By: Charles Woodall
Managing Broker

http://www.dothanhomesearch.com

The 2007 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers from the National Association of REALTORS reveals that 84% of home buyers use the Internet as an information source. What are they looking for? 95% were looking for properties for sale. So it stands to reason that sellers whose home is listed on the right websites will have a better chance of getting it in front of the right buyer.

So what are the best sites for home listings? What sites are buyers using the most? Here is an overview.

REALTOR.com is still the leader with the most listings and the highest number of viewers. If your home is listed in a Multiple Listing Service (MLS), it should show up here automatically.

Trulia and Zillow are two up-and-coming real estate websites challenging REALTOR.com. Trulia’s fortay is the ability to price compare properties using current listings and recently sold properties. Zillow’s is similar, except they estimate the value of all houses, not just recently sold and currently listed. Keep in mind that having your home listed on Trulia and Zillow is not automatic. Check with your agent to make sure they list there.

Where do people that are relocating to an area typically go for real estate information on the Internet? Google and Yahoo are likely the top two choices. Judging from the visitors we get here on this site, the usually search terms are “Dothan real estate”, “Dothan homes for sale”, or something similar. Having your listing show up through an MLS search on these local websites is critical. Folks usually won’t go past the first page of results, so make sure the company you list with comes up at or near the top for these search terms.

This is by not means an exhaustive list. There are plenty of websites out there for real estate listings. The point of this post is that home sellers should agressively question their agent about their Internet marketing strategy. With so many buyers on the Internet, you can’t take a chance of missing any of them.

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By: Charles Woodall
Managing Broker

http://www.dothanhomesearch.com

Continuing our look at different price ranges around Dothan.

So far we have looked at a few homes priced around $90,000 and some priced at around $135,000. We’re up to $185,000, and there are some nice ones.

We’ve got a nice home outside of Headland sitting on almost two acres. It’s only a couple of years old and is listed for $185,500.

Here’s another one in the country, this one is just outside of Cottonwood. 2200 square feet, all hardwood and tile floors, and offered for $184,762.

Several new construction homes are listed in this price range. Try one on the golf course, one on a former golf course, and one in Midland City.

As always, we would be happy to email you more information on any property you find on our website. Let us know how we can help!

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By: Charles Woodall
Managing Broker

http://www.dothanhomesearch.com

Rooting Out the Rotten Tomatoes

By CLAIRE SUDDATH

Workers separate tomatoes at the sprawling Central de Abastos market in Mexico City on June 10

Gregory Bull / AP

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So how much damage can a few rotten tomatoes really do? The tomato-linked salmonella outbreak announced by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on June 3 has claimed 228 victims in 23 states over 58 days (and counting). It has put 25 people in the hospital and may have had a role in hastening the death of a cancer patient. And then there’s the flurry of panic as many of the tomatoes that American consumers take for granted every day suddenly disappear � from McDonald’s hamburgers; from the salsa at Chipotle Mexican Grill; from Burger King, Taco Bell and Sonic; and from the grocery shelves at Kroger, Wal-Mart and Target. Didn’t we just go through this with bagged spinach? With peanut butter? With pet food?

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Because the FDA’s tomato-recall recommendation is so specific � including only three types, grown in certain regions during a certain time � and because many national chains pulled their tomato stock within days of the announcement, most of the infected samples have likely been removed. But the outbreak remains ongoing; its source has not yet been determined, and the government is investigating new cases every day. It may be a few more weeks before the delicious staple fruit is given the all-clear.

Taking tomatoes off shelves and menus may contain the outbreak, but it doesn’t explain it. On May 22, the New Mexico Health Department notified the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that it knew of seven people recently infected with Salmonella Saintpaul, an unusual strand of the bacteria that accounted for only 400 of the 1.4 million cases of salmonella infection reported last year. And it was precisely because occurrences of the Saintpaul strand are so rare that the report caught the CDC’s attention. When Texas and a few other states reported cases of people being infected by bacteria with the same “genetic fingerprint,” a multistate search for Salmonella Saintpaul was launched. While the CDC tracked reported illnesses, the FDA interviewed victims to find out what they had eaten (and where). The common answer was tomatoes.

There have been 13 outbreaks of salmonella in tomatoes since 1990, which puts the fruit on the list of high-risk foods that are prone to infection. But unlike the bagged spinach from the 2006 E. Coli scare, the tomatoes don’t come with a traceable bar code. “When you’re dealing with tomatoes, it is much, much more complex,” explains Dr. David Acheson, the FDA’s associate commissioner for foods. The FDA’s great tomato hunt has an ever-expanding list of suspects. A salmonella victim can point to the supermarket (or restaurant) that sold the offending fruit, but that store probably sources its tomatoes from several suppliers, each of which uses several distributors � and distributors buy from any number of growers.

“Each set of questions just multiplies into a fan of information that has to be sorted through to understand where the links cross over,” says Acheson. Although the FDA has managed to rule out some regions � northern Florida is safe because its tomatoes weren’t ready for harvest at the time of the outbreak � it will be some time until the true source is found. “We’re not quite there yet,” says Acheson, “but we’re getting very close.” But Dr. Ian Williams, chief of the CDC’s OutbreakNet team, warns that the source may never be found due to the fruit’s short shelf life. “You don’t expect to find an infected tomato sitting on someone’s counter 10 days after the outbreak,” says Williams.

Still, the lag time between the initial outbreak and the government’s reaction is startling: the first Salmonella Saintpaul victim fell ill on April 16, but the FDA didn’t announce the tomato link until June 3. Williams says part of the problem identifying salmonella outbreaks is that a lot of victims don’t see the symptoms � diarrhea, fever, vomiting � as sufficiently severe to warrant a visit to the doctor, and so they go undiagnosed. “There may be a delay in reporting outbreaks because people do not have a stool specimen tested,” he says. Officials have not yet identified an infected tomato, and because of the fruit’s short shelf life, they probably never will.

The FDA unveiled a tomato-safety initiative in 2007 that sought to identify causes of salmonella infection, but Acheson admits that studying preventive techniques doesn’t help the FDA deal with outbreaks. The FDA has no plans to change the initiative in the face of the recent outbreak.

Even if the FDA can pinpoint the source of the outbreak, it’s hard for consumers to know where their tomatoes are grown. Certain imported foods are required to carry country-of-origin labels, but that doesn’t apply to domestic produce. “I’m not aware of any tomato outbreak that was not domestic,” says Acheson. There is no such thing as a mandatory state-of-origin label for food, and federal authorities have yet to create such a law. “Saying ‘product of the U.S.’ isn’t necessarily going to confer safety,” he says. So much for reassurance.

Vi ste jeben.

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By: Ann Bourland
Lending Edge Mortgage

http://www.lendingedge.net

From an email I received a couple of days ago-

Judge Lawrence K. Karlton of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California upheld Nehemiah�s motion for summary judgment and invalidated the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) rule to ban private down payment assistance as proposed in the �Standards for Mortgagor�s Investment in Mortgaged Property� regulation published October 1, 2007.

To be clear, this rule cannot be enforced by HUD and is no longer a threat to private down payment assistance programs.

We are thrilled with the Court�s decision to support low-to-moderate income families across the country by ruling against HUD�s attempt to ban private down payment assistance,� said Scott Syphax, President and CEO of Nehemiah Corporation of America. This is a major and conclusive judgment, leaving no uncertainty that down payment assistance is a life line to the families that Nehemiah serves. It is heartening to see that the Court�s arguments echo our sentiments and concerns. This decision preserves access and supports the use of sensible and reasonable approaches to homeownership for millions of working class families. It is a privilege to continue providing a helping hand to America�s underserved families by building both safer communities and financial strength through homeownership. As we have said before, we look forward to working with HUD to support deserving families across the country.�

What does this mean for Dothan home buyers? It means no down payment options are still available. Give us a call and we’ll be happy to discuss your choices with you.

———————————————————–

Contact Ann Bourland or Kim Kennedy at Lending Edge Mortgage at (334) 836-0963 or by email at aborland(at)edgeloans(dot)com

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By: Charles Woodall
Managing Broker

http://www.dothanhomesearch.com

I posted earlier this week that the median home price in the Dothan area has fallen almost 9% (stats from the Dothan MLS) since the peak in the third quarter of 2006. According to Yale University economist Robert Shiller, home prices could fall a lot further.

Median price rose in the Dothan area about 30% between 2000 and 2006, so having to give some back when the market turns like it has is only logical. Only time will if ours have indeed bottomed out, or if the slide resumes.

My opinion is that Shiller’s outlook is far too pessimistic, for our market anyway. Too many good things happening around here right now.

Hat tip to RealCentralVA

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By: Charles Woodall
Managing Broker

http://www.dothanhomesearch.com

Continuing our look at different price ranges around Dothan.

On Monday, we looked at a few homes priced around $90,000. Here is a link to homes for sale in the Dothan MLS priced at around $135,000.

We have a foreclosed 3BR/2BA home zone for Rehobeth schools listed for $134,900. It needs a little work, but would make a great home.

There are a couple of new construction homes listed in the Kinsey area. Both 3BR/2BA and listed for $135,000. Ready to move in!

How about an old farmhouse in the country? Check out this 3BR/1BA built around 1900, just outside of Headland.

As always, we would be happy to email you more information on any property you find on our website. Let us know how we can help!

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By: Charles Woodall
Managing Broker

http://www.dothanhomesearch.com

You have likely seen the ads on TV touting April as CENTURY 21 National Open House month. We at CENTURY 21 Key Realty are participating by having a huge open house weekend this Saturday, April 26^th and Sunday, April 27^th.

CLICK HERE for details on the homes that will be open this Sunday. You can also see a slideshow over to your right. Click on the home you are interested in for details.

All homes will be open from 1:00 to 5:00 pm on both Saturday and Sunday! Stop by and say HI!

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By: Charles Woodall
Managing Broker

http://www.dothanhomesearch.com

At the end of each quarter, we look at some Dothan real estate market statistics that don�t fit well into one of our monthly reports. That is not to diminish their importance however.

Median Price

Median price can vary significantly from month-to-month, so we compare quarters to help smooth out the bumps. Median price is used instead of average price because it reflects the midpoint, or the price where half the homes sold at a higher price and the other half sold at a lower price.

The median price from the Dothan MLS for the first quarter was just over $134,000, up from around $128,000 in the 4th quarter of 2007. From a peak in the third quarter of 2006, the median price of homes sold in Dothan is down 8.6%.

Absorption Rate

Absorption rate is a measure of how well the market is clearing, or absorbing, inventory (listings). The absorption rate for March was just over 10 months, down from nearly 12 months in January. In other words, if no more listings came on the market, it would take about 10 months to sell everything that is currently listed.

All signs recently seem to suggest that the Dothan real estate market is sound and active. Spring is typically a busy time, so hopefully these latest developments will continue move the market forward.

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By: Charles Woodall
Managing Broker

http://www.dothanhomesearch.com

I have been meaning to do this for some time now. Those of you who are not in the market right now, or those that might be considering a move to the Dothan area, likely will have an interest in a good overview of what your money will buy you in the Dothan real estate market.

The first price we are looking at is $90,000. Here is a link to homes for sale in the Dothan MLS priced at around $90,000. Right now there are less than 20 homes.

We have a nice 3 bedroom, 1 1/2 bath listed on Normandale in southwest Dothan. The backyard is large and the home has some nice updates, including new flooring. All for $89,104

Looking for something outside of Dothan? How about this 3BR/2BA south of Rehobeth. It�s been reduced to $88,000.

Here is a fairly new home in Midland City. This 3BR/2BA was built in 2006. An even $90,000 will get you in this one.

As always, we would be happy to email you more information on any property you find on our website. Let us know how we can help!

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By: Charles Woodall
Managing Broker

http://www.dothanhomesearch.com

Here’s some light reading to get your through the weekend. Read each article carefully as there will be a test on Monday.

Corp of Engineers proposed new water sharing plan for southeast - New York Times

Alabama House looks to lower speed limits across the state - Birmingham News via AL.com

The taxpayers of Alabama will have to deal with possible Birmingham bankruptcy - Mobile Press Register via AL.com

Tuscaloosa City Council moves to ban front yard parking - Tuscaloosa News

Alabama moves to fifth among auto making states - Birmingham News via AL.com

State tax on groceries going away? - Birmingham News via AL.com

Ready…Discuss.

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