Look to Dataquick for Sales Activity

by Glen Bell

"Since 1978, DataQuick has built a solid reputation as a premier provider of real estate information solutions. From the early days of microfiche to today's high-speed Internet solutions, we've helped thousands of customers realize their goals by offering the most current and advanced data products on the market."

DataQuick Real Estate News is another resource to keep referring back to. You'll find that a number real estate news articles pull their statisitics from this great informational site. I use it to give me a snapshot of the real estate activity in the area. View their Home Sales Activity charts Here. It's broken down by zipcode to help give you a more informed picture of the neighborhood you're living in and how the past months sales compares to last years. You can also review Home Sale Price Medians by City.

Of course, for Californians, that can be either good or bad news depending on whether your are looking to sell or purchase property.

California's Housing Affordability Index, as reported by the California Association of Realtors, is now at an all time low. This index measures the percentage of households that can afford to purchase a median priced home in California. As of their Feb 2, 2006 report, that index now stands at 14% for all of California.

"With mortgage rates, home prices rising faster than annual incomes, affordable housing is not an option for many." This mornings article in the Contra Costa Times, entitled "American Dream fading for Many," by Alan Heavens further deals with this issue.

Technorati Tags: real estate, bay area real estate, housing market, housing bubble, dataquick, glen bell

Understanding Easements

by Glen Bell

Anyone who has ever purchased a home has come accross a description in their preliminary title report referring to easements. One of the most common found are Easements in Gross, or a personal right to use land. For example, Utility Companies may have an Easement in Gross to install and service power lines.

To learn more about easements, there's a very informative article supplied to us by Robin Sewell, Marketing Manager for Chicago Title in Albany.

It's in their March 2006 Critical Issues Resource publication and it's titled "Understanding Easements, What is an easement or right-of-way?"

Technorati Tags: real estate, easements, glen bell

Hot Caribbean Real Estate Market

by Glen Bell

American Buyers Drawn To Strong Caribbean Real Estate Market

"The Caribbean real estate market for American buyers is strong and getting stronger, according to Ricardo Cardenas, vice president and regional director of RE/MAX of the Caribbean and Central America."

"Purchasing pro perties in the Caribbean could be a good hedge against a domestic market that is slowing down," said Cardenas. "Property values are low in many areas, but they are appreciating rapidly, so a relatively small investment can yield good returns."

"Property values are low in many areas, but they are appreciating rapidly, so a relatively small investment can yield good returns," he added.

Here's one such bargain found along the Honduras Coast. For $490,000, you can purcahse a 5,200 square foot mansion with 300 feet of beachfront.

(Disclaimer: Shameless self promotion of my listing)

View the details HERE.

Technorati Tags: real estate, international real estate, caribbean real estate, honduras real estate, glen bell