Wisconsin Home Sales Dip in 2007 But Prices StableState's housing news much better than nation Madison - Wisconsin housing sales decreased but prices increased in 2007, leaving Wisconsin's real estate market in much better shape than many parts of the Midwest and the nation, according to the year-end analysis of existing home sales conducted by the Wisconsin REALTORS® Association (WRA).Wisconsin home sales declined in 2007 by 10.8 percent relative to 2006, but median prices actually rose 0.2 percent over the period to $164,000, according to the REALTORS®' report.  Here in Dane County, the median price actually rose 2.9% to an average of $218,000."It's a mistake to look at Wisconsin's housing market through the lens of national indicators," said WRA President William Malkasian. "Housing ... 03/05/2008

Existing-Home Sales Expected in Early 2008, then Gradual RiseOver the next few months, existing-home sales are expected to hold fairly steady as indicated by pending sales activity, then rise later in the year and continue to improve in 2009, according to the latest forecast by the National Association of Realtors®.Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said there is a pull and tug exerting itself on the market.  "On the one hand, we have a pent-up demand from the four million jobs added to our economy over the past two years of sales decline," he said.  "On the other, consumers continue to wait for additional signs of market stabilization.  There are more people with financial capacity now than in 2005, but many are trying to market-time their purchase."NAR also encourages the Fed to make ... 01/09/2008

Housing "crisis" to spare Wisconsin According to a report released by the U.S. conference of mayors, the fallout from the mortgage crisis will be minimal in Wisconsin.  In 2008, the (national) economy will grow at a rate of 1.9%; however, the economies of Wisconsin cities are expected to grow between 2.3% and 3.4%. The result is better in Wisconsin because area prices and mortgage values did not climb as much or as rapidly as in other parts of the country. According to the report, house prices will remain stable, if not increase slightly, in Wisconsin. Nationally, home prices will fall 7% in 2008, the report says. The prediction tracks with a report last week from the Wisconsin Realtors Association. That report found that in the third quarter, home prices rose 2.4% statewide to a median... 12/11/2007

Thinking of buying or selling your home soon? If so, you'll be pleased to hear that homeowners and property owners in Wisconsin won a major victory when the proposal to double the real estate transfer tax - or "home tax" - was removed from the state budget in a compromise announced last week by Republican and Democratic legislative leaders and the governor.The real winners of this action will be Wisconsin's young couples, working families and senior citizens. On their behalf, REALTORS® argued forcefully that raising the tax on the sale of homes and other properties was the wrong thing to do and this was the wrong time to do it.More good news comes when homeowners should also be pleased with a separate provision in the compromise budget that limits annual property tax increases to 2 perc... 11/07/2007

With going back to school and other similar activities associated with September, its not surprising that September is one of the slowest months for home sales. While the numbers of listings have remained fairly consistent, the homes sales have dropped from 15 in August to only 3 in September. The condos sales remained the same with 3 sales both in August and September. With 4th quarter starting off with some great drops in interest rates, the housing market is expected to pick up. Here are your statistics for the Lake View Hills Neighborhood for the month of September as well as all of the 3rd Quarter.   Residential Homes SalesActive Listings: 783 homes under contractAverage Asking Price: $245,250Average Price per Square Foot: $140List Price Range: $999,900 (high) to $134,900 (low)5 Pe... 10/03/2007