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 New Orleans, LA

Latitude: 29.972754 -- Longitude: -90.059011

Other Area Cities: New Orleans Gretna Harahan Harvey Kenner Metairie Belle Chasse Meraux Terrytown Westwego River Ridge

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The Central Business District of New Orleans is located immediately north and west of the Mississippi River, and was historically called the "American Quarter." Most streets in this area fan out from a central point in the city. Major streets of the area include Canal Street and Poydras Street. In the local parlance "downtown" means downriver from Canal Street, while "uptown" means upriver from Canal Street. Downtown neighborhoods include the French Quarter, Treme, the 7th Ward, Faubourg Marigny, Bywater (the Upper Ninth Ward), and the Lower 9th Ward. Uptown neighborhoods include the Garden District, the Irish Channel, the University District, Carrollton, Gert Town, Fontainebleau, and Broadmoor. Other major districts within the city include Bayou St. John, Mid City, Gentilly, Lakeview, Lakefront, New Orleans East, and Algiers. Parishes located adjacent to the city of New Orleans include St. -- Source: Wikipedia.com

Louisiana 2000 Census Population Profile Map

	New Orleans	Louisiana	United States
Population	484,674	4,468,976	281,421,906
Median age	33.1	34	35.3
Median age for Male	31.5	32.6	34
Median age for Female	34.6	35.3	36.5
Households	188,251	1,656,053	105,480,101
Household population	467,033	4,333,011	273,643,273
Average household size	2.48	2.62	2.59
Families	112,977	1,156,438	71,787,347
Average family size	3.23	3.16	3.14
Housing units	215,091	1,847,181	115,904,641
Occupied units	188,251	1,656,053	105,480,101
Vacant units	26,840	191,128	10,424,540

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