Hello everyone.........

Well, it's that time again where all those home estimates and foreclosure reports, etc. come out and we are told the sky is either falling still or the rain is finally stopping. Ultimately, being a Realtor® myself in the Northeastern Indiana area I can only attest to what is happening in my markets.

Am I seeing things improving a bit?.....sure.

Do I see HUD homes and foreclosures and short sales littering the marketplace still......yup.

Are actual homeowners who have a mortgage to meet still suffering because of the continued glut of foreclosures and empty homes still available on the market bringing down their home values?.....uh-huh.

So where is the bright future?

Ultimately, in my deepest and most honest opinion.....I have no idea. I am busy as always in helping people buy and sell Real Estate but the majority of the buyers are bottom-feeder investors scooping up the HUD homes and foreclosures then re-selling them. Those who are actually selling their homes and have a mortgage payoff to meet are suffering extremely. They have to compete with a foreclosed home almost identical to their own but is priced more than 50% less.

As a Buyer client of mine which home do you think I am going to advise you to buy?
Unfortunately for that Seller with the payoff needed it won't be their home. 100% of all Real Estate Agents if doing their job well in representing the best interest of their client....the Buyer...will advise them to buy a home for $50,000 instead of the $112,000 home the actual seller needs to meet their bank's payoff.

And as the Buyer I assure you this is exactly what you want myself, your agent, to be assisting you with and the advice to give.

Now as we move into 2012 will this change? In my opinion I hope so and the sooner the better! My heart goes out to each and everyone who has to or wants to sell their home due to this rotting market condition. The banks had a blast gambling away all that funny Real Estate money yet our Federal Government doesn't seem to have an issue with allowing them to continue to bust the backs of everyone who got screwed by their misgivings.

Until the housing market and mortgage process is completely re-vamped and re-structured to benefit the homeowner this mess, in my opinion, will never be resolved.

Do I have a suggested solution?

I thought you would all never ask............

My solution, as rediculous as it sounds, now give this some thought everyone..........
but let's just "HIT THE FINANCIAL RE-SET BUTTON" globally.

ZERO all debt out across the globe and start over.

Seriously......everyone immediately owes nothing, to anyone, anywhere.
Zero it all out and start over. It effects everyone so their is NO issue of who to pay for what was just provided or delivered. No one owes anything, we start accumulating debt all over again only this time no one is allowed to take advantage of the homeowner any more.

It's brilliant indeed and would work. Of course, who is the one institution that would scream about this?......you guessed it, the banks! My gosh, how absurd should such a suggestion be, right? How would the banks get all their money that they of course earn from interest on money owed if indeed no one owed anything anymore?

Well, let's just see for a minute shall we? Of course the banks will make their money from interest.....they will just have to wait a month or two while the world charges up their debt again. And gee-whiz they must actually wait a month or 2!

In the mean time, globally everyone goes out and buys all new stuff again because after all, they have zero debt right? Thus the global economy explodes all over again and we get jump-started into the new era of 2012.

I am sure many of you think this is stupid, but of course this is just my opinion. If you have a better one then please email it to me and I will be happy to post it here. But c'mon everyone, enough with the thoughts that any government program solution can be actually implemented and achieved! This country and globe has been trying to do it since the invention of currency and paying for things......it ain't gonna happen any time soon unless something drastic is considered.

So, if anyone here is for my solution of "RE-SETTING THE GLOBAL DEBT BUTTON" please pass this blog post on and share it with the world.

WE own this country not our government!

We all need to stand up and say "PUSH THE RE-SET BUTTON"!!!!!

Sales were up compared to last November with an increase of 19%. There are currently 3667 active single family listings on the market in the Pikes Peak region compared to 4746 last year in November, which is a 22.7% decrease. New listings on the market were down by 10.2%. With supplies down and demand up for several months in a row the market appears to be improving.

The median single family sales price was down 6.6% in November 2011. Last year's median number was $198,000 and this year's November stat was $185,000.  The average purchase price was down last month compared to last year by 6.5% to $218,230 from $233,286.

There are currently 415 active condo/townhomes listings on the market compared to 733 last year in November, which is a 43.4% decrease. Sales were down slightly in November  by 1.5% compared to Nov 2010 and down 15.2% compared to last month. The average purchase price for condo/townhomes was down 2.4% to 148,264 compared to Nov 2010 stats.

The average single family home price is down 4.5% YTD and sales are up 3.4% YTD.

With sales up and prices down, even if you have to sell this could be the right time to get in the market!

Call me for a confidential private market analysis.

Luther Benson - Broker/Owner

Access Real Estate Professionals Inc.

21 Years of Experience

For a Free List of Distressed Homes go to:

http://www.freedistressedlistings.com

For a list of all available homes on the MLS go to:

http://www.Homes4SaleCo.com

Learn the 7 costly mistakes buyers and sellers make on my web site:

http://www.lutherbenson.com

Email: lutherbenson@comcast.net

Direct 719-528-2406

Toll Free 877-528-2406

Cell 719-310-2404

CPV, CRS

Smartphone Apps to Soothe the Savage Time Beast.

Copyright© 2011 RISMedia, The Leader in Real Estate Information Systems and Real Estate News. All Rights Reserved.

We’re all busy, pulled in many directions during our typical day-to-day routine, and more and more our days blur between work-life and home-life. Following are a few good smartphone applications that can help you save time while increasing your productivity:
 
Check It!
Professionals like you get the job done because you are organized, and one way to stay organized is with lists. Check it! is simple, easy-to-use and will keep you organized. Buy it for just 99 cents at the App Store (open iTunes) where you will find all of the apps mentioned in this column.
 
Documents to Go
With this app you can edit, create and view Word, Excel files, PowerPoint, PDF, iWork and other files. It is even capable of sending and receiving attachments. While this app is $9.99, it is highly functional for professionals who are constantly on-the-go.
 
HomeBase
Are you big into social media? This app allows you to send your announcements with pictures and links to all of your social media outlets. It blasts the announcement for you. And now you can add multiple accounts for all of your social networks. HomeBase costs $1.99 and takes your communications to infinity and beyond.
 
HootSuite
This is a great social media tool for Twitter, Facebook and Foursquare. This app lets you send and schedule Twitter, Facebook and Foursquare updates from anywhere, and also offers monitoring. HootSuite is free.
 
Instapaper
How many times have you wished you could save Web pages for later reading? With this app, priced at just $4.99, you can do just that.
 
LiveProfile
This app is a fast, cross-platform (iPhone, BlackBerry, Android) messenger that allows you to communicate, send photos and videos, post status updates, customize your profile and a lot more. LiveProfile is free.
 
Mashable
Mashable is the largest independent news source dedicated to covering the digital culture, social media and technology. This app is free.
 
There are hundreds of thousands of smartphone applications. These are just a few innovative, time-saving suggestions. Remember, whatever you may be trying to accomplish, there’s probably an app for that!
 
Copyright© 2011 RISMedia, The Leader in Real Estate Information Systems and Real Estate News. All Rights Reserved.

Honoring America's Heroes on Veterans Day

On Friday, November 11, the nation will observe Veterans Day. This is a wonderful opportunity to honor America's veterans for their patriotism, love of the country, and commitment to serve and sacrifice for the common good of the USA.

Did you know Veterans Day dates back to November 11, 1918 when the Germans signed the Armistice, an order to cease fire, and World War I ended? Originally, Veterans Day was known as "Armistice Day," but the name was changed to Veterans Day in 1953, so that all military veterans could be honored and acknowledged.

One of the most recognized Veterans Day ceremonies is held at Arlington National Cemetery, which draws hundreds, if not thousands of visitors. This ceremony is held on November 11th at exactly 11:00 am. At that time, a military color guard honors America's war dead at the Tomb of the Unknowns. The Tomb of the Unknowns is a shrine honoring the many thousands of veterans who gave their lives in defense of our nation.

As powerful as the National Ceremony is, you don't have to travel to the nation's capital to take part in a ceremony. Each year, the Veterans Day National Committee selects a number of regional sites for Veterans Day observances throughout the country–from parades and ceremonies to military exhibits and tributes. To learn more and find a ceremony near you, visit the Department of Veteran Affairs website for a listing of regional information.

In addition, you can also dedicate some family time to learning more about Veterans Day and the military heroes it honors. You can find a number of resources online, including the official history of Veterans Day and a teacher's guide that includes information, activities, and even coloring book pages for kids.

As we pause and pay tribute to America's veterans, we must honor them with our gratitude, knowing that they served and sacrificed to protect and preserve the values of this great nation...and continue to do so today. May we never forget their strength, courage, and profound willingness to stand up and defend our way of life.

I hope this important holiday finds you and your family well.

Sincerely,


Beverly Gudakunst
Summit Mortgage Inc
Beverlyg@gotosummitmortgage.com

Honoring America's Heroes on Veterans Day

On Friday, November 11, the nation will observe Veterans Day. This is a wonderful opportunity to honor America's veterans for their patriotism, love of the country, and commitment to serve and sacrifice for the common good of the USA.

Did you know Veterans Day dates back to November 11, 1918 when the Germans signed the Armistice, an order to cease fire, and World War I ended? Originally, Veterans Day was known as "Armistice Day," but the name was changed to Veterans Day in 1953, so that all military veterans could be honored and acknowledged.

One of the most recognized Veterans Day ceremonies is held at Arlington National Cemetery, which draws hundreds, if not thousands of visitors. This ceremony is held on November 11th at exactly 11:00 am. At that time, a military color guard honors America's war dead at the Tomb of the Unknowns. The Tomb of the Unknowns is a shrine honoring the many thousands of veterans who gave their lives in defense of our nation.

As powerful as the National Ceremony is, you don't have to travel to the nation's capital to take part in a ceremony. Each year, the Veterans Day National Committee selects a number of regional sites for Veterans Day observances throughout the country–from parades and ceremonies to military exhibits and tributes. To learn more and find a ceremony near you, visit the Department of Veteran Affairs website for a listing of regional information.

In addition, you can also dedicate some family time to learning more about Veterans Day and the military heroes it honors. You can find a number of resources online, including the official history of Veterans Day and a teacher's guide that includes information, activities, and even coloring book pages for kids.

As we pause and pay tribute to America's veterans, we must honor them with our gratitude, knowing that they served and sacrificed to protect and preserve the values of this great nation...and continue to do so today. May we never forget their strength, courage, and profound willingness to stand up and defend our way of life.

I hope this important holiday finds you and your family well.

Sincerely,


Beverly Gudakunst
Summit Mortgage Inc
Beverlyg@gotosummitmortgage.com

By Luther Benson

There are currently 3959 active single family listings on the market in the Pikes Peak region compared to 5124 last year in October, which is a 22.7% decrease. New listings on the market were down by 9.3%. Sales were up compared to last Oct 2010 with an increase of 20.1%. With supplies down and demand up for several months in a row the market appears to be improving.

The median single family sales price was down 7.5% in Oct 2011. Last year's numbers were $200,000 and this years Oct stat was $185,000.  The average purchase price was down last month compared to last year by 7.8% to $221,534 from $240,326.

There are currently 464 active condo/townhomes listings on the market compared to 478 last month. Sales were up in Oct 2011 by 18.6% compared to Oct 2010 and down 21% compared to last month. The average purchase price for condo/townhomes was down 3.7% compared to Oct 2010 stats.

The average single family home price is down 4.5% YTD.

With the market improving and rates insanely low, this could be the right time to get in the market!

Have a great weekend!

Luther Benson - Broker/Owner

Access Real Estate Professionals Inc.

21 Years of Experience

For a Free List of Distressed Homes go to:

http://www.freedistressedlistings.com

For a list of all available homes on the MLS go to:

http://www.Homes4SaleCo.com

Learn the 7 costly mistakes buyers and sellers make on my web site:

http://www.lutherbenson.com

Email: lutherbenson@comcast.net

Direct 719-528-2406

Toll Free 877-528-2406

Cell 719-310-2404

CPV, CRS

Colorado Springs listed among best housing markets for 2012

http://www.gazette.com/articles/springs-127343-list-markets.html

October 26, 2011 3:57 PM

RICH LADEN

THE GAZETTE

The Colorado Springs housing market, like many other communities around the country, has taken its lumps in recent years: falling home prices, rising numbers of foreclosures and a construction slowdown.

But the city’s housing market will stage a turnaround in 2012 and become one of the nation’s best, according to a national forecast by Builder Magazine.

The Springs ranks No. 7 on Builder’s Top 20 list of healthiest markets the magazine is projecting for next year. Builder publishes its Top 20 list twice a year — once for the current year and another that looks ahead — in conjunction with parent company Hanley Wood, a real estate media and information services firm. Their projections use Moody’s Economy.com data, which focus on jobs, price appreciation, population growth and other factors that drive housing.

The Department of Defense’s major presence in the Colorado Springs area —  which includes Fort Carson, Peterson Air Force Base and Schriever Air Force Base — will serve as a catalyst for the local housing market, Builder suggests.

“There’s light at the end of the housing market tunnel in Colorado Springs,” according to Builder. “The three biggest employers here, by far, are military bases, and the fourth biggest is the Air Force Academy. The return of troops from Afghanistan may further stimulate the housing market.”

Builder says Moody’s expects Springs-area home prices to climb 2.6 percent next year, while job growth will increase 1.4 percent, numbers of households will rise 1.8 percent and median incomes will jump 2.9 percent.

Those pluses come on the heels of a mixed-year for Springs housing, Builder says; in July, the magazine notes, year-over-year homes sales were up, the inventory of homes for sale was down and the local foreclosure picture had improved. However, prices have been down this year.

Builder’s outlook, which includes the new home and resale markets in the Springs, differs markedly from one presented earlier this month by the Southern Colorado Economic Forum. The forum’s forecast for 2012 suggests the Colorado Springs economy will fall back into a recession with the rest of the nation — citing, in part, a weak housing market that hasn’t recovered.

Still, being put in the national spotlight by Builder can only help the market, some local industry officials say.

John Cassiani, the incoming board president for the Housing and Building Association of Colorado Springs, said he sees the No. 7 ranking as a recognition of some positive factors: troops are on their way back to Fort Carson, the city maintains a strong defense and aerospace industry and the Springs never saw the volatile housing price swings that Phoenix, Las Vegas and other cities experienced in recent years.

Other positives for the new home and resale markets include rock-bottom mortgage rates and low prices. Some builders continue to offer incentives, such as free landscaping and finished basements, Cassiani said.

But Cassiani acknowledged local single-family home construction next year probably will only match the pace of this year, and won’t increase until 2013. The area still has to work its way through a backlog of distressed properties — foreclosures and short sales — that pose competition for homebuilders, he said.

Construction of apartments, however, should continue to increase next year; apartment vacancy rates have plunged to nine-year lows in recent quarters, and several multi-family construction projects are either under way or planned.

Of other Colorado communities included in Builder’s healthiest housing market outlook, Fort Collins-Loveland ranked No. 2 in the nation, while Denver was No. 10 and Greeley came in at No. 20.

Minneapolis-St. Paul was No. 1 in the magazine’s forecast for 2012.
—
Contact Rich Laden: 636-0228 Twitter @richladen
Facebook Rich Laden

Read more: http://www.gazette.com/articles/springs-127343-list-markets.html#ixzz1c53pkaGL

Luther Benson - Broker/Owner

Access Real Estate Professionals Inc.

21 Years of Experience

For a Free List of Distressed Homes go to:

http://www.freedistressedlistings.com

For a list of all available homes on the MLS go to:

http://www.Homes4SaleCo.com

Learn the 7 costly mistakes buyers and sellers make on my web site:

http://www.lutherbenson.com

Email: lutherbenson@comcast.net

Direct 719-528-2406

Toll Free 877-528-2406

Cell 719-310-2404

CPV, CRS

Click the link below for the Upstate Alliance of Realtors Report for September, 2011. Northeastern Indiana and surrounding areas.

http://ims.fwaar.com/publish/MLS/stats/2011-09/UPSTAR_MMI_2011-09.pdf