Pending home sales keep climbing. I have never seen them this high and pending sales are higher now than they were last June before we set a record month for July.

The demand for homes in Acadiana have put the builders back to work. In Acadiana, 95 of the 396 homes sold were new construction. In Lafayette parish, 84 of the 262 sales were of new homes.

Meanwhile, inventory is not catching up to the high demand and it remains low.

There are still plenty of buyers looking out there if you have been thinking about selling. True, if you wait, your home will be worth a bit more however, if interest rates rise, there will also be less buyers on the market.

If you want to discuss the sale of your home, call or email me today. I’m here to help!

218 Croft Row in Stonehaven on the River, Lafayette – Burke Homes

The 2013 Parade of Homes will allow you to tour 30 new homes in 18 subdivisions in Lafayette, Youngsville, and Broussard. This year, 24 members of the Acadian Home Builders Association are featuring their work.

You do need a ticket to enter the homes and they are available now for $7 each at both the Johnston St. and Verot School Rd locations of Doug Ashy Building Materials and at the Acadian Home Builder Association on N. Domingue Rd in Lafayette. During the Parade, you will also be able to buy tickets in the Copper Meadows and Village at Broussard subdivisions. Children under 2 are admitted free and all ticket outlets accept cash or check only.

This is the list of this year’s featured subdivisions with link to available homes in each of them. Please note that the homes in the Parade are not necessarily listed yet, some are already sold, and the others will be put on the market during or shortly after the Parade. (A few of the subdivision currently do not have any active listings.)

Lafayette
Acacia Bluff
Boulder Creek
Élan
Island Oaks Plantation
La Bon Vie
La Cheniere
Stonehaven on the River
Tolson Oaks

Broussard
Jordan Estates
Le Triomphe
Mon Jardin
Village at Broussard

Youngsville
Cypress Crossing
Copper Meadows
Fortune Hills
Saddleback Trail
Sugar Mill Pond
Sugarland Estates

Happy International Francophonies Day to All of You!

Drapeau de la francophonie

Aujourd’hui est la Journée international de la francophonie dans toutes les régions francophones du monde. Ce soir, vous êtes invité à la Cité des Arts (109 Vine Street au centre ville de Lafayette) où il y aura le visionnement d’extraits du documentaire “L’Acadie, l’Acadie” suivi par une conversation sur la franco-responsabilité et la mobilisation avec des acteurs clés du mouvement franco-louisianais.  “L’Acadie, l’Acadie” (1971) documente le mouvement des étudiants de l’Université de Moncton au Nouveau-Brunswick à la fin des années 1960 et leur quête pour les droits linguistiques des francophones dans cette province canadienne.

Le tout commence à 18:30. L’évènement est gratuit et ouvert au public. J’y serai et j’espère voir plusieurs d’entre vous!

Today is International Francophonie Day throughout the French-speaking world. Come celebrate tonight at Cité des Arts (109 Vine Street, downtown Lafayette) with scenes from the 1971 documentary “L’Acadie, l’Acadie,” followed by an open discussion about “franco-responsabilité” and activism with key actors in the Louisiana francophone movement. “L’Acadie, l’Acadie” documents the Université de Moncton students’ movement at the end of the 60s as they sought linguistic rights for French-speakers in New Brunswick, Canada.

The event start at 6:30pm. It is free and open to the public. I will be there and hope to see many of you!

The price is now only $200,000! What an opportunity!

The building features 2300 square feet with reception area, a large common area in the middle, 3 separate rooms, a small kitchen, a public half bath, a full bath towards the back ,and a laundry area.

Contact me today to view this property or visit this link for more information about 204 Church St in Youngsville.

Home sales in Acadiana saw their lowest point since last summer in January while the lowest for Lafayette parish was in December.

We had a great year in 2012 in the Lafayette area and Acadiana. This year may be even better if the numbers hold up. Looking at sales in January and February of this year and comparing with the same period last year, is revealing.

We are off to a great start for 2013. If you are on the sidelines about buying or selling, what are you waiting for? Contact me today to start your search or to receive a market analysis for your home.

I know however, that it would make a great home for someone who works in Abbeville (a 10-mins ride) or south of it or a great weekend getaway for someone needing a quiet place or retreat. The house sit on about 1/2 acre and from it, not a neighbor can be seen. Across the streets are woods and you may even see a deer every now and then. It is a very peaceful place.

The home features 3 bedrooms and 2 baths, 1442 square feet, is in move-in condition and is very clean and well kept. The home was totally renovated after Rita and elevated to 2 feet above the required elevation, which saves you money on insurance. The home is also equipped with heavy duty hurricane shutters on windows and doors that make it a snap to close it up (and takes about 10 mins).

Outside, there is the front porch, a large patio area in the back, a workshop, and a hot tub for those lazy Louisiana afternoons.

For more information and more pictures of 13509 Plantation Pl in Abbeville, please visit this link or send me a message. I’d be glad to answer all your questions.

Technically, we are not in a seller’s market, yet. We will be in seller’s market once the months of inventory fall below 5 months and stay there a while. A buyer’s market, on the other hand, is when there are more than 7  months of inventory. For the past year or so, we have mostly been in a balanced market, which is 5 to 7 months of inventory.

Since March 2012, we dipped into the seller’s market on a few occasions: April, May, July, and October. As the spring rolls around this year, my guess is that inventory will not keep up with buyer’s demand and months of inventory will continue to fall. Last month, we barely had 5 months of inventory. It’s only February!

What does this mean?

For buyers: it is more important than ever to be pre-approved and be ready to write an offer when the right house comes along. The “good buys” and the move-in ready homes that are priced “right” do not stay on the market very long, sometimes only a few hours. It also means that as inventory shrinks, home prices will continue to rise and interest rates will likely rise as well, which in turn will diminish your buying power. Now is still the most awesome time to buy! And if you already own a home, I would say, buy another one! Heck, buy 10 if you can.

For sellers: The market is heading in your direction and home prices will continue to rise. If you are considering selling, our low inventory means that you have less competition from other sellers right now. If your home is priced right, it will sell faster (see column Avg DOM for “Days on Market”) and you may even have competing buyers/multiple offers. Waiting for prices to rise may be a good idea, however, if inventory increases and interest rates rise as well, the buyer pool will be smaller with some buyers electing to wait until the market turns in their favor again. And it will… at some point. Just like we can’t stay in a buyer’s market forever, seller’s market do not last forever either.

As always, your questions or comments are welcome. Feel free to email me a line or two or leave your trace on this page.

]]> http://www.lafayetterealestatenews.com/2013/03/06/heading-towards-sellers-market-lafayette-la/feed/ 0 http://www.lafayetterealestatenews.com/2013/02/23/keller-williams-largest-real-estate-company-united-states/ http://www.lafayetterealestatenews.com/2013/02/23/keller-williams-largest-real-estate-company-united-states/#comments Sat, 23 Feb 2013 15:13:12 +0000 Chantal http://www.lafayetterealestatenews.com/?p=3213 I just returned from Dallas where I spent 5 days at our Keller Williams’ annual convention, Family Reunion. This year is the 30th anniversary of KW and they just announced that we are now the largest real estate company in the United States. This makes me proud and it is not the only thing that does.

There is a reason why KW has risen to the top. Well, there are several but one of them stands out and I truly believe that “culture” is what elevated Keller Williams to the top spot in the United States and one step closer to being #1 in North America and the world. The story below is just one example of our culture at work.

While at Family Reunion this past week, we were told about our KW market center in Des Moines, Iowa, where our agents are being denied commissions by one of their competitors. The competitor is paying KW agents no more than $1 if they sell one of their agency’s listings.

At our inspirational Brunch, Wednesday morning, Mo Anderson, the Vice Chairman (extraordinaire) of the Board for KW told the agents present that the sleeping giant was about to awaken and that this competitor had no idea who he was dealing with. It is not 58 agents that this is affecting, but rather 80,000! She then told us that we were going to make these agents “whole” and that we were going to do it in under one minute. She gave me chills.

In a letter to the KW family yesterday, Mo wrote:

We are so proud of the incredible generosity you displayed during our Inspirational Brunch on Wednesday.

We were honored to share the story of the amazing associates in our Greater Des Moines market center. Ever since the market center opened, they have been struggling against a competitor with dominant market share who is paying only $1 of commissions on listings. These Keller Williams associates have been unfairly denied approximately $100,000 in commissions they rightfully earned for helping their clients move into the homes of their dreams. We challenged you – our Keller Williams family – to make our brothers and sisters whole.

And, WOW, did you ever respond! Within 60 seconds, you wrote checks and stuffed envelopes with donations totaling $107,684! We received pledges for an additional $36,200. (Darlins, you better pay up on those IOUs!)

All of these contributions are going to the KW Family Fund that Mary Tennant set up expressly for this purpose. We are committed to making our Greater Des Moines family whole – and we’re going to continue to help them until these unfair business practices end.

[...]

Please take the high road. Do not mention our competitor in your conversations or social media postings. The last thing they deserve for their shameful behavior is free publicity.

Keller Williams family, your actions truly show commitment in all things. Where in the world but KW could such an outpouring of generosity take place? It capped an historic Family Reunion and your response will be remembered forever. We not only announced that we’re the #1 real state company by agent count in the United States – but we showcased for the world the extraordinary culture that got us to this point and the passion and determination that are going to power us forward. You stood up as a real family and covered the backs of our brothers and sisters in need.

Thank you for your generosity. Thank you for your commitment. And thank you for proving that we’re #1! We feel blessed to be part of your family.

With love and appreciation,

I, too, feel blessed to be part of the Keller Williams family. The leadership of our organization is a constant inspiration for all of us and not only in our businesses, but also in our families and our lives.

Congrats Keller Williams & Thank you!

Onward!

Last January, we only had 525 home sales pending in Acadiana and 355 in Lafayette parish. What a difference a year can make.

There were 197 homes sold in Lafayette parish last month compared to 139 in January 2012. In Acadiana, 283 homes sold last month and 220 in 2012. If this is any indication, 2013 will be a year to remember in real estate for Lafayette and Acadiana.

If you are looking for a home, don’t despair. Inventory should start picking up in the next few weeks as spring rolls around and there will be more options. Want to receive notification when new listings hit the market, let me know and I will set it up for you.

If you have been thinking about selling, now is the time to list your home. When inventory picks up, there will be more competition on the market. Contact me today and we will get you rolling!

For a couple of days this past week, while they were tearing down the old building, the only thing standing was the vault.

Maurice has changed quite a bit since I moved here in 15 years ago. I love our little town and we have some of the best food around with Villager’s Cafe serving the best poor-boys in Acadiana and Hebert’s Specialty Meat famous for its stuffed deboned chickens and poultry.

Thinking about moving to Maurice? Click on this link to view all the homes for sale in Maurice. The link is updated daily.

Thinking about selling your home in Maurice? Let me know as I have many clients wanting to move here and waiting for the right property to come along.