The 911 Rescue units in Omaha do a valuable, often life-saving service for the community without expecting thanks.  It is their job.  Yet, it makes their day when a recipient sends a thank-you or stops by to give words of gratitude for their service.  Such was the situation for Ken Hayden, Sr. who called 911 on January 5, 2009 while experiencing a heart attack.  His situation required CPR and paddle shock as his heart went into ventricular fibrillation which meant his heart was not pumping any blood.  Four days later, after having triple bypass surgery, Hayden walked into the fire station to thank the rescue crew who saved his life.  He said he owed his life to them.    Troy Trumm - Trumm Team 402-943-9494 Omaha Homes For Sale Omaha Real Estate 01/10/2009

Below is a summary of the Omaha existing residential real estate market for Dec. 2008. Existing Residential Properties Closed: Dec-09 Dec-09  Dec 08 YTD Dec 07 YTD   Total Existing Construction Sales 456 483 7965 9028   Total $ Volume $60,728,136 $74,095,687 $1,208,493,189 $1,405,962,659   Avg. List $ $142,161 $159,990 $157,833 $160,809   Avg. Sold $ $133,175 $153,407 $151,850 $155,733   High Sold $ $3,100,000 $1,111,000 $3,100,000 $1,800,000   Median Sold $ $118,000 $134,000 $132,000 $134,000   Low Sold $ $3,000 $4,500 $3,000 $3,000     Troy Trumm - Trumm Team Omaha Homes For Sale Omaha Real Estate   01/09/2009

Below is a summary of the Omaha new construction real estate market for Dec, 08. New Residential Construction Closed: Dec-09 Dec-09  Dec 08 YTD Dec 07 YTD Total New Construction Sales 60 109 1017 1520 Total $ Volume $16,970,763 $31,475,609 $288,908,394 $413,806,986 Avg. List $ $283,103 $288,780 $284,251 $270,635 Avg. Sold $ $282,846 $288,767 $284,079 $272,241 High Sold $ $954,890 $848,915 $2,000,000 $1,398,000 Median Sold $ $254,000 $258,784 $250,000 $251,927 Low Sold $ $118,900 $103,800 $28,000 $55,000   Troy Trumm - Trumm Team Omaha Homes For Sale Omaha Real Estate   01/09/2009

To encourage agents to complete my requests for feedback after showing one of my listings, I offer a $20 gift certificate to the agent who submits the closest guess on the sales price of the listing.  Not only does this ensure valuable feedback for my clients, it is also a great way to maintain good relations with other agents. Congratulations to Kathryn Allen and Brian Wilson, both of CBS Home who each won a $20 gift certificate to Chili's for submitting the closest guesses on the sale prices of listings of mine that sold in the past month.   Trumm Team - Omaha, NE Omaha Homes For Sale Omaha Real Estate   01/07/2009

Local social service agencies, law enforcement, Legal Aid, Victim Assistance advocates, and counselors from Heartland Family Services and Catholic Charities are working together to simplify the process of getting help for victims of domestic violence in Omaha.  In the past, each agency worked with victims as separate entities which often resulted in delays, confusion, and wasted time. The agencies will all have representatives located at one facility called the Family Justice Center and will provide most of the services and help that victims and their dependents need at a time that is troubling enough when fleeing from an abusive situation.  The new center housing the various representatives will open in June at a location east of 90th Street.  The exact location has not yet been determ... 01/07/2009

Thank you for checking out my November Real Estate market report for Omaha NE including Downtown Omaha Condos, Midtown - Dundee, UNMC, North Omaha - Benson, Northwest Omaha, West Omaha Homes, Elkhorn, Ralston and Millard homes that are for sale on the Omaha MLS. . Active Listings, as of January 6, 2009 and Sold Data from December 1, 2008 to December 31, 2008.  Months supply is the number of active listings divided by the number of sold listings for the month. Months supply over 6 months market is more of a buyers market.  Months supply under 6 months is more of a sellers market. Douglas County had 339 attached and detached homes sold in December 2008 compared with 379 in 2007, which is down 11%. As of January 6, 2009, there were 3,023 active homes for sale, which is 8.92 months supply o... 01/06/2009

Following the presidential election there was talk of changing Nebraska's electoral system due to one electoral vote going to Barack Obama.  He was the first Democrat to win an electoral vote in Nebraska since 1964.  Besides Maine, Nebraska is the only other state that awards votes based on who wins each of the three congressional districts and the statewide vote.   Nebraska is a strong Republican state and has tried unsuccessfully to change the electoral college system nine times, wanting all electoral votes to go to the winner of the popular vote. The Omaha World-Herald recently surveyed the state senators prior to the Legislature convening and found only 17 Republican senators who indicated they wanted to repeal the law.  At least 25 senators would have to vote in favor in order to c... 01/05/2009

Under normal conditions this would be the ideal time to buy a home as the mortgage rate has dropped to the lowest level in 30 years.  The government is trying to help the poor housing market by dropping the rate to 5.10 percent.  How this will affect home sales remains to be seen as the economy remains poor, unemployment continues to rise, and more businesses are going "out of business".  These conditions impact ability to buy homes. Yet, the housing industry hopes these lower rates will help sales. I have my doubts as the current problem, at least in Omaha, is not the affordability of real estate but rather the inability of buyers to obtain mortgages. Low mortgage rates are great for those that qualify for a mortgage but do nothing to help people that want to buy but don't have perfect... 01/04/2009

It's 2009 but before we start looking forward to the new year and what it has in store for the Omaha real estate market, we need to look back at how 2008 ended. Total Number of Homes For Sale 5252 Total Number of Accepted Offers 398 Total Number of Closed Sales 648     % of sellers that accepted an offer 7.58% Absorption rate in months 13.20 In comparison to November, 2008 (Omaha Real Estate Market - November, 2008) the supply of homes has not changed much. We have a 13.20 months supply of homes to sell as opposed to the 12.68 months supply we had at the end of November. December is the slowest month for the real estate market. Hopefully things will only improve from here. * These numbers encompass all residential listings in the Omaha Area Board of Realtors Great Plains Multiple Listin... 01/03/2009

Recently there has been an ad on TV advising the public of the 2-1-1 resource phone number.  It is a number that connects people with resources and valuable services in their local community.  United Way is responsible for getting the number started and by working with local communities to tract their services.  As of November, 2008, 2-1-1 is available in most of the United States capable of being accessed by over 75% of the population.  The three digit number is the same throughout the country.  A person in Lincoln can dial 2-1-1 and access the community resources in Lincoln while a person in Omaha who dials the same number will access the resources available in Omaha. The services available vary from city to city.  The services can be as varied as food banks, shelters, daycare program... 01/03/2009

Many buyers when purchasing an investment property or a "flip" get tunnel vision and strictly focus on getting a great "deal."  However, what you might get is a great "deal" on a property that is tough to rent or perhaps even harder to resell.  Investors have to look at the property through the eyes of the consumer.  One example is buying a home on a busy street with no garage or a lack of off street parking.  If you purchase such a home you will have to factor in the possibility of installing a driveway or garage construction.  This installation can end costing you time on the market, unforeseen construction costs and attracting a smaller pool of potential renters. Thanks, David Matney, CRS,GRI,e-Pro Alliance Real Estate (402) 490-6771         01/02/2009

There are so many differences in houses from city to city, from the styles, sizes, and layouts. I thought it would be interesting to see what typical houses across the country look like. Here is a picture of the average starter home in Omaha, NE. It is a three bedroom, two bath split entry that I currently have for sale. We just lowered the priced to $120,000. The address is 17725 Lillian St.   Please take a moment and post a comment with a photo of what the average house looks like in your city.   Trumm Team - Omaha, NE Omaha Homes For Sale Omaha Real Estate 01/02/2009

2009 has begun it is time to lay out a plan for the year. First a look back to see what I can learn from 2008. In 2008 I sold 56 homes, primarily in Omaha and Bellevue. The average market time for homes that I sold was 44 days and the average home sold for 98.69% of the asking price. As for the source of my business, I found that 51% of my listings were either with a past client or with people that were referred to me by a past client. To better help manage my business, in 2008 I hired a second assistant which allowed me to focus on the more important aspects of the business and hand off many of the routine tasks, as a result I had more free time and less stress. Based on my review of last year, I see that my marketing plan for selling homes is effective; an average market time of only ... 01/01/2009

Ok, Dick Clark is not hosting this blog... and there's no music or dancing so it's really not rockin' either... but this is the Omaha Real Estate Blog and it is New Year's Eve! I would like to wish all of my clients both past and present a joyous New Year's Eve and a prosperous 2009. As the clock counts down tonight I hope you have a loved one close by to kiss at the stroke of midnight.   Troy Trumm, Trumm Team - Omaha, NE Omaha Homes For Sale Omaha Real Estate 12/31/2008

For those of you that weren't able to keep up with my blog with all of the holiday festivities, here is a review of some of the more notable blog posts in December.  e-Pro Designation - This month I earned my e-Pro designation. What is an Appraisal? - Covers the basics of what an appraisal is. Appraisals are Getting Tougher as the Omaha Real Estate Market Declines - Declining sales are causing homes to appraise for less. Real Estate Licensing Fee Raised to $10,000 a Year - It wasn't really raised to $10k a year, but it should be. Omaha New Construction Real Estate Market - New construction sales in Omaha. Omaha Existing Residential Real Estate Market - Existing home sales in Omaha. Omaha MLS absorbs Fremont MLS - The Omaha MLS has expanded to include Fremont.   Troy Trumm, Trumm Team - ... 12/30/2008

In spite of the fact that the Douglas County Assessor's Office has agreed to a home valuation of $210,000, Troy Hodge is still waiting for the hassle to finally be over.  For the past four years, he has won appeals at the County Board and the state for the $210,000 valuation only to have the Assessor set a higher rate.  Roger Morrissey, Douglas County Assessor said the values often rise after appeals because the property values have to reflect the true market value of sales.  Because of the amount of time between the appeal process and the inspection, home values can change.  The delay in inspections can be due to a shortage of inspectors. While Troy Hodge hopes the matter is over, he has lost time from work, money, and hours of sleep.  The final word from the County Assessor is that t... 12/29/2008

As the real estate market continues to change and marketing practices evolve, I too must change and evolve. Part of staying current is through ongoing education. I recently received my e-Pro Designation. The e-Pro certification course is a comprehensive education on how cutting-edge technologies can be applied to the real estate industry to sell homes faster and provide clients with the best service possible. Some of the topics covered include email marketing, Internet marketing, website design, and creating and developing an online presence. I am excited by how this new knowledge will benefit my business and my clients here in Omaha. The program is sponsored by the National Association of Realtors.® Both the content and the delivery platform were created by San Diego-based technology c... 12/28/2008

There is literally HOPE for homeowners worried about defaulting on their mortgages.  HOPE is a program created by Congress that lowers monthly payments by refinancing mortgages and extending the mortgage out to 30 and 40 years.  The mortgages would be at fixed-rates and the program is aimed at keeping homeowners in their homes.  The program started on October 1, 2008 and will continue until September 30, 2011.  Information is available through the Federal Housing Administration (FHA).  Also, homeowners can obtain eligibility requirements by contacting their existing lender or a new lender.  All mortgages must have existed before January 1, 2008 and the homeowners' current payments must exceed 31 percent of the homeowners' gross monthly income as of March 1, 2008.  The program is not ava... 12/27/2008

Here is my Christmas wish list. Of course it is a day late but maybe Santa can save the list for next year. In addition to peace on earth, I would like: To go all of Christmas day without a phone call. Agents to read the agent remarks so they know to call the showing desk rather than me to schedule showings. Agents to let me know when I schedule a showing if there is a combination lockbox instead of an electronic one, and if so what the combination is. Agents to respond to my requests for feedback after they show a listing of mine, afterall I am offering them a $20 gift certificate just for their feedback. People around the world to know that once documents are scanned they should be saved as PDF's rather than JPG's.   Troy Trumm, Trumm Team - Omaha, NE Omaha Homes For Sale Omaha Real E... 12/26/2008

Appraisers are Getting Tougher As real estate values have slipped the last few years and with lenders tightening their standards for writing mortgages, appraisals have become much more stringent. If you are not familiar with the basics of an appraisal, check out What is an Appraisal? In the heyday of real estate appreciation, and by that I mean 2005 and the several years prior, nearly every house appraised for more than it sold for. At that time lenders did not scrutinize appraisals as they do now; after all since property values could only appreciate, or so people thought, why would anyone be concerned about appraisals. As a result, appraisers could be a more lenient order to reach an appraised value that met or exceeded the purchase price. Now with homes values down and lenders wary o... 12/24/2008