Yesterday after a really busy week I finally found time to whip out my camera and take some photos of houses in the Goosetown neighborhood. I'd just finished showing homes in the area and couldn't resist stopping a while to take some photos of what is truly a wonderful Iowa City neighborhood with some really charming houses. Goosetown is in the north of Iowa City. It's affectionately named Goosetown, because of the Bohemian immigrants who settled there in the 1850's and kept geese in their yards. It's about a mile from downtown Iowa City, making it a very popular choice amongst folks relocating to Iowa City for the University of Iowa. Goosetown is on the east side of the Iowa River, which is where you will find the older period homes dating back to the 1800's.     Goosetown is actually ... 02/20/2011

There are many tax breaks associated with owning your own home. One of the lesser known ones is the Homestead Tax Credit. This is a small tax break, usually $115 - $130 on a home in the Iowa City area. What the credit means is that your property taxes are reduced by the amount of the credit every year. It's not a refund. This is purely a tax break that reduces your property tax liability. It may not seem like a lot, but it's certainly enough to fill up your car with gas a few times in the year ... (Although depending on your car a couple of times may be an exaggeration these days). This is a tax credit that is only available to home owners using their homes as a primary residence. It cannot be claimed for rental properties.This is a real easy credit to apply for. The only caveat is the ... 02/09/2011

That's it. I keep my mouth shut next time. We've had a bitterly cold winter in the Coralville and Iowa City area this year, but up until yesterday we were pretty lucky as far as missing major storms is concerned. Actual snow fall has been on the low side. On Monday I had to go and jinx it for us all by just provoking those guys at the weather service to get it wrong! They didn't. We got the snow they predicted. In fact we were one of the harder hit areas and got about a foot of snow overnight. Today everything in the Iowa City and Coralville area is at a standstill. No classes, not even at the University of Iowa. No buses. It took my son about 3 hours to dig us out of our driveway - Not that we're going anywhere. We're smart people, we're staying home today!       02/02/2011

After putting together several year over year market reports earlier in the month I figured it was time I drill it down some more and look at the numbers of homes sold in December in Iowa City. According to the Housing Trends Report released by the Iowa Association of Realtors this week home sales are up in Iowa for December. That's not the the case for Iowa City - Although they're not down either. 47 homes sold in December 2010 compared to 48 in December 2009. That's pretty even. There's a strange phenomena going on at the moment with single family homes sales down and condo sales on the rise. Not really sure what to make of that yet. We'll see in the coming months whether that trend continues. What's not at all surprising is that prices are down. It's winter. We have winter pricing, p... 01/24/2011

Spring is just around the corner. I know, it doesn't seem like it, but let's shake that off the winter blues this weekend and get into the mood for spring. What's got me so excited you ask? Well, that would be the Iowa City Area Home and Builder Show that's taking place this weekend at the Coralville Marriott Conference Center. I'm a real estate agent of course I'm excited. I love homes. (And I'm not just saying that). If you love homes too then you want to go to the Marriott this weekend and check out the Iowa City Home and Builder Show. If you're thinking of buying a home you'll find inspiration. If you're already a home owner and thinking about those updates you want to start in spring you'll find inspiration too. Schedule for the Iowa City Home & Builder Show 2011: When? Friday Janu... 01/21/2011

Last week was the first full week of classes at the University of Iowa. This is a college town and as anyone will know who lives in a college town, the students bring an atmosphere that you just don't get anywhere else. On the day I took these photos I was lucky enough to be invited to lunch at the Masala, a vegetarian Indian restaurant downtown and thought since I was right there in the thick of things I'd take a walk and soak up the atmosphere. The weather was perfect and I think what struck me most is how green the UI Campus is. Iowa City shows up on green cities lists all the time. Quite clearly the University of Iowa supports and contributes to that. Check out the slide show and you'll see what I mean. 08/31/2010