AD Smith Jan 2010 Newsletter
Greetings and Happy 2010!
I hope this note finds you all well and enjoying the beginning of a great New Year!
With the end of a year and decade it seems like a good time to review the year that was and to look forward to bigger and better things.
I hope you enjoy my review of ’09 about family, business, and basketball. Also, please check out the links, pictures, and this month’s Valentine freebie at the bottom.
Hope you enjoy! All the best to you and yours for a great New Year!!
AD
Smith Family 2009
The biggest change in the Smith family for 2009 was the birth of our 3rd daughter, Elizabeth Jolie Smith in late August. She joined big sisters Abigail (almost 5) and Isabelle (2.5) as a great source of pride for both Kelly and me. They are all wonderful kids, although it’s taken some getting used to having 3 youngsters in the house under 5J
Like most families, we couldn’t completely avoid the ups and downs of 2009. Elizabeth’s birth brought some unexpected challenges but we absolutely still feel blessed to start 2010 with 3 fantastic daughters and are looking forward to a great year! We are fortunate to have wonderful support from family and friends and while it would be nice to sleep in on a Sunday morning, I don’t think we could ask for much better.
I’ve updated the website with some newer family pictures so please feel free to check out my bio page when you get a chance.
AD Smith Team and Lane County Real Estate
By most accounts 2009 was an up and down year for many and the world of Real Estate was certainly no exception. I feel extremely fortunate to have had as successful of a year as I did in 2008 but that enthusiasm is tempered by the fact that close to 25% of my total sales were helping distressed sellers trying to avoid foreclosure. We had great success in that regard, although “distressed selling” was certainly a theme of 2009 and it was clear to me that many local families had a tough year.
Those distressed sales also had a negative affect on the market as a whole as total sales were down 1.3% and prices down 8.5% in Lane County in ’09. Those price decreases made it tougher on traditional sales to get what they wanted/needed and helped lead to an increase in the time it took to sell a home versus in years past (12% increase in days on market).
BUT…it certainly wasn’t all bad news in the area. I worked with numerous sellers who were able to get what they needed and even more buyers able to take advantage of a strong buyer’s market. Interest rates were at historic lows and the combination of lower prices and much lower interest rates let many buyers finding home much more affordable than in years past. (Testimonials of some of those 2009 Clients)
All in all it was a better than expected year for my personal business. I’m proud to say for the 2nd consecutive year I ranked as the #1 individual Broker at Keller Williams Realty and that success once again allowed me to finish in the top 1% of sales in Lane County.
I absolutely feel blessed to have achieved success in an otherwise difficult economy and clearly understand that my good fortune has resulted from great family, friends, and clients!
Looking ahead in 2010…
2009 was bolstered in large degree by government incentives for 1st time home buyers (or those that have not purchased in that last 3 years). In November of ’09, Congress extended that $8,000 tax credit (basically cash to buyers) until late April of 2010 and expanded the program to include a $6500 credit to buyers who have lived in their home for at least 5 years (technically 5 of the last 8 years).
The new extension and expanded credit have yet to really boost the local market in 2010, but I’d expect much more activity in Feb, March, and April ahead of the new deadlines (Must be in contract by April 30th, then close by June 30th). Both the ’09 and ’10 programs are huge incentives for buyers meant to clear away inventory to help stabilize the real estate market.
If you have more questions about the incentives, or how the currently low interest rates are affecting the market, call or email anytime. Also, I expect that “Short Sales” will still be a big factor in 2010 so if you know of anyone behind on payments, fearing foreclosure, etc... I’m happy to be a resource in giving them the best options moving forward. It’s a really scary time for those in that situation but there are some positive options worth exploring.
I’ve also attached links below for year end Multiple Listing Stats as well as a Q & A section for the extended tax credits. Just FYI in case they are of interest.
Smith Basketball
With the essential help of my brother Burdy Smith, and dozens of volunteers, our seasonal basketball programs provided wonderful opportunities for local youth in 2009.
In December, our 4th Annual AD Smith FREE Basketball Clinic had 220+ participants and 48 volunteers!! (Both record totals)
We also hosted 150+ Kinder-2nd Graders in January and close to that many more in July and August Basketball and Soccer Clinics. While I don’t expect to ever have the time to be a full time coach, I still very much enjoy the 12-15 days a year we’re able to work with local kids….including our ownJ
I would be remiss not to mention the great support from Bob LeDoux at LeDoux Insurance, Brad Thornton at Opes Advisors, and the Kidsports team for their spectacular support the last 3+ years! We try as best we can to offer, either completely free, or inexpensive events and the support of these 3 local companies, along with numerous other volunteers, has been essential in meeting that goal.
Click Here if you’d like to read more about last year’s camps and the current K-2 Basketball Series for local Kinder-2nd graders.
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If you made it this far, thank you! For your patience, I’ve attached a copy of this month’s CAP card--- A Free Valentine’s Chocolate Truffle. If you’d like one for yourself or a friend just shoot me an email with your address and I’ll send one off to you right away.
If you should have any Real Estate questions/needs in the future please don't hesitate to call or email. I'm happy to help in any way I can. Referrals are my #1 resource for new business and I promise to take the very best care of anyone you send my way!!