Real Estate Market News for April – Leslie Lerner Properties – Houston Realtor

[wpcol_2third id=”” class=”” style=””]APRIL NEWS YOU CAN USE
Housing Stats ∙ Spring Cleaning Made Easy

HOUSTON REAL ESTATE MARKET SUSTAINING ITSELF DESPITE ENERGY SLOWDOWN

During the month of March, the Houston housing market showed positve sales among mid-range homes and inventory continued to grow. The Greater Houston Partnesrship stated that Census Data showed that the Houston metropolitan area lead the nation in population growth in 2015, with the addition of 159,000 new residents. This infux of new residents could be fueling the current home sales despite the energy industry layoffs.

March sales of all property types in Houston was down 1% from the same month last year. Single family-home sales declined 2.2 percent versus March 2015. Total dollar volume for properties sold in March fell 2.5 percent. New listings increased inventory from a 2.8-months supply to 3.6 months.

According to the latest monthly report prepared by the Houston Association of REALTORS® (HAR):

  • Single-family home sales declined 2.2 percent compared to last March;
  • Single-family home sales broken out by price range:
    • $1 – $79,999: decreased 19.8 percent
    • $80,000 – $149,999: decreased 17.4 percent
    • $150,000 – $249,999: increased 8.1 percent
    • $250,000 – $499,999: decreased 2.5 percent
    • $500,000 and above: decreased 12.4 percent
  • On a year-to-date basis, single-family home sales are up 1.0 percent;
  • Total property sales declined 1.0 percent to 7,375 units;
  • Total dollar volume fell 2.5 percent to $1.9 billion;
  • Single-family homes months of inventory climbed to a 3.6-months supply versus 2.8 months a year earlier;
  • Days on Market for single-family homes edged up to 58 days versus 54 in 2015;
  • Townhomes/condominium sales rose 1.9 percent with the average price down 2.0 percent;
  • Leases of single-family homes climbed 9.0 percent with rents up a fractional 0.6 percent to $1,736;
  • Leases of townhomes/condominiums climbed 10.3 percent with rents up 2.5 percent to $1,545.

>>>Read the entire release.

Spring Cleaning Made Easy

Spring cleaning time is here. Below are some innovative ways to make deep cleaning a little easier.

1. Break Out the Drill on Your Bathtub

Cleaning a grungy tub can be back-breaking work. But here’s a genius idea that’ll save you time and sweat: Use your drill. Simply attach a foam ball polishing attachment, and use it to do the scrubbing for you. Look in the automotive section for the attachment, which is made specially for tackling grime without scratching surfaces.

2. Soak Stove Burners in Ammonia
Your stove burners take the bulk of the greasy, gunky mess during cooking, so do them a favor and give them a good cleaning. Don’t worry: No scrubbing involved. To clear the crud, combine your stove burners and 1/4 cup ammonia in a plastic bag and let sit overnight. They should come clean with a light sponge the next day.

3. Iron Out Bad Carpet Stains
Don’t spend an hour scrubbing out that nasty, set-in carpet splotch. Iron it out instead. Spritz a solution of one part vinegar, three parts water on the stain, and lay a clean cotton cloth on top. Turn your iron to its highest steam setting and run it over the stain for about 10 seconds to transfer the stain to the cloth and off your carpet.

4. Tie a Bag of Vinegar Around Your Showerhead
Mineral build-up on your showerhead can cause low water pressure and wonky water streams. But it’s easy to clean them without removing them. Using a rubber band, attach a bag of vinegar to your showerhead, making sure all the holes are submerged in the vinegar, and soak it overnight. Voilà. Good as new.

5. Make Your Leaf Blower Multi-Task
Forget the broom and rags when you’re cleaning out the garage. Whip out your leaf blower and let it blow all the dust, debris, and dead bugs (yuck!) away from the floor and shelving. Just be sure to put away light-weight things could accidentally get blown out with the trash.

6. Get Rid of Crayon Marks with Goo Gone
Removing evidence of your toddler’s overactive imagination from your gorgeous white walls can be a struggle, but a little bit of Goo Gone (traditionally used to clean sticker residue) will remove the crayon and your headache. Spray it on the drawing, wait a moment, and wipe it off cleanly — without exhausting your arms.

7. Boil Your Range Hood or Downdraft Filter
There’s no need to scrub the grease and grime off your range filters. Use a bit of baking soda and your largest pot instead. Set the water to boil, slowly add 1/2 cup of baking soda, and submerge your filters for about five minutes. (Make sure to dump the water somewhere safe. Grease in the drain is even worse than grimy filters.)

8. Sprinkle Your Mattress With Baking Soda
Your mattress needs a springtime refresh, too, but you sure can’t toss it in the washing machine. Cleaning gurus recommend dragging your mattress outside, beating it, and letting the sunshine help freshen it, then dragging it back in. But who has the muscle for that? This is much easier: Use a kitchen strainer to sprinkle baking soda over its surface and let sit for an hour or longer. Longer is better. Then use your vacuum’s upholstery attachment to suck up the odor-absorbing soda.

Read more on Houselogic.

[/wpcol_2third][wpcol_1third_end id=”” class=”” style=””]All of the service, for less money!

LESLIE LERNER PROPERTIES WILL:

  • List Homes $300,000 – $799,999 for $4,500
  • List Homes $800,000 – $1,999,999 for $12,000
  • List Homes above $2,000,000 for $25,000
  • $200,000 – $299,999 for $1.5%
    >>Read More
  • We will rebate 1.5% of the Buyer’s Agent’s Commission if we show you 1 – 3 homes.
  • We will rebate 1% if we show you 4 – 6 homes.
    >>Read More

>>>SEE WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT LESLIE LERNER PROPERTIES

If you think it is time to buy or sell a home, remember to call Leslie Lerner Properties at 713.489.9900.  Leslie Lerner Properties is the Home of Flat Fee Listings and Rebated Commissions.  A great amount of information can be found at www.LeslieLernerProperties.com.  Leslie Lerner Properties offers all of the service for less money, when buying or selling a home.

 

**BROWSE OUR CURRENT LISTINGS**

Like Leslie Lerner Properties on Facebook!
[/wpcol_1third_end]