Who sets the prices on the Urbandale listings?
Shopping for a 3 bedroom home in Urbandale under $125,000 that does not need updates or any work on it can be a very frustrating ordeal especially for someone that has gone to the effort to save for a down payment and get pre-qualified to buy a home in that price range. My heart goes out to their ordeal. With the cost of new home construction in Polk County in the $150 per sq ft range and as land prices continually…
Windsor Heights to add Bike Hub
Windsor Heights is planning to add a bike hub on the trail west of Wal-Mart. They are considering turning a vacant auto shop into a hub for cyclists. Including locker rooms, patio, a restaurant and a bike repair station. The former Sears Auto Center sits just west of the Wal-Mart on 73rd Street, where the Walnut Creek and Clive Greenbelt trails meet. The 9,080-square-foot building sits on 3.2 acres near the Walnut Creek and Clive Greenbelt trails. An additional trail also links to the two…
5 Mistakes Homebuyers Make When Buying New Construction near Des Moines
Expecting the Builder to negotiate on price. Builders generally do not have to negotiate on price in this market. The reason they are unwilling to negotiate right now on price is because we are in a strong sellers market, with low inventory and high demand. There is a second reason for this as well. They will build several, sometimes dozens of homes with the same floorplan this year. If they sell one for a discount, they will have to sell the rest…
5 Guys Burgers coming to West Des Moines!
Five Guys burger and fries will be coming soon to the Des Moines Metro area! The new location is opening at 64th and Mills Civic, near Kohls! They have more 1,000 locations in the United States and this will be their first in Iowa. We don’t know when it will open yet, but I know a lot of people are looking forward to it!
Applying for a loan with less than perfect credit
Often times people are hesitant to apply for a loan and look for homes because they feel that they are not credit score worthy. Even without perfect credit you can still get into a home. The truth is 54% all of the closed loans in the last month had a credit score somewhere between 600 and 749. Generally anything over 720 will ensure the best possible pricing, but with today’s exceptionally low rates an 1/8th of a percent in rate shouldn’t…
Where does Iowa rank nationally in property tax rates?
The median property tax rate nationwide is 1.31%. Iowa is above that at 1.69%. This chart shows each state’s median tax rate. In most states, property taxes vary from county to county, Iowa included. Even in within Polk County property taxes vary significantly from city to city. Here are the 2013-2014 tax rates for ten metro communities (per 1,000 in assessed value): Altoona- $9.14 Urbandale- $9.57 Clive- $9.98 Johnston- $11.15 Ankeny- $12.02 West Des Moines- $12.02 Grimes- $12.91 Waukee- $13.50 Windsor…
New Waukee High School set to open in 2021
Waukee is currently Iowa’s fastest growing school district. They are planning to open a new high school in the fall of 2021. The new school will be located south of Douglas between 4th and 10th Street. The city and school district will purchase and develop land in Northwest Waukee. The district will build a second high school and the city will construct a recreational sports complex. Waukee will be the second Des Moines suburb to open a second high school, the first being Ankeny. Since…
What to expect when purchasing a short sale
A short sale is a sale of real estate in which the net proceeds from selling the property will fall short of the debts secured by liens against the property. In this case, if all lien holders agree to accept less than the amount owed on the debt, a sale of the property can be accomplished. The one thing you can be sure of with regards to these types of transactions, they don’t move fast. Often taking anywhere from 3…
Wealth Gap between Renters and Homeowners expected to continue to grow in 2016
Every three years the Federal Reserve conducts a Survey of Consumer Finances in which they collect data across all economic and social groups. The latest survey, which includes data from 2010-2013, reports that a homeowner’s net worth is 36 times greater than that of a renter ($194,500 vs. $5,400). In a recent Forbes article the National Association of Realtors’ Chief Economist Lawrence Yun predicts that in 2016 the net worth gap will widen even further to 45 times greater. The…
Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity to add second resale store
Habitat recently purchased the 25,000-square-foot building at 4033 N.W. Urbandale Drive and plan to use that site for a second restore here in the Des Moines Area. Habitat opened its first local ReStore on Second Avenue in 2003. It moved to its current location, 2200 E. Euclid Ave., in 2011. It has been very successful, Habitat executive director Lance Henning said. That store ranks No. 1 among the 850 Habitat ReStore shops across the nation, ahead of larger cities like Denver and Charlotte, N.C. Proceeds from the…