Sunday, July 21, 2013

Real Estate Trend Lines Moving in Positive Territory!


I generally write about “land” however I came across some positive statistics the other day furnished by the Georgia Multiple Listing Service. I am not positive, but I believe this is the largest MLS in the state. If not, send me a comment.  I am not representing that the data reflects what is going on in your market, but it is interesting to look at, trend lines are important! Although my primary interest is land brokerage and houses with acreage, the housing market impacts what I do and land price trends lag behind but follow home prices. WHY? Because as the housing inventory decreases, builders and speculators will begin buying land and build houses so they will have inventory to sell.

I wrote an article in April 2013 and I believe that the data helps bear my optimism about the real estate market.


Let’s take a look at the data:





     Median Prices rose 36 percent

    Average Prices rose 26 percent  
    New Listings increased .3 percent
    Pending Sales were up 17 percent
    Inventory Levels shrank 23 percent
    Months Supply of Homes for Sale decreased 25 percent
    Days on Market decreased 17 percent to 74 days
    Percent of Original Price Received increased 3 percent to 95.5 percent


            Although I am not seeing land prices increasing yet, the activity is better and this will eventually translate into better prices!



If you are interested in Buying or Selling land, contact G. Kent Morris (706) 457-0090

Monday, July 1, 2013

Apps for the Real Estate professionals and landowners!


This is an exciting topic for me! I was late to the smartphone arena, but with the prompting of my geeky brother, I am 'ALL IN' and boy do I love it. I won't get into a discussion here about which OS (Operating System) is the best, it's simply personal choice. I chose to go with iOS, the Apple operating system. Therefore I own an iPhone, iPad and iMac. I like using the same operating system on all devices. In the beginning Apple was way ahead in the number of apps (applications, formerly referred to as programs). That has changed and it is predicted that the Android OS, a Google platform, will be the first to have 1,000,000 apps! 




These smart phones we carry around are amazing feats of science. The average smart phone today has more computing power than the first NASA spaceship! Having said that…why not put all this power to work for you. Everybody has their areas of interest, mine is forestry and real estate so I love apps that help me with my work. There are a ton of apps out there, but I wanted to share 4 with you. I have included not only a picture of the app but also an example.
  
AGRIplot
AGRIplot allows you to plot any area on a map. Just walk around your property and add a landmark point, or drag and drop pins anywhere on the map. AGRIplot will automatically calculate the area enclosed by the points and provide the distances between each point. You can add additional points of interest if you desire. The app allows you to even take a picture at each point (corner) to serve as a visual aid. From there you may email a PDF or KML version of the plot information to your client. It now supports importing KML files used by Google Earth.
The App


The example
(Notice the acre calculation...54.32 acres!)


Skitch by Evernote
I have searched for a nice app to help with annotating maps and photos….well Skitch is it! You can annotate images and documents with arrows, stamps, shapes, text, and more.  Skitch even allows you to mark up a PDF, snap your screen, annotate a photo, or draw something new. Then, share your thoughts and ideas with friends, family or co-workers.  Skitch allows you to:
  • ·      Snap your screen, a webpage or a map
  • ·      Zoom and crop your images

  • ·      Pixelate portions of an image to obscure sensitive information


  • ·      For directions: Draw a path on a map to help someone find your picnic spot


The App

The example




My Measures
My Measures is a powerful application for storing and sharing object dimensions for iPhone and iPad!  My Measures is an industry standard for real estate agents, engineers, carpenters, architects, auction sellers, construction workers, landscapers and DIY.  

It is super easy to use. Just take a photo and add arrows, angles, text or notes. Now the measures are stored and you have them always in your pocket wherever you go. No more paper sketches in your wallet.

The App


The example





Motion GPS
This APP will blow you away with so many features. This will turn your iPhone into a GPS unit to help with hiking, biking, geocaching and so much more.
  • ·      The #1 multi-sport application for the iPhone
  • ·      

Free downloadable maps worldwide! Including MotionX Road and Terrain maps, and NOAA marine charts
  • ·      

Most accurate iPhone GPS app
  • ·      

Allows you to access street images or satellite images
  • ·      

Stores up to 101 Tracks & 500 Waypoints
  • ·      

Facebook and Twitter integration
  • ·      
Advanced interactive stopwatch with live voice coaching.


The App
The example




Buy a new app and impress your kids with your technical knowledge.

For Information on Buying or Selling Land contact G. Kent Morris, ALC, RF at      (706) 457-0090