Family Friendly & Free – Johnson County Fair 2010
If you haven’t made it to the Johnson County Fair yet there’s still time. Since I have a soft spot for kids I was there yesterday for Kids Day and below is a slideshow of some of the snaps I took. Just in case you haven’t made it over there yet and want to know what’s going on if you scroll down a bit you’ll find the schedule for today and tomorrow. One word of caution. It is hot. Dress accordingly and wear a hat. I didn’t yesterday – Not a smart move! Don’t know where it’s at? Here are the Directions to Johnson County Fairgrounds.
Wednesday July 28 – Senior Day
- Classic Car Display
- Pickleball Demonstration
- 5.00pm Banned Wagon Group
- 7.00pm Bill Riley Talent Contest
Thursday July 29 – Veterans Day
- Chainsaw Display & Auction
- Pie Contest & Auction
- 6.30pm Skid Steer Rodeo
- 7.00pm Extra Credit Project Band
- 9.30pm Fireworks
You’ll find more information at the Johnson County Agricultural Association website JohnsonCoFair.com.

Homes Sold in North Liberty Week Ending July 24, 2010
8 homes sold in North Liberty last week. This number is lower than last year when 25 homes sold in the same time period. According to MLS Data the number of days on market decreased from 94 to 74.
| 8 Homes Sold Week ending July 24, 2010 | Avg Price: $186,863 |
| 4 single family homes sold | Avg Price: $232,425 |
| 3 condos sold | Avg Price: $140,100 |
| 1 Zero Lot Sold | Avg Price: $144,900 |
It looks like July will be a soft month for sales. Not really surprising considering the expiration of the tax credit on June 30. It was clear that the housing market would need time to correct after that. A couple more days until the end of the month and we will know more about that correction.
What does this mean for you as a buyer? We still have a price driven market so there are still great opportunities for buyers, plus the interest rates are at all time lows which means it’s really still a win-win situation for you.
The fact that we have a price driven market means that sellers probably won’t make as much as they would like on the sale of a home. On the up side, the turnover rate for homes is better in North Liberty and it is likely that your home will spend less time on the market than in Iowa City or Coralville. (Depending on the location of course, location is always king). Bear in mind too that buyers are looking for deals. Pricing it right is one part of the equation. Equally important is that it’s in pristine condition. Pricing your home right + seeing to it that it’s the shiny penny on the block will put you well on the way to selling your home quickly so you can move onto the next phase of your life.
If you need to sell your home and would like me to prepare a CMA (Current Market Analysis) please call me anytime at 319-400-0268 or click here to send me your contact details.
For a complete list of homes for sale in North Liberty just send me an email letting me know what you’re looking for and I’ll send you a list of homes fitting your criteria.
North Liberty real estate market report June 2010
North Liberty real estate market report 2nd Quarter: April – June 2010

Homes Sold in Coralville Week Ending July 24, 2010
6 homes sold in Coralville last week. This number is lower than last year when 15 homes sold in the same time period. According to MLS Data days on market also increased from 88 to 138.
| 6 Homes Sold Week ending July 24, 2010 | Avg Price: $248,667 |
| 5 single family homes sold | Avg Price: $279,600 |
| 1 condo sold | Avg Price: $94,000 |
It looks like July will be a soft month for sales. Not really surprising considering the expiration of the tax credit on June 30. It was clear that the housing market would need time to correct after that. A couple more days until the end of the month and we will know more about that correction.
So what does all this mean if you’re thinking of buying a home in Coralville? No change really. We’ve been saying it for a while now. It’s a great market to buy a home. The winning combination of more homes than buyers in the market place + historically low interest rates means opportunities for Buyers.
For sellers it’s a different story. We have a price driven market and buyers are looking for deals. They’re also looking for shiny pennies. The winning combination for you is to price your home right + make sure it’s the shiny penny they’re looking for. Pristine homes that are priced right sell. It’s as easy as that.
If you need to sell your home and would like me to prepare a CMA (Current Market Analysis) please call me anytime at 319-400-0268 or click here to send me your contact details.
For a complete list of homes for sale in Coralville just send me an email letting me know what you’re looking for and I’ll send you a list of homes fitting your criteria.
Coralville real estate market report June 2010
Coralville real estate market report 2nd Quarter: April – June 2010
Source for data: Iowa City Area MLS

Homes Sold in Iowa City Week Ending July 24, 2010
13 homes sold in Iowa City last week. This number is lower than last year when 25 homes sold in the same time frame. According to MLS data, the number of days on market has also increased from 85 to 126.
| 13 Homes Sold Week ending July 24, 2010 | Avg Price: $158,444 |
| 9 single family homes sold | Avg Price: $161,291 |
| 4 condos sold | Avg Price: $144,325 |
It looks like July will be a soft month for sales. Not really surprising considering the expiration of the tax credit on June 30. It was clear that the housing market would need time to correct after that. A couple more days until the end of the month and we will know more about that correction.
If you need to sell your home and would like me to prepare a CMA (Current Market Analysis) please call me anytime at 319-400-0268 or click here to send me your contact details.
For a complete list of homes for sale in Iowa City just send me an email letting me know what you’re looking for and I’ll send you a list of homes fitting your criteria.
Iowa City Real Estate Market Report June 2010
Iowa City Real Estate Market Report 2nd Quarter: April – June 2010
Data provided by the Iowa City Area MLS

Weekly Market Update North Liberty July 26, 2010
213 Active Listings
31 Homes Under Contract
8 Homes Sold July 19 – July 24
When it comes to calculating the days on market I use a simple method to calculate the absorption rate/days on market that doesn’t manipulate the data. According to that calculation we have 4.7 months of inventory on the market, that’s 141 days on market. North Liberty continues to do best in the area and with a 4.7 month absorption rate trending towards a sellers market.
What does this mean for you as a buyer? We still have a price driven market so there are still great opportunities for buyers, plus the interest rates are at all time lows which means it’s really still a win-win situation for you.
The fact that we have a price driven market means that sellers probably won’t make as much as they would like on the sale of a home. On the up side, the turnover rate for homes is better in North Liberty and it is likely that your home will spend less time on the market than in Iowa City or Coralville. (Depending on the location of course, location is always king). Bear in mind too that buyers are looking for deals. Pricing it right is one part of the equation. Equally important is that it’s in pristine condition. Pricing your home right + seeing to it that it’s the shiny penny on the block will put you well on the way to selling your home quickly.
If you need to sell your home and would like me to prepare a CMA (Current Market Analysis) please call me anytime at 319-400-0268 or click here to send me your contact details.
For a complete list of homes for sale in North Liberty just send me an email letting me know what you’re looking for and I’ll send you a list of homes fitting your criteria.
Last week’s market update for North Liberty
North Liberty real estate market report June 2010
North Liberty real estate market report 2nd Quarter: April – June 2010

Weekly Market Update Coralville July 26, 2010
256 Active Listings
26 Homes Under Contract
6 Homes Sold July 19 – July 24, 2010
I use a simple method to calculate the absorption rate/days on market that doesn’t manipulate the data. According to that calculation we have 9.4 months of inventory on the market, that’s 285 days on market. It’s going to take us a while to work through all the inventory in the Coralville market so we probably won’t see any major changes in the near term.
So what does all this mean if you’re thinking of buying a home in Coralville? No change really. We’ve been saying it for a while now. It’s a great market to buy a home. The winning combination of more homes than buyers in the market place + historically low interest rates means opportunities for Buyers.
For sellers it’s a different story. We have a price driven market and buyers are looking for deals. They’re also looking for shiny pennies. The winning combination for you is to price your home right + make sure it’s the shiny penny they’re looking for. Pristine homes that are priced right sell. It’s as easy as that.
If you need to sell your home and would like me to prepare a CMA (Current Market Analysis) please call me anytime at 319-400-0268 or click here to send me your contact details.
For a complete list of homes for sale in Coralville just send me an email letting me know what you’re looking for and I’ll send you a list of homes fitting your criteria.
Last week’s real estate market update for Coralville
Coralville real estate market report June 2010
Coralville real estate market report 2nd Quarter: April – June 2010

Weekly Market Update Iowa City July 26, 2010
599 Active Listings
63 Homes Under Contract
13 Homes Sold July 19 – July 24, 2010
No big fluctuations on the week to week numbers at the moment. When it comes to calculating the days on market I use a simple method to calculate the absorption rate/days on market that doesn’t manipulate the data.According to that calculation we have 8.1 months of inventory on the market, that’s 246 days on market. With quite a bit of inventory to work through in Iowa City it’s going to take us a while to see an improvement on the absorption rate.
If you need to sell your home and would like some advice on how to sell it for the best price in the shortest time please call me anytime at 319-400-0268 or click here to send me your contact details.
For a complete list of homes for sale in Iowa City just send me an email letting me know what you’re looking for and I’ll send you a list of homes fitting your criteria.
Last week’s real estate market update for Iowa City
Iowa City Real Estate Market Report June 2010
Iowa City Real Estate Market Report 2nd Quarter: April – June 2010

Fun & Free: Johnson County Fair
Summer is a wonderful time in Iowa City with free, family friendly events constantly popping up on the calender. Today I’m here to tell you about the upcoming annual Johnson County Fair scheduled from July 26 through July 29, 2010. This is a popular event through all age groups with 70,000 people visiting the fair every year. A number that’s climbing. No surprise there – Children and tractors, that’s a winning combination right there! Directions to Johnson County Fairgrounds.
The theme is Living and Learning at the 2010 Johnson County Fair. And now without further ado, here’s the schedule for events throughout the week:
Monday July 26 – Teen Day
- Classic Tractor Display
- 5.00pm Kiddie Tractor Pull
- 6.30pm Truck & Tractor Pull
- 8.00pm Pumptown Family Band
Tuesday July 27 – Kids Day
- Recycle Guy
- Burn Unit Puppets
- Robotics Exhibit
- Hawkeye Cheerleaders
- Herky
- 8.00pm Jake McVey
Wednesday July 28 – Senior Day
- Classic Car Display
- Pickleball Demonstration
- 5.00pm Banned Wagon Group
- 7.00pm Bill Riley Talent Contest
Thursday July 29 – Veterans Day
- Chainsaw Display & Auction
- Pie Contest & Auction
- 6.30pm Skid Steer Rodeo
- 7.00pm Extra Credit Project Band
- 9.30pm Fireworks
You’ll find more information at the Johnson County Agricultural Association website JohnsonCoFair.com.

Buying a Home: Working with a Solution Finder vs Problem Solver
Are you a solution finder or a problem solver? That was the question I read in a post recently. It got me thinking. Aren’t they same thing? That’s probably what you’re thinking right now too. So let’s think about it some more…. It’s all about where you focus your energy. If you concentrate on a problem that needs solving, then that’s negative energy you’re wasting right there. You’re focusing on the wrong thing. If you concentrate solely on the solution, then it’s the reverse and it’s positive energy your spending to get a job done. So I ask you again, are they the same thing? Nope they’re not. And the difference is like night and day!
Personally, my philosophy has always been that there are no problems, just solutions. In fact it’s one of my standard comments that I roll out when clients are frustrated with something that’s going on in the transaction. My attitude is “don’t tell me it can’t be done.” I just don’t believe that and will turn over every stone to figure out how it can be done! Of course if the issue at hand is that you absolutely want to know where the property line is on a 70 year old property where the only records are lacking in detail and aerial photos inconclusive. Then the solution might be to pay $2,000.00 for a surveyor to come out and survey the property for you. It might not be the solution you want to hear, but it’s a solution nonetheless and the ball’s back in your court. Real case scenario of course and the buyer did end up continuing with the transaction and the deal closed – He knew I’d moved mountains to get the information that was important to him. He wasn’t happy with the solution, but he lived with it. (And no he did not pay $2,000.00 to have the property surveyed).
That was a hard one. An easier one was when the buyers after looking at about a dozen homes decided there really wasn’t anything out there for them. Well, there was that really nice home with the radon mitigation system as main focal point in the family room… Deal breaker? Yes. Solution – Get the sellers to move it. Easy, right? We just had to ask.
Who do you want to be around? Do you want to work with an agent who solves problems or one who finds solutions? If you’re looking for a home in the Iowa City area and you want to work with someone who gets the job done, call, text or email me – I’m here to help!

Weekly Market Update North Liberty July 19, 2010
215 Active Listings
31 Homes Under Contract
13 Homes Sold July 12 – July 19
When it comes to calculating the days on market I don’t use the numbers calculated by the MLS. I use a simple method to calculate the absorption rate/days on market that doesn’t manipulate the data. According to that calculation we have 4.7 months of inventory on the market, that’s 141 days on market. North Liberty continues to do best in the area and with a 4.7 month absorption rate trending towards a sellers market.
What does this mean for you as a buyer? We still have a price driven market so there are still great opportunities for buyers, plus the interest rates are at all time lows which means it’s really a win-win situation for you.
The fact that we have a price driven market means that sellers probably won’t make as much as they would like on the sale of a home. On the up side, the turnover rate for homes is better in North Liberty and it is likely that your home will spend less time on the market than in Iowa City or Coralville. (Depending on the location of course, location is always king).
For a complete list of homes for sale in North Liberty just send me an email letting me know what you’re looking for and I’ll send you a list of homes fitting your criteria.
If you need to sell your home and would like some advice on how to sell it for the best price in the shortest time please call me anytime at 319-400-0268 or click here to send me your contact details.
Last week’s market update for North Liberty
North Liberty real estate market report June 2010
North Liberty real estate market report 2nd Quarter: April – June 2010
















