By Thomas Harding
This month I intend to overwhelm you with data . . . so strap on your seatbelts and let’s go for it.
First, let me introduce a new statistic to my loyal readers: the ratio between homes sold (“solds”) and homes on the market (“inventory”). Let’s call this ratio the sold/inventory ratio.
This ratio is [...]

By Thomas Harding    
Each New Year the Jefferson County Assessor sends notices to local property owners informing them of any increase in their real estate assessments. This year’s letters have been mailed, and they bring with them good news for most homeowners. Of the 30,000 parcels in the county, only 800 will see an assessment increase [...]

By Thomas Harding
For the past six years I have called local real estate profession-als to ask for their predictions for the next year. Here are their fore-casts for 2010.
Jackie Lewis, broker, Green-tree Real Estate. The real estate market hasn’t been that bad for the past three months. I just hope that continues. Some high-end properties [...]

By Thomas Harding
By now you have heard the good news I’m sure. The $8,000 tax credit for first time homebuyers has been extended and the government has created a new tax credit for people who already own a home (for at least five years) for $6,500. Hallelujah! As a homeowner, lender, realtor, banker or contractor, [...]

 
ByThomas Harding
Always a man for statistics, I give you two pertinent facts. First, the number of residential homes that have sold in Jefferson County was up to 69 in September 2009. This is a big step forward from the depressing early months of the year (see figure 1) when monthly sales dipped to 21 in [...]

By Thomas Harding
It appears that some in the state government are beginning to recognize that there is a foreclosure crisis in the Eastern Panhandle, but there are many who continue to keep their head in the sand and are committed to doing little or nothing about the massive devaluation of home values in the area.
During a [...]

By Thomas Harding
Okay, so you want to know: are things getting better? As ever, I strive for the simple answer, and that answer is YES-ish.
Things are getting better, for real. Look at the table accompanying this article. As you can see, the number of residential sales in Jefferson County has remained steady compared to the [...]

Okay, so you want to know, are things getting better. As ever, I strive for the simple answer, and that answer is YES (ish).
 Things are getting better, for real. Look at Figure 1, below. As you can see the number of residential sales in Jefferson County has remained steady compared to the same time last [...]