Real Estate Sales Update

The National Association of Realtors just released new information on home sales statistics on September 24th. The report was not as favorable as the statistics for the past four months in a row but sales are still up from where they were a year ago when it comes to existing-home sales.

The NAR reports that home sales fell 2.7% in the last month. However, people should not get overly alarmed because compared to last year we are still moving in the right direction. 31% of home sales in August were foreclosures and short sales. This may be a great boon for buyers for for owners it is discouraging because it drives down home values. NAR predicts that over the next 12 months we will see even more numbers of foreclosures and short sales.

It is also important to note that while sales fell so did the actual number of houses on the market. It was not a slight drop in inventory but a 10.8% fall.

So some people may be asking: "Where are the homes selling?" This past month the Northeast saw the least drop in sales with only a 2.2% change. In the West sales fell 2.7%. Sales in the South were down by 3.1%. The Midwest was hit the hardest with a decrease in sales of 6.6%. It is also important to note that in the Midwest the home values are down 10.6% from last year at this time.

So what does this mean for you as far as your real estate sales and purchases? Make sure you choose your are to buy in wisely. Bide your time and invest well. While there are no guarantees you can clearly see where the trends are taking things.

St. George Schools

St. George, Utah is part of the Washington County School District. Our school district also includes Washington City, Santa Clara, Ivins, Dammeron Valley, Hurricane, LaVerkin, Central, Veyo, Pine Valley, Leeds, Hildale, Virgin, Enterprise, Springdale, Toquerville and Winchester Hills.

Our school district works hard to apply the state's Safe Schools Law. To help with this the school administrators and teachers make it clear to students that certain behaviors will not be tolerated. If the students want to continue their education in Washington County School District they must help make the schools safe and secure.

As far as academic excellence our school district does a fantastic job. On last year's Iowa Test of Basic Skills results our students tested as well as or above those in all 50 states. The Direct Writing Assessment shows that 80 percent of sixth graders were proficient in writing and 89 percent of ninth graders are proficient.

The school district is concerned for the health of it's students and has gone to great lengths to inform students and families about the public health issues such as the H1N1 virus and flu issues. They offer information and dates on where to get flu shots and work with the health department and other organizations to make sure all students can get their health care needs met.

Our school district is also consistently striving to save residents money. For example 50% (about 13,500) of our students ride the bus to school. Not only does this save money and energy but riding the bus has been proven to be the safest way for students to get to and from school. One school bus trip replaces 30 cars minimum. By putting the buses to work for our community the residents save a lot of money!

Our community has great educators who are dedicated to helping our children succeed in the education goals. Our local college (Dixie State College) is a great resource for our community and offers continuing education classes for all.

If you are relocating to St. George or surrounding areas and have children your family will love our schools. Our public schools are great and nurturing places for our students. We also have charter schools and private schools as well as an active homeschool community. There are solutions for all of your education needs in Southern Utah!

Emotional Toll of Foreclosure

You may have been the one losing your home at one point, or maybe you are right now. Most of us know or know of someone who is going through foreclosure at this time. Because of the financial spin that the world is in right now many people are finding themselves out of business or out of their jobs. Former CEO's can't get a job anywhere, professionals of all kinds are finding these times tough and the middle and lower class population is suffering as well. No matter what the socioeconomic class you fall into you could likely find yourself in the situation of having to foreclose on your home.

In the first half of this year (2009) 1 in 84 households received at least one foreclosure letter. Countless more are fighting each month just to stay in their homes. There have not been many signs that this rate of foreclosure is going to get any better any time soon.

When there are foreclosures it effects everyone. Naturally the person or family going through it are having feelings of hopelessness and wonder from day to day where they will be in a month. If they foreclose where will they go? Their children even feel the stress wondering if they will continue at their current school and with their current neighborhood friends. This takes a toll on marriages and families across the board.

Then you have the neighbors sitting by and watching what is happening and realizing that this may drastically lower the estimated value of their home. We know that foreclosures in neighborhoods drive the home values down and this causes stress within communities.

With all of these mounting pressures in the world right now it is important to take care of our physical and emotional wellness. Here are a few things you can do for yourself to help keep you healthy in mind, spirit and body:

• Forget blame. Everyone wants to blame themselves. It's great to live and learn but being stuck on blaming yourself for your situation does not stop the foreclosure and it certainly doesn't fix anything. You need to just set the blame aside so that you can move forward.
• Accept the fact that things get to a point where you can't control them or change them. Find this as a huge release instead of something frustrating. All you can control is the moments you have right now, today. Make the best of each of them. If you are married or have children the whole family will benefit from your upbeat attitude.
• Get your business in order. Find all the documents you have on your home. If you know that you are having trouble making your payments contact your lender just as soon as you can. They want to work with you and will generally go to great lengths to accommodate.
• Be honest about yourself about what you can do to really make things okay again. Know the dates you may have to move, have somewhere lined up to go. If you can take the uncertainty out of the situation as much as possible it will help to ease your mind.
• Finally, take care of your health. Don't skip physicals, work outs, medical exams, psychiatric help (if needed). If you have lost your insurance or your medical bills have piled up seek out resources in your community. There are a great number of solutions for people just like you.

Don't be discouraged. We know it's easier said than done right now. Most people will face financial hardships in their lifetime. Don't be worried about what anyone else thinks and just know that as time passes it will get better and you and your family will be okay.

If you are finding it a struggle to make your mortgage payments right now consider listing your home for sale to prevent the foreclosure process altogether. Just speak with a real estate agent to see what options may be available to you.