Spring Home Buying Helps Boost Home Prices in April

US single-family home prices fell modestly in April from a year ago, but edged higher from the prior month, pointing to signs of stabilization in the battered housing market at the start of the spring buying season, a closely watched survey said Tuesday.

The S&P/Case-Shiller composite index of 20 metropolitan areas fell 0.1 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis. A Reuters poll of economists had forecast a decline of 0.2 percent.

On a non-seasonally adjusted basis, however, the index rose 0.7 percent, its first advance in eight months, the report said.

"The seasonally adjusted numbers show that much of the improvement reflects the beginning of the spring-summer home buying season," David Blitzer, chairman of the index committee at Standard & Poor's, said in a statement.

"It is much too early to tell if this is a turning point or simply due to some warmer weather."

The excess amount of houses for sale, ongoing foreclosures, tight credit and weak demand have kept the housing market on the ropes even as other areas of the economy start to recover.

Prices in the 20-city index fell 4 percent year over year, slightly worse than expectations for a drop of 3.9 percent.

On a month-over-month basis, the 20-city index rose 0.7 percent, while the 10-city index rose 0.8 percent.

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St. James Plantation

Five Relocation Tips for Your Big Move

Being relocated can be stressful. Your family is nervous about being uprooted and you are nervous about starting a new job. Relocating involves more than just a new address; it involves new neighbors, new schools, new coworkers and a new house.

So how can you maintain control when you are treading in unfamiliar territory? Use the following five relocation tips to help you make the most of your relocation to St. James Plantation.

Give Your New City a Trial Run – If you’re relocating to Southport, NC, you may want to visit the area before you plan your entire move. Take the family for a weekend trip and survey the area. Find restaurants and grocery stores that you will be using. By getting familiar with your new town before you move, your family may feel more comfortable when it actually comes time to relocate.

Accept Help – If family or friends want to help you pack your things or move into your new place, accept. You can’t expect to do everything, and having the support of your loved ones will actually make the move easier on your family.

Use Packing as an Opportunity to Purge – When packing for your big move, give your family a fresh start. Use your packing as an opportunity to get rid of the clutter you have accumulated over the years. Start fresh in your new house without clutter and without the stress of having to find places for all of the stuff you packed, but don’t actually need.

Be Aware of Cost of Living – When moving to a new city, you need to make yourself aware of any changes in your cost of living. If you are relocating to Jacksonville, NC your cost of living may actually decrease depending on where you are moving from. Assess your current financial situation and do research to find out what changes you will experience.

Create a Network – If you have friends or family that have relocated to where you are moving, use it as an opportunity to look them up. Use social networking to find old friends or colleagues that may be living in your new city and get in touch with them. Surround yourself with people you know.

Don’t let the process of relocating to Southport, NC get the best of you. Stay strong and embrace the experience for what it is. Moving to a new city gives you the chance to write the next chapter of your life. Don’t dwell on what you’re leaving behind, but on all the opportunities that are waiting for you.

Ken Keegan Real Estate Broker

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Groups pushing statewide local food initiative in Southport

Several organizations are teaming up to promote a campaign for restaurants and individuals to commit to buying10 percent of their food locally.

Feast Down East, the county’s cooperative extension, Downtown Southport Inc., and the Center for Environmental Farming Systems at N.C. State are sponsoring an event — called “Southport 10% Campaign Community Pledge & Farmer-Chef Partnership Meeting” — to be held June 21 that will give more information.

The event will be held at the Fishy Fishy Restaurant from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Click here for a schedule of events.

Ken Keegan Real Estate Broker

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Real Estate Tips for Closing a Deal

Once you’ve found your dream St. James Plantation real estate, you’re willing to do just about anything to close the deal. While you don’t want to get ripped off, you want to keep negotiations moving so you can get your home.

So, what do you do when a seller won’t budge on the price of your dream home? Try using some of the following real estate tactics to help move negotiations:

Keep searching for common ground – The best advice any real estate agent will give you is to keep talking until you can find a common ground with the seller. While they may not be willing to negotiate on price, there is a chance they will be receptive to paying closing fees or offering amenities.

Ask for a decorating allowance – If the seller is unwilling to go down in the price of their St. James new home, consider asking for a decorating allowance. This can include a specified amount of money for painting, carpeting or removing wallpaper.

Propose a home warranty – By suggesting a home warranty, you can give yourself the comfort of knowing future repairs will be covered by insurance. That way, while you won’t be saving money on the cost of the home, you could save money in the long run.

Request they cover closing costs ­­­- Not directly related to the price of the home, closing costs can be expensive. Ask the seller if they will are willing to cover your closing costs as an alternative to lowering the price of the home.

Remember, if you can’t get the home of your dreams on the first try, there are plenty of other St. James Plantation homes out there. If you choose a quality real estate agent that understands your tastes and needs, you will find another home to fall in love with.

Ken Keegan Real Estate Broker

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St. James Plantation

Buyer Stats

Ken Keegan Real Estate Broker

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www.KenKeegan.com

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St. James Plantation

First Time Buyer Stats

Ken Keegan Real Estate Broker

(910) 523-0903 mobile

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www.KenKeegan.com

Click here for more information on Brunswick, County Real Estate

St. James Plantation

Top Five Packing Tips for Your Big Move

When you buy a new home, one of the most stressful parts is packing up your old house. Once you start packing and realize how much stuff you have accumulated over the years, the stress can begin to build. However, if you approach your packing strategically, you can make the process stress-free and well-organized.

Plan ahead – Give yourself plenty of time to pack. Don’t underestimate how much time it will take you to pack each room of your home. By having a strategic plan for how you will tackle your packing, you can ensure it will be a stress-free project.

Gather all your supplies – Before you even begin to pack for your new St. James Plantation, NC real estate, you need to purchase the right packing supplies. Invest in all the packing materials you think you will need. Having boxes, tape, packing peanuts and markers at your disposal will make your packing more efficient. Cut costs by only purchasing the packing supplies you will actually need.

Create “essentials” boxes – When packing, separate and label all of your essential items. Pack the things you will need all the way up until the move in these boxes and make sure they are easy to reach when you arrive at your St James, NC home.

Pack the moving truck strategically – While this may not be something you immediately consider important, it is always better to plan ahead. Devise a plan for how you will best utilize the space available in the moving truck. Keep boxes from one room together and always put the heaviest items at the bottom.

Don’t bring what you don’t need – When you start packing, have a large garbage bag nearby. If you find items when packing that you no longer need, don’t keep them. Start off life in your beautiful new home uncluttered. Donate unused items or have a garage sale before you move, but do not take anything to your St. James, NC new home that you don’t need!


Ken Keegan Real Estate Broker

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www.KenKeegan.com

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St. James Plantation

April Pending Home Sales Drop After Two Monthly Gains

Pending home sales fell in April with regional variations following increases in February and March, with unusual weather and economic softness adding to ongoing problems that are hobbling a recovery, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

The Pending Home Sales Index,* a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings, dropped 11.6 percent to 81.9 in April from a downwardly revised 92.6 in March. The index is 26.5 percent below a cyclical peak of 111.5 in April 2010 when buyers were rushing to beat the contract deadline for the home buyer tax credit.

The data reflects contracts but not closings, which normally occur with a lag time of one or two months.

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said the dip in contracts may be due to temporary factors. “The pullback in contract signings is disappointing and implies a slower than expected market recovery in upcoming months,” he said. “The economy hit a soft patch in April from sharply rising oil prices, widespread severe weather with the heaviest precipitation in 20 years, and a sudden rise in unemployment claims.”



Ken Keegan Real Estate Broker
(910) 523-0903 mobile
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www.KenKeegan.com
Click here for more information on Brunswick, County Real Estate
St. James Plantation