The Dix Hills, Melville Half Hollow Hills 2009 Housing Market Report shows that sales numbers improved as the year went on.  The Median Selling Price in 2009 dropped about 12% from the year before.  However the Quartile Chart on page 3 (Chart 5) shows the preponderance of sales numbers below $600,000 – a change from 2008 – which affects the median price as well.  Although prices certainly have dropped, the drop across the board is less than 12% from the year before.   The “First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit”  had a positive impact on the housing market.  That tax credit is expires April 30 for homes to be in contract.  They must close by June 30.  Click on 2009 Housing Market Report for the full report in a pdf format.

Chart 1 -  The number of homes entered Under Contract in 2009 is a little less than in 2008.  The Median Listing Prices and Selling Prices are lower in 2009.

Chart 2 – Comparison of number of Homes Entered Under Contract in 2009 and 2008.

Chart 3 – Comparison of 2009 and 2008 Homes Sold.

Sales numbers were higher for 2008 than 2009,  Selling Prices were lower in 2009.

Chart 4 – Comparison of Number of Homes Sold by Month for both 2009 and 2008.

Chart 5 – 2009 Market Stats for Dix Hills, Melville SD#5.  The data for Homes Under Contract, Sold and Available are broken down by Price Range. 

Read the full report: Dix Hills, Melville SD#5 2009 Housing Market Report.

Comparison of Quarterly Stats of Sold Homes and the Median Original Listing Prices, Median Listing Prices at time of Contract and the Median Selling Prices at Closing.

Any questions or for more information please contact Cheryl Grossman at cheryl@liagent.com or 631-549-1993.  If you want to know the value of your home in today’s market, please call me for a personal consultation – no charge, of course!

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!

Last Monday evening I attended a Half Hollow Hills Board of Education Meeting where the Board of Education voted unanimously to oppose the proposition to create council districts in the Town of Huntington.  The Half Hollow Hills PTA Council had passed a resolution against council districts earlier.

During the public comments portion several people spoke in support of the board’s position.  The PTA Council President, CorrieAnn Young, gave a stirring speech about keeping the district united for the benefit of all the residents of the area.  Alissa Taff, President of the Civic Association of Sweet Hollow (former President of the School Board) and Sheila Saks of the House Beautiful at Dix Hills Civic Association spoke against council districts.  Former Town Councilman, Ken Christiansen also spoke and expressed his opposition to the proposal.  They all expressed their desire to keep Huntington whole and not divide it.  The opponents to the proposed council districts have listed their concerns at www.KeepHuntingtonWhole.com.

The special election for Huntington residents to vote for or against council (ward) districts is scheduled for December 22.  Below are the cut-off dates for the election:

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 Greens at Half Hollow, Melville, NY has a variety of housing choices.  There are 2 Condo Models with slight variations in the upper and lower floor plans; 2 Townhouses and 3 Villa models.  There are basements in some of the townhouses and villas.

The Condos:  The Caspian and The Cordova - upper and lower units.

The Townhouses (in groups of 4):  The Medici - the inner units and The Mirasol - the larger corner units.

The Villas ( semi-attached): The Florenza (2-story, with Master on Main Level); The Valencia (2-story) and The Viscaya (Ranch).

Buying or Selling in The Greens? For More Information or to Arrange An Appointment, Contact Cheryl Grossman – 631-223-8549 or TheGreens@CherylGrossman.com.

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.

Dix Hills, Melville Half Hollow Hills School District, Home Sales Update June 15-30, 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 June 15-30, 2009.

The Live Market Reports below are updated weekly from Altos Research.  Market Reports are available for every Town or zip code in The Town of Huntington.  Just click on the animated chart on the upper right sidebar, click on the Market Reports tab or fill out the request form on the left sidebar.

These Altos Research Charts for Dix Hills and Melville are Live.

If you’re a First-Time Homebuyer, Don’t Forget that to take advantage of the $8000 Tax Credit you must close on a house before November 30, 2009!

For more information or questions, please contact me at 631-493-0542 or cheryl@LIagent.com Visit my website at www.DixHillsHomes.com.

The Dix Hills, Melville, Half Hollow Hills School District 2nd Quarter, 2009 Housing Market Report shows some improvement-both in sales numbers and selling prices-since the 1st Quarter, 2009 Report. Housing prices have dropped about 10% from the same time period last year, as indicated in the 2008 Dix Hills, Melville, SD#5 Housing Market Report.   In 2008 the 2nd quarter median selling price was $707,500 in comparison to this quarter’s median selling price of $633,375.  The number of houses sold is down considerably from last year also:  58 homes closed during the 2nd quarter of 2008 vs. 38 homes closed in 2009 for the same period. 

Original Listing Price—The Median Original Listing Price of all homes currently available for sale.                                               

Avail. Current LP$—The Median Listing Price of all homes currently on the market.                                               

Under Contract LP$—The Median Listing Price at the time of contract for all homes entered Under Contract during the 2nd Quarter, 2009.                                               

Closed SP$—The Median Sales Price of all homes Closed during the 2nd Quarter.  2009

Several important indications of current market trends are found in Chart 3.  The number of sales in the $600,000 to 699,999 price range rose from the 1st quarter with 9 sales in the 2nd quarter compared to 4 sales in the 1st quarter.  These numbers along with a couple of more sales in the higher price ranges—account for the higher median selling price for the 2nd quarter—rather than an increase in market value for all homes.

The slowest sales numbers for closed sales are in the $700,000 to $999,999 price ranges—inventory is high in those ranges also.  Also note the median listing price is $849,000 and the median closed selling price is $633,375—another indication the lower price ranges are more active.

Chart 4 tracks by month the 1st and 2nd Quarter selling prices for both 2009 and 2008.

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 2nd Quarter, 2009 the median listing price at time of contract is $679,000, in 2008 it was $744,000.  In the 1st Quarter, 2009 the median listing price at time of contract was $649,950, in 2008 it was $799,000.  Sales numbers are good-about the same as last year at this time and twice as many as during the 1st quarter of 2009.  All indications are that the market has improved during the 2nd quarter from the 1st quarter stats.

The breakdown by price range of homes that entered Under Contract during the 2nd quarter follows the trend that we saw in the closed numbers.  The most activity is in the $300,000 to $599,999 price range, improved numbers in the $600,000 to $799,999 price range (but more inventory) and the slowest sales and highest inventory numbers are in the $800,000 to 999,999 price range.  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“. The market for million dollar plus homes is better than anticipated.  Except for the very high end, the sales numbers are better than a year ago.   

The housing market in our area seems ready to recover – a lot of “ifs” though.  It’s great to be able to report some positive news-with data to support it.

Note:  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.  

For more information or any questions, please contact me at 631-493-0542 or cheryl@liagent.com. Search all homes on MLS with mapped locations and Quick-Search Buttons at www.DixHillsHomes.com.