home sales

Today, North Texans received news that people in many other parts of the country can only dream of hearing. Pre-owned median home prices increased last month from a year earlier. The increase was small – only 1 percent – but significant at a time when numerous other housing markets are still mired in a real estate slump that has sent home prices tumbling.

There was more good news in the new report released by the Real Estate Center at Texas A& M University. About 33,500 homes were listed for sale in North Texas in January – about 10 percent less than the same time last year. That amounts to less than a six-month supply, which many analysts see as a sign of a balanced market.

The current supply of single-family homes is one of the reasons why residential prices are on their way up. As the inventory of homes decreases, an area becomes less of a buyers’ market and prices begin to stabilize. In North Texas, median home prices were flat in 2009 while many other parts of the country saw double-digit declines. In more good news, real estate agent sold 3,300 homes through the Multiple Listing Service last month and 172 condominiums.

In yet another sign that the local housing market is strengthening in 2010, foreclosure postings are way down for the February 2^nd auction of homes in the area’s four largest counties. Postings plummeted 20 percent from January in Dallas, Collin, Denton and Tarrant counties, and were down 4 percent from one year ago in Dallas, according to a report released by Addison-based Foreclosure Listing Service.

 ”This decline is welcomed news,” George Roddy Sr., president of the real estate research firm said in a statement.  ”While this decline may be what we have been waiting to see, a change for just one month does not establish a new trend. We will just have to wait to see what happens next month.”

February postings in Dallas County fell 19 percent from the January auction, while Collin County posting fell 28 percent, and Denton County postings fell 25 percent. Those three counites were also down compared with a year ago, and all four saw lower filings than two years ago.

If you are getting ready to put your home on the market, it’s more important than ever to make a good first impression. While in some cases, that may involve hiring a professional home stager, it’s not always necessary. In fact, you can prepare your home to show better by following a few simple steps.  

Start by depersonalizing the space. Hide your children’s trophies and awards, take down the family pictures, and put away anything else that makes potential buyers feel like they are intruding on your personal space. Here are some other quick tips for getting your home ready to sell fast.

• Declutter every room.
• Deep clean everything, including the kitchen.
• Do away with animal odors.
• Put new grout in the bathrooms.
• Cut the lawn, trim the hedges and add pots of beautiful flowrs.

Click here for a complete list of  interior and exterior home staging tips.