It's Homecoming Weekend in Iowa City - Maybe that's the reason for the shortage of new movies out in Coralville and Iowa City this weekend Oct 9 - Oct 11.It's Homecoming Weekend and my regular look at the movies will turn into something else, since there's a real shortage of new movies to talk about. In fact, the only new movie out this weekend in the Coralville and Iowa City theatres is Couples Retreat with Vince Vaughn. I really don't think I need to elaborate, because if you watch any TV at all you will know what it's about - it has been really heavily advertised and you'd have a tough time missing that...The reviews I've seen haven't been great, let's see if the movie going public has a different opinion.Moving onto Homecoming... Homecoming Parade starts at 5.45pm at the Washington ... 10/09/2009

Iowa City Real Estate Market Report for September 2009 including homes sales for the 3rd QuarterThis month I thought I'd change the format of my monthly reports and do one for each of my areas. This one is for Iowa City. And here are links to market reports for Coralville and North Liberty.I want to start with a year to year comparison for the month of September. 49 homes sold in Iowa City in September 2009 in comparison to 45 in September 2008. Real estate is cyclical according to the season, so it's always better to compare to the previous year, rather than to the previous month. The median price was $196,000 compared to $175,500 last year. The average days on market were 116 compared to 77 in September 2008. The data for September is definitely interesting, especially the increase in... 10/02/2009

Time is a tickin' on the first time home buyer tax credit, so if you're still thinking it's probably time to put those thoughts into action...I know there are many first time home buyers out there wondering about the first time home buyer tax credit and whether they should go for it or not. Now that we're almost down to the last 60 days, I thought I'd clear up a couple of questions that I know first time home buyers have.First of all, at least here in the Iowa City area there is still time to find and close on a home before the deadline of November 30, 2009. There will be exceptions, like short sales, where there won't be enough time to close. Generally speaking though the majority of our listings on the MLS are regular resale properties, so in normal circumstances you should have time ... 09/29/2009

Best of the Area List: Press Citizen readers vote on some of the best things about the Iowa City and Coralville area, including North Liberty and Solon.The Press Citizen posted the results to its annual citizen vote on the Best of the Area at the weekend. It includes 60+ categories ranging from Restaurants and Food to Shopping and Services, Arts and Entertainment, Kid Stuff, Outdoor and Facilities for Seniors. They also had a special category for the most influential person in the area and from my last post you know that is Kirk Ferentz, our oh so popular coach of the Iowa Hawkeye Football Team. Below is a list of about a dozen of what I think are the most interesting to anyone relocating to the Iowa City area. If you're not a first timer to my posts you will know I relocated to Iowa Ci... 09/28/2009

Best of the Area List came out this weekend - But the only talking point today is college football and the Iowa Hawkeyes! Iowa City was not lacking in excitement the past weekend. The Hawks made headlines when they beat, crushed Penn State, making them heroes in our town. Not only did they have their biggest road victory in 19 years beating a top 5 opponent, they also did it on National Television for everyone to see! Andy Hamilton does a magnificent job of giving you a feel for the passion in that game in his article in the Press Citizen. For photos and video hawkeyesports.com is the place to visit.   I live in a house where statistics are king. My son is a huge sports fan and by default that means I am too! I listen to him spouting information day in and day out and have gained enormo... 09/28/2009

Will Bruce beat out the competition this weekend at the box office?It's Friday and if you watch any TV at all you'll know that Bruce Willis is back with a new movie Surrogates and it's out on general release today. The other two big ones out today are another sci-fi movie with Dennis Quaid, Pandorum and a remake of the Oscar winning musical Fame. I'm a curious soul and before I start to write, whether it's on twitter, Facebook or here on my blog I need to know what I'm writing about, so I googled around a bit to see what the buzz was on these movies. Eric Davis at Fandango.com peaked my interest with his post giving his opinion on the movies and who he thinks will come out on top this weekend. His money is on Fame. He figures sci-fi followers will be split between the other two movies. ... 09/25/2009

Buying a Home in Iowa City: Step 7: You're Closing on Your New Home!This is the last part in a 7 part series that gives a detailed look at how the home buyingprocess works when you buy a home in the Iowa City area. I've included links to the other parts at the end of this post.You're almost there...Closing day is just around the corner... Ideally, 48 hours before you close we will get a HUD Statement, (settlement statement) from your lender showing exactly how the proceeds of the sale will be distributed. It will show the closing costs and they should correspond pretty closely with the costs shown on your GFE, (Good Faith Estimate), that you received when you first spoke to the lender. It will also show you how much the check will need to be for that you need to bring to closing. (It ma... 09/19/2009

Buying a Home in Iowa City: Step 6: Preparing to Close on your homeThis is part 6 in a 7 part series that gives a detailed look at how the home buying process works when you buy a home in the Iowa City area. I've included links to the other parts at the end of this post.What happens in this phase is that things slow down dramatically. After the whirlwind of finding the right home, making an offer and getting past the inspection process, you finally have time to wind down a bit.This is the time when the Bank and Title Company are called into action to take care of title work and financing. It's my job is to watch the time line and make sure all the players in the transaction are moving in the right direction. If someone drops the ball it's up to me to give them a nudge and get them back ... 09/18/2009

Iowa City Real Estate: Do You Buy Now and Take the $8000 First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit Or...Wait?As the deadline for the first time home buyer tax credit approaches I see more and more written about whether first time home buyers should take advantage of it or not. Apparently in some parts of the country buyers are getting into "panic buying" mode to make sure they get their $8000 credit. They're overpaying for homes just so they can take advantage of the tax credit. Sounds crazy, right? All I can say is if you're living in a part of the country where that's the case, then you really want to look at the big picture. Depending on your market, paying more for a home may be okay, but you really need to be sure that your market is improving and that your investment is a sound one. You do... 09/13/2009

Buying a Home in Iowa City: Step 5: Home Inspections & Repairs This is part 5 in a 7 part series that gives a detailed look at how the home buying process works when you buy a home in the Iowa City area. I've included links to the other parts at the end of this post.Once you have an accepted offer it will be time to schedule a home inspection. A home inspection may include a pest inspection and a test for radon. As a home buyer it always makes sense to do a thorough home inspection, after all this is a major investment, you want to be sure you know exactly what you're getting into.Home Inspectors generally charge based on the size and the age of the home. Costs in the Iowa City area  range around $250 - $350, with additional charges for extremely old homes or very large homes. Some home... 09/11/2009

Buying a Home in Iowa City: Step 4: Making an Offer This is part 4 in a 7 part series that gives a detailed look at how the home buying process works when you buy a home in the Iowa City area. I've included links to the other parts at the end of this post. Okay, so you've found a house that you really like and want to make an offer. This will be done in writing, something that surprises some people who think a quick call to the seller will get the ball rolling. Homes are sold on a handshake in Mexico, so the idea is not out of this world - It's just not going to happen in Iowa though, we have lots of rules to follow when it comes to transferring property!What I like to do is sit down with my clients and go through their options before writing an offer. Price, terms and conditions are th... 09/07/2009

Stormwater Quality BMP Program for Iowa City, Coralville and North Liberty IA There are so many ways we can help improve our environment. The US is lagging a bit compared to Europe and some other parts of the world and I'm on a bit of a crusade to do my part to make sure that I pass relevant information onto the people around me.     If you're "lucky" enough to get my newsletter, then you'll know what I mean...For those of you who don't, my newsletter often has energy saving tips, ways to maintain your yard naturally, or in the case of this month's newsletter, information about incentives for home owners who take part in the stormwater quality BMP program in the Iowa City area.   The idea is to promote installation of stormwater quality best management practices (BMPs) in the area. Fina... 09/04/2009

Iowa City, Coralville & North Liberty IA Real Estate Market Update August 2009Home sales for August are in for Iowa City, Coralville and North Liberty and it appears the swing upwards we enjoyed in July has pulled back again and numbers are down in August. It appears the first time home buyer market peaked in July. Considering that a vast number of renters in the Iowa City area sign leases starting August 1 that would make a lot of sense.  The number of homes sold in Iowa City was down 8%. 84 homes were sold in August 2008  in comparison to 91 in August 2008.In Coralville it was down 19% from last year. 29 homes were sold this year in comparison to 36 in August 2008. The biggest decline comes in North Liberty where the number of homes sold in comparison to last year is down by 49%. In J... 09/02/2009

Buying a Home in Iowa City: Step 3: Finding the Right Home for YouThis is the third part in a series that gives a detailed look at how the home buying process works when you buy a home in the Iowa City area. Parts 1 and 2 dealt with getting pre-approved for a home loan and choosing the right area to live. Part 3 will tackle the process of finding the right home for you. Now that you have a pretty good idea of what you feel comfortable spending on your new home and a rough idea of where you'd like it to be, it's time to decide what exactly you're looking for in a home.Even if you love looking at homes, there's no fun in spending you time viewing homes that are of zero interest to you and in no way reflect your needs. That's just time consuming and frustrating. Here are some of the questi... 09/01/2009

Buying a Home in Iowa City - Step 2: Choosing the right area to live This is the second part in a 7 part series to give you as a home buyer a better idea about the home buying process in Iowa City. Today I'm going to cover the question of choosing where you want to live. At the same time you want to consider the style and age of home you have in mind. There's no point looking for something that just isn't there - For instance a new ranch style home in downtown Iowa City! First I want to touch on a subject that is very specific to people relocating to Iowa City. If you are relocating the area and your top priority is to live within walking distance of the UI Campus, then you need to be aware that there is a VERY high demand for that... Higher demand generally means higher prices. That's ... 08/27/2009

Buying a Home in Iowa City: Step One: Getting Pre-approved for a Home LoanThis is the first part of a 7 part series geared towards "first timers". I'm thinking not only first time buyers, but also anyone relocating to the area. I figure folks relocating to the area are also first timers as generally if you're relocating to Iowa City you won't know the area. Then there's the fact that the buying process is a little different from state to state. (And very different if you're moving from overseas).The very first step when you're thinking about buying a home is to start by finding out how much you can afford. Now of course there's nothing less exciting than a trip to a mortgage lender, (except maybe a trip to the dentist), but it is a necessary step and usually not nearly as painful as you... 08/25/2009

Iowa City ACT Scores 2009   Big news in Iowa City this week - The ACT scores are in and Iowa came in 2nd in the nation again, with most area high schools in Iowa City scoring higher than the state average of 22.4.West High School beat it's own record this year with an average of 25.8 out of a possible 36. City High's average was 24.8 with the Regina Catholic Education Center at 23.8. Visit the Press Citizen website for scores for other high schools in the area. This is pretty important information for you if you're moving to the area. The ACT is an important measure of how well students are doing when it comes to being college ready after graduating from high school and is used by many colleges and universities in the decision making process with scholarships and to determine admission.... 08/21/2009

Iowa City Real Estate: Selling Your Home in a Tough Market   When times are tough it's time to get back to basics. There are  no secrets. There are three basic factors to consider when it comes to selling a home in Iowa City or anywhere else for that matter. Condition of a home Price of the home Location   Let's start with condition: the condition of your home has never been more important than it is in the current market. The Iowa City market may be stable compared to other areas, but buyers are are still VERY picky in this market, so to get their attention you want to make sure your house"stands out from the crowd". How do you do that? The easiest way is for you start thinking like a buyer. Pretty soon you'll be in the market to buy a new home. Go to some open houses and figure out wh... 08/19/2009

Iowa City: More than you expect in the Midwest Iowa City is a surprising town...This comes from someone who's visited many towns and cities on three different continents, so I figure that makes me something of an authority on the subject! I relocated to Iowa City ten years ago and had no idea what to expect. What do you think of when you think of Iowa? I thought of the Gilbert Grape movie and corn fields and that was about it… It didn't take me long to realize that I was way off base and there's a lot more to Iowa City than that...Of course Iowa City is a college town, so it has the college town atmosphere. The University of Iowa as the largest employer in the area has an enormous influence on the Iowa City way of life. The University is probably the main reason why Iowa City has such a... 08/13/2009

Iowa City Real Estate Market When I'm out and about and run into people it takes about 30 seconds for the topic of conversation to turn to what is on every Homeowner's and Homebuyer's mind...Just how is the Iowa City Real Estate Market doing anyway? I'm an Iowa City Realtor who's also an information junkie, so researching market conditions is fun for me... Yes, I know - strange but true! This is Part 1 of my take on how the Iowa City Housing Market is doing. Part 2 covers  Coralville and North Liberty. The three areas are interconnected so it's the best way to see how the Iowa City Area Housing Market is trending. It's the beginning of August so I'll start is with some market statistics for home sales in July for Iowa City.There were 172 homes sold in Iowa City in July 2009 in compariso... 08/05/2009