Warren Buffett Bullish on Housing
Warren Buffett, the billionaire investor and Berkshire Hathaway CEO,
said on CNBC's "Squawk Box" recently that he'd "buy up a couple hundred
thousand" single-family homes if it was practical.
Buffett said that's because he believes purchasing a home with
ultra-low mortgage rates and holding it for the long-term has become a
better investment than stocks right now.
"Housing will come back, you can be sure of that," Buffett wrote in his annual letter to shareholders recently.
Buffett forecasts an increase in household formations, as more people
who moved in with their parents or family members during the recession
look to move out and get their own home soon.
"People may postpone hitching up during uncertain times, but
eventually hormones take over. And while 'doubling-up" may be the
initial reaction of some during a recession, living with in-laws can
quickly lose its allure," Buffett said.
Buffett said the recovery in the housing market could vary quite a
bit among local housing markets, however. He did not provide a timeline
of when he expected a full housing recovery, admitting that his
prediction last year that a housing recovery will take shape within the
year turned out to be "dead wrong."
Dream. Discover. Learn. Live Well.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Endless potential in this renovated, Victorian home!
Restored Victorian Home in Central Asheville
19 Washington Rd.
Asheville, NC 28801
19 Washington Rd.
Asheville, NC 28801
Offered at $575,000
MLS #513743
Friday, February 24, 2012
Just Listed - 329 Mill Ridge Drive
$689,000
MLS # 513460
MLS # 513460
Stunning Arts and Crafts home in desirable Mill Ridge community.
Fantastic open layout with over 3300 SqFt, 4 Bedrooms, 3 Full Baths, and
spectacular long range views. HUGE 3 car garage with partially
finished bonus room on the second level. Chefs kitchen with a huge
island, Dacor gas range/oven and microwave, walk in pantry, and
beautiful built in cabinet buffet. Incredible foyer leads into inviting
and bright home. Custom finishes throughout!
Thursday, February 23, 2012
One of Asheville's Finest Custom Homes - Just Listed!
168 Anderson Oaks Drive
Fletcher, NC 28732
Fletcher, NC 28732
$1,100,000
MLS #513288
MLS #513288
One of South Asheville/Fairview's finest custom homes featured in House
Beautiful, Kitchen & Bath and American Dream Home magazines.
Nestled on 4 private, level acres, this home boast a true gourmet
kitchen w/ Thermador and Sub-Zero appliances. Great huge room w/ massive
stone fireplace w/ amethyst inlays. Views!
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
January a good month for Asheville-area home sales
Warm weather, economy are credited
Other area counties also saw substantial increases, according to N.C. Mountains Multiple Listing Service. January sales were up 17.2 percent in Haywood County, 35.3 percent in Henderson County and 53.3 percent in Transylvania County.
Snowy weather kept potential buyers at home during December 2010, people in the industry say, depressing sales figures for January 2011 and making it easier for last month’s total to exceed the previous total.
“You can’t show property in the snow,” said Jon Corbin, head of The Buyer’s Agent of Asheville.
A few weeks typically elapse between the time when a buyer makes an offer and when a sale closes and is recorded in MLS figures, so slow shopping in one month means slow sales the next.
The more long-lasting factors behind the increase are probably low interest rates and gradually growing confidence in the economy and the housing market, said Corbin and Terry Horner of Preferred Properties of Asheville.
“I think it’s a continuation of what we’ve seen ... (in) 2011, which is a stronger market in general,” Horner said.
Sales for the year were up 3.3 percent in Buncombe County, and results were generally strongest during the second half of the year.
But both said views of the market appear to be turning more positive.
“I think people in general are a bit more optimistic about things,” Corbin said, “The (buyers) we’re talking to may have been sitting on the fence for the past couple of years.”
Buncombe sales were down 17 percent from December to January, but that is nothing out of the ordinary. January is usually one of the weakest months for sales.
The median sale price — the point at which half were higher, half lower — for homes sold in Buncombe County last month was $203,250. That’s up from $191,500 in January 2011.
9:40 PM, Feb. 7, 2012
Asheville Citizen-Times
Warm weather and a warming economy boosted sales of existing homes in Buncombe County last month 44.4 percent over January 2011.Other area counties also saw substantial increases, according to N.C. Mountains Multiple Listing Service. January sales were up 17.2 percent in Haywood County, 35.3 percent in Henderson County and 53.3 percent in Transylvania County.
Snowy weather kept potential buyers at home during December 2010, people in the industry say, depressing sales figures for January 2011 and making it easier for last month’s total to exceed the previous total.
“You can’t show property in the snow,” said Jon Corbin, head of The Buyer’s Agent of Asheville.
A few weeks typically elapse between the time when a buyer makes an offer and when a sale closes and is recorded in MLS figures, so slow shopping in one month means slow sales the next.
The more long-lasting factors behind the increase are probably low interest rates and gradually growing confidence in the economy and the housing market, said Corbin and Terry Horner of Preferred Properties of Asheville.
“I think it’s a continuation of what we’ve seen ... (in) 2011, which is a stronger market in general,” Horner said.
Sales for the year were up 3.3 percent in Buncombe County, and results were generally strongest during the second half of the year.
Things looking up
Monthly figures often bounce up and down, and both Corbin and Horner cautioned against making too much of the January results. “It is just a month,” Corbin said.But both said views of the market appear to be turning more positive.
“I think people in general are a bit more optimistic about things,” Corbin said, “The (buyers) we’re talking to may have been sitting on the fence for the past couple of years.”
Buncombe sales were down 17 percent from December to January, but that is nothing out of the ordinary. January is usually one of the weakest months for sales.
The median sale price — the point at which half were higher, half lower — for homes sold in Buncombe County last month was $203,250. That’s up from $191,500 in January 2011.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Help Support Kids Against Hunger with Carolina Mountain Sales
Are you looking for a fun activity
for this Saturday? Come join Carolina Mountain Sales this Saturday as we pack
meals for Kids Against Hunger. Group size is limited to 18 to 25
children/adults, so please let us if you would like to join us and what time.
Packaging occurs on the lower level of Mission Children's Hospital's Reuter
Children's Outpatient Building at 11 Vanderbilt Park Drive in Asheville, NC.
We will be packing from 9:30-12:00 on February 11, 2011. If you are not available to pack meals, but would like to donate to Kids Against Hunger, please drop a check off at our office written to Kids Against Hunger prior to February 10th, at Carolina Mountain Sales, 1550 Hendersonville Road, Suite 210, Asheville, NC 28803
Kids Against Hunger (KAH) is a
nonprofit organization that seeks to reduce the number of starving children in
the world. Mission Children's Hospital is the only facility of its kind to have
a KAH Chapter. It is overseen by a volunteer committee that is part of Mission
Healthcare Foundation. The committee recruits youth and adult groups from
throughout Western North Carolina to package dry meals.
The packaged meals are given to
organizations that distribute them locally and worldwide to feed hungry children.
About one third of the food is sent home on weekends with local children in
need, via MANNA Food Bank's "MANNA-Pak" program. The remaining
pallets are sent to the Congo, Haiti, and Honduras through organizations such
as Samaritan's Purse and Shoulder to Shoulder.
The KAH Committee raises funds to
pay for the dry meal ingredients. We encourage volunteer groups to make a
donation of $20 per person to help pay for these ingredients. A group of 18-24
can typically package about 5,000 meals in one 2.5 hour session. At a cost of
only 25 cents per meal, supplies for one packing session cost $1,250.
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