A strong online presence is now essential for real estate professionals. It does not matter if you are a realtor or an investor, a homeowner or homebuyer; the Internet is steadily growing into the world’s largest real estate resource, with thousands of pages of listings, community information, photographs and multimedia tours. The Internet must be utilized if a real estate group wants to succeed in today’s market.

Two things have happened recently. The real estate market crashed and realtors got Web savvy. These events are not mutually exclusive. An online presence is a relatively affordable way for realtors to share their products and information with countless potential clients. It also allows them to take a proactive approach to their work while the market struggles.

It is one thing to merely transfer your current listings from print outlets to online outlets. Being online allows you to easily update and share your listings, but the real estate market is already crowded, and if you do not employ savvy techniques and rich, unique content, chances are that your properties will not have much more success than they did in print. Think of it in terms of the newspaper industry. Many major papers are struggling because they are not doing more with their content. They are not doing more for their readers. They are merely shifting their information from print to the Web. Successful newspapers — and successful real estate Web sites — are using the Web as an advantage, as a platform from which numerous ideas can take shape and redefine what it means to be informed.

Young, innovative companies run the most popular Web sites and blogs. They recognize the advantages and challenges of working online. They engage their readers with community forums and visually stimulating photographs. They collect information from outside contributors. They give advice and notify the public of investment opportunities. Most of all, they provide up-to-the-minute information that is relevant and interesting, useful and entertaining.

One of the most popular is Curbed. The site focuses on all things real estate, in New York and San Francisco, and provides readers with pages and pages of insightful content. Curbed has transformed the way users view real estate. It has turned the buying and selling, the deals and steals into enjoyable, opinionated information that is quickly consumed by a hungry market.

Apartment Therapy is another popular site. It strives to provide users with tips; advice and user-generated comments that will help to maximize what can be done with the usually confined space of apartment living. This site is at it’s most popular now, as the economy and people are looking for ways to do more with less.

Trulia is an aggregate site. It works with real estate professionals to offer the most comprehensive look at the entire United States market. Trulia offers articles and blogs, Q&A forums and maps, listings and updates from experts around the country. It is a destination site, giving readers a truly rewarding experience.

These are the newer Web sites. But what about the companies that have been around for a while? What about the real estate groups that worked for years to succeed and become trusted as the most knowledgeable professionals in the field? Well, they have to work just as hard to succeed online, often times reshaping their approach and technique.

The Real Estate Book, which has one of the largest distributions of any real estate group, has for years been available to the public in countless retail stores across the country. The American public grew to trust and rely on the Real Estate Book for its listings and realtors. It became synonymous with the real estate industry and those looking for property. When the market turned its focus online, the Real Estate Book built a formidable Web presence. Now it is offering a new product, a way for realtors to harness the Real Estate Book’s massive amount of listing information.

The product is actually a widget. A widget is a tool for your Web site. The widget increases your Web site’s functionality. The widget the Real Estate Book has developed allows real estate professionals to work together. They can download the widget, customize it so if fits their site’s feel and size, and then access the Real Estate Book’s listings. This allows every realtor, no matter the size of their operation, to offer their clients an easy and informative way to browse the Web for real estate listings. It is an advantage to both the Real Estate Book and the realtors that use it. It brings together information, offers it to more people, and improves the way listings are explored online. As a successful company must, the Real Estate Book has developed a new way for people to use their resources.

While the current economic climate might not make many run to the real estate market for their top career choice, for some, it can be a lucrative business. If you’ve decided to enter the real estate business consider the varying specialties that might help you to succeed. You may want to start as a <a title=Commercial eal estate agent at Royal Commercial! rel=”nofollow” onclick=”javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview(‘/outgoing/article_exit_link’);” href=http://www.royalcommercialcorp.com/resources/commercial-real-estate-agent.php>commercial real estate agent</a>, someone who specializes in selling <a title=Commercial real estate at Royal Commercial! rel=”nofollow” onclick=”javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview(‘/outgoing/article_exit_link’);” href=http://www.royalcommercialcorp.com/resources/commercial-real-estate.php>commercial real estate</a>. You may also consider becoming an appraiser, the person who determines the value of the home being bought or sold; a broker, who assists buyers with the actual transaction; developer, a person who improves land by adding or replacing or fixing up buildings; property management, someone who manages the property for an owner. With all these choices when becoming a real estate agent you are bound to find something that will be the perfect fit.

When deciding whether or not you’d like to do commercial or residential real estate consider these major differences.  Obviously, commercial real estate agent will focus around office space or other types of commercial properties that are mostly income producing. Most homes will simply be by their owners.  Commercial real estate can encompass leasing office space, owning an apartment complex or selling real property to name a few of the areas that you might be working in.

It’s also important to note that the paperwork involved is very different between the two areas of real estate. Residential deals are given much more consumer protection than commercial deals. Disclosures common to residential are not necessarily required. Commercial real estate buyers are going to need to ask about zoning laws, whether or not the area is suitable for their business, among other business decisions. As a real estate agent you’re going to need to have the skills necessary to meet different needs for the consumer.

No matter the type of real estate you decide to specialize in, each requires a different level of skill and a different level of knowledge. The type of person you are going to be dealing with in residential real estate is going to be quite different than the person you might deal with in a commercial transaction. Consider the types of customers you would most like to work with when comparing the two. Consider the types of goals you have and the types of needs you like to meet for others. It can be exciting helping the first time homebuyer discover and purchase the home of their dreams. Does this get you more passionate than helping the savvy business owner find the perfect space for leasing, a space that can help them meet their business needs. While there are two different goals, helping people meet those goals can be very rewarding.

Committing to becoming a residential real estate agent or a commercial real estate agent can be a big step. Determining that you want to go into real estate can be a difficult decision, especially when the current real estate climate is shaky. However, in the end, it can be a very rewarding career choice and a very lucrative one, depending on the type of real estate agent you become and the area in which you live. If you don’t think commercial or residential real estate is the right move then consider the other types of specialties that might be just the right fit. You have to spend a lot of time in your career so make sure that you are making a choice that is going to be in your best interest for the long term.

The Phoenix residential real estate market represents a great opportunity to individuals, families, and investors who are weary about the stock market and are realizing that their investment portfolios are too exposed to fluctuations in Wall Street.

By now, the reality has sunk in with most people – the stock market’s decline has hit 401K and other retirement investments hard. As a result, this is a critical time to for individuals, families, and investors to rethink diversification of their portfolios again. Portfolios need to be more highly diversified than ever before.

And it’s time to rethink real estate as one component of your diversification in the future in addition to stocks, bonds, commodities, international investment, and low-risk savings instruments, to name a few.

Wall Street, Main Street, and My Street, and Real Estate

There is no doubt that the goings-on in the real estate industry are intermingled with the market challenges that Wall Street is facing, which in turn impacts Main Street and “My Street.” But the issues with real estate largely emanated from the many corporations that make up Wall Street combined with lack of government oversight and inaction. Lack of personal discretion also contributed to the problem.

Having said that, here is why real estate should be a component in your investment portfolio once again, and why the Phoenix real estate market is an excellent choice for investment to help you diversify that portfolio.

First, due to the wave of foreclosure-related properties, prices have declined to 2004 and even 2003 pricing levels. This is pricing that is pre-run up. Though there is a risk that prices may drop further, the extent of a further decline may be limited in the short term while the long term outlook gradually gets stronger.

Second, real estate can prove to be a more reliable investment in a normal market environment. Prior to the run-up in home valuations in the second half of 2004 through 2005, annual home appreciation in the Phoenix residential real estate market averaged 5%-6% . Playing the long game as investors should, holding a property for 5-20 years could yield a solid return.

Long term is key here. The investor has to be committed to a lower but steady return on their investment when it comes to real estate. The Phoenix housing market will not likely experience a meteoric rise in valuations like it did again. That’s not to say that there won’t be some opportunities to turn properties fast (whether through acquisition at a foreclosure auction or wholesale, or a flip), but this model will have the high risk that most investors will and should shy away from.

One note here. At least in the Phoenix area, investors have to weigh the merits of investments in homes and real estate by several components to get a true picture of the return on a property. These factors are growth in appreciation, rental income and offsets, tax benefits, and equity paydown and buildup.

Third, real estate is real. You can see it. You can touch it. You can check up on it (if you buy locally). And it will always hold some intrinsic value no matter what happens. If you have a home in Chandler, it is easy to get across the Phoenix area, to check up on an investment property in Glendale. Or, perhaps the investment property you choose is right next door to your home in Tempe.

Fourth, under certain circumstances, real estate taxation on capital gains growth can be minimal. The same cannot be said of many other investment vehicles.

Fifth, an investor has much more control in determining the value of the property. Smart improvements and renovations combined with effective property management can increase the value of the property substantially.

Sixth, the Phoenix area continues to grow. The Valley saw a 2.8% increase in the number of residents here last year. This trend will continue as Phoenix and surrounding areas are perceived as a stable, optimum climate to live and to work. With the decline in real estate prices, this perception will also be reinforced by a sense that Phoenix and surrounding areas are once again affordable.

Finally, real estate can serve a dual investment/personal objective. For instance, an investment in real estate can serve as a later gift for children. Or, it can be utilized as a sort of savings plan for children’s college tuition as a complement to 529s and Coverdell plans. The investment could be a retirement property for later in life. Real estate investments can also be used to create income streams to live off of (when rents and equity buildup eventually turn the property cash-flow positive).

There are numerous reasons to invest in real estate even beyond this list.

Real Estate Has A Role to Play in Your Investment Portfolio

The difficult truth about the stock market is that over the past eight years, the U.S. economy has seen two major disruptions or recessions that were severe enough to have rippling effects for all Americans as seen by the decline in 401K and other retirement savings values. As a result, further diversification of investment portfolios is needed across many different asset classes with a regional focus as well.

Real estate should be one of those classes. Given real estate has seen real substantial pricing declines over the last three years to levels seen before the run-up period, one has to consider that there are real deals in the marketplace for real estate. Coupled with the right long-term outlook and commitment to investment fundamentals, real estate can have a more effectual, countervailing purpose in investment portfolios that can help Americans better weather substantial market disruptions in the future. For investors looking for specific markets that may be worthwhile to investigate, real estate in the Phoenix area is a compelling choice.

Austin Real Estate tumbled and touched the bottom-most point like any other real estate market of the United States. Property price was going down, and in the last two years this continuous drop in price caused many Austin realtors to panic. Many Austin homes were up for sale, but no buyers were looking at it, and home owners lost their hope. Hence, “Austin Homes for sale” placard was gathering dust, as no one cared about it anymore.

Then came February, and it brought the good news. Congress approved American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 sanctioned $8,000 tax credit to the first-time home buyers. Thanks to this legislation, the buying sentiment returned to the market.

Since then, the Austin real estate market has recovered a great deal. And the news that Austin will be among two cities to recover earliest from recession is adding up to the positive market sentiment in Austin.

Real estate studies

According to a new nation forecast by IHS Global Insight, Austin and its Texan cousin San Antonio will be the two cities that will be quickest in beating the economic recession.

According to the study conducted by the Brookings Institute, Austin is among the Top 20 best performing metropolitan area in the second quarter of 2009, as said the report published in Austin Business Journal.

In the second quarter, Austin has also been found leading the pack on many of the 9 metrics tracked by MetroMonitor for100 U.S. cities. These metrics included things like metropolitan products, and percentage change in housing price, etc.

There are many reports that coming that shares the same sentiment, which compelled me that I should find some data to match the prediction. Hence, I am going to provide here some hard data as evidence to corroborate with these and several other studies.

Austin Real Estate marketing data The Austin home sale in July 2009 has torched the mark set in July 2008, as reported by Austin Board of REALTORS. In July ‘09, 2,069 homes were sold, where as in July ‘08, 2,068 homes were sold. The median home price was also just 2% at $191,500 below the median home price in the same month last year. This data might not have looked positive in the bullish market, but given the state of Austin real estate in this year, this can be seen as a good recuperation. $508,810,549 was the total value of single-family properties sold in July 2009. In August 09, total house sold: 1706; average listing: $255,966; median listing: $195,750; average sold: $246,372; median sold: $190,000. In September 09, total house sold: 1639, 0.61% rise since September 08 (1629); average listing: $257,361, 0.69% rise since September 08 ($255,585); median listing: $194,900, 2.63% rise since September 08 ($189,900); average sold: $246,185, 0.04% rise since September 08 ($246,079); median sold: $188,500, 1.89% raise since September 08 ($185,000). Most of the U.S. cities are still struggling, but 17% of total homes that had “Austin Home for Sale” placard have found the buyers. To put it plainly, Austin has seen a 17% decline in home inventory, and witnessed increase in sale. The Brookings Institute’s study found out that the Austin house price is up by 2.4% over the past year while the US house price is down by 6.3% over the same period. Conclusion

As it is evident from the data given above that the predictions and forecasting made by national as well as Austin realtors are proving to be true. The Austin real estate market is heating up as the market sentiment is back into the buying mode. The confidence in the home owners are back, and now, no “Austin Home for Sale” placard is gathering dust.

The Golden Hill region is located near Downtown San Diego County, California. The community is located between Interstates 5 and 15, just south of the famous Balboa Park.

For the period observed (January through July 2006 compared against January through July 2005), the number of homes sold remained relatively consistent. Approximately 74 single-family homes sold in 2006 and 76 homes sold in 2005.

One method to analyze pricing trends for a particular community is to evaluate the median and average price of homes for a particular month, and compare that data against the same period last year. What follows is a comparison of the median price and average price of homes for the past seven months (January through July 2006), compared against the data for the corresponding time period in 2005.

The median price of homes represents the point at which half the homes are above a particular price point, and half the homes are below a particular price point. The average price of homes is calculated by adding up the sales price of all homes sold in a particular month, and dividing that value by the number of homes sold.

The median price of homes in July 2006 was $572,000, compared to $425,000 in July 2005, which represents a 34.6% increase. The average price of homes in July 2006 was $551,875, compared to $466,636 in July 2005, which represents a 19.5% increase. Approximately 8 homes sold in July 2006 and 11 in July 2005. In summary, there was an upward price trend in July 2006 compared to the same period last year.

The median price of homes in June 2006 was $451,500, compared to $540,000 in June 2005, which represents a 16.4% drop. The average price of homes in June 2006 was $457,600, compared to $514,846 in June 2005, which represents an 11.1% decline. Approximately 10 homes sold in June 2006 and 13 in June 2005. In summary, there was a downward price trend in June 2006 compared to the same period last year.

The median price of homes in May 2006 was $500,000, compared to $430,000 in May 2005, which represents a 13.9% increase. The average price of homes in May 2006 was $545,067, compared to $465,727 in May 2005, which represents a 10.5% increase. Approximately 15 homes sold in May 2006 and 11 in May 2005. In summary, there was an upward price trend in May 2006 compared to the same period last year.

The median price of homes in April 2006 was $442,500, compared to $510,000 in April 2005, which represents an 8.3% drop. The average price of homes in April 2006 was $448,071, compared to $512,067 in April 2005, which represents a 10.9% decline. Approximately 14 homes sold in April 2006 and 15 in April 2005. In summary, there was a downward price trend in April 2006 compared to the same period last year.

The median price of homes in March 2006 was $415,250, compared to $437,500 in March 2005, which represents an 8.2% decrease. The average price of homes in March 2006 was $451,886, compared to $428,375 in March 2005, which represents a 5.5% increase. Approximately 14 homes sold in March 2006 and 12 in March 2005. The data was mixed for March 2006, as the median price dropped and the average price increased from the same time last year.

The median price of homes in February 2006 was $452,500, compared to $512,500 in February 2005, which represents a 6.7% drop. The average price of homes in February 2006 was $483,128, compared to $503,625 in February 2005, which represents a 1.7% decline. About 8 homes sold in February 2006 and 8 in February 2005. In summary, there was a downward price trend in February 2006 compared to the same period last year.

The median price of homes was $455,000 in January 2006, compared to $500,000 in January 2005, which represents a 9% decline. The average price of homes in January 2006 was $446,280, compared to $467,483 in January 2005, which represents a 1.3% drop. Approximately 5 homes sold in January 2006 and 6 in January 2005. In summary, there was a downward price trend in January 2006 compared to the same period last year.

So what does the data tell us? Well, the data above does not reveal a consistent pattern. The home prices for May and July 2006 were up year-over-year in the range of 10% to 35% from the same period last year. However, prices were down 1% to 16% during January, February, April and June 2006, compared to the same time last year. The data for March 2006 was mixed, with the median price dropping 8.2%, and the average price increasing 5.5% for the same time last year. Given the ups and down described above, a longer period of evaluation is needed to determine if a clear pattern emerges. Contact an experienced Realtor to obtain additional insights about the pricing trends in the Golden Hill real estate market.

The College Grove region (also know as the College Area) is located in central San Diego County, California. The community is located off Interstate 8 just east of Interstate 15. San Diego State University is located within the borders of the College Grove area.

The real estate and homes for sale in College Grove fall into the low to mid-income categories. The number of homes sold in a particular year is relatively high. For example, during the period from January through July 2006, approximately 211 single-family homes sold. Approximately 268 homes sold for the same period in 2005.

One method to analyze pricing trends for a particular community is to evaluate the median and average price of homes for a particular month, and compare that data against the same period last year. What follows is a comparison of the median price and average price of homes for the past seven months (January through July 2006), compared against the data for the corresponding time period in 2005.

The median price of homes represents the point at which half the homes are above a particular price point, and half the homes are below a particular price point. The average price of homes is calculated by adding up the sales price of all homes sold in a particular month, and dividing that value by the number of homes sold.

The median price of homes in July 2006 was $545,000, compared to $497,000 in July 2005, which represents a 9.2% increase. The average price of homes in July 2006 was $583,476, compared to $528,602 in July 2005, which represents a 10% increase. Approximately 25 homes sold in July 2006 and 38 in July 2005. The data provides evidence that there was an upward price trend in July 2006 compared to the same period last year.

The median price of homes in June 2006 was $475,000, compared to $506,500 in June 2005, which represents a 5.9% drop. The average price of homes in June 2006 was $492,427, compared to $516,078 in June 2005, which represents a 4.1% drop. Approximately 38 homes sold in June 2006 and 40 in June 2005. The data provides evidence that there was a downward price trend in June 2006 compared to the same period last year.

The median price of homes in May 2006 was $522,000, compared to $518,500 in May 2005, which represents a 0.7% increase. The average price of homes in May 2006 was $544,812, compared to $537,085 in May 2005, which represents a 1.4% increase. Approximately 30 homes sold in May 2006 and 46 in May 2005. The data provides evidence that there was slight upward price trend in May 2006 compared to the same period last year.

The median price of homes in April 2006 was $520,000, compared to $495,000 in April 2005, which represents a 5.1% increase. The average price of homes in April 2006 was $523,421, compared to $524,306 in April 2005, which represents a 0.2% drop. Approximately 41 homes sold in April 2006 and 47 in April 2005. The data for April 2006 was mixed, as the median price showed a moderate increase from last year, while the average price had a slight drop.

The median price of homes in March 2006 was $515,000, compared to $489,000 in March 2005, which represents a 5.3% increase. The average price of homes in March 2006 was $564,690, compared to $499,856 in March 2005, which represents a 13.4% increase. Approximately 41 homes sold in March 2006 and 44 in March 2005. The data provides evidence that there was an upward price trend in March 2006 compared to the same period last year.

The median price of homes in February 2006 was $472,500, compared to $465,000 in February 2005, which represents a 0.50% increase. The average price of homes in February 2006 was $502,600, compared to $476,932 in February 2005, which represents a 4.6% increase. Approximately 20 homes sold in February 2006 and 25 in February 2005. The data provides evidence that there was an upward price trend in February 2006 compared to the same period last year.

The median price of homes was $530,950 in January 2006, compared to $483,000 in January 2005, which represents a 9.9% increase. The average price of homes in January 2006 was $528,416, compared to $551,904 in January 2005, which represents a 3.20% drop. Approximately 16 homes sold in January 2006 and 28 in January 2005. The data for January 2006 was mixed, as the median price showed a moderate increase from last year, while average prices dropped.

So what does the above data tell us? Overall, there was a 21.3% decline in the number of homes sold during this period from 2006 to 2005. Four months out of seven (February, March, May and July) demonstrated increases in both median and average prices from the same period last year. The magnitude of the increase ranged from half a percent to 10%. The months of April and January had mixed findings, with average prices decreasing slightly (less than 3.2%), and median prices increasing 5% to 10%. In contrast, the June data showed a downward trend in both median and average prices with a range of 4% to 6%.

The data above suggests that although there are monthly variations, on balance, homes in the College Grove area continue to demonstrate price gains. Continued monitoring of sale data in subsequent months is needed to identify enduring market trends.

Be sure to consult your Realtor on other factors that influence home pricing before buying or selling real estate in College Grove.

The College Grove region (also know as the College Area) is located in central San Diego County, California. The community is located off Interstate 8 just east of Interstate 15. San Diego State University is located within the borders of the College Grove area.

The real estate and homes for sale in College Grove fall into the low to mid-income categories. The number of homes sold in a particular year is relatively high. For example, during the period from January through July 2006, approximately 211 single-family homes sold. Approximately 268 homes sold for the same period in 2005.

One method to analyze pricing trends for a particular community is to evaluate the median and average price of homes for a particular month, and compare that data against the same period last year. What follows is a comparison of the median price and average price of homes for the past seven months (January through July 2006), compared against the data for the corresponding time period in 2005.

The median price of homes represents the point at which half the homes are above a particular price point, and half the homes are below a particular price point. The average price of homes is calculated by adding up the sales price of all homes sold in a particular month, and dividing that value by the number of homes sold.

The median price of homes in July 2006 was $545,000, compared to $497,000 in July 2005, which represents a 9.2% increase. The average price of homes in July 2006 was $583,476, compared to $528,602 in July 2005, which represents a 10% increase. Approximately 25 homes sold in July 2006 and 38 in July 2005. The data provides evidence that there was an upward price trend in July 2006 compared to the same period last year.

The median price of homes in June 2006 was $475,000, compared to $506,500 in June 2005, which represents a 5.9% drop. The average price of homes in June 2006 was $492,427, compared to $516,078 in June 2005, which represents a 4.1% drop. Approximately 38 homes sold in June 2006 and 40 in June 2005. The data provides evidence that there was a downward price trend in June 2006 compared to the same period last year.

The median price of homes in May 2006 was $522,000, compared to $518,500 in May 2005, which represents a 0.7% increase. The average price of homes in May 2006 was $544,812, compared to $537,085 in May 2005, which represents a 1.4% increase. Approximately 30 homes sold in May 2006 and 46 in May 2005. The data provides evidence that there was slight upward price trend in May 2006 compared to the same period last year.

The median price of homes in April 2006 was $520,000, compared to $495,000 in April 2005, which represents a 5.1% increase. The average price of homes in April 2006 was $523,421, compared to $524,306 in April 2005, which represents a 0.2% drop. Approximately 41 homes sold in April 2006 and 47 in April 2005. The data for April 2006 was mixed, as the median price showed a moderate increase from last year, while the average price had a slight drop.

The median price of homes in March 2006 was $515,000, compared to $489,000 in March 2005, which represents a 5.3% increase. The average price of homes in March 2006 was $564,690, compared to $499,856 in March 2005, which represents a 13.4% increase. Approximately 41 homes sold in March 2006 and 44 in March 2005. The data provides evidence that there was an upward price trend in March 2006 compared to the same period last year.

The median price of homes in February 2006 was $472,500, compared to $465,000 in February 2005, which represents a 0.50% increase. The average price of homes in February 2006 was $502,600, compared to $476,932 in February 2005, which represents a 4.6% increase. Approximately 20 homes sold in February 2006 and 25 in February 2005. The data provides evidence that there was an upward price trend in February 2006 compared to the same period last year.

The median price of homes was $530,950 in January 2006, compared to $483,000 in January 2005, which represents a 9.9% increase. The average price of homes in January 2006 was $528,416, compared to $551,904 in January 2005, which represents a 3.20% drop. Approximately 16 homes sold in January 2006 and 28 in January 2005. The data for January 2006 was mixed, as the median price showed a moderate increase from last year, while average prices dropped.

So what does the above data tell us? Overall, there was a 21.3% decline in the number of homes sold during this period from 2006 to 2005. Four months out of seven (February, March, May and July) demonstrated increases in both median and average prices from the same period last year. The magnitude of the increase ranged from half a percent to 10%. The months of April and January had mixed findings, with average prices decreasing slightly (less than 3.2%), and median prices increasing 5% to 10%. In contrast, the June data showed a downward trend in both median and average prices with a range of 4% to 6%.

The data above suggests that although there are monthly variations, on balance, homes in the College Grove area continue to demonstrate price gains. Continued monitoring of sale data in subsequent months is needed to identify enduring market trends.

Be sure to consult your Realtor on other factors that influence home pricing before buying or selling real estate in College Grove.

The community of Del Cerro is located in central San Diego County, California. The community is located off Interstate 8 at the College Ave exit.

The real estate and homes for sale in Del Cerro fall into the low to moderate income-categories. The number of homes sold in a particular year is relatively high. For example, during the period from January through July 2006, approximately 137 single-family homes sold. Approximately 142 homes sold for the same period in 2005.

One method to analyze pricing trends for a particular community is to evaluate the median and average price of homes for a particular month, and compare that data against the same period last year. What follows is a comparison of the median price and average price of homes for the past seven months (January through July 2006), compared against the data for the corresponding time period in 2005.

The median price of homes represents the point at which half the homes are above a particular price point, and half the homes are below a particular price point. The average price of homes is calculated by adding up the sales price of all homes sold in a particular month, and dividing that value by the number of homes sold.

The median price of homes in July 2006 was $632,000, compared to $590,000 in July 2005, which represents a 6.2 increase. The average price of homes in July 2006 was $680,557, compared to $620,571 in July 2005, which represents a 9.9% increase. Approximately 21 homes sold in July 2006 and 20 in July 2005. In summary, there was an upward price trend in July 2006 compared to the same period last year.

The median price of homes in June 2006 was $557,500, compared to $545,500 in June 2005, which represents a 2.1% increase. The average price of homes in June 2006 was $622,327, compared to $613,060 in June 2005, which represents a 0.80% increase. Approximately 13 homes sold in June 2006 and 30 in June 2005. In summary, there was an upward price trend in June 2006 compared to the same period last year.

The median price of homes in May 2006 was $620,000, compared to $615,000 in May 2005, which represents a 0.8% increase. The average price of homes in May 2006 was $652,730, compared to $604,844 in May 2005, which represents a 2.7% increase. Approximately 30 homes sold in May 2006 and 16 in May 2005. In summary, there was an upward price trend in May 2006 compared to the same period last year.

The median price of homes in April 2006 was $560,000, compared to $680,000 in April 2005, which represents a 17.6% decline. The average price of homes in April 2006 was $597,593, compared to $726,804 in April 2005, which represents a 17.8% drop. Approximately 27 homes sold in April 2006 and 23 in April 2005. In summary, there was a downward price trend in April 2006 compared to the same period last year.

The median price of homes in March 2006 was $557,000, compared to $635,000 in March 2005, which represents a 12.3% drop. The average price of homes in March 2006 was $639,667, compared to $655,836 in March 2005, which represents a 2.5% drop. Approximately 21 homes sold in March 2006 and 25 in March 2005. In summary, there was a downward price trend in March 2006 compared to the same period last year.

The median price of homes in February 2006 was $594,750, compared to $530,000 in February 2005, which represents a 12.2% increase. The average price of homes in February 2006 was $664,679, compared to $565,882 in February 2005, which represents an 18.5% increase. Approximately 14 homes sold in February 2006 and 18 in February 2005. In summary, there was an upward price trend in February 2006 compared to the same period last year.

The median price of homes was $595,000 in January 2006, compared to $512,500 in January 2005, which represents a 16.1% increase. The average price of homes in January 2006 was $713,909, compared to $575,470 in January 2005, which represents a 24.1%. Approximately 11 homes sold in January 2006 and 10 in January 2005. In summary, there was an upward price trend in January 2006 compared to the same period last year.

So what does the data tell us? Well, the data above does not reveal a consistent pattern. Early in the year (January and February 2006), home prices were up year-over-year in the range of 12% to 24%. However, prices were down 2% to 17% during March and April 2006, compared to the same time last year. And then, for the last three months (May, June and July 2006), moderate price gains were observed ranging from 1% to 10%. Given the ups and down described above, a longer period of evaluation is needed to determine if a clear pattern emerges. Contact an experienced Realtor to obtain additional insights about the pricing trends in the Del Cerro real estate market.

Austin has long been a home for friendly folk- friendly to each other, friendly to animals, and friendly to the environment. What used to be considered as only the concerns of hippies and the bohemian sect, environmentalism is now at the forefront of commercial and residential design, and “green” businesses are popping up nationwide. Austin, however, was the first city in the United States to establish a local green-building program, laying out environmentally friendly and sustainable guidelines for home builders and its interested citizens back in 1991.

Since the Austin real estate market is known nationwide as the leader of these green building methods, the National Association of Home Builders chose the city as its hub to launch an industry-wide effort to establish green-building guidelines in 2004. These guidelines now provide a practical nationally recognized framework for builders to follow to reduce a home’s environmental impact by making them more energy efficient, improving indoor environmental quality, and so on. Though Austin has already been using similar guidelines for over a decade, now the rest of the country is following suit.

The City of Austin and Austin Energy provide a great resource to owners of Austin homes, and new home builders, who are looking for ways to conserve energy, and build an environmentally friendly home. The city’s website offers a list of companies willing to do an energy analysis of a home that will determine possible options to help the house conserve more energy, with suggestions ranging from air conditioning repair to weather stripping doors. The city then will offer a 20 to 75% of that cost.

For those Austinites building a new house or commercial building, the city created the Austin Energy Green Building organization to promote the construction of high quality, more sustainable buildings, and has even zoned sections of the city’s real estate to require an Austin Energy Green Building rating. Four times a year, the organization also holds a one day “Green By Design” workshop open to the public. The workshop provides an overview of the green building process, and brings in design, building, engineering, landscaping, and Austin real estate professionals with many years of experience in homebuilding and remodeling, to help make sense of it all.

In March of this year, Austin was named as the city leading the country in “cleantech” by SustainLane, an online resource center that offers sustainability tips to state and local government. The term “cleantech” refers to venture capital-based startups based in green technology, with Austin as the front runner with seven such startups, ranging from internet-controlled irrigation to geothermal energy technologies. To keep Austin on the cutting edge of green technology, the Clean Energy Incubator program was set up to help young clean energy businesses succeed by commercializing their ideas. With citizens, government, and forward thinking businesses, Austin will likely be the city to follow in the environmental battle for years to come.

The community of Clairemont (sometimes called Clairemont Mesa) is located in central San Diego County, California. The community is located off Interstate 5 at Balboa Ave and is within the 92117 Zip code.

The real estate and homes for sale in Clairemont fall into the moderate-income category for San Diego County. The number of homes sold in a particular year is relatively high. For example, during the period from January through July 2006, approximately 183 single-family homes sold. Approximately 226 homes sold for the same period in 2005.

One method to analyze pricing trends for a particular community is to evaluate the median and average price of homes for a particular month, and compare that data against the same period last year. What follows is a comparison of the median price and average price of homes for the past seven months (January through July 2006), compared against the data for the corresponding time period in 2005.

The median price of homes represents the point at which half the homes are above a particular price point, and half the homes are below a particular price point. The average price of homes is calculated by adding up the sales price of all homes sold in a particular month, and dividing that value by the number of homes sold.

The median price of homes in July 2006 was $560,000, compared to $562,500 in July 2005, which represents a 0.9% drop. The average price of homes in July 2006 was $575,114, compared to $585,602 in July 2005, which represents a 2.4% drop. Approximately 21 homes sold in July 2006 and 26 in July 2005. The data provides evidence that there was a downward price trend in July 2006 compared to the same period last year.

The median price of homes in June 2006 was $555,000, compared to $570,000 in June 2005, which represents a 2.6% drop. The average price of homes in June 2006 was $586,758, compared to $584,415 in June 2005, which represents a 0.4% increase. Approximately 30 homes sold in June 2006 and 34 in June 2005. The data for June 2006 was mixed, as median prices declined and average prices rose slightly from the same period last year.

The median price of homes in May 2006 was $550,000, compared to $562,000 in May 2005, which represents a 2.3% drop. The average price of homes in May 2006 was $584,012, compared to $582,000 in May 2005, which represents a 0.3% increase. Approximately 33 homes sold in May 2006 and 37 in May 2005. The data was mixed in June 2006, as median prices declined and average prices rose slightly from the same period last year.

The median price of homes in April 2006 was $564,000, compared to $565,000 in April 2005, which represents a 0.20% drop. The average price of homes in April 2006 was $584,722, compared to $612,897 in April 2005, which represents a 4.6% drop. Approximately 32 homes sold in April 2006 and 36 in April 2005. The data provides evidence that there was a downward price trend in April 2006 compared to the same period last year.

The median price of homes in March 2006 was $558,000, compared to $545,000 in March 2005, which represents a 1.5% increase. The average price of homes in March 2006 was $589,161, compared to $576,227 in March 2005, which represents a 3.60% increase. Approximately 29 homes sold in March 2006 and 39 in March 2005. The data provides evidence that there was an upward price trend in March 2006 compared to the same period last year.

The median price of homes in February 2006 was $560,000, compared to $525,000 in February 2005, which represents a 7.4% increase. The average price of homes in February 2006 was $582,435, compared to $571,708 in February 2005, which represents a 2.50% increase. Approximately 17 home sold in February 2006 and 29 in February 2005. The data provides evidence that there was an upward price trend in February 2006 compared to the same period last year.

The median price of homes was $585,000 in January 2006, compared to $525,000 in January 2005, which represents a 10% increase. The average price of homes in January 2006 was $634,524, compared to $542,708 in January 2005, which represents a 16.9% increase. Approximately 21 homes sold in January 2006 and 25 in January 2005. The data provides evidence that there was an upward price trend in January 2006 compared to the same period last year.

So what does the above data tell us? Overall, there was a 19% decline in the number of homes sold during this period from 2006 to 2005. The pricing trends early in the year (January, February and March) were in the upward direction for both median and average prices, which showed increases year-over-year ranging from 1.5% to 16.9%. However, since then, the pricing trend has been downward or mixed depending on the month. For example, April and July demonstrated downward median and average prices ranging from around half a percent up to 5%. For May and June, the median price was down around 2% from the previous year, and the average price was slightly up around half a percent. These findings suggest that at best, prices have leveled off, and at worst, are starting to decline. Continued monitoring of sale data in subsequent months is needed to identify enduring market trends.

Be sure to consult your Realtor on other factors that influence home pricing before buying or selling real estate in Clairemont.