Real Estate Trends and Stats

Brian Buffini has released his newly updated Real Estate Report. I'll give you some of the facts that I find relevant and interesting.

• For Sale by Owner's are down in 2010, less than 1 out of 10 sales.


• 95% of first time home buyers chose a fixed-rate mortgage.


• Distressed properties make up 36% of the market.


• Top factors influencing a buyers decision: quality of the neighborhood, convenience to work, and affordability of the home.


• Percent of buyers who were first-time buyers increased to 50% in 2010.


• Typical home sold for 96% of the final list price.


• Most popular motivation for selling - current house too small.


• Most cost effective improvement to prep the house for sale: Cleaning and de-cluttering, lightening and brightening, then staging.

If you'd like more information about the local real estate market, contact the Eisenlauer Team. We'd love to be of assistance.

Bill 770-2455 Bob 979-2883

Housing Rising

National Geographic found a way to help housing rise. It's not the price of the house rising, but the house itself. In a new show "How Hard Can it Be?" they tested the theory that balloons could be attached to a house enabling it to "fly". The structure was 16' x 16' x 18'. 300 helium ballons were attached, each one being 8' tall. The entire structure was 10 stories tall, launched with 2 balloon pilots and stayed afloat for an hour.

The Eisenlauer Team can't move your house with balloons, but we can help you move. The activity in the local market has increased with the arrival of spring weather and we're optimistic about the future.

Bob 979-2883 Bill 770-2455

Rant - Customer Service Pergatory

1. Don't call an automated system of prompts Customer Service


2. Don't ask me if I want to speak English. We live in the United States of America. We speak English. I'm not going to apologize for speaking my native language in my native country.


3. Don't prompt me "for quicker service, enter your home phone numbr", then ask me for my home phone number when I finally get to a live person...Duh.


4. Don't ask me to put in the ext. no. of the person I want to speak to, when I don't know who works there.


5. Don't talk to me in third party plural. "We" don't have a problem, I do. I'd like you to assist me in a solution.

My email hasn't worked for weeks. Some emails go through, others don't. When talking to media com "customer service" on Friday, I was informed the file was closed because the problem had been resolved. They neglected to ask the customer (me) to confirm this. Then they asked me how I know my emails weren't being received? ......gee, I asked people if they received my email, they said no.

So all that being said - The Eisenlauer Team works hard to live Customer Service. Try us out!

Bill 770-2455 Bob 979-2883

Short Sales are Here to Stay.

Short sales are here to stay. Maybe not forever, but they are not going away soon. Have you been curious when you've heard the term, what it means? Have you thought it was a fast track to buying a house? There are a lot of misconceptions and frequently asked questions that we are prepared to answer for you at a class we are hosting. There are three dates and locations to choose from.

• Feb. 10, 6:30 pm at the Eastside Library, 2559 Hubbell.


• Feb. 17, 6:30 pm, Pleasant Hill library, 5151 Maple


• March 1, 7:00 pm Altoona Library, 1600 5th Ave.

Bring questions, bring a friend, pass the info on. Hopefully we can dispel some myths, answer some questions and be of assistance to you in your real estate needs.

Bill 770-2455 Bob 979-2883

Is your glass half-full of half-empty??

Once, a man pulled up into a gas station in the country, and asked the gas station attendant, "What are the people like in the next town up ahead?" The attendant said, "What were the people like in the town you just came from?" "Awful people, " the man responded. "Rude, cold hostile, abrupt, unfriendly. They wouldn't give me the time of day." "Well," said the attendant, "I'm sorry to say it, but you're going to find exactly the same sort of people in the next town up ahead."
A bit later, another driver pulled in, heading in the same direction as the first. "What are the people like in the next town up ahead?" the second man asked. The attendant said, "What were the people like in the town you just came from?" "Wonderful people, " the second man responded. "Friendly, warm, helpful, patient, kind. They went out of their way to help a stranger." "Well," said the attendant, "I'm happy to tell you that you're going to find exactly the same kind of people in the next town up ahead."

Did you get the morale of the story? You find what you expect to find in people.

Good News in Des Moines Real Estate Market

"Homes sold in the Des Moines metro area climbed 26 percent in December compared to a year earlier" quote from the Des Moines Area Association of Realtors. The article in the Register reports that December pending sales were 1 % lower than in December 2009. The average sales price has increased $3000+ to $163,002. The number of houses sold in December were an increase from a year ago. The average price increased. Days on the market decreased. These are all good signs for our local market.

The gloom and doom news pushers are constant and loud. We have to listen to hear the good news that's right here locally and learn to tune out the naysayers.

The Eisenlauer Team has weathered many market conditons over the years and love what they do. Helping people buy and sell real estate here in Des Moines. We're experienced and optimistic.

Bob 979-2883 Bill 770-2455

What color is honeysuckle?

Every year Pantone announces the color of the year. 2009 was turquoise, which I love. Honeysuckle is The color of 2011. I would picture honeysuckle as a shade of yellow, but it's pink. Pantone describes it. "Courageous. Confident. Vital. A brave new color, for a brave new world. Let the bold spirit of Honeysuckle infuse you, lift you and carry you through the year. It's a color for every day- with nothing "everyday" about it."

"In times of stress, we need something to lift our spirits. Honeysuckle is a captivating, stimulating color that gets the adrenaline going- perfect to ward off the blues" explains Leatrice Eisman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. "Honeysuckle derives its positive qualities from a powerful bond to its mother color red, the most physical, viscerally alive hue in the spectrum."

Just a warning, if you're planning on selling your house soon, don't paint any rooms Honeysuckle. As captivating and stimulating as it might be, it won't help your house sell!

Any more advice on colors? Call your Eisenlauer Team Realtor.

Bill 770-2455 Bob 979-2883