Story Archives of 'Real Estate'

The New Hampshire Association of Realtors is delighted that they now have three consecutive months in which they’ve beaten last year’s numbers. The number of homes sold Aug 09 was 4% higher than in Aug 08. Association president Paul Sargeant said we’re looking at a significant comeback from the worst months at the start of 2009.

That said, realtors are still a bit cautious. The number of homes sold in August was actually lower than in July ( 1169 down to 1096) and home prices are still about 6% down from this time in 2008 when prices had already been falling for awhile.

According to the latest numbers from the New Hampshire Association of Realtors, there were about 60 more sales this July than there were in July a year ago. That makes two months in a row of modest increases. It’s not much but it’s enough to encourage association president Paul Sargeant.

“ One month does not make a market, Two months doesn’t. But from an activity standpoint, the results are starting to be more positive.”

U.S. businesses have been hit hard by the global recession —- workers laid off, hours cut back. But what happens to all those empty offices?

Some companies have decided they don’t want these “ghosts of prosperity past” serving as reminders of the hardships they now face. So they’re offering the space for free.

May home sales in New Hampshire showed the third straight month of increases since February. The housing market is a far cry from where it was last year. The number of homes sold is down 6 percent and the median price is off by about 15%. But the latest report from the New Hampshire Association of Realtors does contain some brighter news. The pace of sales rose 20% from April and the median price edged up slightly, to $210,000 from $205,000.