Nashville Inventory in March

HOME SALES DECREASE; PRICES RISE IN MARCH

There were 2,227 home closings reported for the month of March, according to figures provided by the Greater Nashville Association of Realtors®. This represents a decrease of 28.7 percent from the 3,126 closings reported for the same period last year.

Numbers for the first quarter were 5,763 closings, down 27.8 percent from the 7,990 closings during the first quarter of 2007. "The number of closings is down significantly compared to last year, but the fact that home prices are rising is a good sign that the Greater Nashville market remains stable even in this time of market transition," said Mandy Wachtler, 2008 President of the Greater Nashville Association of Realtors.

"In some parts of the country, both closings and prices are down by significant percentages. When you take that into consideration, the real estate market in Greater Nashville is doing better than many cities and regions. And, there continues to be a lot of showing activity, which may result in more closings soon."


There were 2,308 sales pending at the end of March, compared with 3,218 sales that were pending at the same time last year. The median residential price during March was $178,388 and for a condominium it was $160,573. That compares with median residential and condominium prices at this time last year of $173,400 and $153,400 respectively. The average number of days on the market for a single-family residence was 80 days. Inventory at the end of March was 22,730. That compares with an inventory of 19,091 at the end of March 2007. Current inventory of properties by category, compared to the same time last year, is:

"The increase in inventory means that buyers will have more meaningful choices. That can be a positive factor as we move into spring and early summer, when typically more people are out shopping for homes," Wachtler said. "Sellers will want to make sure their home is in the best possible condition and priced correctly.

In a changing market,the professional support and counsel provided by a Realtor is increasingly valuable to those considering buying, selling or leasing property.


The Greater Nashville Association of Realtors® is one of Middle Tennessee's largest professional trade associations and serves as the primary voice for Nashville-area property owners and real estate professionals. REALTOR® is a registered trademark which March be used only by real estate professionals who are members of the National Association of REALTORS® and subscribe to its strict Code of Ethics.

Green Homes

It's Easy Living Green

(ARA) - Everywhere you turn, there's something "green" - whether it's a commercial for a hybrid car or a reminder to pick up reusable bags at the local grocery store. The green movement is under way and concerned Americans are looking for ways to do their part to reduce energy use and pollution, and preserve natural resources.

Whether by changing their daily routines like biking to work instead of driving, or taking up a new hobby like planting trees in the community park, more and more Americans are going green. One aspect of the multifaceted greening of America is the building and buying of "green" or eco-friendly homes.

According to a recent survey conducted for McGraw-Hill Research and Analytics, consumers list environmental concerns among the top three reasons to purchase a green home, along with lower operating costs and health benefits for occupants. Across the country, homebuilders and homebuyers are realizing the benefits of green building and living, from reduced construction waste to better indoor air quality. Homes planned by green developers can also reduce utility bills by more than 50 percent, minimize pollution and demands on infrastructure, and provide greater environmental protection.

"It's amazing how small steps can add up to big results," says Fred Maas, president and CEO of Black Mountain Ranch LLC, the developer of Del Sur - a new green 1,800-acre master-planned residential community in San Diego, Calif. "For example, tankless water heaters are as much as 50 percent more efficient than conventional water heaters - and heating hot water is second only to heating and cooling in terms of residential energy use. If every household in the United States converted to high-efficiency, tankless water heaters, America could save the equivalent of 300 million barrels of oil a year and reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions by up to 150 million tons."

Similarly, replacing just one light bulb in each American home with an efficient compact fluorescent bulb could save enough energy to light more than three million homes for an entire year. This could save more than $600 million in annual energy costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an amount equivalent to removing more than 800,000 cars from America's roads.

Residents of the Del Sur community are learning firsthand the advantages of green home features. Del Sur used its unique size and buying power - 2,500 market-rate homes and 469 low- and moderate-income homes - to negotiate lower prices for solar, tankless hot water and weather-based irrigation systems, making these energy-saving, environmentally-friendly features more affordable for homebuyers.

"All things being equal, homebuyers want to go green, but they don't want to pay a fortune to do so - and they shouldn't have to. Our vision of sustainability is to integrate a core set of 'attainable' green elements into our homes that do their part for the environment and increase value and savings for the consumer," says Maas. By providing homebuyers with green features at lower costs, homebuilders can help to reduce the nation's carbon footprint and preserve the environment without putting all of the burden on the homeowner. By taking advantage of available tax credits and incentives, it is possible to equip homes with solar photovoltaic technology to generate electricity at a reasonable cost, greatly reducing homeowners' electric bills.

"Our homeowners with solar power can draw power from the grid at night and make the meter spin backwards during the day," says Maas. "Some have cut their electric bills to nearly zero. When homeowners realize the savings, they really get a kick out of showing their new energy bills to neighbors and friends in the community.”

"When I see American families living the Southern California lifestyle in 3,000-plus-square-foot homes with gourmet kitchens and all the latest appliances - and their monthly electric bill is close to zero - I know there's no barrier to America going green," says Maas. "We're doing it here in San Diego and I think that, community-by-community, the entire nation can go green.”