View Homes For Sale in Metairie, LA “U.S. Backs Off Tight Mortgage Rules” screamed the top headline on the front page of The Wall Street Journal last week. For Metairiemortgage shoppers, it could scarcely have been better news. Probably. ‘Probably’ because any change is not yet a done deal, but it’s hard to see what will derail the likely full reverse of the federal establishment’s years-long tight home loan policy. Why is this suddenly in the cards? The full answer is complicated, but here is a quick (admittedly over-simplified) summary of what’s been happening to Metairiemortgage applicants—and what probably lies ahead. The ongoing real estate recovery has been less of a boon to banks (including Metairie’s mortgage originators) than to other participants because of tightened lending ... 05/19/2014

View Homes For Sale in Metairie, LA It’s usually the curb appeal Metairie properties put out there that either plants a winning first impression…or a ho-hum (maybe it’s more interesting inside) reaction. This holds for casual passers-by as well as serious prospects who are pulling up for a scheduled house showing. It’s simply true: you never get a second chance to make a first impression. If you will be listing your home this summer, adding a thoughtful extra touch or two to the outside can transform your Metairieproperty’s curb appeal into its first strong selling point. After all, what buyer won’t favor a home they’d be proud to have friends and co-workers visit? Here are some simple and affordable projects—each of which can be started and finished in a single weekend! ·             ... 05/15/2014

View Homes For Sale in Metairie, LA Everyone expects that finding and buying the right Metairie home will take a good deal of attention and energy. After all, it’s as important a purchase as we ever make. But when you add in the potential that something on your mortgage application could bring everything to a screeching halt, that’s one detail that has the potential to trigger what could turn everything into a truly harrowing experience. The average credit score in America is around 688. That might look like a respectably large number, yet it’s considered mediocre when it comes to mortgages. And the truth is that most Americans are blissfully unaware of what is going on with their credit reports most of the time...that is, until they’re presented with a Metairiemortgage application. Id... 05/06/2014

View Homes For Sale in Metairie For decades, the three-bedroom house has been a cornerstone of the American dream. Now, as with the rest of the nation, Metairie’s real estate profile for new single family homes seems to be changing. And last year we may well have reached a turning point in the national new home market: now four bedrooms seems to have become the new norm!  Last year, a full 48% of new homes—nearly half—were built with at least four bedrooms. That’s quite a jump when you compare it with just four years earlier: in 2009, the figure was 34%. We asked ourselves why the nation’s preferences would have undergone such a sizable shift. A little research revealed some likely answers—and some interesting history behind them.   The Rise of Bigger Homes The footprint of the average... 05/05/2014

              Last week’s Rasmussen Reports survey reported that the majority (52%) of Americans consider their home to be a family’s best investment at the same time that the number of people who are choosing to remodel their home is on the rise. According to the Houzz & Home survey, the number of people who planned improvement projects rose a dynamic 12 % last year. Of those, 40% wanted to remodel their home or build an addition.     While remodeling may be becoming more popular, there are still plenty of advantages to the alternative route: purchasing a new home in Metairie. Here are some of the pros and cons of each route: ·         Before you start your remodeling project you should take a personal inventory. Do you have the experience and skills to manage the project…and is the pr... 04/30/2014

The birds are chirping, the flowers are blooming, noses are running (hopefully not yours)…spring has definitely arrived! It’s that time of year when, if you are lucky enough to own property here in Metairie, to conduct the few simple maintenance operations that 1)      Are all too easy to overlook; and 2)      Are guaranteed to save you big money as time goes on. Sooooooo… Clear those branches   Termites are one of the nastiest little creatures on Earth. They can enter a Metairieproperty undetected and immediately begin to munch through your home’s wooden underpinnings. Branches that lean up against a home provide the perfect pathway for termites and other creatures (the list includes squirrels, mice and spiders). Spring is the easiest time to trim those branches while leaves are just ... 04/28/2014

With spring in the air, you don’t have to have your Metairie home for sale to catch the spring cleaning bug. Whether or not you’ve been cooped up inside for a longer-than-usual siege of the wintertime blues, as soon as the weather turns the corner, there seems to be a natural urge to open the windows and start freshening your place up. Spring also brings the traditional hot selling season, and if you’re among those getting ready to list your own home for sale to take advantage of it, you’ll want to add extra attention to the traditional cleanup. Home for sale or not, you can channel some of your annual sprucing-up energy with one of these light renovation ideas. Each can add new zest to your living areas without breaking the bank: ·         If you want to liven up your kitchen or bathr... 04/21/2014

  Despite the winter’s chilling effect on all sorts of sales, February saw single family homes, condominiums and townhomes selling nationwide at a full 7% increase over a year earlier. The opposite is true of foreclosures—no surprise, since the health of the market means fewer serious borrower delinquencies, hence fewer foreclosures. Even so, Metairie foreclosures are still available, possibly because some of the fiercest competition may be tailing off. Real estate watcher RealtyTrac finds that the institutional investor buying spree appears to be losing steam—which could be very good news for individuals interested in purchasing foreclosures. Typically, Metairie foreclosures are listed on an as-is basis -- and that means exactly what it says. Whatever is wrong with the property will r... 04/17/2014

View Homes for sale in Metairie A major home-selling decision arrives right at the start: setting your home’s price. It’s a step that can be decisive for good or for ill. But what is the “right” price? We know what it probably isn’t—it’s not the first number that pops into your head, nor is it likely to be The-Price-of-Your-Next-House-Plus-the Cost-of-a-Family-Vacation-in-Tahiti-Plus-the-New-Sportscar-You’ve-Always-Wanted-to-Own. It’s also not a price that will ‘test the market’ (to make sure there hasn’t been an upward spike in demand since the last comparable neighborhood home sold). Setting a home’s price in the right ballpark can be easier than many people assume. You can get there by a number of different routes, most of them tied to recent neighborhood history: BUYER APPEAL Setti... 04/09/2014

View homes for sale in Metairie  With spring already upon us, we stand at the threshold of Metairie’s first major selling season of 2014. If you are preparing to add your own property to the Metairie home listings, the International Association of Home Staging Professionals would like to draw your attention to some statistics that bolster their members’ proposition. None is more compelling than this one: non-staged homes remain 79 days longer on market than their professionally-staged neighbors.   Still, since not everyone hires a professional staging company to work their magic, you’d think there would be a few DIY alternatives that would well worth doing. Of course, there are: and some go beyond the most well-known staging rules that are basic to any home sale: 1. De-clutter (then de... 04/07/2014

View homes for sale in Metairie Metairie real estate investors come from every kind of background, but all share a common trait: they like to think ahead. For that reason, investors eyeing Metairie apartment building prospects may want to take a close look at what’s going on with the Millennial generation. For those of us who are a bit uncertain about which group is considered “Generation Y” and which are “Millennials,” there’s a reason for that. Both terms refer to the same group—everyone born between 1977 and 2000. And whatever you call them, they are a very important demographic. According to some statistics, they are 80,000,000 strong! That makes them a larger demo than Baby Boomers, and 20% larger than those who come next: the Gen X’ers.   PWC (PriceWaterhouseCoopers LLC), the wid... 04/03/2014

Slow and Steady Price Rise Boosts Housing Market Outlook  View more about the Metairie market   The details seem stubbornly worrisome. Mortgage requirements have grown stricter. The Federal Reserve may or may not turn off the cheap money spigot—and if anything causes the stock market to sputter, it’s uncertainty. Occasional bits of good news in the labor picture can’t overcome the fact that unemployment remains stuck on high in many states. All of this should be bad news for the housing market in Metairie, except for one overriding factor: apparently, American consumers aren’t buying it. Despite uncertain economic news, consumers’ overall expectations for the housing market remained steady. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s monthly Survey of Consumer Expectations, issued last week... 03/28/2014

4713 Reich St. Metairie, LA 70006 $239,000     Mr. and Mrs. Ortigoza say it’s a bitter-sweet transition for them to leave this home. They are excited to start a new chapter in an exciting new country with their young (and very sweet) little boy, but sad to say goodbye to the home they fell in love with. They especially loved the family room and back patio, where they have spent a lot of time playing with their son.     The home was renovated by a contractor who purchased it right after hurricane Katrina. When the current owners bought the home, it was move-in ready. They made minimal changes; installing new laminate flooring in the living area and hall (which was carpet), added some furniture to the back patio, and painted the walls to their taste.     They will miss the comfort of thei... 03/26/2014

When it comes to buying a house in Metairie, almost the first thing most of us do is to check the online listings to see what’s out there that catches our eye. That quick first look will usually reflect some preferences most of us don’t even bother to think about (that is, until we’re buying a house). Sometimes they stem from our earliest childhood memories—the impressions that shape what ‘home’ should look like. Sometimes, those preferences have developed over time as an expression of our personal style. One preference can be a real trouble-maker if a couple discovers that their outlooks don’t match. It’s the one about which kind of home is more appealing: a brand new one (actually, the National Association of Home Builders defines a “new” home as one less than four years old) or an o... 03/25/2014

Keeping your Metairie kitchen looking up-to-date doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive. Contemporary home design in Metairie is all about knowing what the latest trends are and which to choose when regular maintenance calls for a change in appliances or décor. This year, eco-friendly appliances are definitely ‘in’—as are the pops of bright color meant to create a vivid and welcoming kitchen. And as convenience features continue to evolve, those are increasingly prominent factors influencing design choices. Especially if you are planning to sell your Metairie home in the near future, there are a few home design directions that are most likely to impress prospective buyers who’ve been exploring the latest kitchen trends: Going green is a pronounced trend, not just in home design. Usi... 03/21/2014

2321 Massachusetts Ave. Metairie, LA 70003 PRICED TO SELL $99,000 3 bedroom, 1 bath 1,200 sqft   View more information     Terez Harris NOLA Real Estate Group (504)297-2619 www.TerezHarris.com   Harris.Terez@gmail.com   See What Your New Orleans Home is Worth   See What Your Metairie Home is Worth!         Metairie For Sale By Owner?     New Orleans For Sale By Owner?     Connect with Terez HarrisNOLA Real Estate Group on Facebook!     Follow Terez Harris onTwitter!         Keller Williams Realty New Orleans 8601 Leake Ave. New Orleans, LA 70118 504-862-0100 Each office independently owned and operated. All brokers licensed in the state of Louisiana.   03/19/2014

4713 Reich St. Metairie, LA 70006 $239,000 4 bedroom, 2 bath 1850 sqft   View more information   Terez Harris NOLA Real Estate Group (504)297-2619 www.TerezHarris.com   Harris.Terez@gmail.com   See What Your New Orleans Home is Worth   See What Your Metairie Home is Worth!         Metairie For Sale By Owner?     New Orleans For Sale By Owner?     Connect with Terez HarrisNOLA Real Estate Group on Facebook!     Follow Terez Harris onTwitter!         Keller Williams Realty New Orleans 8601 Leake Ave. New Orleans, LA 70118 504-862-0100 Each office independently owned and operated. All brokers licensed in the state of Louisiana.     03/19/2014

  Buyers Choosing Homes in the 70006 Zip Code     The last few years have seen a small decline in property values for homes in the 70006 zip code. Today, the value for homes for sale in zip code 70006 has return to higher levels. The Spring of 2014 will be remembered for the spike in demand and value. Home values did take hits in all of New Orleans. Metairie homes for sale could not dodge the down turn. Today, the small but decrease in home values has resulted for homes for sale in the 70006 zip code some of the most affordable Metairie has to offer. This spike in demand in Metairie, one is due to value and also location. Metairie located in Jefferson Parish is central in the Greater New Orleans area. According to NOLA.com the homes values in zip code 70006 are almost back to pre-Katrin... 03/12/2014

On January 6, the Senate confirmed Janet Yellen to head the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors, making it the first time ever that a woman has led the nation’s most important financial institution. In some respects, it makes her the most powerful woman in the United States. As with every personnel change in the Fed, Yellen’s rise has fostered plenty of concerns about the direction the Federal Reserve will take under her leadership. Since it’s the institution that determines the federal funds rate—which in turn dictates how much businesses and individuals pay for their loans—any change in Federal Reserve policy has a significant impact on our Metairie home loan rates. Sooner or later, those rates affect just about all of us.  So, what clues do we have about the direction Ms. Yellen is... 03/12/2014

  Spring Forward   Daylight Savings begins at 2 a.m. on Sunday MARCH 9, 2014. Make sure to turn your clock forward one hour. Fire departments also encourage the public to change the battery in smoke detectors.   Homes in the Zip Code 70006 home valves    February 2014     New Listing: 12 Homes Sold: 4 Average List Price: $205,750 Average Sale Price $199,000 Day on Market: 27                   Search New Orleans Real Estate.com   03/08/2014