Clear Lake Texas Real Estate – Brookwood Subdivision Neighborhood Statistics

Clear Lake Texas Real Estate – Brookwood Subdivision Neighborhood Statistics

 

Brookwood in Clear Lake has 904 single family homes with an average sales price this first quarter of 2009 of $259,400.  The average dollar per square foot is down slightly this year by $1.85 representing a 2% drop.  Bear in mind this reflects only a 3 month time span.

 

Also the average home sold in Brookwood was 3,004 square feet as compared to 2,943 last year.  Smaller homes typically sell for more in terms of dollar per square foot.  I did not factor in one or two story for either year. This could have a pronounced effect as well.

 

	# Homes	Avg Sales	Avg Days	Avg Price	% Change
	Sold	Price	On Market	Per Ft.
Q1 of 2008	4	$259,575.00	95	$      88.20
Q1 of 2009	5	$259,400.00	59	$86.35	N/A

 

The homes in the  Brookwood subdivision were built by Perry Homes, David Weekley Homes and Village Builders.  The average lot size is just right at 10,000 feet with the average home built there of 3,000 feet.   Homes range from 3 bedrooms and 2 baths to larger 5 bedrooms and 3 and one half baths.

 

Brookwood homes typically have either a 2 car garage or in some cases a 3.  It’s not uncommon to find extended garages there as well.  Some with 5 or 10’ extensions.  One of the big attractions to Brookwood is the woodedness of the community.  Is that a word?  It’s got trees, alright?!  Seriously though, our area is lacking in trees.  Seems you have to go to Kingwood or the Woodlands to find those.

 

Homes were built from 1988 to 1994.  

This information is straight out of the Houston MLS.  Also keep in mind that 3 months is a short period of time. 

Families really tend to stay in their Brookwood Homes longer than normal.  The average for Clear Lake is around 6.5% meaning six out of every 100 homes are sold each year. Brookwood homeowners stay even longer.  Over the last 3 years, the average turn has been 3.7%.

Also see Brookwood homes 14 year price trend

Find out what your Brookwood home is worth

Currently there is a 5.8 month inventory of Brookwood homes for sale. 

 

 

 

Clear Lake Texas Real Estate – Bay Knoll Statistics

Clear Lake Texas Real Estate – Bay Knoll Subdivision Neighborhood Statistics 

Bay Knoll in Clear Lake has 660 single family homes built from 1986 to 1989 with an average sales price of $181,633 this first quarter of 2009.  Built by four builders, Ryland Homes, Village Builders, Weekly Homes and Brighton, these homes range from about 2,000 feet to over 3,000.<p>

 

 

	# Homes	Avg Sales	Avg Days	Avg Price	% Change
	Sold	Price	On Market	Per Ft.
Q1 of 2008	4	$180,156.00	25	$      71.38
Q1 of 2009	3	$181,633.00	36	$      74.92	4.9%

 

Looking at the figures, it’s easy to think that my calculations are off since the average sales prices are extremely are less than 1% different.  The reason for the higher dollar per foot prices in 2009 stems mainly from smaller homes being sold during that time frame.  The average square footage of homes sold in 2009 was 2,394 compared to 2,524 that same time last year.

This information is straight out of the Houston MLS.  Also keep in mind that 3 months is a short period of time.

One of the statistics we’ve heard for years is that people tend to move every 5-7 years. Not in Clear Lake!  Realtors in other parts of the country have reported 15-20% turnover in their communities.  We Texans (there I gave it away, yes I was born and raised right here in Houston) tend to stay in our homes a very long time.

Families really tend to stay in their Bay Knoll homes longer than normal. The average turnover for Clear Lake real estate is about 6.5% meaning that six out of every 100 homes are sold each year. Bay Knoll homeowners stay even longer; less than 4% of the homes in Bay Knoll sell each year.

Also see Bay Knoll House Prices 10 Year Price Trend

Thinking about selling your Bay Knoll Home?

Currently there is a 7 month inventory of Bay Knoll homes for sale. 

 

 

Clear Lake Texas Real Estate – New Listing in Bay Glen Neighborhood

Bay Glen Homes

There’s a new kid in town.

Wouldn’t you know it. Just as I posted about market activity in the Bay Glen neighborhood in Clear Lake City, another new listing becomes available.

 And it’s a beauty.

I’m not the listing agent but she sure must be proud. This home has tons of updates. I’ll be very surprised if it’s not snapped up this week.  Built by Brighton Homes in 1987, it features 4 bedrooms, 2 and one half baths and an upstairs gameroom.

Here are a list of updates:

 
• Porcelain Tile on first level
• Harwood entrance in foyer
• Maple Hardwood stairs & on 2nd level
• Granite countertops in kitchen
• Solar screens on all windows
• Spacious covered deck (great for those springtime barbeques!
• Hardiplank siding in July of 2006
• A/C & Furnace replaced in 2005
• Roof replaced in 2004 (Makes for a happy insurance carrier!)
• Dishwasher 2008
• Fresh interior paint

This home is beautifully landscaped. Be sure and check out the backyard. You can see this Bay Glen home in it’s entirety. If you like what you see, give me a ring and we’ll go take a look this weekend.

Considering selling your Bay Glen home?  Get a free Bay Glen House Prices report.

Clear Lake Texas Real Estate – Bay Glen Subdivision

Clear Lake Texas Real Estate – Bay Glen Neighborhood

There seems to be a lot of speculation going on about real estate prices right now and it’s important to remember- real estate markets are local. It is easy to get caught up in what the media would have you to believe and that is, all real estate is in proverbial toilet. We’ve got the national economy, the local one and hurricane Ike thrown in for good measure.

I’m looking for a GREAT deal!

Hey! Who isn’t? In the Bay Glen neighborhood, the number of homes closed in the first quarter of 2009 was 16. This compares to 22 last year. The average sales price this year was $168,481 compared with $162,937 last year. Market time or days on the market certainly has been to the home sellers advantage this year with the average number of days from list date until accepted contract 61 days.

Last year the number of days on the market in the Bay Glen community was 88.

Bay Glen has always been a great neighborhood in which to own a home. It’s convenient to I-45 where you can turn south and be in Galveston in 35 minutes or in Houston in 20.

Currently there are 10 homes for sale in the Bay Glen subdivision. With the inventory existing and based on homes that are being absorbed (sold), there are 1.8 months of inventory meaning if nothing new came on the market in Bay Glen, all homes currently for sale would be gone.

If you own a home in Bay Glen and want more information, you can check out our free Bay Glen House Prices Report.
Or if you’re looking for another home in the area, you can search all Clear Lake Texas real estate on our website.

Watch for other neighborhood statistics coming soon.

Just who is John Duncan?

Houston Texas Real Estate – the $8,000 Tax Credit

Expanded Tax Break Available for 2009 First-Time Homebuyers 

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service announced today that taxpayers who qualify for the first-time homebuyer credit and purchase a home this year before Dec. 1 have a special option available for claiming the tax credit either on their 2008 tax returns due April 15 or on their 2009 tax returns next year.

Qualifying taxpayers who buy a home this year before Dec. 1 can get up to $8,000, or $4,000 for married filing separately.  See full article…

Houston Texas Real Estate – Healthiest Housing Market in 2009

Builder, in conjunction with Hanley Wood Market Intelligence, debuts its metric for determining markets with the best and least potential.

They like to do things big in Houston. Now the metro area, home to nearly 5.8 million people, can lay claim to being the largest home building market in the country, with 42,697 building permits. The market is still benefiting from an influx of population and jobs and rebuilding in the wake of Hurricane Ike. Employment rose 2.2 percent last year, representing the addition of an incredible 57,000 jobs. Home building activity in Houston has only fallen 31 percent since 2005.  Read full article…

Houston Texas Real Estate – Tax appraisal versus the Sold Price what’s the REAL deal?

 

 

Tax appraisal versus the Sold Price what’s the REAL deal?

 

I was asked this question today.  This is a great question and asked by many buyers.  The value that the county tax assessor does not reflect the selling price of that home.  Tax assessors do not go into the property to see any improvements (or lack thereof), and in some cases square footages are listed incorrectly.

 

Now then, this is NOT a bash against the good folks at the county tax office.  I’m just stating what I see.  Assessed values can be all over the map (no pun intended) as shown in the following chart.  These are homes that sold November 1^st, 2008 in the Bay Glen subdivision of Clear Lake.

 

Address	Closed Date	Adjusted Sold	Assessed
		Price	Value
1306 Chestnut Springs	11/19/2008	$        133,763.00	$  133,190.00
1247 Sandy Plains	1/14/2009	$        148,000.00	$  149,494.00
14722 Cobre Valley Dr.	1/30/2009	$        156,500.00	$  155,589.00
14330 Arborcrest	1/16/2009	$        165,000.00	$  156,631.00
14806 Flowerwood	11/26/2008	$        161,990.00	$  167,700.00
14211 Leafy Elm	1/13/2009	$        170,000.00	$  167,807.00
14718 Sun Harbor	1/30/2009	$        175,475.00	$  169,900.00
1207 Sandy Plains	11/21/2008	$        174,000.00	$  154,500.00
1522 Hillside Elm	11/13/2008	$        182,000.00	$  155,000.00
1223 Mabry Mill		$        163,000.00	$  155,755.00

 

 

It’s a good idea to keep an eye on your assessment as it could be off.  Square footages can be off.  I’ve seen it both ways.  Some homeowners have paid for years, based on square footages that were off as much as 200 square feet.  Now that’s fine, if they have underestimated.  But if they have overestimated your footage, you’re paying for it.

 

Buyers need to be careful when looking at property taxes listed in the MLS listings.  I always suggest that they not get too excited when they see a home with taxes listed that are significantly lower than everything else in the neighborhood.  On more than one occasion properties have crossed my desk where the taxes listed did NOT include the school taxes!  And by all appearances, it’s “WOW!  This is a GREAT tax rate.”

 

Lesson: Don’t sign an offer just because you see low taxes on an MLS printout- investigate it first.

 

When a Realtor inputs the listing into the Houston MLS, the listing “auto populates” the tax information.  In other words, the system goes to the county tax office records and imports that info into the MLS.  Ok, granted I’m not “techie,” but you get the idea.  So if that information is incorrect on the tax records, it is going to be incorrect on the MLS.

 

Check the facts.

 

 

 

Tax appraisal versus the Sold Price what’s the REAL deal?

 

I was asked this question today.  This is a great question and asked by many buyers.  The value that the county tax assessor does not reflect the selling price of that home.  Tax assessors do not go into the property to see any improvements (or lack thereof), and in some cases square footages are listed incorrectly.

 

Now then, this is NOT a bash against the good folks at the county tax office.  I’m just stating what I see.  Assessed values can be all over the map (no pun intended) as shown in the following chart.  These are homes that sold November 1^st, 2008 in the Bay Glen subdivision of Clear Lake.

 

Address	Closed Date	Adjusted Sold	Assessed	% Sold
		Price	Value	Price to
				Assessed Value
1306 Chestnut Springs	11/19/2008	$        133,763.00	$  133,190.00	99.6%
1247 Sandy Plains	1/14/2009	$        148,000.00	$  149,494.00	101.0%
14722 Cobre Valley Dr.	1/30/2009	$        156,500.00	$  155,589.00	99.4%
14330 Arborcrest	1/16/2009	$        165,000.00	$  156,631.00	94.9%
14806 Flowerwood	11/26/2008	$        161,990.00	$  167,700.00	103.5%
14211 Leafy Elm	1/13/2009	$        170,000.00	$  167,807.00	98.7%
14718 Sun Harbor	1/30/2009	$        175,475.00	$  169,900.00	96.8%
1207 Sandy Plains	11/21/2008	$        174,000.00	$  154,500.00	88.8%
1522 Hillside Elm	11/13/2008	$        182,000.00	$  155,000.00	85.2%
1223 Mabry Mill		$        163,000.00	$  155,755.00	95.6%

 

 

It’s a good idea to keep an eye on your assessment as it could be off.  Square footages can be off.  I’ve seen it both ways.  Some homeowners have paid for years, based on square footages that were off as much as 200 square feet.  Now that’s fine, if they have underestimated.  But if they have overestimated your footage, you’re paying for it.

 

Buyers need to be careful when looking at property taxes listed in the MLS listings.  I always suggest that they not get too excited when they see a home with taxes listed that are significantly lower than everything else in the neighborhood.  On more than one occasion properties have crossed my desk where the taxes listed did NOT include the school taxes!  And by all appearances, it’s “WOW!  This is a GREAT tax rate.”

 

Lesson: Don’t sign an offer just because you see low taxes on an MLS printout- investigate it first.

 

When a Realtor inputs the listing into the Houston MLS, the listing “auto populates” the tax information.  In other words, the system goes to the county tax office records and imports that info into the MLS.  Ok, granted I’m not “techie,” but you get the idea.  So if that information is incorrect on the tax records, it is going to be incorrect on the MLS.

 

Check the facts.

 

 

 

 

 

Tax appraisal versus the Sold Price what’s the REAL deal?

 

I was asked this question today.  This is a great question and asked by many buyers.  The value that the county tax assessor does not reflect the selling price of that home.  Tax assessors do not go into the property to see any improvements (or lack thereof), and in some cases square footages are listed incorrectly.

 

Now then, this is NOT a bash against the good folks at the county tax office.  I’m just stating what I see.  Assessed values can be all over the map (no pun intended) as shown in the following chart.  These are homes that sold November 1^st, 2008 in the Bay Glen subdivision of Clear Lake.

 

Address	Closed Date	Adjusted Sold	Assessed	% Sold
		Price	Value	Price to
				Assessed Value
1306 Chestnut Springs	11/19/2008	$        133,763.00	$  133,190.00	99.6%
1247 Sandy Plains	1/14/2009	$        148,000.00	$  149,494.00	101.0%
14722 Cobre Valley Dr.	1/30/2009	$        156,500.00	$  155,589.00	99.4%
14330 Arborcrest	1/16/2009	$        165,000.00	$  156,631.00	94.9%
14806 Flowerwood	11/26/2008	$        161,990.00	$  167,700.00	103.5%
14211 Leafy Elm	1/13/2009	$        170,000.00	$  167,807.00	98.7%
14718 Sun Harbor	1/30/2009	$        175,475.00	$  169,900.00	96.8%
1207 Sandy Plains	11/21/2008	$        174,000.00	$  154,500.00	88.8%
1522 Hillside Elm	11/13/2008	$        182,000.00	$  155,000.00	85.2%
1223 Mabry Mill		$        163,000.00	$  155,755.00	95.6%

 

 

It’s a good idea to keep an eye on your assessment as it could be off.  Square footages can be off.  I’ve seen it both ways.  Some homeowners have paid for years, based on square footages that were off as much as 200 square feet.  Now that’s fine, if they have underestimated.  But if they have overestimated your footage, you’re paying for it.

 

Buyers need to be careful when looking at property taxes listed in the MLS listings.  I always suggest that they not get too excited when they see a home with taxes listed that are significantly lower than everything else in the neighborhood.  On more than one occasion properties have crossed my desk where the taxes listed did NOT include the school taxes!  And by all appearances, it’s “WOW!  This is a GREAT tax rate.”

 

Lesson: Don’t sign an offer just because you see low taxes on an MLS printout- investigate it first.

 

When a Realtor inputs the listing into the Houston MLS, the listing “auto populates” the tax information.  In other words, the system goes to the county tax office records and imports that info into the MLS.  Ok, granted I’m not “techie,” but you get the idea.  So if that information is incorrect on the tax records, it is going to be incorrect on the MLS.

 

Check the facts.

 

 

Clear Lake Texas Real Estate – Clear Lake Foreclosures

Not a day goes by that someone doesn’t ask me about foreclosures in the Clear Lake area.  With news from the national media, foreclosures are certainly a hot topic.

It’s important to remember; all markets are LOCAL.

In the last quarter of 2008, of the 568 single family homes sold in the Clear Lake area, 56 were foreclosure sales according to Houston MLS statistics.  This represents 10% of total home sales.  Here’s what I am using for the Clear Lake area:

Clear Lake City
Clear Lake Shores
Friendswood
Kemah
League City
Nassau Bay
Seabrook
Taylor Lake Village
Webster

I didn’t compare the town home or condo market but I suspect it would be about the same ratios.  Condo and town home sales typically represent about 10-11% of our total sales here as we’re mostly a community made up of single family homes.

Currently there are 32 clear lake area foreclosures for sale representing just over 3% of the total homes for sale right now.  Will that number go up?  I’m sure of it.  Where will it end?  I’m not sure.  With patience, there are some good deals out there- you just can’t be in a hurry.  A couple months ago, I helped my good friends Stan and Amee purchase a property in Pearland and pick up a conservative $15,000 in equity.  Not a bad return for a first home.

If you’re curious about a specific area, just write me at john@searchclearlake.com and I’ll share those numbers with you.  Or, you can sign up for our daily “hotlist” at www.ClearLakeHomeSearch.com .

Houston’s Real Estate Market Closes The Books On 2008 With Continued Sluggish Sales And Lower Pricing

December 2008 Sales

Houston’s Real Estate Market Closes The Books On 2008 With Continued Sluggish Sales And Lower Pricing

Demand for rental properties soars as consumers await economic relief from Uncle Sam

HOUSTON — (Jan. 20, 2009) — Property sales throughout the greater Houston area ended 2008 as they began, with lower volume following two consecutive record years. Overall property sales fell 16.0 percent last month when compared to December 2007, and sales of single-family homes were down 13.5 percent, according to new monthly data compiled by the Houston Association of REALTORS® (HAR). However, the figures show dramatic improvement from November, when both total property and single-family sales volume declined by more than 30 percent.   Read More…

Houston Texas Real Estate-Clear Lake TX Homes for Sale and Sold Market Report

Houston Texas Real Estate-Clear Lake TX Homes for Sale and Sold Market Report
Clear Lake TX Homes

Houston, Texas –

It’s time to look at Houston Texas Real Estate as we near the end of 2008. I’ve always stated that as a homeowner, potential resident, potential seller, or as a real estate consultant, we think it is always important to know the stats about what is happening with Houston Texas Real Estate.

For this report we are going to be focus on Clear Lake TX Homes.

Houston -Clear Lake Homes for Sale Listed November 2008

For the month of November there were:

45 Newly Listed Clear Lake Homes for Sale.

The Average Price was $207,177.

The Median Price was $182,264.

Compare this with October when there were 41 Newly Listed Clear Lake Homes for Sale. The Average Price was $258,430. The Median Price was $197,950. The listing volume appears to be moving up and the average/median prices appear to be moving down on the listed properties in the Clear Lake area.

Houston – Clear Lake Homes Sold November 2008

For the month of November there were:

23 Sold Clear Lake TX Homes sold in Houston Texas.

The Average Price was $194,197.

The Median Price was 175,000.

76 Average Days on Market at 95.7% of list price.

Compared to the month of October there were 30 Sold homes in Clear Lake Texas Real Estate. The Average Price was $190,622. The Median Price was $162,011, with 64 Average Days on Market at 97% of list price. Clear Lake TX homes that sold, stayed on the market longer in November and the average list price to sold price was off a bit. Some of this may have to do with hurricane Ike. Time will tell.

Houston – Clear Lake Homes for Sale – Currently active as of 12/28/08

Currently there are 141 Active Clear Lake Homes for Sale with an Average Price of $285,762. The Median Price is $210,000, with 95 Average Days on Market.

If you would like to be contacted as soon as homes become available in the Clear Lake area just let us know. For more information about the Clear Lake Community you can also go to the Clear Lake Chamber of Commerce. (Click here for their website.)
*Note these Houston TX Real Estate stats are accurate as of 12/08 according to the Houston MLS. They are subject to change as Houston Texas Real Estate agents submit listed and sold properties into the Houston MLS.

Looking to Buy Houston Texas Real Estate?

If you want to buy a home in the Houston Texas area- we’ve made it fast and easy for you to search all the Houston Texas homes for sale. Search just like the best Houston TX Realtors and see all the properties being sold by all Houston Texas Real Estate agents.

Enjoy our fully customizable property search of the complete Houston Texas MLS (multiple listing service) of single family homes, condos, and town houses. We specialize in helping you buy a Houston Texas real estate bargain (foreclosures and bank owned homes).

Specializing in Selling Houston TX Homes

The first thing home sellers need to know is “What’s my Houston TX home worth right NOW” and what are Houston home prices doing by neighborhood. Our experience shows it all depends on where YOU live. Please ask for a FREE Comparable Market Analysis Report – CMA on your home so you can see what is actually happening in your neighborhood! No obligation, of course.

Experience shows that to sell a home in Houston TX today requires more than just putting a sign in the yard or putting the property information in the MLS. Successful home sellers have found they need the advice of skilled Real Estate consultants like us, who have:

• strong negotiating skills to get your home sold quickly for the most money even in this real estate market,
• a strong internet marketing plan like our Smart Home Selling Plan. In fact, we may already have a buyer for your property because we understand that over 84% of home buyers today are finding their next house on the internet which is why when you use our plan we make sure they are seeing your home first and we also have a
• deep understanding of what’s really happening with home values in your real estate market ( Houston Real Estate Market Reports by area).

We have helped many families sell their Houston homes, quickly and painlessly even in this difficult housing market. In fact, we may already have a buyer for your property because we understand that over 84% of home buyers today are finding their next house on the internet which is why when you use our Smart Home Selling Plan we make sure they are seeing your home first.

Call us to schedule your FREE private real estate consultation to fully understand your home selling options (no pressure, no hassles – guaranteed).

Whether you are buying or selling Houston Homes | Clear Lake homes | Friendswood homes | League City Homes | Seabrook Homes | Kemah Homes | Pearland Homes | Webster Homes – we can help!

Call me today at – 281-336-3175.

John Duncan – Houston Texas Realtor