Well, it certainly has been an embarrassingly long time since our last post. Though the Wilmington real estate market took a 55% nose dive in January (for # of transactions), we’ve been busy “getting after it.” In times like these our seller clients need more marketing and more consulting than ever before.

That being said, I recently came across an article from the NC Association of Realtors that’s worth sharing. Thank you NCAR for getting us out of our bloggers-block.

About the Economy:
> North Carolina is consistently at the forefront of affordable housing. Most recently, Cornelius was named one of the most affordable suburbs in the country. Fayetteville and Rocky Mount were both recognized for high price appreciations.
> In 2008, North Carolina welcomed the most newcomers (versus loss of residents) of any state, according. For every 100 people leaving, 180 moved in.

About Home Ownereship:
> In February, Gov. Bev Perdue signed an authorization that could save NC homebuyers more than $30 million.
> The National Association of REALTORS® estimates the impact of the stimulus package and lower interest rates on the housing market to be about 900,000 additional home sales in 2009 compared to conditions before the stimulus package.
> Homes were more affordable in December 2008 than at any other point since the National Association of REALTORS® began its housing affordability index in 1970.

About Foreclosures:
> Nationally, January foreclosure filings decreased 10 percent compared to the previous month.
> In January, the number of foreclosures occurring in NC decreased 29.3 percent when compared to January 2008. Nationally, foreclosure rates were 18 percenthigher in January 2009.
> North Carolina continues to descend in the official ranking of foreclosure rates, and is 33rd nationally.
> Four states – Nevada, Arizona, California and Florida – represented 53 percent of the 274,399 foreclosures in the US in January.