Made it to the Marriott to take some cool photos of Anime 2010 and got a bit more insight into the world of Anime - Japanese animation. I have a curious mind and it was a lot of fun learning about something that I didn't have the first clue about just two days ago.Turns out these young people are used to being accosted in the street and were happy to pose for photos. They were open and friendly and Mitch and Holly even filled me in on some background info on the Anime Conventions and the costume Holly was wearing. She's the White Mage in the slide show. Of course everyone knows what a Mage is, right? If you're into fantasy you will. I have sons who are into online gaming, so I had no trouble "getting" what Mitch was talking about with the difference between white and black Mages. I thin... 08/01/2010

Who says you need the Internet to get the word out? Anime Iowa is proving that's a myth. Of course this is a convention that deals in Japanese animation... My boys used to watch Japanese animation with eyes like saucers while they were growing up. Is it really such a surprise that these guys don't need the Internet to keep going strong?Anyway, here's the lowdown. I live in Coralville and I had no idea that the Anime Iowa Convention is taking place in my little town this weekend. And I research this stuff folks!!! I found out today purely by accident. (So much for your local area expert, right?) It seems every hotel room between here and Cedar Rapids is booked. Who knew? I certainly didn't.So what is Anime Iowa anyway? Considering my lack of knowledge thus far I may not be the right pers... 07/30/2010

Homes Sold in Coralville, Iowa - Week Ending July 24, 2010 6 homes sold in Coralville last week. This number is lower than last year when 15 homes sold in the same time period. According to MLS Data days on market also increased from 88 to 138. 6 Homes Sold Week ending July 24, 2010 Avg Price: $248,667 5 single family homes sold Avg Price: $279,600 1 condo sold Avg Price: $94,000 It looks like July will be a soft month for sales. Not really surprising considering the expiration of the tax credit on June 30. It was clear that the housing market would need time to correct after that. A couple more days until the end of the month and we will know more about that correction. So what does all this mean if you're thinking of buying a home in Coralville? No change really. We've been saying it ... 07/26/2010

Weekly real estate market update Coralville July 26, 2010: Includes homes sold, homes under contract and current listings.     256 Active Listings26 Homes Under Contract6 Homes Sold July 19 - July 24, 2010I use a simple method to calculate the absorption rate/days on market that doesn't manipulate the data. According to that calculation we have 9.4 months of inventory on the market, that's 285 days on market. MLS data has it at 138, making it appear a little better. Either way it's going to take us a while to work through all the inventory in the Coralville market so we probably won't see any major changes in the near term.So what does all this mean if you're thinking of buying a home in Coralville? No change really. We've been saying it for a while now. It's a great market to buy a hom... 07/26/2010

Coralville Real Estate Market Report 2nd Quarter / April - June  2010 compared to April - June 2009   156 homes sold in the 2nd quarter 2010 compared to 114 homes sold in the 2nd quarter 2009. That's an increase of almost 37%. Just like my market report for Iowa City  what jumps out is the number of condos sold. 42 condos sold in Coralville in the 2nd qtr this year compared to 25 in the same time period in 2009. That's a 92% increase! Even better than Iowa City where condo sales rose by 62% compared to last year. I'm going to be really interested to see what happens when I pull the North Liberty numbers later... Watch out for my next blog post for that. Average Price Homes Sold 2nd Qtr 2010: $214,238 Highest Price Home Sold: $740,000 Lowest Price Home Sold: $60,500 Average Price Homes S... 07/07/2010

Coralville Real Estate Market Report June 2010 Compared to June 2009 82 homes sold in Coralville in June 2010 compared to 69 homes sold in June 2009. That's an increase of 19%. What jumps out in the graph above is that condo sales have increased by a an impressive 62% over last year! Yesterday I pulled the numbers for Iowa City for the 2nd quarter and if you check the link you will see that condo sales are also on the rise there. We have a lot of condos in the area so this is really great news. Average Price Homes Sold June 2010 $216,442 Highest Price Home Sold: $683,000 Lowest Price Home Sold: $60,500 Average Price Homes Sold June 2010 $230,582 Highest Price Home Sold: $540,000 Lowest Price Home Sold: $38,500 I don't use the days on market calculated by the MLS. I use a simple method t... 07/07/2010

Weekly real estate market update Coralville, Iowa, July 5, 2010: Includes homes sold, homes under contract and active listings.       265 Active Listings29 Homes Under Contract16 Homes Sold June 28 - July 3, 2010An average of 289 days on market = 9.5 Months Absorption Rate (Number of months it takes for the market to "absorb" homes). The number of days on market is edging it's way downwards again this week. Slow and steady the market continues to improve. We're not out of the woods yet though, we still have a buyers market. More homes than buyers in the market place + historically low interest rates = Opportunities for Buyers. For sellers it's a different story. We have a price driven market. It's important you have the facts about your neighborhood before you put your home on the marke... 07/05/2010

The 4th of July Parade in Coralville  - If you weren't there, let me just tell you to mark your calendar - You'll want to be there next year! Participants came from all our neighboring towns. Iowa City, North Liberty, Riverside, Tiffin, Oxford - Everyone was there. It was spectacular...This is how you celebrate Independence Day! Enough words. Pictures are better...Video will follow, once I figure out how to upload it without the quality deteriorating. (It seems the learning curve to this video thing is more than I expected - much more!)       07/04/2010

Coralville has grown in leaps and bounds in the almost eleven years I've been living here. During all that growth I'm happy to say it hasn't lost any of it's charm or sense of community. At this time of year you can definitely see that Coralville is built on hometown tradition. It's always been that way and this year's 4th of July celebrations are no exception. The Independence Day celebrations begin today making this one long and fun weekend for all. Almost all of the celebrations take place at or around S.T. Morrison Park in Coralville. The event kicks off at 3.00pm on July 1 with the Carnival by Star Amusement with the Carnival opening daily through July 4 at noon. July 2 you can enjoy a picnic dinner from 5.30 to 8.00pm at Morrison Park  with grilled food from Hy-Vee available for p... 07/01/2010

  Weekly real estate market update Coralville June 28, 2010: Includes homes sold, homes under contract and current listings.   272 Active Listings 42 Homes Under Contract 13 Homes Sold June 21 - June 26, 2010An average of 299 days on market = 9.9 Months Absorption Rate (Number of months it takes for the market to "absorb" homes) A few weeks ago we had 11 months of inventory. We're still moving in the right direction, albeit slowly. We still have a buyers market. If you're thinking of buying it's a great time to put those thoughts into action. More homes than buyers in the market place + historically low interest rates = Opportunities for Buyers. For sellers it's a different story. We have a price driven market. It's important you have the facts about your neighborhood before you put you... 06/28/2010

Weekly real estate market update for Coralville June 21, 2010: Homes sold, homes under contract and current listings.     268 Active Listings54 Homes Under Contract17 Homes Sold June 14 - June 19, 2010An average of 295 days on market = 9.7 Months Absorption Rate (Number of months it takes for the market to "absorb" homes) A few weeks ago we had 11 months of inventory. We're still moving in the right direction, albeit slowly. We still have a buyers market so if you're thinking of buying a home it's a great time to put those thoughts into action.More homes than buyers in the market place + historically low interest rates = Opportunities for Buyers. For sellers it's a different story. We have a price driven market. It's important you have the facts about your neighborhood before you put yo... 06/21/2010

Real estate market report for Coralville, Iowa, May 2010 compared to May 2009. Number of homes sold, average price and days on market.   39 homes sold in Coralville in May 2010 compared to 28 homes sold in May 2009. That's a 39% increase. Average Price Homes Sold May 2010 $205,595 Highest Price Home Sold: $485,000 Lowest Price Home Sold: $72,000 Average Price Homes Sold May 2009 $212,157 Highest Price Home Sold: $665,000 Lowest Price Home Sold: $97,900 According to our MLS homes spent an average of 90 days on market in May 2010. This number is skewed as it doesn't take into account the fact that some of the homes were re-listed and not new listings along with other variables. In my weekly updates I use a simple method to calculate the absorption rate/days on market that doesn't manipula... 06/17/2010

Weekly market update Coralville, Iowa June 14. Includes homes sold, homes under contract and active listings.     265 Active Listings 68 Homes Under Contract 9 Homes Sold June 7 - June 12 An average of 296 days on market = 9.8 Months Absorption Rate (Number of months it takes for the market to "absorb" homes) A few weeks ago we had 11 months of inventory. We're moving in the right direction, albeit slowly.How the absorption rate is calculatedLast week's real estate market update for CoralvilleCoralville real estate market report April 2010Coralville real estate market report 1st Quarter: January - March 2010   Originally posted @ ichomesforsale.com 06/14/2010

Weekly real estate market update Coralville June 7, 2010: Homes sold, homes under contract and active listings.   266 Active Listings 74 Homes Under Contract 266 Homes Sold May 31 - June 7 An average of 299 days on market = 9.9 Months Absorption Rate (Number of months it takes for the market to "absorb" homes) A few weeks ago we had 11 months of inventory. We're moving in the right direction, albeit slowly.How the absorption rate is calculatedLast week's real estate market update for CoralvilleCoralville real estate market report April 2010Coralville real estate market report 1st Quarter: January - March 2010   originally posted at ichomesforsale.com 06/07/2010

Unique, Townhouse  Style Condo w/ Easy Commute to UI Hospitals + UIOWA 961 Boston Way, #15, Coralville, IA 52241      Built: 1994Style: 2 Story TownhouseMain Level: Living Room, Kitchen, half bathUpper Level: 2 Bedrooms, Full Bathroom, Laundry Closet 06/03/2010

Weekly real estate market update Coralville,Iowa May 31: Homes sold, homes under contract and active listings.   266 Active Listings 84 Homes Under Contract 10 Homes Sold May 24 - May 29 An average of 295 days on market = 9.7 Months Absorption Rate (Number of months it takes for the market to "absorb" homes). Slowly but surely the absorption rate is improving in Coralville. A few weeks ago we had 11 months of inventory, now we're at 9.7 months. Slow and steady progress in the right direction!How the absorption rate is calculatedLast week's real estate market update for CoralvilleCoralville real estate market report April 2010Coralville real estate market report 1st Quarter: January - March 2010   Originally posted at ichomesforsale.com 05/31/2010

Coralville Real Estate Market Report 1st Quarter - January - March 2010 compared to January - March 2009   There were 30 homes sold in the first quarter 2010 compared to 31 homes sold in the first quarter 2009. Average Price Homes Sold 1st Qtr 2010: $242,813 Highest Price Home Sold: $699,000 Lowest Price Home Sold: $69,000 Average Price Homes Sold 1st Qtr 2009: $232,783 Highest Price Home Sold: $465,000 Lowest Price Home Sold: $85,000 According to our MLS homes spent 113 days on market compared to 127 days last year. This number is skewed as it doesn't take into account the fact that some of the homes were re-listed and not new listings. In my weekly reports I use a different method to calculate the absorption rate/days on market and although that is more accurate, it doesn't take into ... 05/26/2010

Weekly real estate market update Iowa City May 24, 2010. Includes homes sold, homes under contract and active listings.   631 Active Listings 199 Homes Under Contract 22 Homes Sold May 17 - May 22, 2010 8.1 Months Absorption Rate (Number of months it takes the market to "absorb" homes).How the absorption rate is calculatedLast week's real estate market update for Iowa CityIowa City Real Estate Market Report April 2010Iowa City Real Estate Market Report 1st Quarter: January - March 2010   Originally posted at ichomesforsale.com 05/24/2010

Weekly real estate market update Coralville Iowa May 24, 2010. Includes homes sold, homes under contract and active listings.         278 Active Listings 86 Homes Under Contract 8 Homes Sold May 17 - May 22 10.4 Months Absorption Rate (Number of months it takes for the market to "absorb" homes)How the absorption rate is calculatedLast week's real estate market update for CoralvilleCoralville real estate market report April 2010Coralville real estate market report 1st Quarter: January - March 2010   originally posted at ichomesforsale.com 05/24/2010

Went to a Broker's Open this week at 1745 Brown Deer Ridge, Coralville. Could not resist posting this absolutely sensational view from their back yard. Thanks to Lynn Weinstein for the opportunity to view a beautiful and absolutely unique home. You will find her listing with some absolutely stunning photos when you click here.The view is of Brown Deer Golf Club, an 18 hole public golf course in Coralville. As impressive as the course is, I personally just love the weeping willow in this photo.   05/22/2010