41 homes sold in Iowa City in March 2011 compared to 45 in March 2010. Last year the first time homebuyer tax credit pulled home sales forward and bumped up the numbers for the year. When you take that into account the number of homes sold this year looks really good. Altogether there is a lot of activity in the Iowa City real estate market at the moment. I'll be watching to see how the housing market shapes up in Iowa City in the coming months so check back for updates, or better yet Subscribe to my blog for email updates. The average price for a single family home in March 2011 was $239,739 compared to $211,983 in 2010. The average price for condos in Iowa City was $174,254 in March 2011 compared to $121,928 in March 2010.   As far as the days on market are concerned, according to dat... 04/18/2011

33 Homes sold in Iowa City in April to date. There are 151 homes pending or contingent. Pending or contingent means homes that have accepted offers and may still have contingencies on them to fulfill before they close. There are currently 583 homes in Iowa City showing as active listings.    583 Active Listings 151 Homes Pending or Contingent 33 Homes Sold in Iowa City in April to date: 19 single family homes, 11 condos,  3 zero lots The trend is still favored towards buyers with an absorption rate of 9.4 months, that's an average of 283 days on market. We still have a lot of homes on the market in Iowa City so we're going to need some time to turn over that inventory and make the transition to a more balanced market. With all the competition out there if you have a house to sell, price... 04/18/2011

20 Homes sold in Iowa City in April to date. There are 151 homes pending or contingent. Pending or contingent means homes that have accepted offers and may still have contingencies on them to fulfill before they close. There are currently 563 active listings for homes on the market in Iowa City. Spring is getting off to a great start with lots of activity in the Iowa City real estate market at the moment. As you can see in the graph the slice of the pie with homes pending or contingent is looking good. I thought with things picking up it would be a good idea to look at the absorption rate to see how long homes are taking to sell in Iowa City. The trend is still favored towards buyers with an absorption rate of 8.6 months, that's an average of 260 days on market. We still have a lot of h... 04/11/2011

13 Homes sold in Iowa City in April to date. There are 125 homes pending or contingent. Pending or contingent means homes that have accepted offers and may still have contingencies on them to fulfill before they close. There are currently 573 active listings homes on the market in Iowa City. Spring has definitely sprung in the Iowa City real estate market. There may be lots of homes on the market, but one thing's for sure, the best homes are being snapped up fast! I know this, because I made a lot of calls this weekend to set up showings to learn that we were too late and the home already had an accepted offer! Buyer's market or not, buyers probably shouldn't spend too long thinking about it if they see something they like and it's in good shape and priced right...     573 Active Listin... 04/04/2011

33 Homes sold in Iowa City in March to date. The number of homes pending or contingent rose to 122 from 111 last week. Pending or contingent means they are homes that have accepted offers and may still have contingencies on them to fulfill before they close. There are currently 556 active listings homes on the market in Iowa City. We should expect lots of action in the coming weeks. This is the busiest time of the year when it comes to the number of buyers out looking for homes. That's due to a combination of events. The first is renters whose leases are up. They want to make sure they have somewhere to go and are not homeless in a couple of months. Then there's the impact The University of Iowa and The UI Hospitals have on home sales as the biggest employers in the area. There's a lot ... 03/28/2011

It was Spring Break last week and a quiet week when it came to home sales in Iowa City.  The number of homes under contract rose to 111. That's up from 101 last week and not bad for a quiet week! We should expect lots of action in the coming weeks. This is the busiest time of the year when it comes to the number of buyers out looking for homes. That's due to a combination of events. The first is renters whose leases are up. They want to make sure they have somewhere to go and are not homeless in a couple of months. Then there's the fact that "Match Day" was last week and nationwide Medical Students now know where they'll be doing their Residency after they graduate.The University of Iowa and The UI Hospitals are the biggest employers in the area. There's a lot of "changing spaces" going... 03/21/2011

21 homes sold in Iowa City in February 2011 compared to 30 in February 2010. The numbers are a little misleading I think. If you look at my weekly real estate market updates you'll know that the numbers of homes under contract is rising. A sure sign that there is a lot of activity in the Iowa City real estate market at the moment - They're just not translating into closed sales just yet. I'll be watching how the real estate market shapes up in Iowa City as we head into the Spring market. Check back for updates, or better yet Subscribe to my blog for email updates.   The average price for a single family home in February 2011 was $232,522 compared to $223,557 in 2010. The average price for condos in Iowa City was $211,553 in February 2011 compared to $133,833 in February 2010. The averag... 03/18/2011

It's mid March and the real estate market in Iowa City is hopping. If you've been following my posts you'll know I've been saying for weeks now that things are picking up. 101 homes under contract. That's a number that will get your attention I think. We're into the triple digits - Definitely a good sign! We've had a market where buyers had a hard time making decisions, it looks like that's changing. All we need now is for this trend to continue through the hot selling months of the year. Check back, because I will be watching that like a hawk. I talk to people all the time who want to know how the real estate market is doing in the Iowa City area. I for one will be really happy if I can keep the good news coming!       516 Active Listings 101 Homes Under Contract 6 Homes Sold week endi... 03/14/2011

  The real estate market in Iowa City continues to flourish as we head towards Spring. This week I have numbers to back up my words again: 84 homes under contract. That's a good solid number, especially as 16 homes that were sale pending last week changed their status to sold this week. The number of active listings has risen by quite a bit too. The rise in the number of homes under contract coupled with the increase in active listings shows that both buyers and sellers are feeling pretty good about the real estate market in Iowa City right now. Buyers are making offers and new homes are coming on the market every day. All we need now is for that trend to continue through coming months... Check back, because I will be watching that like a hawk. Everyone I talk to wants to know how the r... 03/07/2011

I'm out and about telling anyone who will listen that spring has sprung in the Iowa City Real Estate Market. (Even though you'd never know from the temperatures). I have numbers to back up my words again this week too as you can see from the graph below. 66 homes under contract - That's a good number for February and up from last week. 6 homes sold in Iowa City last week - 4 single family homes and 2 condos. It's February and I'm busier than I have ever been.  If this is any kind of sign of what's to come I'd say we're in for quite a year in Iowa City! 457 Active Listings 66 Homes Under Contract 6 Homes Sold week ending February 21, 2011Monday Market Snapshot - February 14, 2011Real Estate Market Report January 2011 Compared to January 2010   Originally posted @ ichomesforsale.com 02/21/2011

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

It's mid February and the real estate market in Iowa City is heating up. So much so that I figure it's time I started up my weekly market updates again. I ran into someone yesterday who was totally surprised at the idea that spring has actually sprung in the real estate market in Iowa City. He's thinking of listing his house in spring. I told him it's already here and he should get moving! I can talk all day long of course, but it's better if I back that statement up with data. Hence my idea to start up the weekly market updates again.   447 Active Listings55 Homes Under Contract3 Homes Sold week ending February 12, 2011My last weekly update was December 20, 2010. At that time there were 427 homes on the market and 29 homes under contract. It's only mid February and the number of homes ... 02/14/2011

The sun is out and Valentine's Day Weekend is getting off to a great start. There are a couple of things going on in Iowa City tonight if you're into live music, or perhaps like me you're an Agatha Christie fan, in which case The Englert is the place for you. This weekend the Iowa City Community Theatre is presenting And Then There Were None -  Classic Agatha Christie, definitely a must see if you're a Whodunnit fan like me. Saturday's performance starts at 7.30pm and there's a matinee on Sunday at 2.00pm. Getting back to the live music, we have a couple of options. The first is the Riverside Casino & Golf Resort at Riverside where the Bacon Brothers will be performing tonight. (February 12). Kevin Bacon and his brother Michael have been making music 15 years now. Long enough to be take... 02/12/2011

Selling a Home in Iowa City: Do I Really Need to Replace the Carpet in My Home Before Putting it On the Market? Nine times out of ten the answer to this question is yes, you do need to replace the carpet in your home before listing it for sale in Iowa City. When I was a home owner and not a real estate agent I had a different perspective on this. My guess is that when you read this post you will too. Buyers should be able to see past the carpet and appreciate the house, right? That makes perfect sense to you and me. After spending a lot of time in the last few years walking around houses in Iowa City with buyers I can tell you that they see it differently. Buyers in Iowa City want homes "move in" ready. Period. They don't want to imagine what it will look like with a different carpet. T... 02/10/2011

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

It's Super Bowl Weekend. Plenty going on in Iowa City this weekend. After 10 years in the US I do get the importance of Super Bowl Sunday. It's right up there with several soccer events I can come up with. Iowa City will be humming this weekend I'm sure. What kicks it up a notch for me is the fact that this weekend also celebrates the life of Bob Marley. His birthday was February 6, 1945.I'm a Brit. Outside of Jamaica I can't think of anywhere more attached to reggae music than the UK. We just love it! Reason enough right there for me to make this post about two events going on in Iowa City celebrating the life of Bob Marley this weekend...The first is tonight, February 4 at the Yacht Club. Tel: 319-337-6464 The 8th Annual Bob Marley Birthday Bash with Natty Nation starts at 9.00pm. Adm... 02/04/2011

13 homes sold in Iowa City in January 2011 compared to 17 in January 2010. 6 single family homes, 5 attached condos, 1 detached condo and 1 zero lot. The interesting thing about the numbers is that it seems condo sales are on the rise. That was the case for the number of condos sold in December and now in January. At least when it comes to condos it looks like the market may be turning around. That's great news as we head towards the spring market. (Typically the strongest selling time of the year for condos).Generally speaking the prices reflect the winter market as far as single family homes are concerned. We still have a buyer's market and they are still putting pressure on prices. Condo prices are looking better. 3 of the condos that sold in January were new construction and sold e... 02/04/2011

Yesterday was an upside down day in Iowa City. After the worst storm of the season the entire area came to a standstill. It got me thinking about extremes so I decided to look at the Iowa City MLS to see what kind of extremes we have on the prices of homes in Iowa City. The highest priced home in Iowa City currently listed on the Iowa City MLS is 47 Crabapple Ct, Iowa City - $1,410,000. It is in the Walnut Ridge Subdivision and as you would expect in a home of this price is luxury at its finest. If entertaining is high on your list then this house is a "must see."  It has 8221 Sq Ft, 6 bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms, 3 - 3/4 bathrooms and 2 half-bathrooms. A gourmet kitchen and formal dining room. It's listed by my friend Linda Thrasher at Skogman Realty. As a buyer's agent I would be happy... 02/03/2011

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

Hard to believe with our worst winter storm of the season upon us that we're just weeks away from the peak home buying time of the year in Iowa City. Students and new members of Faculty coming to the UIOWA for the Fall Semester.  Med Students and Fellows relocating to Iowa City for their three or four year stint at the UI Hospitals.  They'll soon be out in numbers looking for a new place to call home. Add to that the renters who are ready to buy a home and need to be out of their apartments either at the end of June or the end of July and you can see why Iowa City will be absolutely hopping come the end of February.  Sellers should really have their house listed by March 1st if they want to see some real action. Buyers need to move quickly if they see something they like. Buyers Market ... 02/02/2011