And the Good News Is...

November 20, 2008

It's getting to be more and more difficult to find good news on TV. Reporters seem to be reveling in stirring up as much "doom and gloom" news as they can – after all it's been proven that bad news sells better than good. Our addiction to news tickers and 24 hour coverage was solidified during horrific news events of the last decade. But there IS positive news to be found if you dig hard enough.

28 Metropolitan areas showed increases in median existing single-family home prices from the same quarter in 2007. Areas such as Elmira NY, Tulsa OK, Wichita KS and Urbana IL.

But even in areas where average home sales have dropped drastically, there is good news. Buyers who have been shut out of the home ownership market, are now finding that they can afford to buy. And they ARE buying. Three states where the ‘housing bubble' has burst are seeing some of the highest increases in sales. The largest sales gain during the third quarter was in Arizona, up 28.3 percent from the second quarter, followed by California which rose 28.1 percent and Nevada, up 26.2 percent. These areas have seen some of the strongest sales gains with some reports of multiple bidding.

And there's also good news for sellers. The typical seller purchased their home six years ago and is still experiencing net equity gains, even in today's depressed markets. The national increase in value since the third quarter of 2002 is 18.3 percent, which is a median gain of $31,000. Even with the current downward price distortion, 90 percent of metro areas are showing six-year price gains.

So while we are definitely in turbulent economic times, there is GOOD NEWS to be found if you look for it. Hopefully, some home buying incentives will be passed soon to stimulate even more home ownership. Lawrence Yun, the chief economist at the National Association of Realtors, said that, "A pattern of sharply higher sales in areas with large price declines is well established," Yun said. "Affordability conditions have consistently been a major factor in driving sales. Historically during recessions, buyers have responded to incentives and it's important for government to keep that in the forefront of stimulus decisions."

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Local Information for The Woodlands, TX

Latitude: 30.17743 -- Longitude: -95.503795

Other Area Cities: The Woodlands Conroe Spring Tomball Magnolia

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The Woodlands is a census-designated place (CDP) and master-planned community located in the extraterritorial jurisdiction of Houston within Montgomery County and Harris County, Texas [1]. As of the 2000 census, the CDP had a total population of 55,649. The current estimate is 80,659 (2005). The newest Village of Creekside Park is being developed within Harris County, Texas. Located about 30 miles north of Downtown Houston, The Woodlands is famous, as its name suggests, for incorporating the piney woods surrounding it with urban and suburban development. It was named one of the best master-planned communities in the country, winning the Award of Excellence from the Urban Land Institute and the International Nations in Bloom Gold Award. It is one of the fastest-growing communities in Texas. Mitchell envisioned a multi-income community with a vibrant business district that would serve as a model for and later become part of Houston. -- Source: Wikipedia.com

Texas 2000 Census Population Profile Map

	The Woodlands	Texas	United States
Population	55,649	20,851,820	281,421,906
Median age	36.9	32.3	35.3
Median age for Male	36.2	31.3	34
Median age for Female	37.4	33.4	36.5
Households	19,881	7,393,354	105,480,101
Household population	55,291	20,290,711	273,643,273
Average household size	2.78	2.74	2.59
Families	15,551	5,247,794	71,787,347
Average family size	3.21	3.28	3.14
Housing units	21,014	8,157,575	115,904,641
Occupied units	19,881	7,393,354	105,480,101
Vacant units	1,133	764,221	10,424,540

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