The graph below represents home sales in Acadiana from January 1st, 2009, until today, July 22nd. The most popular price range is the 150 – 200 K where many first-time home buyers fall in our area. If you are considering buying a home and taking advantage of the $8,000 first-time home buyer credit, now is the time to get started. If you haven’t owned a home in the past three years, you also qualify.

There are currently 472 homes available in the 150 – 200 K price range in all of Acadiana and 291 homes for sale in Lafayette parish.

Join us on August 4th, 2009 at 6pm for a seminar on purchasing your first home. Learn the ins and outs of home buying from a panel of experts. Find out how to qualify for the $8000 tax credit, and how to work with a REALTOR.

In addition, each participant will receive a copy of “Your First Home,” the first book in the Keller Williams Realty Guide Series. Packed with inspiring stories and the wisdom of thousands of successful first-time home buyers, it’s a must-read for anyone aspiring to buy a home.

Seating is limited so call or email J.D. Pierce today to reserve your seat at 735‐9300 or jdpierce@kw.com.

I hope to see you there!

 

Nearly two years ago, Angela and Lance called me on one of my listings. It was a single wide mobile home on two lots located in a quiet subdivision. It was a great property and they really liked it. A couple of days later, they were pre-approved and calling me back to make an offer.

Don’t get me wrong, I wanted to sell the home for the owners who were my clients. At the same time, I knew that if I was going to be a dual agent in the transaction, I also needed to represent the best interests of Angela and Lance so I asked them if I could come over for a visit.

We sat down and had a good conversation. They shared with me that their goal was to buy the property and eventually build their dream home on the empty lot next to the mobile home. When? They did not know…

After talking with them for about an hour, I (regretfully) told them that my listing was probably not the right property for them. They already had a child and another one on the way. I explained to them that they would likely outgrow the mobile home before they would be ready to build and my fear was that they would then blame me for selling them a depreciating asset. Before I left them that day, I told them that nothing would please me more than to sell the mobile home for my sellers, but I asked them to reconsider buying the property and to think about it some more. Of course, I also offered to help them find another home if they decided not to buy this one.

Almost a year went by before I heard from Angela and Lance again. They now had two children and the walls of their apartment were closing in on them.

“Miss Chantal, Angela said, I think we’re ready to buy a home. We are pre-approved again and we’ve seen a couple of homes that we would like to look at.”

“Great!” I replied. “When would you like to go?”

The next day, I showed them a couple of new homes in a subdivision. They chose one and we wrote an offer. About Forty days later, on January 5th, 2009, they were moving into their brand new home.

Here’s is part of the feedback Angela and Lance sent me after they had moved in and settled in their home:

“I first met Chantal after calling about a prospective home. She was open and honest and actually told my wife and I that we should do more research before we jumped into home ownership. I was so impressed that the sale of the property wasn’t first on her list; she definitely had our best interests in mind. She was helpful, informative and really put our minds at ease. The communication between us was great, I felt like I’ve known her for years. I’m so happy to be in our home, but part of me misses our frequent phone calls (even though we still call just to catch up from time to time). Chantal was even available on Christmas Eve to answer our last minute questions! 

“I never felt like we were just a sale. We were people, a family, with a dream of owning a home. When we met for the walk-thru inspection, I was hesitant to “nit pick”, but when she came through and really stood up for us and made sure everything was complete, I felt like we were in really good hands. Right down to the finest details and I’ll never forget, all of this happened the week of Christmas.

“My family was never a number, we were always first. Buying a home, especially for the first time can be so stressful, but I really feel like she made the entire process easy and she always helped us feel in control and somehow eased our minds. I wouldn’t change that ever!

“I would definitely recommend her to anyone buying or selling. We know we’ll outgrow our house one day and when that day comes, I sure hope she’s still in the business!”

To me, this is what our work is about. The home buying business has gotten quite complex and first time home buyers often feel lost in the process if they do not have the guidance of someone who has their best interest in mind. Our job is to forget about the sale and to always think of our clients’ best interests. This is the only sure way we can become their REALTOR for life, not just for one sale.

Here are Maurice home sales’ statistics for the second quarter of 2009. These are generated via the MLS for the 70555 zip code. This last quarter, the average sale’s price and price per square foot is lower for Maurice because one home sold for $78,500 ($41/sqft) after being on the market for only 1 day.

# of homes Sold: 4

Average Price: $200,250

Average $/sqft: $89

Average Days on Market: 72

# of homes available: 13

# of homes Pending (under contract): 3

The homes that are currently available range in price from $109,900 to $589,000.

 

Click here to search all available homes and properties in Maurice, Louisiana

Sales have been rising in Lafayette Parish and Acadiana in May and June. As of July 15th, there were 414 residential properties pending (under contract) in Lafayette parish and 556 in all of Acadiana.

As of July 15th, there were 1131 properties available in Lafayette Parish and 2013 in Acadiana.

Click here to search available properties in Lafayette and Acadiana.

These statistics come from the Acadiana Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and are deemed reliable but not garanteed.