Lana Clingan's Blog

Today's greater Houston area buyer and seller often wonders how the real estate market is going to affect their experience and resulting transaction. National news and local news are often conflicting. Even though we are tied to the overall economic and psychological make-up of our nation's housing market, Houston's industrial, metropolitan and medical cultures give our real estate market a more positive outlook than many other parts of the country.

The wonderful news is...Houston is statistically faring better than the national average. According to the latest monthly data provided by the Houston Association of REALTORS (HAR), when compared to just over a year ago in September of 2008, the greater Houston area enjoyed a 32% climb in sales of single-family homes! Plus, more good news...overall median single-family homes saw a rise in value of 0.2 percent along with townhome/condo sales increasing over 20% in this same time-frame. Overall, HAR reports the real estate market in Houston, for all property sales, increased to just over 30% in this approximate one-year comparison.

Of course, last year, at this time, we were emerging from being hit by Hurricane Ike, so this comparison is not just for us to rejoice over the economic struggles of last year, but to find some relief in the ongoing storm recovery. As a Hurricane Ike victim myself with a resulting seven-month drive-way RV residency...I can personally testify that the storm's impact to our real estate market was indeed a hard blow. Therefore, the latest check-up for our greater Houston housing market has been a more delightful surge when compared to last year's dreaded Ike storm surge.

HAR's data has reported the scary down-turns and now the association with its REALTOR members have been pleased to finally report the good up-turn for our greater Houston area. Beyond statistics, I am proud to live in the greater Houston area and to see statistics proving that Houston, in spite of suffering through a united national economic crisis and being storm-ravaged...is still stronger, more stable and is a better-than-average place to call "home."

Written by: Lana Clingan, REALTOR/BROKER
Company: Clingan Real Estate / 832-693-8012
Source: Houston Association of Realtors (HAR)