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November 2005 Existing-Home Sales Hold Close to
Record But Existing Home Sales Numbers Are Down
In Some Areas Including WASHINGTON (October 25, 2005) –
Sales of existing homes held at the second highest pace on record in
September, with sales surging in some areas following Hurricane Katrina,
according to the National Association of Realtors®. Total existing-home sales – including
single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops – were at a seasonally
adjusted annual rate of 7.28 million units in September, unchanged from
August. Sales were 7.2 percent above the 6.79 million-unit level in September
2004, and were second only to a rate of 7.35 million in June of this year. David Lereah, NAR’s chief economist, said
near-record activity was supported by spiking home sales in areas surrounding
the Hurricane Katrina disaster zone. “We are now getting some hard data from
this region, with spot checks showing sharply higher home sales to residents
who were displaced by the hurricane. The sales surge is more than offsetting
declines in the disaster zone,” he said. Lereah said the housing market is entering a
period of transition. “The underlying fundamentals of the housing market are
solid and sales will stay historically strong, but they will trend modestly
down from current peaks,” he said. “Masked by the data are early signs that
housing is starting to wind down from a boom and will transition into an
expansion – in other words, a soft landing. Regionally, existing-home sales in the South rose
3.7% in September to a record pace of 2.83 million, and were 12.3 percent
higher than September 2004. Total existing-home sales in the Northeast rose
0.8% in September, and were 7.1% above September 2004. The median price in
the Northeast was $245,000, up 10.9% from a year ago. Existing-home sales in the Total
existing-home sales in the West declined 4.1% in September, but were 1.3%
higher than September 2004. Restaurant
Review
The Bridges Golf Club, The
restaurant at The Bridges Golf Club is generally closed in the evening but
they are open for dinner on the first Wednesday of every month. In my
opinion, this is one of the real bargains in this area. Expertly prepared
food in impressive surroundings at a very reasonable price. What more can you
ask? The
setting is superb. The approach is by way of a long driveway flanked with
palm trees that frame the main building beautifully. On entering, there is an
attractive bar to the left with a vaulted ceiling where an enormous black
wrought-iron chandelier is suspended. This is a pleasant room for a
pre-dinner cocktail although weather permitting, you
may prefer to sit on the covered outdoor terrace looking out over the golf
course. The
restaurant has the ambience of a Spanish Parador and consists of two large
adjoining rooms, one of which has an impressive stone fireplace, with large
tables and comfortable chairs. This is a formal restaurant with white linen
tablecloths and generates an immediate feeling of quality. Service is
friendly and attentive and the menu has a choice of 4 appetizers, 4 salads, 4
pasta dishes and 4 entrees plus a selection of desserts from a tray. On
a recent visit there, Sylvia and I shared the Organic Baby Spinach Salad as
an appetizer – baby spinach, walnuts, pears and blue cheese tossed in a lemon-honey vinaigrette at $6.95. This made a perfect
starter. Then I moved on to the Slow Roasted Prime Rib that was served with
au jus and horseradish cream. I chose the large cut at $19.95. A small cut is
also available at $2 less. Sylvia had the Pork Tian – oven roasted pork
tenderloin with red cabbage, spinach and mashed potatoes and served with a
red wine sauce. This was $16.95. Both dishes were absolutely cooked to
perfection. Other options for main courses include Chicken Parmesan ($13.95)
and New York Steak ($17.95). Pasta lovers are offered Spinach and Mozzarella
Cheese Ravioli ($10.95), Penne Bolognese ($11.95), Linguine Con Cappesante
[seafood linguine] ($13.50), or Grilled Chicken Risotto ($12.95). Portion sizes were very generous and neither
of us opted for a dessert. There is a short but excellent wine list (also
better value than in most restaurants in the area) and a full bar service. More
information on The Bridges Golf Club and Restaurant can be found at www.TheBridgesGolf.com and if you
decide to go for dinner on the first Wednesday in the month, you may very
well find me there with Sylvia. Advance booking is suggested. Reviews such as the one
above are included as a service to introduce people to interesting
restaurants in the Homes Currently
Offered For as of November 1st,
2005 (Figures in parentheses show the
numbers at the beginning of last month)
|
|
Address |
City |
|
BR |
Bth |
½Bth |
SqFt |
|
Sold
Price |
DOM |
|
|
|
La
Serena |
4 |
3 |
0 |
2700 |
20328 |
$1,250,000 |
7 |
|
|
|
Miranda |
3 |
2 |
1 |
2035 |
19942 |
$1,300,000 |
21 |
|
|
|
|
3 |
3 |
0 |
3120 |
59677 |
$1,795,900 |
3 |
|
|
|
|
4 |
3 |
1 |
3776 |
25000 |
$1,799,000 |
5 |
|
|
|
|
5 |
4 |
0 |
4712 |
62726 |
$1,900,000 |
45 |
|
|
|
Roundhill |
4 |
4 |
1 |
5000 |
73616 |
$2,430,000 |
14 |
|
|
Blackhawk |
Deer
Meadow Dr |
4 |
2 |
1 |
2424 |
5888 |
$1,230,000 |
28 |
|
|
Blackhawk |
|
5 |
3 |
0 |
2964 |
9520 |
$1,330,000 |
12 |
|
|
Blackhawk |
Pepperwood
Dr. |
5 |
4 |
1 |
3833 |
22639 |
$1,898,000 |
26 |
|
4210 |
Blackhawk |
Blackhawk
Meadow |
4 |
4 |
1 |
4810 |
28700 |
$2,125,000 |
21 |
|
|
|
Ridgeland |
3 |
2 |
1 |
1590 |
3008 |
$715,000 |
8 |
|
408 Sutton Cir |
|
|
4 |
2 |
1 |
1874 |
2680 |
$720,000 |
1 |
|
5 |
|
Camino
Ramon |
4 |
2 |
1 |
2263 |
2409 |
$744,000 |
41 |
|
226 Abigail Cir |
|
Maison |
4 |
2 |
1 |
2396 |
4000 |
$799,950 |
5 |
|
110 |
|
Lehighvalley Cir |
3 |
2 |
0 |
1650 |
7490 |
$800,000 |
28 |
|
|
|
Gill Blas |
4 |
2 |
0 |
1639 |
11500 |
$805,000 |
1 |
|
190 |
|
Camino
Tassajara |
4 |
2 |
1 |
2600 |
5500 |
$865,000 |
8 |
|
66 |
|
Camino
Ramon |
4 |
2 |
0 |
1923 |
11500 |