Top 10 List

World’s Most Beautiful Cities

Choosing the world’s most beautiful cities is a subjective enterprise. To identify urban areas where the architecture and the locale are both stunning, Forbes magazine turned to world-renowned architects. Here are their top choices:
•    Paris
•    Vancouver, Canada
•    Sydney, Australia
•    Florence, Italy
•    Cape Town, South Africa
•    San Francisco
•    Chicago
•    New York City
•    London
•    Cambridge, England
•    Tokyo

Source: Forbes, Tim Kiladze (01/22/2010)

———————————————————
Elliott Robinson, JD – Associate Broker
Keller Williams Realty Metro Atlanta
315 West Ponce de Leon Ave., Ste. 100
Decatur, GA 30030
(404) 431-2117
Web: www.elliottyouragent.com
Blog – www.elliottonrealestate.com
Twitter – http://twitter.com/elliottrob

Top 5 Most Affordable U.S. Markets

How affordable or unaffordable is it to buy a home? Well, it depends heavily on the part of the country where the buyer chooses to live.

Earning the U.S. median income of $64,000 a year is enough to allow buyers to purchase 70.8 percent of all homes sold in the country during the last three months of 2009, according to a joint report from the National Association of Home Builders and Wells Fargo.

But some parts of the country are a lot more affordable than others. Here are five major housing markets that housing analysts judge to be the most affordable major markets in the country.
· Indianapolis
· Detroit
· Dayton, Ohio
· Youngstown, Ohio
· Akron, Ohio

Source: CNNMoney.com, Les Christie (02/17/2010)

———————————————————
Elliott Robinson, JD – Associate Broker
Keller Williams Realty Metro Atlanta
315 West Ponce de Leon Ave., Ste. 100
Decatur, GA 30030
(404) 431-2117
Web: www.elliottyouragent.com
Blog – www.elliottonrealestate.com
Twitter – http://twitter.com/elliottrob

10 Home Features Buyers Want

Home designers and builders speaking at the recent International Builders Show in Las Vegas say that buyers are seeking cost-effective features and rejecting things that don’t have lasting value.

“It’s all about family togetherness – casual living, entertaining and flexible spaces,” says Carol Lavender, president of the Lavender Design Group in San Antonio.

Paul Cardis, CEO of Avid Ratings, which conducts an annual survey of buyer preferences, identified these must-haves in new homes:

1. Large kitchens with islands
2. Energy efficiency, including energy-efficient appliances, super insulation, and high-efficiency windows.
3. Home offices
4. Main-floor master suite
5. Outdoor living space
6. Ceiling fans
7. Soaking tub in the master suite and/or an oversize shower with a seating area
8. Stone and brick exteriors rather than stucco or vinyl
9. Community walking paths and playgrounds
10. Two-car garages, but three-car garages are even more desirable

Source: MarketWatch, Steve Kerch (01/30/2010)

———————————————————
Elliott Robinson, JD – Associate Broker
Keller Williams Realty Metro Atlanta
315 West Ponce de Leon Ave., Ste. 100
Decatur, GA 30030
(404) 431-2117
Web: www.elliottyouragent.com
Blog – www.elliottonrealestate.com
Twitter – http://twitter.com/elliottrob

Kids Health: Best, Worst Cities for Families

Burlington, Vt., tops the list of the best places for families, according to a special report published by Rodale Inc. in its annual Children’s Health magazine.

The magazine analyzed cities around the country, weighing 30 factors, including crime and safety, education, jobs, housing cultural attractions, and health resources.

Cities at the top of the list:

1. Burlington, Vt.
2. Madison, Wis.
3. Fargo, N.D.
4. Lincoln, Neb.
5. Fremont, Calif.
6. Lexington, Ky.
7. Honolulu
8. Cheyenne, Wyo.
9. Omaha, Neb.
10. Yonkers, N.Y.

At the bottom of the list, from the worst to slightly better:

1. Detroit
2. Miami
3. Orlando
4. Memphis
5. Fresno, Calif.
6. Cleveland
7. Tampa
8. Phoenix
9. Las Vegas
10. Toledo, Ohio

Source: Rodale Inc. (09/14/2009)

——————–

10 Markets Where Building Is Booming

The building business—both commercial and residential—is a seeing a recovery in some markets, especially those where military, government, and energy jobs are driving demand.

Lake Charles, La., which leads the nation, is an anomaly—it’s recovering from hurricanes—but the other markets are largely driving by economic growth. For instance, building permits for apartments in Huntsville, Ala., near the expanding U.S. Space & Rocket Center, have jumped 400 percent so far in 2009.

Many of the contracts are going to smaller local builders, but some of the giants are getting back in the game as well. KB Home resumed construction in the Mid-Atlantic, including Washington D.C., after pulling back earlier this year.

The top 10 growth markets, based on building permits, are:

1. Lake Charles, La., 122.5 percent
2. Beaumont-Port Arthur, Texas, 65.8 percent
3. Salt Lake City, 36.6 percent
4. Huntsville, Ala., 30 percent
5. Jacksonville, N.C., 28.6 percent
6. Augusta-Richmond County, Ga.-S.C., 21.6 percent
7. Fayetteville, N.C., 12.2 percent
8. Las Cruces, N.M., 11.6 percent
9. Auburn-Opelika, Ala., 11.3 percent
10. Little Rock-North Little Rock, Ark., 7.7 percent

Source: BusinessWeek, Prashant Gopal (09/18/2009)

——————–
Elliott Robinson, JD – Associate Broker
Keller Williams Realty Metro Atlanta
315 West Ponce de Leon Ave., Ste. 100
Decatur, GA 30030
o- (404) 564-5560
Blog – http://elliottonrealestate.com
Twitter – http://twitter.com/elliottrob

Most Affordable Markets Ranked

In its annual survey of most- and least-affordable housing markets, BusinessWeek quoted a number of experts who believe that for many people, the current low interest rates and low housing prices have combined to offer a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to buy a home.

Dennis Torres, executive director of real estate operations at Pepperdine University, says, “People are going to talk about this as ‘I could have, I should have’ for decades,” he said. “If you’re confident that you’ll stay in the location for seven years and you’re confident of your income, don’t walk, run.”

To calculate the most- and least-affordable areas, BusinessWeek considered the share of homes sold in the second quarter of this year that would have been affordable to a family earning the local median income. Housing costs were calculated using new and existing sales records supplied by First American Real Estate Solutions and include principal, interest, estimated property taxes, and insurance.

Here are the 10 most-affordable areas:

1. Kokomo, Ind.
2. Lansing-East Lansing, Mich.
3. Mansfield, Ohio
4. Elkhart-Goshen, Ind.
5. Lima, Ohio
6. Bay City, Mich.
7. Indianapolis-Carmel, Ind.
8. Saginaw-Saginaw Township North, Mich.
9. Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, Ohio-Pa.
10. Canton-Massillon, Ohio

Here are the 10 that are least affordable:

1. New York-White Plains, N.Y.-Wayne, N.J.
2. San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, Calif.
3. San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, Calif.
4. Ocean City, N.J.
5. Honolulu
6. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, Calif.
7. Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, Calif.
8. Santa Cruz-Watsonville, Calif.
9. Nassau-Suffolk (Long Island), N.Y.
10. Flagstaff, Ariz.

Source: Business Week, Prashant Gopal (09/11/2009)

——————–
Elliott Robinson, JD – Associate Broker
Keller Williams Realty Metro Atlanta
315 West Ponce de Leon Ave., Ste. 100
Decatur, GA 30030
o- (404) 564-5560
c- (404) 431-2117
Twitter – http://twitter.com/elliottrob

10 Cities Leading the Market Recovery

Here’s more evidence that housing is turning around. Forbes magazine identified 161 of the country’s largest metro areas where sales activity has increased compared to 2008, and where foreclosure sales as a percentage of total sales, are low.

The magazine considers these markets as on the road to recovery.
1. Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
2. Lincoln, Neb.
3. Colorado Springs, Colo.
4. Salem, Ore.
5. San Luis Obispo, Calif.
6. Bremerton, Wash.
7. Denver, Colo.
8. Redding, Calif.
9. Santa Barbara, Calif.
10. San Jose, Calif.

Source: Forbes, Matt Woolsey

——————–
Elliott Robinson, JD – Associate Broker
Adams Realtors
458 Cherokee Ave. SE
Atlanta, GA 30312
(o) 404-688-1222 ext. 26
Blog: elliottonrealestate.com
Twitter: elliottrob@twitter.com

Single-Family Home Prices Rise in May

Nationwide, detached, single-family home prices gained 1.6 percent in May, according to Integrated Asset Services, a specialist in default management and residential collateral valuations.

The increase is the largest since July 2005, IAS reported. The index had previously declined more than 19 percent from its peak in June 2007.

Compared to April, the Northeast was up 3.2 percent, the Midwest 1.9 percent, the South 1.1 percent, and the West 0.9 percent.

In all areas but the South, prices also rose in April.

“Two month’s worth of positive data hardly signals a turn in the national housing market,” says Dave McCarthy, President and CEO of Integrated Asset Services. “But we have to be encouraged by what we’re seeing in several important counties and neighborhoods.”

Hardest-Hit Counties

IAS also tracks monthly changes in median sale prices in 15,000 struggling communities. It identifies the following counties where prices have fallen furthest since the 2006 peak:

1. Fresno, Calif. -28.1 percent
2. Imperial Calif. -45.2 percent
3. Kern, Calif. -33.8 percent
4. Monterey, Calif. -37.9 percent
5. San Bernardino, Calif. -29.1 percent
6. San Joaquin, Calif. -42.8 percent
7. Charlotte, Fla. -37.6 percent
8. Hernando, Fla. -38.7 percent
9. Lee, Fla. -45.2 percent
10. Pasco, Fla. -50 percent

Source: Integrated Asset Services (07/09/2009)

——————–
Elliott Robinson, JD – Associate Broker
Adams Realtors
458 Cherokee Ave. SE
Atlanta, GA 30312
(o) 404-688-1222 ext. 26
Blog: elliottonrealestate.com
Twitter: elliottrob@twitter.com

Prices Slide in Wealthiest Towns

America’s high-end neighborhoods could feel the pain as homes linger on the market and prices slide.

There are more than 60,000 homes priced above $1 million listed on Realtor.com with the inventory at levels far above the national average of 10 months.

Some observers predict that big inventories in formerly protected enclaves will drive down prices as much as average prices fell in less-pricey metros a year ago. “Any [inventory] over seven months generally means falling prices,” says David Stiff, chief economist at Fiserv in Brookfield, Wis.

Multi-million dollar communities with significant risk of taking big slides are:

1. Incline Village-Crystal Bay, Nev.
2. New Vernon, N.J.
3. Alpine, N.J.
4. Sagaponack, N.Y.
5. Amagansett, N.Y.
6. Bridgehampton, N.Y.
7. Ross, Calif.
8. Old Westbury, N.Y.
9. Santa Barbara, Calif.
10. Southampton, N.Y.

Source: Forbes, Stephanie Fitch and Matthew Woolsey (07/13/2009)

——————–
Elliott Robinson, JD – Associate Broker
Adams Realtors
458 Cherokee Ave. SE
Atlanta, GA 30312
(o) 404-688-1222

Best Places for Aging Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs don’t retire, they just find a new project.

Over the past decade, baby boomers produced a high rate of entrepreneurial activity, and Dan Stangler, senior analyst at the Kauffman Foundation, says the number of baby boomers starting a business in their traditional retirement years is likely to increase.

In response to that analysis, U.S. News & World Report identified 10 places that it says are the best places for an entrepreneurial baby boomer to retire. It picked the areas because they have an affordable cost of living, proximity to healthcare, fun recreational amenities, and access to information, particularly colleges and university with technology-focused departments.

Here are their 10 best suggestions:

1. Arlington, Va.
2. Columbia, Md.
3. Fargo, N.D.
4. Fayetteville, Ark.
5. Fort Collins, Colo.
6. Knoxville, Tenn.
7. Lincoln, Neb.
8. Madison, Wis.
9. Round Rock, Tex.
10. West Des Moines, Iowa

Source: U.S. News & World Report, Emily Brandon (06/29/2009)

——————–
Elliott Robinson, JD – Associate Broker
Adams Realtors
458 Cherokee Ave. SE
Atlanta, GA 30312
(o) 404-688-1222

Next Page »