www.HousingPredictor.com is remarkable and we’ll keep it on the Intown Insider blogroll. Here’s their methodology…

“We examine more than 20 micro market characteristics in each market place, including income levels, employment trends and changes, school enrollment, business trends, regional political influences, real estate sales history and current housing market velocity. The factors are all considered to come up with each local market forecast.

All of the information is gathered from hundreds of independent sources the staff develops without bias for the real estate industry to issue the forecasts.

Today, Housing Predictor is consulted by the nation’s foremost investment houses, mortgage companies, real estate companies and most importantly consumers for our forecasts. Housing Predictor maintains more than an 85% accuracy rating with its forecasts.”

I am going to read their Georgia forecast updates regularly. If you are an Atlanta property Seller, then you should too!

If you are an Atlanta Home Buyer then remember that Housing Predictor forecasts Atlanta will deflate an additional 12.3% in average housing prices in 2008.

Y’all do your own math…know your numbers!

Get your real estate on.

I just read an article written by Dian Hymer entitled “Is selling a home in today’s market worthwhile?” Dian is author of “House Hunting, the take along workbook for Home Buyers” and “Starting out, the Complete Home Buyers Guide.” Here’s a link to find Dian’s books on Amazon - she is a great real estate writer!

http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Out-Complete-Buyers-Guide/dp/0811812723

Dian said “Residential real estate is an intensely localized business.”

Knowing that, I’m even more confident this week about the health of the “intensely localized market” that The Rootdown Group serves. I’ll have some stats out later this month, but pending sales appear to be on the rise in Intown Atlanta and Decatur, we all know that primary mortgage interest rates are terrific, and The Rootdown Group is busy. Since January 1st, we have spoken directly with about 30 prospective people whom we know will buy or sell real estate this year, nearly half of them in the next 90 days. Greg Ruis, Dana Davis and I will help as many people as we can in 2008, and from initial apearances this should be a remarkable year for improving the long term health of the Intown Atlanta and Decatur real estate submarkets.

It may take longer for Adair Park and Mechanicsville to stabilize and start appreciating, but neighborhoods like Ansley Park, Chastain Park and Garden Hills, Virginia Highland and Oakhurst are in generally good shape, with prices rising slightly and lots of pretty houses for sale in good school districts. Read the rest of this entry »