The following groups are available to help at-risk homeowners:
• HUD at (800) 569-4287, (877) 483-1515, or www.hud.gov/offices/hsg/sfh/hcc/hccprof14.cfm
• HOPE NOW, a cooperative effort of HUD mortgage counselors and lenders to assist homeowners: (888) 995-HOPE or www.hopenow.com
• NeighborWorks America: www.nw.org/network/home.asp
• Federal mortgage modification and refinancing programs: www.makinghomeaffordable.gov
• The Controller of the Currency’s consumer information site for banking-related questions: www.helpwithmybank.gov
• OCC Customer Assistance Group: www.occ.gov/customer.htm
• Federal Trade Commission: www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/homes/rea04.shtm
• Federal Reserve Board: www.federalreserve.gov/pubs/foreclosurescamtips/default.htm

ORLANDO, Fla. – April 23, 2009 – Florida’s existing home sales increased in March, making it the seventh month in a row that sales activity demonstrated gains in the year-to-year comparison, according to the latest housing data released by the Florida Association of Realtors® (FAR). March’s statewide sales also increased over the previous month’s sales level in both the existing home and existing condo markets.

Existing home sales rose 30 percent last month with a total of 13,085 homes sold statewide compared to 10,080 homes sold in March 2008, according to FAR. Statewide existing home sales in March were 32.7 percent higher than February’s statewide sales.

Florida Realtors also reported a 25 percent rise in statewide sales of existing condominiums in March, continuing a trend in recent months for higher statewide sales of both the existing home and existing condo markets compared to year-ago levels. Statewide existing condo sales last month increased 37.2 percent over the total units sold in February.

Fifteen of Florida’s metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) reported increased existing-home sales in March and 13 MSAs also showed gains in condo sales. It marks the ninth consecutive month that a majority of markets have reported increased sales.

Florida’s median sales price for existing homes last month was $141,300; a year ago, it was $201,700 for a 30 percent decrease. Industry analysts with the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) report there is a significant downward distortion in the current median price due to many discounted sales, including a large number of foreclosures. The median is the midpoint; half the homes sold for more, half for less.

The national median sales price for existing single-family homes in February 2009 was $164,600, down 15 percent from a year earlier, according to NAR. In California, the statewide median resales price was $247,590 in February; in Massachusetts, it was $252,500; in Maryland, it was $253,200; and in New York, it was $210,000.

NAR’s latest housing industry outlook reported that entry-level buyers are seeking bargains, which resulted in sales of distressed properties accounting for 40 to 45 percent of February’s transactions. “Given the downward distortion in price comparisons due to distressed sales, it’s important for owners to keep in mind that this doesn’t equate to a similar loss of value for traditional homes in good condition,” said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun.

In Florida’s year-to-year comparison for condos, 4,388 units sold statewide compared to 3,503 units in March 2008 for a 25 percent increase. The statewide existing condo median sales price last month was $108,700; in March 2008 it was $172,300 for a 37 percent decrease. In the latest data available at press time, NAR reported the national median existing condo price was $172,200 in February 2009.

Interest rates for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 5 percent last month, down significantly from the average rate of 5.97 percent in March 2008, according to Freddie Mac. FAR’s sales figures reflect closings, which typically occur 30 to 90 days after sales contracts are written.

Among the state’s large to medium-size markets, the Melbourne-Titusville-Palm Bay MSA reported a total of 539 homes sold in March compared to 445 homes a year ago for a 21 percent increase. The existing home median sales price was $123,700; a year ago, it was $159,000 for a 22 percent decrease. In the year-to-year comparison for the existing condo market, a total of 113 units sold in the MSA last month, up 24 percent compared to 91 condos sold the previous March. The market’s existing condo median price was $123,100; a year ago, it was $164,300 for a 25 percent decrease.

2009 © FLORIDA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS

RISMEDIA, April 8, 2009-(MCT)-With Earth Day just around the corner (April 22), many of us are thinking of ways in which we can live a greener lifestyle. Now that spring has arrived, one of the best ways to go green at home is to use less water in both your yard and garden. 

April brings showers and showers revive grass, but soon thereafter, people start showering their lawns.

The average lawn rarely needs to be watered, said Bruce Augustin, chief agronomist for Scotts Miracle-Gro Co., a garden products company. Many homeowners think they have to water their lawns because everybody does it, Augustin said. Yet federal research shows only about 15% of homeowners actually do, and the other 85% still have lawns. Here’s why – even if you and your grass are completely hooked on the sprinkler – you can (and should) start weaning your lawn.

For example, the Chicago area gets about 36 inches of rain a year on average; its grasses need about 43, Augustin said.

Overwatering is bad for your grass. It encourages weak, stunted roots that can’t keep the grass alive when the weather gets dry. It fosters fungus diseases and provides a perfect home for root-munching grubs.

Too much watering also pushes grass to grow faster. Lay off the sprinkler and you can mow less often.

What happens to water that your grass doesn’t need and can’t soak up? It runs off into storm drains and, combined with sewage, increases the load on treatment plants. If you’re also overfertilizing, as many people do, the runoff can carry nitrogen and phosphorus that pollute rivers and lakes.

There are other environmental costs that come with watering your lawn too much. The water from your outdoor faucet had to be taken from either a lake or a well; filtered; treated with chemicals to make it safe enough to drink and pumped to your house, at a cost in energy as well as tax dollars. Using potable water for lawns is wasteful, and “your lawn doesn’t really need fluoride,” said Debra Shore, commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago.

In a world in which fresh water is growing ever more scarce, those of us blessed with an abundance of it “have a moral obligation to show that we are using it wisely and carefully and respectfully,” Shore said.

Here are some tips to keep your lawn happy and be conscious of the environment at the same time: It’s the single most powerful thing you can do to get a lawn that uses less water, has fewer weeds and needs less fertilizer: Set your mower as high as it will go and leave it there.

Mow it high -

Short grass is weak and needy. Taller grass – 3 to 4 inches – grows deep roots that absorb water and nutrients efficiently, collects more life-giving sunlight and shades or crowds out many weeds. Taller grass doesn’t mean you will have to mow more often, but when you do, leave the clippings on the lawn to return moisture and nutrients to the grass.

Get a rain gauge - Knowing how much rain has fallen will reassure you that you don’t need to water. When tempted to water your lawn, get a trowel and dig out a plug of lawn. If the soil is moist within the plants’ root zone, 3 or 4 inches down, leave the sprinkler in the garage.

Get sturdy grass - Fescues are tough and thrifty with water. Usually fescue seed is mixed with bluegrass, which is less drought-resistant but finer and spreads to knit the lawn together. Use a fescue-rich mix to seed or overseed. If your lawn is all bluegrass, overseed yearly with fescue.

Establish grass well - The only time to water your lawn every day is when you have scattered seed, in early spring or early fall, and are waiting for it to sprout. A brief sprinkle will do, just enough to keep the seed moist. Spread mulch to hold the water around the seed.

Embrace summer dormancy - Grass naturally quits growing and dries out in the hottest part of summer, then revives and greens up when fall rains come. Go with the flow rather than watering to force the grass to stay all-green, and you’ll save water and escape mowing under the hot August sun.

Water long and deep - When you do water your lawn, run the sprinkler long enough to lay down the equivalent of 1 inch of rain. (Use a rain gauge to check). Don’t water again until your trowel test tells you the grass needs it.

Fertilize, but not too much - A good lawn does not require the heavily advertised five-times-a-year fertilizing schedule. An application of slow-release fertilizer once in spring and once in early fall is enough.

Work on the soil - Top-dress the soil with screened compost at least once a year to foster the rich ecosystem of underground organisms that delivers nutrients to roots and makes soil great.

RISMEDIA, April 8, 2009-April is now here and we’re all starting to hear positive news, almost daily, about the real estate industry. Don’t get me wrong – the “Chicken Littles” of the world are still out there, telling everyone who will listen that the sky is still falling.

Here at Allison James Estates and Homes, we go strictly by the numbers and the numbers aren’t lying. Our number of sales is up over 25% and our income was up in March over our best month ever by 31%. If the sky is falling, I sure hope it continues to fall at this rate every month.

However, the pundits are still claiming the bottom is still out there, but their case is leaking water. There are areas in the country that are already seeing small price increases, along with much stronger number of sales, and there are a lot of short sale realtors who still claim that the inventory is going to get much worse. If that’s so, I need an explanation as to why the inventory is decreasing in most areas. Sure, sellers are taking their properties off the market, but so what? Sellers have always taken their properties off the market unless they could get what they wanted. There is nothing new or revolutionary in this strategy.

The bottom line is there was an overreaction to the inflationary increases in real estate over the period between 2000 to 2006. As a result, real estate in most areas is now undervalued and the consumer has taken notice. One of the things I’ve noticed over the last month, is the number of end-use buyers is now as strong as the investors. This is a very good sign, as it shows that the pent up demand that we have all talked about for the past couple of years is starting to kick in.