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 Charlotte, NC

Latitude: 35.207193 -- Longitude: -80.829224

Other Area Cities: Charlotte Gastonia Concord Belmont Huntersville Mint Hill Matthews Mount Holly Pineville

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Charlotte is the largest city in North Carolina and the 20th largest in the United States, with a population of approximately 610,949 (2005 estimate). The Charlotte metropolitan area (MSA) had a 2006 estimated population of 1,594,799. As of 2005, Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord had a combined statistical area (CSA) population of 2,120,745. The city is at the center of one of the fastest growing metropolitan regions in the United States, with an average influx of roughly 20,000 newcomers each year over the past decade. Charlotte is the county seat of Mecklenburg CountyGR6, and is located in south-central North Carolina, near the South Carolina border. Nicknamed The Queen City (which it shares with Cincinnati, Ohio), Charlotte was named in honor of Queen Charlotte, wife of King George III of England. -- Source: Wikipedia.com

North Carolina 2000 Census Population Profile Map

	Charlotte	North Carolina	United States
Population	540,828	8,049,313	281,421,906
Median age	32.7	35.3	35.3
Median age for Male	31.5	33.8	34
Median age for Female	33.9	36.7	36.5
Households	215,449	3,132,013	105,480,101
Household population	528,600	7,795,432	273,643,273
Average household size	2.45	2.49	2.59
Families	132,378	2,158,869	71,787,347
Average family size	3.07	2.98	3.14
Housing units	230,434	3,523,944	115,904,641
Occupied units	215,449	3,132,013	105,480,101
Vacant units	14,985	391,931	10,424,540

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