Lake Martin Voice Realty
Lake Martin Home Sales For November 2011
The Lake Martin real estate market posted good waterfront sales for November, 2011.
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The Lake Martin MLS* reports that 8 waterfront homes, condos, and town homes were sold in November. This includes all real estate agents, all brokerages, on the entire lake, that are members of the Lake Martin Area Association of Realtors.
It meant that November in 2011 was not as good as November 2010′s 10 homes sold, but was good enough to push the 2011 total above the 200 barrier to 203. This is significant because Lake Martin real estate market has not seen waterfront home sales above 200 since 2006 scored 235 sales.
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This year’s number of waterfront homes sold so far on Lake Martin has surprised me. After a strong summer and fall, I thought that we would end the year with 205 or so total. Hitting 203 with one more month to go is very encouraging. My revised estimate for the entire year is 210 or so homes sold, which, as mentioned, will be the best since 2006.
Will December 2011 beat December 2010? I doubt it. Last year there were 12 waterfront homes sold through the MLS. That’s strong – the best December since I have been tracking the numbers in 2005. The average amount of Lake Martin homes sold in December has been about 6 if you look at 2005 – 2011.
If that holds true, Lake Martin will be on a two month losing streak to the prior year. Does this bode ill? Not necessarily, in my opinion. Firstly, it’s hard to be anything but happy with the best year’s sales since 2006. Secondly, we have learned that the winter months can be unreliable predictors. To wit, 2007 had an awesome first quarter before totally tanking.
I won’t slice the numbers too much this month; I need to save my strength for my year end review later this month. But in case you are interested, there was another waterfront lot sale on Lake Martin in November:
Also the sales versus the prior month chart is as expected, November posted a loss versus 2010 but overall the year was great:
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Waterfront lot sales for Lake Martin property sold through the MLS were also strong in November.
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Strong lot sales on Lake Martin this year could mean a good year for the construction industry. Granted, total waterfront lot sales are only about 60% of their peak in 2006, but hey, over 30 is a good year.
As I mentioned above, I will put a greater amount of emphasis on the year end numbers. I will wait a week or so more to make sure that all realtors and brokerages on Lake Martin have finalized their reporting to the MLS, so please stay tuned!
Related Posts:
Lake Martin Real Estate Sales 2011 – October 2011
Lake Martin Real Estate Sales 2010 – Lot Sales
Lake Martin Real Estate Sales 2010
Lake Martin Real Estate Sales 2009 – Year In Review
Lake Martin Real Estate Sales 2008 – Year In Review
Lake Martin Real Estate Sales 2007 – Year In Review
All Lake Martin Market Reports
(*)Disclaimers: All of the above info was taken from the Lake Martin Area Association of Realtors Multiple Listing Service. Accuracy is not guaranteed but deemed reliable. The above does not include sales by FSBOs or developers that sell privately and not through the MLS. But, I do think that the above represents a very large majority of all waterfront sales on Lake Martin, Alabama.
Go Mobile For A Lake Martin Home Search
I have made a change to Lake Martin Voice.com for mobile users that I think will make it easier to search for a waterfront home, lot, or condo.
Most users probably won’t notice or care, but I explain here because I want to draw attention to my new mobile search for Lake Martin real estate. Previously, I had a WordPress Plugin that would kick in when you accessed my site from an iPhone, Droid, etc. The result was that the mobile version of my site did not look like the regular. It categorized and summarized the articles and made reading my posts much more easy from a smart phone.
However, I have changed my mind on that. I think that many mobile users of my site are more likely to be searching the Lake Martin MLS. I decided to optimize the mobile experience for the best search possible.
Enter FBS Data Systems’ new Mobile Search.
FBS sells a product called FlexMLS. FlexMLS is the software that the Lake Martin Area Association of Realtors uses for its MLS system. I really love FlexMLS. I have looked at a lot of other MLS software, and even dabble in another association’s, but I have yet to find a better overall MLS software system than FlexMLS. They just seem to be out on the forefront of usable new features. I like a company that rolls something out before I realize I need it.
FlexMLS has recently improved its mobile search for consumers (that’s you). The search is really clean, simple, and effective. I played around with the beta test and they have improved it since then. I love it.
Mobile users will still be able to read my blog posts, neighborhood pages, etc. But I make this change because it makes it easier to get to the search from a mobile browser.
I would like to make a few customizations for the Lake Martin market. For instance, I would love to have the field “Waterfront” available on the default page, and defaulted to a “Yes.” Overall, though, I am really happy with it.
Here are some more screen shots:
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Once you search the Lake Martin MLS, through the mobile site or the regular version, if you see something you like, just click the smiley face next to it. That will allow you to register for your own “portal” to login to the system. Don’t worry, your info only comes to me.
If you have your own login, you can save your likes, dislikes, and “I’ll buy this one when I win the lottery” home.
Or, just contact me here or call me at 334 221 5862 or email me at [email protected] and let me search for you.
New Foreclosure Field In Lake Martin MLS
Those interested in waterfront foreclosure homes or lots for sale on Lake Martin, Alabama, should take note of an interesting development.
The Lake Martin Area Association of Realtors’ MLS has made a new rule that any waterfront foreclosure home, lot, or condo should be designated as a foreclosure by selecting “Yes” in a new field of input in the MLS called “Foreclosure.”
Click here –> to request the Lake Martin Foreclosure List
FAQ related to this new development in Lake Martin waterfront foreclosures:
Photo By: randrflyfishing.com
1. What is a “field” in the Lake Martin MLS? A field is just an area of input. List price is a field. Number of bedrooms is a field. Number of baths is a field, etc. Now, Foreclosure is its own field, with the only possible answers being Yes / No.
2. So what? Why should I care that Foreclosure has its own field? Anything that has its own field can be searched easily and accurately. An easy search that yields good results is a good thing. Just ask Google. This will allow you, if you like, to view only waterfront foreclosures by searching in the MLS and looking for 3 criteria: 1. Status = Active, 2. Waterfront = Yes, 3. Foreclosure = Yes. This is how I search now instead of combing through each new listing and looking at the seller’s name.
3. How does this affect Lake Martin Voice’s foreclosure list? I have switched the search results now to show any waterfront homes or lots for sale that have Yes in the Foreclosure field. So – if you have requested my foreclosure list in the past – THERE IS NO NEED TO RE REQUEST IT. Just go to that same web address I gave you before. It will still work.
4. Are the same homes and lots that were on the old foreclosure list, now showing up on the new list? Mostly. There are a few lots on the old foreclosure list that the listing agents have not properly changed that field. But it’s mostly accurate. Obviously, any MLS is only as good as the agents that use it, so it is still possible for a listing agent to enter a new home for sale and accidentally click “No” in the Foreclosure field. But it’s not very probable.
5. How often is your Lake Martin waterfront foreclosure list updated? Whenever any realtor enters a new listing, or changes an old one, my new list is updated almost instantly. That is the beauty of a field driven search list versus the old list where it depended on me going in there and designating each waterfront foreclosure by hand. Again, if you have requested this list before, THERE IS NO NEED TO RE REQUEST IT. Just go to that same web address I gave you before. It will still work.
6. If it is so easy to search for waterfront foreclosures on Lake Martin now, why do I need you or your stinking list? Well, since you put it like that – you don’t. You can search for yourself as described in #2 above. Of course, I don’t need a trout fishing guide. I know how to get to the river. I know how to cast. Sorry guides don’t help me at all. But great guides – well, I hire them because they teach me. They tell me which fly is working today, and the 90% of the water I can skip to get to the 10% that’s the best. When it comes to my own deal, I haven’t set my business up to tell that tired old real estate tale that we agents guard this secret treasure of info. That is so pre 2002. Hogwash. Information is out there and free. You don’t need me for mere raw data. You can search here in the Lake Martin MLS and call me with your whittled down list and I can advise you then. Or you can contact me through this form or call me at 334-221-5862 and I can save you the trouble. Either way, I aim to more than earn my keep.
7. How can I request to see Lake Martin waterfront foreclosure list?
Fill out THIS FORECLOSURE REQUEST FORM. Feel free to comment on this post, but please note that COMMENTING ON THIS POST DOESN’T GET YOU THE LIST. You must fill out THIS FORM. Thanks. Again, if you have requested this list before, THERE IS NO NEED TO RE REQUEST IT. Just go to that same web address I gave you before. It will still work.
8. Where is the entire list? I requested and received your list, but there are not many on there. Joe Biden, Matt Lauer, AND Ryan Seacrest all told me that every home for sale in America is a foreclosure and costs 10 cents. What gives? Despite the collective economic wisdom of those guys, there are some areas that are NOT still being rocked by foreclosures. Lake Martin is one of them. We are averaging about 5% of waterfront homes for sale being foreclosures, not 30% like in other markets.
Please stay tuned to this blog for later posts where I will try to make some how to videos to help you search. In the meantime, please call me at 334-221-5862 if I may help.
If a Home Price Falls in the MLS Forest, but Google Can’t Hear It, Did It Happen?
I am proud to be a member of the Lake Martin MLS.
It is the best repository of Lake Martin waterfront real estate. Any agent or any brokerage that is even passingly serious about selling property here is a member, and updates his/her listings’ information rather well.
So why do I go through all of the effort to have a blog and maintain my listings’ information on it?
Because most people look for real estate by using internet search engines like Google, and those search engines cannot see inside the Lake Martin MLS.
Don’t get mad, because they can’t see inside your hometown’s MLS either (most likely). Nether can they see inside other systems that are currently closed, like Facebook.
So how does the public get information about homes for sale? Many buyers do go directly to the MLS and search, either as a service provided by an agent, or through the MLS’s site itself.
But is that the best source of information? Usually not. The higher you go up that ladder, to the local MLS, then to Realtor.com, then to aggregators like Trulia, Zillow, and Roost, you lose information like pics and video and neighborhood data. Buyers end up getting frustrated by the lack of data, and seek more relevant, local sources.
That’s why locally produced and edited blogs like LakeMartinVoice.com are such powerful selling tools.
In contrast to the MLS, we are fully open and searchable by all search engines. In fact, the very architecture of the site is designed to promote that. We produce hyperlocal content – that is, I have pictures and video not only of the homes, but of the streets, what the neighbors’ homes look like, pricing trends, where to eat lunch, and how not to get burned in a purchase.
This sort of information, praise God, has proved extremely valuable to buyers over the last three years, and keeps them coming back and referring friends to our real estate brokerage.
If you are a Lake Martin seller, don’t you want your home to be listed in a place that can instantly get out the word about your waterfront home, lot, or condo?
Contact us through this form , or email the address at the top of the page, or call at 334 221 5862.
The MLS is helpful, and is certainly used by many buyers at some point in their search.
But if you build your marketing platform around it, you could risk not being heard, like the proverbial tree falling in the forest.
Lake Martin Real Estate Sales – November 2008
The Lake Martin MLS* shows that waterfront property sales were up again this month, when compared to 2007. In November of 2008, 6 waterfront homes were sold through the MLS as compared to 3 in the drought baked 2007 year.
I know what you’re saying – 6 homes sold on all of Lake Martin? Sounds wimpy to me, too. But if you take a step back and look, this is good news. If we compare 2008 to 2007, we now have beaten last year’s sales in 4 out of the last 5 months. In the one month (August) that we didn’t beat 07, it was a virtual tie. Perhaps this will point to a return to a more balanced market in 2009.
However, it does not appear that total 2008 lakefront sales will beat 2007 on Lake Martin. The first few months gave 07 an almost insurmountable lead. At the end of November 2008 we have sold 133 versus 152 in November 2007. Despite the late summer and fall rally, I don’t think 23 homes will be sold in December 2008 by Lake Martin agents. I think it will be more like 5. I hope I am wrong, though.
Check out the graph of cumulative sales:
With only 6 sales, the market did not do much to absorb the total number of waterfront homes for sale on Lake Martin. We did have another reduction, which is great, but we still are near our 24 month high of total number of listings. In November 2008 there were 463 homes for sale, which was lower than October’s 490 but still a far cry from January 2008′s 341.
Looking forward to the 2009 real estate market, what does this mean..
To Buyers?
We still have a lot of waterfront homes and lots for sale on Lake Martin. The buyers I talk to need help sorting through all of it. They ask: Which are overpriced? Which are in solid neighborhoods, and which are teetering on the edge of bank trouble? Which sellers will take a lot less than their list price, and which will be tighter on it? As a Realtor, my ability to answer these questions is how I make a living, and I certainly have a lot of opinions, backed up by the numbers, that helps a buyer spend the dollar most effectively.
To Sellers?
How will you make your Lake Martin home or lot stand out among the noise? The market has changed, that much is obvious. How will you react? Will you rely on the same old tired real estate tactics? Or will you realize that there is a difference? If you are thinking about selling this year, I would be honored to talk to you about your property, and develop a custom marketing plan that will include a heavy emphasis on internet marketing, supported by traditional advertising techniques. I would be glad to share the testimonials of the satisfied clients that made 2008 my best year in real estate.
(*)Disclaimers: All of the above info was taken from the Lake Martin Area Association of Realtors Multiple Listing Service. Accuracy is not guaranteed but deemed reliable. The above does not include sales by FSBOs or developers that sell privately and not through the MLS. But, I do think that the above represents a very large majority of all sales on Lake Martin.
Related Posts:
Lake Martin Market Statistics Category
Double Shot Of Good News – Lake Martin MLS Sales Results – Sept. and Oct. 2008
Lake Martin waterfront sales have not been especially brisk, but at least we have beaten the prior year in the last two months.
In September, there were 20 waterfront homes sold in the entire Lake Martin MLS*, which represented a 25% increase from September 2007. October 2008 saw 15 homes sold as compared to only 8 in October 2007. While that is positive news, I still don’t feel like we are in the heady rush of an upswing in sales.
Here’s the monthly sales chart:
We still haven’t sold more homes cumulatively as compared to 2007. The Lake Martin realtors would need to sell 29 homes total in November and December to do that. We might come close, but I doubt it. Here is the cumulative comparison chart:
Another bit of good news it that total active listings on the Lake Martin MLS have come down for the third month in a row. See below:
All of these backward looking charts are great, but the thing that people ask about the most is the future. Where is the Lake Martin real estate market headed? What about waterfront property around the country in general?
For all of you Lake Martin Voice Readers who want extra points, please read this excellent post by Nicolai Kolding on the Better Homes and Gardens Blog. I don’t know if he came up with this or not, but the basic gist is that a great way to understand the cycles of real estate is to study transaction sides (# of sales) and average sales price. This may seem elementary until you see what is driving what – average price changes lag BEHIND transaction sides. In other words, changes in # of sales foretell changes in prices.
This is not some hocus pocus, he backs it up with cold hard numbers and observes market periods long enough ago that we can all agree were sellers’ or buyers’ markets. Check out his supplementary post here, and download the spreadsheets to check the numbers yourself.
We have a disadvantage here in the Lake Martin waterfront market in that our average sales prices are all over the map. As I have said before, our small sample sizes of sales mean that we have a wide difference month to month in average sales price. Any time you have a wide difference or deviation, statisticians tend to throw out the results. Think of trying to predict the presidential election by only asking 1 person. It wouldn’t be very accurate. If you ask one million, well, depending on the sample, it will be more accurate. Asking 10 million, even more accurate. We can’t look at short term average sales price changes on waterfront homes on Lake Martin and infer very much.
But we can keep a close eye on total sales, and how they compare with previous periods. We will have to make a call with our guts on the average prices. But if we put both together, maybe we can assign what type of market Lake Martin is in with a little more certainty than before. Thanks to Nicolai for the post, and for sending me his supporting data so that I could run a test on Lake Martin.
“So what?” – you ask.
Well, it means that if you are thinking about buying at Lake Martin – get hopping.
I think we’re in Phase V or VI, but I don’t know how long that will last. We blew through Phases III and IV pretty fast. And we only have up to go. With so many properties on the market, wouldn’t you like a professional to help you make sure you aren’t the one who gets burned? Call me or email me.
(*)Disclaimers: All of the above info was taken from the Lake Martin Area Association of Realtors Multiple Listing Service. Accuracy is not guaranteed but deemed reliable. The above does not include sales by FSBOs or developers that sell privately and not through the MLS. But, I do think that the above represents a very large majority of all sales on Lake Martin.
Related Posts:
Lake Martin Market Statistics Category
Lake Martin MLS Sales Results – August 2008
Lake Martin MLS* waterfront home sales did not match the sun and fun for August 2008.
July 2008 waterfront home sales turned in a winner, beating 2007′s mark and giving us hope of the start of a rally.
Unfortunately, August did not repeat, turning in a lukewarm 20 sales, about the same amount for August 2007.
Once again, the old supply and demand thing continues to nag Lake Martin just like the rest of the country. It was heartening to see the first reduction (from 527 to 518) in active listings since November of 2007. The overall active waterfront listings did dip, perhaps (hopefully) beginning its annual cold weather slide:
Another interesting thing to note is the amount of waterfront lots that are for sale right now on Lake Martin. I must admit I was surprised, and triple checked this number. Would you belieive that in August there were 152 lots for sale, and only 2 sold? Check this table:
This confirms the c-store talk among real estate agents. Given these numbers, and scanning the MLS, I think that any buyer looking at Lake Martin as a pure investment play needs to consider a lot. Especially if you don’t want a lot of upkeep. Lots are low maintenance. If this applies to you, let me know, I have a new lot listing that you might like.
I will wait another week or so to post results for 3Q08. I try to give it several weeks after the calendar end date to post results, as a lot of agents lag behind a bit in entering their results into the Lake Martin MLS.
Are you thinking about selling, and would like to know how I would use the above information to sell your property, despite all of the doom and gloom? Contact me. It can be done! Let me share some success stories with you.
Related posts:
More posts on Lake Martin MLS Statistics
(*)Disclaimers: All of the above info was taken from the Lake Martin Area Association of Realtors Multiple Listing Service. Accuracy is not guaranteed but deemed reliable. The above does not include sales by FSBOs or developers that sell privately and not through the MLS. But, I do think that the above represents a very large majority of all sales on Lake Martin.
Lake Martin Voice Announces Map Based MLS Search
Lake Martin Voice readers have noticed this for a while now, but we have recently undergone a redesign. I did this to try and keep my blog on the positive tip of usability and reader friendliness, without indulging myself in a bunch of geeky add ons that distract.
That being said, by far the most popular element of the redesign as been the new way to search the Lake Martin MLS.
Coley Real Estate is proud to offer the area’s only (so far as I know) Map Based MLS search. Just click on the Search the MLS tab above to see what I mean.
When you do that, you will be taken to a search portal. You may have to adjust the up/down and right/left scroll bars on your screen to remove my smiling face and see the map. You will see that the map shows you the total number of active listings and asks you if you want to plot them (at this writing there were 1,335).
If you don’t want to see them all, narrow your results by # of bedrooms, or price, or waterfront, on the left. Now is when it gets interesting, so let’s use the map to restrict the results:
1. Zoom in to your desired level. You can move the map around by clicking in it and dragging around to get in the perfect location.
2. Select a map drawing tool from the bottom, I like the “irregular polygon” tool. See this pic to find the tool:
3. Click around the area that you want to, with this tool you can make as many clicks as you want. The circle tool is different, and so is the rectangle tool. When you are done defining your area, double click to set it in stone. Then it looks like:
4. View the results. If it doesn’t do this automatically, click “Update” so that the number count is refreshed. You can view individual listings by zooming in and clicking on each green square, or you can view them all in a list by selecting the “List” tab on the upper right corner.
5. Enjoy! If you have any interest in any of the listings, contact me – you call or email me at my info at the top of the page. If you have trouble browsing around – email me, I will try to help.
FAQ about the Lake Martin Voice MLS Map Search:
1. Are you cool or something? How do you have this info and no one else does? I would like to pretend that I am cool, but in reality I am not. This is the same info that is presented by the Lake Martin Area Association of Realtors, and by many other realtors’ sites, for that matter. The big difference is that here, for the first time, it is presented and organized by each listing’s geocode so that you can see it on a map. The #1 complaint I heard from consumers was that our MLS is hard to search. This is an attempt to help that problem. A huge thanks to Flex MLS for putting out a great software system for us to use.
2. Where is my (my neighbor’s) waterfront home on the map? I know for a fact it’s for sale, I can see the sign from my window, but it’s not on your map. What’s up? Keep in mind that this data is a direct feed from the MLS. If the listing agent has not gone into the system to correctly tell FlexMLS where the listing is, it may be wrong. Much like if the listing agent enters the wrong number of bedrooms, it will be wrong until each listing agent fixes it. Nothing I can do about that (unless it’s my listing). The system is imperfect as it is fed data by imperfect people.
3. So what should I do if my home is for sale and it’s wrong on your map? Well, a.) it’s not my map, it’s info taken from the MLS. So that means it’s wrong on the MLS. I would say you should b.) call your listing agent and ask him / her to correct it.
4. I want to know of any homes that come up for sale in a certain area, yet I am too busy to check the MLS every day. Is there some way I can set up a search to automatically notify me of that? Yes, just email me and let me know of the exact borders of your desired area (e.g. Kowaliga Bridge to Chimney Rock on the south) and I will plug it into a search. It will email you when there is a change in that area. It’s totally free of charge and of guilt. I only hope that you will call me to help you when the time comes.
5. Are these all your listings? Nope, I wish. This data is pulling from the entire Lake Martin Multiple Listings Service. My listings are included, but so are everyone else’s. But, I CAN help you with all of these. If you are interested in anything you see, contact me, I can help you research or buy something, and it doesn’t cost you a dime more.
6. Where is a summary of your listings? Two places – you can click here for a map version and here for a list of my listings.
7. Would you like to know how to improve this? Yes I would! Please let me know how I can make it better!
