Home Sales Stats: National to The Woodlands, Texas

MaxedOutMama has the latest home sales trends. The real numbers are less optimistic than she was a few months ago and she wasn't all that optimistic. I have a relative in New Jersey and the home prices have softened significantly since she bought a year ago. That gibes with what Mama is saying: the Northeast is softening first. Not. Good.

Here in Houston? Well, it depends. But overall, my mortgage broker friend said that home values are just plugging along at an approximate 10-15% gain, which she says is better because it's not wildly speculative. It's just growing. I'm telling you, people make fun of the Houston area, but I love it. Still lots of value for the price of homes. Oh, and you can live, too. Unless technology and the energy sector take a nosedive, possible but unlikely (and if that happens everyone is in trouble), I think Houston should be okay. The Houston Chronicle has a very nice wrap-up of the area. Come on down, ya'll it's hot, but, hey, where isn't?

Driven by a strong economy, the median price per square foot for a home rose 3.8 percent last year, up from less than 1 percent in 2004, according to a study by Evert Crawford of Crawford Realty Advisors in conjunction with the University of Houston's Institute for Regional Forecasting. The median price indicates half the homes sold for more and half for less.

As a very specific note, the houses at the back of the Woodlands are moving slower than in the front. If you come out to the area to look around, keep that in mind. Being close to I-45 shortens your commute by 20 minutes. At the end of a long day, 20 minutes is a lot.