Sunday, November 23, 2008
With home prices decreasing and interest rates holding at historically low levels, the number of potential home buyers nationwide and in the Boise City-Nampa MSA who can afford to buy new and existing homes has reached the highest level in more than four years, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index (HOI) released on November 17, 2008.
| Posted by Chuck Miller at 7:04 PM |
|
|
Friday, November 21, 2008
According to an article that appeared in today's Wall Street Journal, an unexpected drop in U.S. electricity consumption has utility companies worried that the trend isn't a byproduct of the economic downturn, and could
reflect a permanent shift in consumption.
| Posted by Chuck Miller at 11:41 AM |
|
|
Monday, September 15, 2008
We know that all real estate is local, but here are some very interesting statistics from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service regarding third party certified Green Homes. The following is an excerpt from an article that appeared in The Residential Energy Services Network's (RESNET) September Newsletter.
| Posted by Chuck Miller at 2:58 PM |
|
|
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
The University of Michigans monthly survey of consumer sentiment asks households to rate buying conditions for homes.
| Posted by Chuck Miller at 2:37 PM |
|
|
Saturday, August 02, 2008
Read the following article and see if you can guess which housing market the writer is writing about. I've replaced all the references to the particular housing market and any other key words that might give away the answer with blank spaces. Youll find the answer at the end of the article.
| Posted by Chuck Miller at 11:09 AM |
|
|
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
As a Builder, I am extremely interested in the current debate about the home building and mortgage finance industry. One comment I have heard repeatedly over the past several weeks is the need to return to sound mortgage standards based on home values of 2.5 to 3 times income, 30 year fixed rate mortgages at 80% loan-to-value and a 20% down payment. But just how realistic is this?
| Posted by Chuck Miller at 5:20 PM |
|
|
Sunday, July 13, 2008
In my last blog, I posed the question Does the Rise in Foreclosures Constitute a Crisis? Last Monday I responded to a commentor who reported a rumor that IndyMac bank was close to bankruptcy. Based on my research of the facts, I concluded that it was unlikely. While IndyMac did not file bankruptcy, IndyMac Bank, F.S.B., Pasadena, CA was closed by the Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) was named Conservator on Friday July 11th. This is the 3rd largest bank failure in U.S. history. So is this a crisis? Should we panic?
| Posted by Chuck Miller at 12:58 PM |
|
|
Thursday, July 03, 2008
The Idaho Business Review reported on Wednesday that default filings remained high in June in Ada and Canyon counties after declining in May. IdahoDataProviders.com who published the report had viewed Mays decline as a positive sign for the local real estate. But they stated in their newly published release that foreclosure filings for June are back up to previous levels, continuing the trend of steadily increasing foreclosures supporting their position that the number of Idaho homes entering into foreclosure will continue to climb for the rest of 2008.
| Posted by Chuck Miller at 4:46 PM |
|
|
Monday, June 09, 2008
I read with interest the articles in the Statesman last week about the Star residents who are upset about the prefabricated homes being erected in their subdivision. In fact, the Statesman reported that the residents are going to seek an injunction 'first thing Monday morning,' to keep houses out of their subdivision. So, Im departing from my series on remodeling to talk about Housing Affordability and Systems Built Housing
| Posted by Chuck Miller at 10:45 AM |
|
|
Sunday, June 08, 2008
Any homeowner planning to remodel, wants nothing less than a professional job. Who wouldnt want the best quality in terms of workmanship and materials when it comes to improving their most prized and most valuable asset? However, when it comes to selecting a remodeler, too many buyers conveniently forget the time-proven adage that you get what you pay for.
| Posted by Chuck Miller at 2:37 PM |
|
|
Saturday, June 07, 2008
Whether you've lived there for 2 years or 15 years, it's not uncommon to find that you are delighted with your home with one or two nagging exceptions. You'd really like to remodel, but the project gets pushed to the end of the "To Do" list, because it's either too expensive or too big to tackle yourself. Still, lets face it, your tired of those high utility bills that just keep getting higher, or that tiny kitchen, or sharing your bathroom with the kids because the only other bathroom in the house is occupied.
| Posted by Chuck Miller at 12:37 PM |
|
|
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Although it is difficult to put an exact price on the resale value of a particular remodeling project, for most of us the real value of remodeling is the comfort and pleasure it adds to the years we spend living in our home.
| Posted by Chuck Miller at 12:45 PM |
|
|
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
I realize that I am supposed to be blogging about remodeling this month since it is National Remodeling Month, but I couldn't resist sharing this bit of information with you.
| Posted by Chuck Miller at 7:12 PM |
|
|
Monday, May 12, 2008
What is Green Remodeling and why should you consider Going Green.
| Posted by Chuck Miller at 5:47 PM |
|
|
Friday, May 09, 2008
During National Remodeling Month in May, consider upgrading your home to increase your familys comfort and at the same time add value to what may be your most important financial asset.
| Posted by Chuck Miller at 1:03 PM |
|
|
Thursday, May 08, 2008
As green building grows in notoriety, how can you be assured that your new home or remodel is truly Green. You need to insist that your Builders or Remodelers claims are checked by an accredited, third-party certifier.
| Posted by Chuck Miller at 5:58 PM |
|
|
Monday, May 05, 2008
Have you decided how you're going to spend your one-time tax rebate to help stimulate the economy? Here's how you can double the value of your rebate and, in the process, create almost $150,000 in local income and over $13,000 in taxes and other revenue for local governments.
| Posted by Chuck Miller at 8:39 PM |
|
|
Monday, April 28, 2008
Read the following article and see if you can guess which housing market the writer is writing about. I've replaced all the references to the particular housing market and any other key words that might give away the answer with blank spaces. Youll find the answer at the end of the article.
| Posted by Chuck Miller at 12:31 PM |
|
|
Friday, April 25, 2008
A recent report for the fourth quarter of 2007 found the price of housing in Boise moderately overpriced. So what does that mean with regard to the risk of future price declines?
| Posted by Chuck Miller at 5:42 PM |
|
|
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Although I always stress that all real estate is local and it is imperative to understand the dynamics of the local market, I just couldn't help posting some positive news on the housing market nationwide.
| Posted by Chuck Miller at 8:39 PM |
|
|
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Kermit the Frog doesnt think so. But like a lot of things, it depends on who you ask. If you ask me, my answer would be Yes, it is easy and its getting easier.
| Posted by Chuck Miller at 8:58 PM |
|
|
Saturday, April 12, 2008
A recent nationwide survey revealed that consumers are seeing opportunity in todays housing market. As I have noted many times in my blogs, all real estate is local. So I invite you to read the survey results and then let me know what you see.
| Posted by Chuck Miller at 4:12 PM |
|
|
Thursday, April 10, 2008
I know I have been advised to stop trying to save the home building industry and to start selling myself by providing people with valuable information. But I cant help myself. And I believe that by trying to save my industry from the semingly unrelenting barrage of downbeat news, I am helping myself and my business.
| Posted by Chuck Miller at 8:50 AM |
|
|
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Condominium Living Offers Convenience, Amenities and a Good Return on Your Investment
| Posted by Chuck Miller at 6:39 PM |
|
|
Sunday, April 06, 2008
A good friend of mine who reads all of my blogs recently observed that I seem to be using my blogs to save the home building industry. He expressed his concern that most of my readers would view that as self-serving. He strongly encouraged me to start selling myself by provide people with invaluable information.
| Posted by Chuck Miller at 1:35 PM |
|
|
Friday, April 04, 2008
In April, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) celebrates New Homes Month. In addition to all the benefits of being a home owner, new homes offer safety, energy efficiency amenities, and a lifestyle like never before.
| Posted by Chuck Miller at 1:57 PM |
|
|
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Even those who advocate that home ownership is still one of the best long term investments for individual households, including me (The Top 10 Reasons You Shouldnt Wait to Buy a New Home) advise that the circumstances need to be right before you take the plunge.
| Posted by Chuck Miller at 6:18 PM |
|
|
Monday, March 31, 2008
I am frequently asked by prospective customers how much I charge per square foot. I recently taught an Institute of Residential Marketing course for Builders, Developers and Realtors. One of the chapters was titled Customer Value and Marketing and provided a methodology for measuring value other than by price per square foot.
| Posted by Chuck Miller at 7:33 PM |
|
|
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Here is a tool provided by a credible third party to help home owners estimate the value of their existing home.
| Posted by Chuck Miller at 1:05 PM |
|
|
Friday, March 28, 2008
I know it's late notice, but this is really important. There's a huge global event taking place tomorrow night, Saturday March 29th and you can be a part of it.
| Posted by Chuck Miller at 6:44 PM |
|
|
|
As I emphasized in one of my previous blogs, it is important to "Know the Facts" about our local market instead of simply believing that all the negative news about the national housing marketi |