The Harrison Area Real Estate Blog

September's Numbers

2008-10-07T16:52:00.002-05:00

I've just posted the numbers for September. Considering everything that is going on in the world right now the sales in our area look pretty good. We've had two months with positive increases in one category or another.

This may be the bottom or not. But tomorrow will come and I'll be smiling. I feel a whole lot better when I smile than when I frown.

August Sales Numbers for Harrison, Arkansas

2008-09-05T10:59:00.002-05:00

I've just posted the numbers for August and they certainly give me hope! Although the total number of homes sold is down a little more than ten percent, total dollar-wise we were only two houses away from being completely even.

Here's an even more interesting morsel to chew on - the average sale price for the year is only down 1.9 %. But move your eyes up just a bit - for the past two months the average house price has increased from last year!

So what does that mean. Maybe nothing, maybe something. It could mean that the time to buy a house at the lowest price was three months ago. But then again we could see a drop in that figure next month. Me personally, I think it means that for the savvy buyer you can find a house for the right price now! Why? Because the market (really that just means the buying and selling public - you and me) typically takes a few months to adjust and to be able to see where we are or were.

In the end my suggestion is don't rush in to anything. Get your financing squared away first so that you know what you can afford. Then decide how much you should afford. What I mean by that is what happens if your work stops giving you overtime? What happens if you get injured and aren't able to work as many hours? Can and should are two different things and you should always be comfortable with your decision - even if it's comfortably uncomfortable!

Once you've got that figured out then you can find the home that best suits your needs and budget.

Blog ya' later!

Fall Colors are Poised to Explode

2008-08-26T15:17:00.006-05:00

Maplewood Cemetery 2007

My own neighborhood 2007

With the unusually heavy rainfall we've been receiving around Harrison and the rest of Northern Arkansas it will be an amazingly beautiful year for the fall foliage. From what I've read and heard we can expect the leaves to start changing sometime at the end of September to early October. The prime-time will occur two to three weeks after the color change begins.

The state website www.arkansas.com/calendar/fall_foliage_pg1.aspx has up-to-date information on the changing colors starting September 25th.

The fall is one of my favorite times of year. Where I was born and raised the leaves on the trees pretty much just shriveled up and died with little to no fanfare. Around here it's absolutely amazing to just take a drive or hike and see the abundance of colors. Some of the more popular places are Maplewood Cemetery, The Buffalo River (any of the trails, campgrounds, etc.), and our own downtown square.

I hope you can join us this year in taking in what I'm sure will be the best colors ever! Of course I say that every year (at least to myself).

I just wanted to post an update (September 5, 2008). I was out showing property last Friday and started looking harder at my own surroundings. There are already some signs of fall. Some of the underbrush has turned bright red and some of the leaves on the trees are starting to yellow (be it ever so slightly). I think it's going to be an early Fall!

Sailing the Seize of Change

2008-08-06T09:34:00.002-05:00

A little play on words to help me grasp the gravity of the market we're in. I've just posted the numbers for July. I think that the next few months we will start to see a few of the real estate agents in town fall overboard - or off the board. Just last month there was a total net expansion in agents of zero. We had two join and two walk the plank.

From the looks of things we have several who are hanging their heads over the railings and are looking mighty green and pale.

Even Sarah and I are not immune. We've had to give up our best asset and employee - Diane. She was an important and very able part of the plan we were putting together to serve the Harrison, AR area with verve and aplomb, with honesty and integrity, and with hard work and diligence. Thank you Diane and hopefully in the near future we can set sail again with you on the dream we worked so hard for.

Looking at the numbers it looks as though 2008's numbers are close to the numbers from 2003 in total sales (dollars). Total sales (sheer numbers) we're still down 21 this year compared to 2003. Over the next few months it will be interesting to see what the median price of homes does. Will the ride rise or fall? It will mainly depend on the resolve of sellers and what they would like to get for their homes.

Until then we'll have all hands on deck manning the... I have absolutely no experience sailing and this post is going to devolve quickly into babbling if I don't just end it. As you can see July's numbers are posted and ready for your review. Until next time...

June's Numbers Have Been Posted

2008-07-02T14:18:00.003-05:00

I've just finished posting the numbers for residential sales in Harrison, Arkansas for June. It's been a tough first six months. I keep hoping for an upturn in the numbers but it's probably going to be a bit longer before that happens. The thing that we all have to keep in mind is that there are plenty of opportunities out there. I've seen some pretty fairly priced homes as well as some fire sales come along.

There is still a good bit of overpricing occurring with some listings - perhaps out of hope for the big one to come along and take the bait or it's just what they've got to have. Who knows... The thing to remember is that life and business go on regardless. Blog ya' soon!

Colorful Coloquialisms Affect a Change in My Outlook

2008-07-02T10:55:00.002-05:00

I need a bit of a boost today. All the talk about the economy has me down but not out and I want to raise my attitude. So what should I do? I'm going to talk about colorful colloquialisms that I've heard.

Fried my fritters. Shake the dew off my lilly. Y'uns gonna go? Come an evenin'. Gato bebe leche (Spanish that sounds like curse words but isn't)!

Throw your cares to the wind and throw me a colloquialism to raise my spirits. Tell me your favorites.

Rental List is Now On-line!

2008-07-01T14:41:00.003-05:00

I'm excited to say that we now have a constantly up-to-date rental list for Harrison, AR and the surrounding areas on-line. There's a link on the side of this blog which will take you right there. If you're in need of a rental or want an idea of what things are renting for just come here and click there.

What Does a Little Customer Service Cost?

2008-06-25T10:42:00.003-05:00

In case you haven't heard or read Monday morning brought some pretty strong winds along with a spectacular lightning show to Harrison, Arkansas. Usually I'm not one to get too worried about storms but the way the wind howled and the limbs crashed that early morning caused me to be a little concerned. Enough so that when my wife asked if we should go sleep in an interior hallway I agreed instead of saying "You think so?"

Well after the storm cleared and daylight prevailed we could look around and see our little safe haven of a town took a little damage. An apartment complex near downtown - Hoops 'n' Homeruns - had part of their roof torn off and is now declared unsafe. Trees around the neighborhood had limbs torn off. There were even trees uprooted completely. A neighbor's house took a direct hit from one large tree and a swipe from an even larger tree.

It looks as if our neighbor's insurance will cover them, which it should! But it brought a point to mind that I think is very important. He told us that when he called his insurance company that they weren't sure both trees would be covered for removal because both would have had to hit the house in order for them to be covered. These trees were big and I mean BIG! He didn't seem too worried about insurance not covering both and honestly I think he's right. But he asked his insurance company to do something for him and they refused.

So what was it that he asked of them and they said no? He said he would feel better if someone stopped by and take photos. They said that an adjuster would be in touch and there would be no reason for them to stop by because the adjuster would take care of it. He asked again because he felt it would be better for his local representative to see for themselves. Again they said no. I'm not in the insurance business so I don't know all the ins and outs nor do I know if there are possible repercussions should the local rep do something like that. But really what's thirty minutes to stop by and make a customer feel a little better?

I'm afraid those thirty minutes might end up costing that insurance company a customer. Harrison's still got that small town feel where everyone cares about their neighbors. I love that! I'm not ready for it to grow so big that we don't talk to our neighbors. I want it to grow just not in that way. A little extra customer service will keep Harrison, Arkansas one of the best places to live.

I Dub Thee, Home!

2008-06-16T15:12:00.004-05:00

I've been working on a story last week about truly amazing homes in Newton County, Arkansas. Along the way it started morphing until I got to this point here:

Have you ever owned a house that has it's own nickname?

I remember back in my college days I went back to my hometown for a summer job. I was hanging out with some guys that I went to school with - pretty much all the way from grade school through high school. Someone asked about my nickname, which depending on who you asked was Wayner or Waynard. I proceeded to tell them how that originated.

To shorten the tale Waynard came from someone who was in band with me. Maynard Ferguson, the jazz artist, was going to be holding a concert nearby and some of us planned on attending. Well he morphed Maynard into Waynard. Later on some of my non-band friends heard the nickname and assumed it was Wayner. They thought it had to do with bueno, which is Spanish for good. Of course they would say "no wayner."

One of the friends that was there listening to the tale of how my nickname came about expressed that he wanted a nickname. His name was Simon. Well I'll not boar you with what young adult guys would come up with but let's just say it wasn't kind. He was not amused and said he was going to come up with his own nickname. We then made sure he knew that was not proper nickname etiquette, if such a thing exists.

Anyway this whole thing from the houses with nicknames to my own nickname got me to thinking. Someday I want to own a house that has it's own nickname. Not the type of house that's ridiculed but one that's revered because of it's location, condition, style, etc. Even if it's because it's shaped like a pumpkin! As long as it's cool and funky!

I'd love to hear about some of the nicknames of homes around Harrison, Arkansas or anywhere else and how they got their nicknames. If anyone knows of any let me know!

May's Numbers for Harrison, Arkansas Area

2008-06-04T14:03:00.003-05:00

I've just posted the numbers for May. We're down nine sales from last year but overall there's a big gap in overall dollars. It looks as though there was a big sale (or two) last year to cause that. Overall the numbers aren't bad (in my opinion). The average sale price was down less than two percent from last year.

I really truly believe that we are on the brink of some wonderful growth in our area. Once the political scenery clears up nationwide we as a nation can get on with our lives as usual. Until then try not to let the mud get slung up on ya'!

Only in Harrison, Arkansas!

2008-05-30T10:20:00.005-05:00

Today was the official last day of school for the Harrison Arkansas School District. At our little girl's school, Skyline Elementary, the teachers helped the kids put on a meet with different races for all the kids to participate in.

I met a guy, who works for the Ron Hutchcraft Ministries here in town. He remarked that if anyone needs medical attention today they might be hard pressed. It looked like half of the doctors, nurses, etc. were out there enjoying their children's lives.

But the truth is I was there, he was there, there was a man who runs a flooring store, FedEx people there, a legal secretary, etc. That same guy said that he moved here in '99 with the ministry from New Jersey and said that we don't know how lucky we've got it here in Harrison.

He's right! To be able to take the time to go out and enjoy a little part of our children's lives is amazing! What we have here is a little slice of heaven on earth.

I hope everyone gets to enjoy a moment like this in their lives. Thank you God.

Understanding Mortgages Before You Get a Mortgage

2008-05-20T13:44:00.014-05:00

The modern mortgage market offers a variety of mortgage loans catering to the needs of homebuyers. The titles and details of these plans can become confusing, especially as new types are introduced continuously. You can make sense of these loan types, however, if you understand the basic principles that govern all mortgage loans. Again, you can look to your real estate professional for assistance.

What to know about lending and mortgages before you buy

Basic Principles of all Mortgage Loans

The home is used as security to back up the loan. A lender can force sale of the home if the borrower defaults by failing to make scheduled payments.

The larger the loan compared to the value of the home, the more risky for the lender and, often, the more expensive the loan will be.

Interest earned by the lender always is equal to the periodic interest rate times the outstanding principle balance of the loan. The periodic interest rate is the annual interest rate divided by the number of payments in the year (usually one per month).

The required payment usually is a bit larger than the interest due so that some of the loan principal is repaid with each payment. This process is called Amortization and is why most mortgage loans can be retired when all the monthly payments have been made.

All mortgage loans have one of the following features:

Fixed payment and fixed interest rate - fixed rate mortgages

Fixed rate but variable payment - graduated payment mortgages

Variable rate and variable payment - adjustable rate mortgages

As you learn more about the types of financing available, you will notice that some loans appear to have more favorable terms. That may indicate that those loans are, indeed, bargains (and it does pay to shop around), but usually it means that those loans could have some feature that is less appealing to borrowers. For example, shorter-term loans often have slightly lower interest rates compared to longer-term loans. However, the monthly payment for the same amount of principal may be higher because of the shorter term. Variable rate loans usually have much lower interest rates to compensate for the risk the borrower accepts that interest rates will rise in the future.

Holding On to the Mortgage You Already Have

Learn What You Can Do To Protect Your Home

If you feel like you may be in danger of facing foreclosure and need immediate help, call 888-995-HOPE or visit www.995hope.org. Homeowner's HOPE™, a counseling service provided by the Homeownership Preservation Foundation, can work with you to find a solution.
How to Avoid Foreclosures and Keep Your Home (PDF: 1.7Mb)
You're not alone if you're having trouble paying your mortgage. The housing boom led to a record homeownership rate of nearly 70 percent, but some home owners now face problems making their mortgage payments and can't refinance their loans. This brochure will help you understand your options and give you tips on how to avoid losing your home--regardless of what kind of mortgage you have. Text-only version available (PDF: 71Kb)
How to avoid foreclosures (HUD)
Foreclosure Assistance Programs by State
Help for Homeowners Facing the Loss of Their Home (HUD)

Credit Counseling is Available

HUD Housing Counselors: A list of counseling agencies by state
NeighborWorks® America: Find a NeighborWorks® counseling organization in your community
Under a partnership with NeighborWorks® America, NAR is a founding sponsor of the NeighborWorks® Center for Homeownership Education and Counseling (NCHEC). NCHEC's mission is to work with industry partners to train, certify, and support home buyer educators and housing counselors nationwide.

NAR's Position on Subprime Lending

Above everything else remember you're not alone. This can happen to anyone anywhere. Please don't be too embarassed to seek help.

© Copyright NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of REALTORS® I Headquarters: 430 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611
DC Office: 500 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20001-2020 I 1-800-874-6500

Harrison's A Great Place to Raise Kids!

2008-05-14T09:46:00.004-05:00

Since moving to Harrison in 2001 I’ve wondered how our schools compared to others both across the state and the nation. From interacting with my kids teachers and talking with my kids I’ve felt that our schools here are some of the best. So instead of just relying on my gut feeling and relaying that to you I decided to do some research.

In order to first give you an idea of the learning standards that are in place in Arkansas here is an excerpt from arkansased.org:

Arkansas Ranks 8th in Nation on the 2008 Annual Quality Counts Report Published by Education Week

• The U.S. Department of Education in 2007 recognized Arkansas as being at the forefront in implementing rigorous learning standards for students. In a study mapping standards for proficiency on the Arkansas Benchmark Exam to the National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP) standards for fourth and eighth grade literacy and mathematics, Arkansas ranked as high as fourth and consistently ranked in the top 10 for all four tests. In a June 2007 Op-Ed piece, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings wrote: “States that have shown true leadership, such as Arkansas and Massachusetts, can inspire others to act.”

• Arkansas is recognized as a leader in the high school redesign movement, being one of 10 states to receive a $2 million matching grant from the National Governors Association.

• The College Board touts the “Arkansas Model” for the state’s policies regarding Advanced Placement classes. Arkansas requires that all high schools offer AP classes in the four core areas – math, English, science and social studies — by the 2008-2009 school year. The state also pays for AP exams at the end of courses for students. These measures prompted Arkansas to have the largest increase in students taking AP exams in AP history (a 108 percent increase from 2004 to 2005). In 2006, only New Hampshire tied with Arkansas for having the largest increase in students scoring a 3, 4 or 5 on AP exams on the 1-5 scale. Participation rates and the number of students scoring a 3 or higher on AP exams continued to climb in 2007.

• The National Math and Science Initiative awarded Arkansas in August 2007 a $13.2 million, six-year grant to allow schools to implement research-proven training and incentive methods to improve the performance of students in Advanced Placement (AP) and Pre-AP courses so that they are better prepared for college-level work in math, science and engineering. Only seven states received the NMSI grants.

• Arkansas is considered a leader in terms of implementing technology in the education system, being one of the first states to develop individual student identifiers. This process provides a longitudinal tracking system for academic achievement as well as electronic transcripts that follow students through Arkansas public schools into the state’s higher education system. Arkansas was one of 14 states selected to receive a U.S. Department of Education grant ($3.2 million) to further these efforts and was lauded for achieving the majority of the 10 elements the department said were necessary for a quality data system.

Wow! So if I’m reading this correctly the state of Arkansas is a great place to have children enrolled in school right now. So how about some numbers comparing Harrison to the state of Arkansas?

Now that's even more encouraging to me. Hopefully it is to you too. I've pulled these numbers from NORMES Arkansas School Performance Reports which are available to view on the web at http://normessasweb.uark.edu

Here's some more numbers that I've pulled from NORMES: In Harrison there was a lower number of students assaulted: 0.6% compared to the state of Arkansas: 2.8%. Consider some more numbers: Harrison spends $7,270 per child to educate them while the state spends $7,992 all while Harrisons' teachers are paid on average $46,325 vs an average of $44,493 state-wide.

So my kids are safer, our schools spend their money more effectively, and our teachers are better paid. I do believe our teachers and administrators deserve a huge round of applause and our sincere thank-you.

Sales Numbers in Harrison for April 2008

2008-05-01T13:38:00.014-05:00

April in the Ozarks has come and gone and the weather almost feels more like March - windy and cold in the morning but great in the afternoon! As promised I'm posting the sales numbers. Here are the latest numbers:

Anyway you look at it the numbers are very interesting. I am an optimist and like to look at the best side of the numbers. Although total sales are down both in numbers and dollars the total number of listings is down as well. But even an optimist has to be reasonable because the total dollar amount of listings is up.

So what now? The thing to keep in mind is that people always need homes. People will move in and out of Harrison with jobs, etc. We've seen a pull back in sales from last year and are likely to see this for a little while longer. But life will go on.

I'm hoping people will start reading this and enjoying the information that we're putting out there. Make sure to put your two-cents worth in and let us know what you would like to see.

Area Home Sales Stats for '08

2008-04-11T10:13:00.002-05:00

So we've been wondering what types of information can we provide Harrison, Arkansas on our blog? Well I think one thing people might want is to know what our market is like. So we're going to start publishing market statistics. For right now we're going to post overall home sales only. We'd love to have feedback as to whether or not you would like more. For now click here to see total unit sales of homes 2007 vs. 2008. Click here to see total dollar sales of homes 2007 vs. 2008. And click here to see average home price 2007 vs. 2008.

Keep an eye out here every first week of the month for the latest figures.

2008-04-07T09:30:00.001-05:00

So here's the finished product. Again thanks to M&G Signs. Custom-made for $115 plus tax. Wow! Now where can I find a cartoon artist for me?

Sarah's Car Advertising

2008-04-04T10:50:00.000-05:00

We've been working on getting the same old, plain, and boring lettering put on my car that you see on thousands of other Realtors' cars all over the nation. Sarah hasn't wanted to get anything on her car though. Just the past couple of days she has completely changed her mind. A couple of years ago at one of our state conventions there was a caricature artist who did a really good drawing of Sarah. So Sarah asks, "I wonder if they can make that into a car ad?"

Well a few phone calls later as well as lots of deliberation over the designs and sure enough they can (as you can see from the ad to the side). It may not be the final product because Sarah hasn't seen it yet, but I think it turned out great. It definitely stands out from every other Realtor here in town. I'm sure there are other Realtors in other towns that do this (I think I've even seen some). But I think it really shows the light, happy side of Sarah. Kudos to M&G signs here in town. They can take a thought and turn it into reality.

2008-03-29T11:55:00.000-05:00

So here we go...

We're out here looking for a way to draw more attention to the beautiful corner of the USA that we live in and also for the people and their property we represent. So what makes the area we live in so special? Some would say it's the people. Definitely! Never have I lived in a friendlier place. Everyone says "hi" and everyone waves. Everyone is very polite and they seem to go out of their way to make sure that you feel welcomed. Sure sometimes you can feel like there are cliques. But most of the time that's self-inflicted. Dare to step out and introduce yourself and it seems as if they're always nice and ready to talk-up a storm. Some say what makes this area so special is nature. You just can't ignore it if you're here. Right now it's raining - perfect sleeping weather. It's rained quite a bit here recently and I'm sure the low-water bridges, etc. are blocked off. If not they will be soon! The grass is greening up and the decorative and fruit trees are blossoming, which makes for a colorful drive. The Buffalo National River is a big attraction for me. The beauty of the cliffs, the flowing of the water, the side-trails along the numerous tributaries, the immense amount of wildlife, and of course the river itself is truly one of our nation's jewels of the park system. There are several lakes within 30 minutes. They are Tablerock Lake, Lake Tanyecomo, and Bull Shoals Lake. They're all three along the White River and all offer their own unique attributes. There is one of the clearest year-round streams in America running right through downtown Harrison. Crooked Creek offers some pretty wonderful sights, fishing, and even some floating further on downstream. And then there is the terrain. It varies from fairly level gently rolling pasture to steep drop-offs and spectacular cliffs and of course everything in between. Some say what sets us apart is that we still have that small-town America feel and yet we're within easy driving distance of several large, fast-growing areas in the U.S. Northwest Arkansas is only an hour and a half away at the most. Branson, MO is only a half-hour away with Springfield, MO only another forty minutes past that. Little Rock, AR is about two-and-a-half hours away. I've never lived in the really big metro areas. Visited. But never lived. I kind of like it that way. I like knowing my neighbors. I like being able to go shopping and seeing everybody I know. Sometimes when I don't feel all that great I don't but for the most part... That's all for now. I'll add some more thoughts and definitely add some info on our listings later.