I’m frequently asked, “How’s the Market?”  The chart below gives the best answer to that question.  Altos Research provides a unique market statistic,  ‘Market Action Index” (MAI) which illustrates the balance between supply and demand – based on the current rate of sales versus inventory.   Their market reports contain this statistic and you can Request a Free Market Report from Altos Research for any zipcode (and some areas) on Long Island.  Just fill out the quick form for a free market report on the Left Sidebar.  Altos Reports will email one to you.  If you would like a personal consultation for a Market Value Report for your home, please call me at 631-223-8549 or email:  cheryl@liagent.com.

These charts are based on Quartile Statistics, Last 90 days.  They are “Live” – so the stats will change each week.

In both Dix Hills and Melville, during the week of February 10, 2010, the Top Quarter and the Bottom Quarter of the Market are performing the best.

The January, 2010 Dix Hills, Melville Half Hollow Hills School District Housing Market Report shows inventory levels about the same as last month.  Considering that during January there were 45 new listings in the Dix Hills market (vs. 12 new listings in December) and 16 in Melville (vs. 7 in December) the total numbers for both areas were surprisingly sustained – nudging up only slightly.  You can view the full report by clicking on Dix Hills, Melville SD#5 Housing Market Report, January 21010.

The  2-page Report below lists all the  Homes Entered Under Contract and Closed in January, 2010 for Dix Hills, Melville School District #5.   The report also includes market stats for each area.

If you have any questions about these reports or want more infomration please contact Cheryl Grossman at cheryl@liagent.com.

Half Hollow Hills High School West Senior, Levent Alpogel is one of the 40 students  from across the country named a finalist in the 2010 Intel Science Talent Search.  Established in 1942, this science competition is the nation’s oldest – and probably most renowned research contests for students.  The finalists are considered to be the most promising scientists of the future.

The competition between the finalists will be in March where they will meet in Washington, D.C.   The top winner will receive $100,000 from the Intel Foundation.

Levent’s project is:  ”A Non-Parametric, Massively Parallelized Multiscale Vessel Detection Method for Complex Vascular Structures” and is described as research on an improved method of detecting stenosis, a narrowing of blood vessels underlying many health problems.   Michael Lake is his teacher and the supervising scientist is:  Xenophon Papademetris from Yale University.

Over the years, Half Hollow Hills School District has had many of their students rank as Semi-Finalists.  And in 2003 Lester Wayne Mackey won 6th Place in the Final Competition.  Half Hollow Hills School District has detailed information about their science curriculum on their website.

All residents in Dix Hills & Melville can be proud of  Levent Alpogel’s achievment – and we wish him success in Washington D.C.!  We are also proud of the Half Hollow Hills School District for providing the support, teachers and high standards of education that prepare and enable all our students to achieve their goals.  I know their were some teachers who had a tremendous impact on my daughter and son during their high school years.  First ignating the “Spark”, then establishing the means and focus to accomplish their goals.  One in science and one in art (digital animation).

The Dix Hills, Melville Half Hollow Hills School District 4th Quarter, 2009 Housing Market Report show an improvement each month—both in sales numbers and sales prices – after a drop from the 3rd Quarter stats.  September and October are lower than those in the same period in 2008, but the selling prices for December, 2009 are higher than December, 2008.  The 4th Quarter, 2008, Dix Hills, Melville, SD#5 MLS stats indicate that the Median Selling Price was $695,000 vs. $590,000 in 2009 (or down about 9.6% from last year).  The number of houses sold is about the same as last year—a little higher. 52 homes closed during the 4th quarter of 2008 vs. 55 homes closed in 2009 for the same period.   Click to view the entire Report.

You can refer back to the 1st Quarter, 2009, Dix Hills, Melville, SD#5 Housing Market Report, 2nd Quarter, 2009, Dix Hills, Melville SD# Housing Market Report and the 3rd Quarter, 2009, Dix Hills, Melville SD# Housing Market Report.

 Any questions or for more information, please contact Cheryl Grossman at cheryl@liagent.com.

The December, 2009 Dix Hills, Melville Half Hollow Hills SD#5 Housing Market Report continues the November trend of higher sales numbers in the mid-price range.  The $700,000 to $799,999 price range is doing very well.  In December, the Dix Hills median listing price for homes entered under contract remained around the same as November:  $749,000.   In Melville, the median listing price of homes entered under contract remained at $749,000 also.    To see the full report click on the image or Dix Hills, Melville SD#5 Housing Market Report, December, 2009. 

A 2-page Report listing all homes Entered Under Contract and Closed in December, 2009 for Dix Hills, Melville School District #5 also includes market stats for each area.

If you have any questions about these reports or want more infomration please contact Cheryl Grossman at cheryl@liagent.com.

The November, 2009 Dix Hills, Melville Half Hollow Hills SD#5 Housing Market Report shows an increase in the number of mid-level home sales.  The Dix Hills median listing price for homes entered under contract increased to $759,000 in November from $659,000.  In Melville, the median listing price of homes entered under contract went down some.  The numbers are more reflective of the price ranges of homes sold than changes in market value.  To see the full report click on the image or Dix Hills, Melville Market Report

A 2-page Report listing all homes Entered Under Contract and Closed in November, 2009 for Dix Hills, Melville, Half Hollow Hills School District also includes market stats for each area. 

If you have any questions about these reports or want more information please contact Cheryl Grossman at Cheryl@LIagent.com.

Half Hollow Hills High School West wins the Class III Football Championship!  No matter where you were today – the gym, on the phone – everyone seemed to be talking about the Hills West Football Team and the game yesterday at Stony Brook University!  The final score:  Hills West 42, Lawrence 32.   Congratulations!

The Dix Hills, Melville, Half Hollow Hills School District, Housing Market Report for October, 2009 reflects the stronger activity in the lower half of the market.   Almost all of the homes entered into contract during October were in the lower price ranges. The sales numbers continue to be strong.  With the extension of the First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit and the expansion to include some repeat buyers (See Post) the winter months may be active for the Long Island housing market.  The Dix Hills, Melville, SD#5, Housing Market Report for October 2009 is available in a .pdf format – as is a list of homes with selling prices which entered Under Contract or Closed during October.

For more information contact me at Cheryl@LIagent.com.  To search for homes go to my website or use the Quick Search on right sidebar at top of page.

The Dix Hills, Melville, Half Hollow Hills School District 3rd Quarter, 2009 Housing Market Report continues to show some improvement-both in sales numbers and sales prices from the previous two quarters of 2009.  However, both numbers are lower than those in the same period in 2008.  The 3rd Quarter, 2008, Dix Hills, Melville, SD#5 MLS stats indicate that the Median Selling Price was $740,000 vs. $651,750 in 2009 (or down about 12% from last year).  The number of houses sold is down some from last year also:  83 homes closed during the 3rd quarter of 2008 vs. 70 homes closed in 2009 for the same period.  

Record low mortgage interest rates and the $8000 Tax Credit Program for the 1st-time homebuyer have been the driving forces behind the improvement in the housing market.  Note that 2/3 of the homes sold were in the $300,000 – $799,999 price range.  The absorption rate for each price range varies considerably though-from about 4 1/2 months for a home in the $300,000-$399,999 range to about 45 months for a house in the $1.4M to $1.7M price range.  And no homes above that amount have closed during the last 3 months

 There has been an improvement from the 1st and 2nd Quarters in both the Median Selling Prices and the Sales Numbers.  For more information refer back to the 1st Quarter, 2009, Dix Hills, Melville, SD#5 Housing Market Report and the 2nd Quarter, 2009, Dix Hills, Melville SD# Housing Market Report.

Under Contract Stats offer the most current data to indicate the direction of the market.  Even though we don’t know what the selling price is—the listing price at the time of contract is a figure to be looked at.   It represents the price at which point a buyer presents an offer that is acceptable to a seller.  How is that median listing price (at time of contract) different from the median selling price and the median price of available homes?

In the 3rd Quarter, 2009 the median listing price at time of contract is $674,450, in 2008 it was $799,450.  About 15% less in 2009 than 2008.  Sales numbers are stable—exactly the same number at this time last year.  

The breakdown by price range of homes that entered Under Contract during the 3rd quarter follows the trend that we saw in the closed numbers.  The most activity is in the $300,000 to $699,999 price range. The price ranges above $700,000 continue to show slower sales numbers along with higher inventory numbers. First-time homebuyers encouraged by the $8000 tax credit and low mortgage rates have had a positive impact on the housing market creating a movement from the “bottom up”.

 Download .pdf of full report:  Dix Hills, Melville, Half Hollow Hills School District 3rd Quarter Housing Market Report.

The market certainly is more active.  More showings. More call-ins from buyer prospects.    More confidence in the housing market.  Less talk of waiting until the prices drop more.  And once the government stops supporting low interest rates (probably sometime next Spring) —we anticipate much higher mortgage rates. Every point interest rise increases the amount owed on your mortgage  about 10%.  The actual cost of your home becomes significantly higher.  Seems to me the best time to consider buying a home is now.  

1st-time Homebuyers—Don’t forget that the $8000 Tax Credit expires November 30, 2009.  You must be closed on a home by that date—unless the law is extended.    For more information please contact me at cheryl@liagent.com or 631-223-8549.  Search for all homes on MLS at www.LIagent.com.

Dix Hills, Melville Half Hollow Hills School District, Home Sales Update July 1-18, 2009.  Want to know which homes entered under contract and what the closing prices are for recent sales?  This report lists the homes entered Under Contract and the ones Closed (Sold) from July 1-18, 2009.