above $350,000 | 7.7 months |
Months of inventory for all of our markets is shown in the regional activity chart on page two. We continue to have a bifurcated market, with a seller's market in the affordable price ranges and a buyer's market in the upper price ranges, which vary by market. *In the Iowa Quad Cities, for example, it doesn't become a buyer's market until 700,000 and above. This bifurcation presents a great opportunity to move up buyers - they can sell in a seller's market and buy in a buyer's market.
20
Spring 2017 QCBR Parade of Homes
We are excited to announce the line-up of homes for the 2017 Spring Parade of Homes on April 22, 23, 26, 29, and 30. Please join us at this free event weekends from 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m., and Wednesday from 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
According to Dave Falk, director of new construction and development for Ruhl noted that there are a variety of builders and subdivisions on display this year, so be sure to check them all out!
A total of 25 homes will be on parade this year, with 10 shown by Ruhl agents. Check out the builders, listings, and agents below!
| Builder | Address | Listing Agent |
| Carr Construction | 4326 Colorado Drive, Bettendorf | Tim Martin |
| Dave Prochaska Construction | 5789 Texas Drive, Bettendorf | Tim Martin |
| Steven D. Miller Builder | 4490 Portland Court, Bettendorf | Tim Martin |
| Platinum Design & Development | 5522 Willmeyer Drive, Bettendorf | Shueree Boley |
| Applestone Homes | 5530 Willmeyer Drive, Bettendorf | JJ Condon |
| Platinum Design & Development | 5505 Pigeon Creek Rd, Bettendorf | Shueree Boley |
| Bob Walter Homes | 5232 Pigeon Creek Rd., Bettendorf | Kurt Johnson, Sharon Tahere |
| Heartland Builders | 6507 Cardinal Road, Bettendorf | Marna Nowack |
| Dan Dolan Homes | 3761 Deckard Drive, Bettendorf | Kevin Dolan, Andy Yohe |
| Dan Dolan Homes | 3726 Glengevlin, Bettendorf | Lonna Woods, Jane Bauman |
Feel free to visit Quad City Builders & Remodelers Association website for more information on upcoming builder's events, and visit ruhlhomes.com for all your home-buying and selling needs!
29
Iowa Cropland Values Up in Last Six Months
The Land Trends and Value Survey, presented by the Iowa Farm and Land Chapter #2 REALTORS Land Institute, reported a statewide average increase of 0.9% for tillable cropland values from September 2016 to March 2017 period. Combining this increase with the 3.7% decrease reported in September 2016 indicates a statewide average decrease of 2.8% for the year from March 1, 2016 to March 1, 2017.
In our east central district, high quality cropland is selling at $9,568 per acre. Timber is selling at $2,137 per acre. This district had a 1.1% increase and was one of seven districts that showed an increase in values from September 2016 to March 2017.
Three districts had decreases, including north central at -0.5%, southwest at -3.0% and west central at -2.0%. The highest increase was northwest district at 3.2%.
"It is positive to see land prices stabilizing," said Eric Schlutz, ALC, Realtor and manager of the Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors Muscatine Office. "We look forward to seeing additional growth in the coming months."
"I am not surprised by the increase. Land is currently tightly held as reflected by the small number of listings at this time," said Ken Paper, ALC. "There is still a lot of interest in land investment by investors and farmers, because land is a secure place for money."
For the survey, participants are asked to estimate the average value of farmland as of March 1, 2017. These estimates are for bare, unimproved land with a sale price on a cash basis.
Ruhl Farm&Land, a division of Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors, is focused on the sale, purchase and marketing of land, farms and acreages. For more information, and the price per acre of cropland in all nine Iowa districts, visit http://www.ruhlland.com/en/WebLand_LandValueSurveys.aspx
| Part of Iowa | High-Quality Crop Land |
Medium-Quality Crop Land |
Low-Quality Crop Land |
Timber Per Acre |
| East Central | 9,568 | 7,026 | 4,285 | 2,137 |
| Northeast | 8,997 | 6,834 | 4,278 | 2,498 |
| Southeast | 9,305 | 6,058 | 3,675 | 2,253 |
