http://www.batonrougemarketmetrics.com/ – Greater Baton Rouge Housing Trends: Indepth Look At 2010 Home Sales Numbers

The LREC or Louisiana REALTORS are reporting on comprehensive housing numbers for 2010, including 4th quarter 2010. So, the source for this report and charts and graphs is LREC.

NUMBER OF SALES DOWN 7.3%. Overall, the number of Greater Baton Rouge Home Sales was down 7.3% for 2010. Total volume for 2010 was 5,708 versus 6,160 for 2009.

AVERAGE SALES PRICE. The average home sales price increased in 2010 to $202,138 vs $197,587 for 2009. This would appear to be due to strong local employment numbers of 355,797 in 2010 versus 354,044 in 2009. However, the Baton Rouge Business Report just reported this morning that “B.R. home price index drops for fifth month running“. So, according to the CoreLogic Home Price Index for Louisiana, Baton Rouge home prices are continuing to correct to the downside, not the upside, and I would agree. And, a look at the median sales prices would be more helpful than average sales prices since average sales prices can include homes from $10,000 up to $3,000,000 – outliers.

SOME IMPROVEMENT. Not all areas are declining though, but marketing time periods are well over 6 months. I’m appraising the 2011 St. Jude Dream Home in Prairieville and the general market of competing solds and listings is showing a rising median sales price, but very long marketing time periods of well over 6 months. Some homes in one local high end development on Highway 73 in Prairieville have been on the market since 2008 without selling.

AVERAGE DAYS ON MARKET. The average days on market remained almost unchanged at 90 days in 2010 versus 91 in 2009.

http://www.appraisersinbatonrouge.com/ – Baton Rouge Real Estate Appraisers “Photos From The Field”: 2009 St. Jude Dream Home Photos, Taken 10/17/2009

The Drawing for this beautiful St. Jude Dream Home is November 1, 2009. Buy your tickets today @ http://www.stjudedreamhome.org/.

http://www.billcobbsuccess.com/ - Local Builder and Giver Back To The Baton Rouge Community Honored By The Baton Rouge Business Report.

Local Builder, RE/MAX Broker and Annual Builder of the Saint Jude Dream Home was honored by the Baton Rouge Business Report on September 8, 2009 with the Article, “Carlos Of All Trades“. Here’s A Snippet from the article:

“Not long ago, Realtor Scott Gaspard represented the buyer of a home that was under construction when the project ran into snag. The area around the site was rezoned, and the surrounding flood elevation level was changed. As a result, the buyer was forced to purchase flood insurance, which increased the cost of the home by several thousand dollars.

Gaspard’s colleague and competitor, Carlos Alvarez, was the builder and the seller. Alvarez and the buyer had agreed on a price, and though it technically wasn’t his problem, he didn’t want to see the buyer take a hit. So Alvarez offered to pick up some of the closing costs.

“Some builders would have bickered over every dollar,” Gaspard says. “But not Carlos. He was willing to work things out because he genuinely wanted to help my client. It’s an example of the kind of guy he is.””

http://www.ascensionrealestateappraisers.com/  - Saint Jude Dream Home Baton Rouge August 2009 Updated Construction