8/06    8/07    3/08 

Homes For Sale       1168     1759   1669

Land/Lots For Sale  1900      2637   2719

Condos For Sale       428        614     641

The drop in inventory of homes for sale in the Branson area represents good news for homeowners and realtors in the area as there are fewer choices now than there were in August of last year.  While this information is mixed with Land and Condos for sale increasing, the drop in homes for sale indicates either that demand has picked up in recent months or sellers have pulled their homes off the market because of lack of success or interest in their home.  Probably, some of the greedy people who were oversold on a valuation pulled their overpriced home off the market because no one is interested in overpriced homes at this time.  Thinning these overpriced homes from the inventory of homes for sale is good for everyone.

In spite of what many realtors have been telling people about the Branson area, foreclosure auctions at the courthouse continue to grow.  A year ago, there were only 2-3 home foreclosures every week.  Now the number is 4-5 auctions every week.  The market is still soft here in the Branson real estate market just like most of the country.  Being an election year and with a very aggressive Federal Reserve, our analysts believe the downturn will turn sometime in the next year.  It could pick up when the Gov. starts dropping those checks out of helicopters in May.  Every household getting $600 per adult and $300 per child will help.  I can guarantee that realtors will sell homes because of this bonus.  There will be a direct benefit to the local and national economy because of that aid package.  How long lasting is a different story.  No one knows if it will kickstart the market out of this slide or merely provide a short term softening.  If it does not push the economy ahead, the politicians will bust their belts throwing stimulus out that will certainly prevent a long term depression in the economy.  It is an unusually attractive buyers market today that has not existed for years.  If you have investment capital and are not buying real estate now when your negotiating position is the strongest and interest rates are very low, you are blowing one of the great opportunities of your lifetime.  Now is the time to buy!  When it turns, it will happen when you don’t even notice.  You must buy Table Rock and Branson property now or you will miss this opportunity.