Sellers seem to be getting more out of their Branson Real Estate

Here is a quick bit of Branson Real Estate stats for those curious number crunchers out there.

 The list to sell ratio is the closing price of a home divided by the asking price.  Or in other words, what percent of the list price did a seller get for their home?

 For single family homes in Branson, Missouri, for the date range 1-1-2011 to 5-21-2011, sellers were getting, on average, 91.01% of their asking price.  Today, based on the same MLS data for the same time frame in 2012 sellers are getting 93.23%.  I know that doesn’t seem like much, but hold it partner…that’s $4,218.00 on a $190,000 home.  I’d be happy to get that if I were a seller, wouldn’t you?

 

The average days on the market have also seen a brighter light at 128 days instead of the 168 for the same time frame last year.  Homes are selling a bit faster.

I hope this helps those of you in the industry to need some encouragement, or if you’re selling a home in the Branson Real Estate Market, perhaps this will put a bit of wind in your sail…and if you are buying a home in Branson, looks like you may have to fork out a bit more dough.

Posted by:

Jeramie Worley, GRI

Broker / Assoc

The Community Real Estate Group, LLC

140 Canyon Crossing, Hollister MO 65672

Two Years of Recovery in Branson Real Estate

Aren’t you curious to find real stories of real estate rather than the sky falling media version of things that make you want to curl up in the fetal position and regret waking up in the morning?  Me too.  I came across some positive news that I thought was worth sharing.

I talked to some folks from Las Vegas over the weekend and I asked them how things were going.  They said, it was still bad in Las Vegas as home prices were still declining.  They asked how we were doing here in Branson and I gave them the typical Realtor answer that we never had the super high increase that Las Vegas had so we didn’t have as dramatic of a low but we did have some drama.

I like to work with facts rather than opinions so it inspired me to check the real numbers.

I keep a running tab of my own data that I process year after year to keep track of the Branson Real Estate Market and what I found was two years of recovery!

If you look at the number of transactions (closed sales) from  2005 until today you’ll see that 2005 was an amazing year for real estate in Branson with 13% to 15% appreciation in values from the previous year.  Then 2006-2008 were declining years, not only in the number of transactions, but also in the average price of a home.  The market bottomed in 2009 and has had two years of an increase in the number of transactions from the previous year in both 2010 and 2011.

The decline in the average sales price has leveled off to $141,169 from $143,169 in 2010 and $147,000 in 2009.  The foreclosure inventory is being absorbed and as it continues to do so, we should see an increase in that average home price.

But the good news is, buyers are out there and want real estate.  Interest rates are still at historic lows and so are average home prices.  People love a sale, and that’s evident an increase in the number of buyers to Branson Real Estate for the past two years.

Contributed by:

Jeramie Worley, GRI

Broker / Assoc

The Community Real Estate Group, LLC

140 Canyon Crossing, Hollister, MO 65672

Greedy Branson Home Owners Won’t Share Real Estate

Nor should they! When you buy a condo in Branson you are forced to share walls, roofs, foundations and the cost to maintain it all.  I know developers have come along way in condo construction with steel framing and concrete walls for sound reduction, but why share a wall if you don’t have to?  Go Crazy!

Branson Canyon is a community of single family homes that are zoned as condominiums along a private nook on Table Rock Lake.  Instead of only owning everything from the drywall in (as you would in the traditional sense) you own the interior and exterior of your building and the land underneath it.  This is considered your “unit” and everything else (such as the land between the homes) is the “common element”.  It is still as ultra low maintenance as a condo but it’s yours, all of it – finders keepers.  

We use the most maintenance free products on the market, like LP Smart Panel Smart Trim Siding, composite decking materials and a good coat of Sherman Williams paint.  We’ll even maintain your yard, landscaping and sprinkler system.  It’s all part of the package.

Here is the best part…If you were shopping for a condo in Branson or a vacation condo on Table Rock Lake, a good buyer’s agent, working for you, would find out the ins and outs of the Home Owners Association. Most importantly, how much has the association set aside for repairs and deferred maintenance.  If the answer is… a big goose egg, then you, along with all of your neighbors, could get an assessment for the needed repairs.  Yep, it’s the way it works in the condo world.  The association decides who does the work, when you get assessed and for how much.  But, imagine if you lived at Branson Canyon…since you own your single family home (zoned condo) you get to decide when you want a maintenance item done, who does it, and how much you want to spend.  More control is one of those comforts we talk about when we say you get all the convenience of a condo with all the comfort and privacy of a single family home.

The fact of the day is;  people buy condos because they are maintenance free, but how do you get all of your friends and family into your 1100 sq ft condo?  You don’t, you can’t.  Branson Canyon specializes in building 4-6 bedroom homes with room to spare.  There are very few 4 bedroom condos in the Branson real estate market and if you are looking for 5-6 bedroom condos…they don’t exist…except at Branson Canyon.

It’s a new concept to wrap your head around, but you’ll get used to it.  Our goal is to give you everything you expect and more as we pave a new way for real estate ownership in the Branson real estate market and so far, the feedback has been pretty darn good.

No Building Codes – No Problem! Branson Real Estate Issues

As a Realtor who sells new construction, I always do a double take when I see a new house going up.  Sometimes I’ll even stop and look around.  I work primarily inTaney County,MOwhich has no building codes.  They do have a Certificate of Conformity Permit, which is little more than an inspection to make sure the home is habitable, but outside of that, no one is checking to see if  the builder has gone about the systems or the structure properly. 

Once I showed a (supposedly) completed brand new home to some prospective clients and I’m not joking, it looked like a large monster had scared off the subcontractors.  There were tools and lunch trash laying everywhere in the yard, the front door was left wide open and there were footsteps embedded in the concrete floor of the garage.

Further inspection revealed that there had been no box or ridge venting to the roof, and the drain for the main level laundry drained right onto the floor of the basement.  It had not been connected at all to the plumbing system.  Imaging, doing a load of laundry after you move in and you are in the basement working on a nice scrapbooking project. The next thing you know,  a soapy shower is raining down on you’re your many pages of grandmas 80^th’ birthday party from last spring…ruined, and darn it, now those die cut wood trees that you put down with dazzle tac glue are warped and just won’t stick anymore.

Just yester day I saw a small 1400 sq ft home going up in a nearby neighborhood and they had all the forms up for the concrete slab.  There was no footing.  Now, I’m not a builder or an expert by any means, but that seemed like a cut corner to me.  I took our builder from Branson Canyon out to look at the property and said, “Is this right?”  He gave me the thumbs down  but I still wasn’t satisfied. I had to know why.  Further research revealed that a Slab on Grade foundation is ok for areas where the ground doesn’t freeze, but here inMissouri, it does and therefore a T-Shaped footing is recommended to prevent frost heave.  Wow…seems like the corner wasn’t cut, it was totally hacked off.  All homes are built by humans and will have mistakes, or what builder like to call “character” but if this home is starting out this way, it’s going end up being Jim Carey by the time the roof goes on.

 

The builder at Branson Canyon cut his teeth on the strict and rigid building codes of Kansas City so he is used to doing things a certain way, even though it is not required.  For a good example of how they do build your home and the extras they will put into it, click over to The Story of the Lodge.  Not only does Branson Canyon want you to have a well built home, but they want to cut down on waste and preserve as much of the natural landscape as possible.

The homes at Branson Canyon have character as well, but it’s the kind you want your friends to notice when you bring them by.

Contributed by:

Jeramie Worley, GRI

Broker /  Associate

The Community Real Estate Group, LLC

140 Canyon Crossing,Hollister,MO65672

417 336 4200

Branson Vacation Rentals are in Demand in 2011 and Beyond

Somewhere between your last vacation and your next one, you’ll probably considerBranson,Missouri.  It is the third largest vacation destination in the United States, just behind Orlando, FL and Las Vegas, NV, and is reported by the Branson Chamber of Commerce to get anywhere from 7-9 million visitors per year.

 

Some people still choose to stay in hotels, but a growing trend is moving toward privately owned vacation rental homes.  Free from slamming doors and coffee pots in bathrooms, the large spacious vacation homes can accommodate an entire family with large, fully stocked kitchens and multiple living areas for room to spread out.  When a family pools their vacation resources, the cost per family per room is a huge savings.  One poplar rustic resort near Branson charges $165 per night for a one bedroom hotel room while you can spend only $350 per night atBransonCanyonand sleep 14.  Also, when you decide to cook a few meals at home instead of giving Joe’s Crab Shack a weeks pay for one family meal, the vacation home really starts to pay for itself.  Aside from the time when my brother-in-law embarrassed our entire family at a steakhouse inSanibel Island,FLwith a loud body noise, our most memorable times are around the table at home. When we cook and eat together, those are the best vacation memories aren’t they?

 

Look at some numbers.  If you are headed toOrlando,FLand go to a site like Homeaway.com to find a vacation home, you’ll find over 4000 vacation rentals to choose from, however, if you are headed to Branson, you have just over 200 to start with.  Then break it down to 4-6 bedroom homes and the list starts to get pretty small. 

 

With a growing trend of families using vacation home instead of hotels and growing trend of families pooling their resources to vacation smarter and furthermore, a supply this small compared to other vacation markets, now is an excellent time to buy a second home in Branson and rent it out when you are not using it.  Interest rates are still very low and purchase prices are still reasonable here in the Branson Real Estate Market.

 

Branson Canyon has become successful enough that people have decided to stay here full time.  In 2011BransonCanyonlaunched “Branson Canyon Reserves” for full time living where no vacation rentals are allowed. 

 

There is something for everyone here, but if you are smart, you’ll take the opportunity to get in now, before I succeed in letting the rest of the world know how great of a placeBranson Canyon really is.

 

Contributed by:

Jeramie Worley

Broker

The Community Real Estate Group, LLC

140 Canyon Crossing,HollisterMO65672

jerworley@bransoncanyon.com

When is the best time to buy a vacation home in Branson?

I get asked this question all the time and there is only one good answer – Now!

 Before you dismiss me as sleazy salesman, please know, that this is my area of expertise and I sell more vacation homes in Branson than anything else. This info is a compilation of real stories from my clients.

 The 4-6 Bedroom Nightly Rental home is still very in demand in the Branson Real Estate market and key to when to by, falls in the good and bad of our own human nature. 

 There are two types of people, procrastinators and planners and both can help you succeed with a Branson Vacation Home.  

 With limited properties in the area, than can fit your whole family together in one place, many responsible planners look ahead to find a properly with the availability they need.  The people with this kind of mindset are smart, and instead of calling everyone in the family, they wait until the Thanksgiving – New Year holiday season to talk to everyone and find out everyone’s availability.  When people are together, they search properties online, look a pictures, get more info, and make a decision.  This is why many Branson Canyon owners see a surge in booking activity for the summer months, during the December, even January time frame.

If you waited to buy or build until May, which is right about the time the Season kicks off, you could have missed out on all of those potential bookings.

 However, the procrastinators (or folks with last minute vacation plans) need a place also and they don’t want to let everyone down since they’ve been trusted with the job of finding the home. As they start searching for a place, they see that almost all of the properties are booked. Hmmm…what are they going to do? So, when you introduce your property to the market with open availability, you will get a flood of activity and can probably get a better price. 

 At BransonCanyon, spring and fall bookings tend to come in more last minute (less than 30 days out) but the summertime and holiday dates get booked up quite a bit in advance. 

 The key is not when to buy, just buy and get your property available to the marketplace.

 With interest rates low and building costs going up…don’t wait.  Get your vacation home in Branson on the rental market.  Don’t forget to schedule some time for yourself.!

 Click Here for more info on Branson Canyon.

Contributed by:

Jeramie Worley, GRI

Broker / Associate of the Community Real Estate Group, LLC

And owner of Vacation Rental Propery inBranson,MO

 

Three reasons to own a second home in Branson in a community

Aside from being a great way to start a great thriller, owning a second home (especially a vacation rental) in an isolated part of the Ozarks, may not be a huge advantage.  Consider these tips when you are looking for a vacation rental in Branson or any other Branson Real Estate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1.  You are safer in a community – Not just you personally, but your stuff is safer.  When there is constant activity and people watching out for each other, it helps keep the boogie man away.  AtBransonCanyon, we’ve even installed a video surveillance system on some of the common areas to further increase security.

 

2.  You get the spill over – One of the largest benefits to owning a vacation rental home atBransonCanyonis the repeat business.  Many people who come to Branson are now looking for Branson Canyon Homes on VRBO.com and Homeaway.com.  Last year they may have rented from your neighbor but by the time they called, your neighbor is booked up.  They are ready to book with you because you are available and have a rental home atBransonCanyon.

 

3.  Amenities – One of the largest benefits to a community is the pool, clubhouse, hiking trails or whatever else might be offered.  If you rent a home off by its lonesome you may get a really cool fire pit and tell some crazy late night stories…but you may get the beast that goes along with them!

 

This article was contributed by:

Jeramie Worley, GRI

Broker / Assoc

The Community Real Estate Group, LLC

140 Canyon Crossing,HollisterMO65672

471 336 4200

Branson Real Estate Values Going Up in a Shaky Market

Amidst the mega golf communities inSouthwest Missouriand the multi-million dollar timeshare enterprises. BransonCanyon is an underdog.  It’s a smaller development with limited marketing resources and a small team of dedicated souls who show up at the office daily and refuse to buy into the mentality that “The Sky is Falling”  We sell homes here, not timeshare you get to own a piece of the Ozarks and we don’t fluff it up.  People will always want new, cutting edge, upscale rustic lake homes and that’s what we do best, period.

 Our weaknesses are our strengths.  We don’t have an airport but we are only twelve minutes from one and, by the way, we don’t get the traffic or fuel trucks driving by.  We don’t have a golf course but we are only six miles from two great ones, but we don’t have outrageous homeowner’s association dues.  We have hiking trails, panoramic views, happy homeowners and the hippest styles around.  Seems to be working.

New Master Cabin Model at Branson Canyon

 With all of the foreclosures and low hanging fruit out there, the market in the Ozarks has seen a decline in the average home price since 2007, but that’s about the time Branson Canyon started selling homes.  Since 2007 the average home price at Branson Canyon has gone up 6% or more and there have been ZERO foreclosures or short sales in the community.  That is the major difference.  When the sales comparisons start to tank, so do the rest of the homes.  However, another benefit at Branson Canyon is that there have been very few resales.  There have only been four since 2007 and three of them were owners who upgraded to a bigger home in the same community.

 Why Bigger?  Spoiler Alert! Branson Canyon has a corner of it’s community where the owners can rent the home out on a nightly rental basis and, the fact is, a 5 bedroom usually rents more than a 2 bedroom.

 This gives people a chance to buy now.  One owner said that he hopes to retire here in five years. At that time, he wants to let the renters pay down his mortgage for him and take that and any other equity and finally retire.  He said, “We have one kid in college and one getting married and we didn’t want to miss all those years.  It’s our home, we don’t all have to be together. They can use it if they want to but It’s the most fun when we are together. “ 

 It’s not an anomaly, were just meeting the demand that is out there.

We build retreats for people who want to keep their loved ones together and we make them as maintenance free as possible. 

 Yankee Ingenuity, that’s all it is and those that have it are the ones that are going to lead us into a brighter tomorrow.

Click Here to see a short intro video to Branson Canyon.

Win-Win at Branson Canyon – Real Estate Market Update

Who says the Branson Real Estate Market is bad?  In the Tri-Lakes Area, the inventory (available homes for sale) in the market is down about 11 % from this time last year and the number of transaction are up about 7%.  Smells like good news to me.  The inventory is being absorbed and  more people are buying this year than last year.

 What are they buying?  There is a bunch of small stuff being picked up but what about homes in the $250 – $350 range?

 Branson Canyon sold 4 homes in August and It’s all because we are doing out best to meet the market head on instead of casting a net wide and hoping we snag something. 

 We listen to you! Our owners and our visitors are very important to us and one of the things that people were saying was a challenge when they bought a second home or a vacation rental is…”now we have to furnish it.”

 While some good shoppers have reported being able to furnish their home for $12,000 most people say it takes about $20,000 to do it right.  I’ve heard one owner say that he bought the furniture on a credit card and his payment is about $350 a month.  Then, he said he gets $350 per night to rent out the home… so he has his renters paying off the furniture while he takes the depreciation deduction on his taxes. I found that pretty interesting as it’s a great example of letting OPM (Other Peoples Money) work for him.

 If you are not lucky enough to snag a RARE furnished resale atBransonCanyon(like this stunning 2Br/2Bath) then you could have relied on great promo that was offered by the Developer, which helped some new owners meet the needs of buying investment property in Branson.  They have extended the promo to the inventory homes only and it will not be offered on new construction any more this year.

 So What’s the deal?

 If you submit a full price offer on an inventory home that closes in 45 days or less the Developer will give you $10,000 in the form of a furniture credit after closing to be paid to Nebraska Furniture Mart on your behalf.  Not a bad way to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas.

 Contact me and I’ll show you how you can join our community of people who have a retreat in the Ozarks and rent it out in our rental program when they are not using it.  It’s a win-win for everyone.

Seven Great Reasons Why People Buy at Branson Canyon

Boat Slips Nearby

1. Maintenance Provided: Lawn Care, Sprinkler Systems, Landscaping – When you show up for your vacation with your friends, you won’t have to spend the first two days pulling weeds. Show up and have fun and let us take care of the rest.

 2. Space: More room than a condo to fit the whole bunch of you!  I once spent Thanksgiving in a Two bedroom Two bath lake view condo and that was fun for about 20 min.  For the same price, you can have a 4-5 bedroom home atBransonCanyonand spread out a bit. 

 3. Privacy: Very close to shopping, attractions, airport, grocery, boat launch, docks, marinas with easy access to Hwy 65, but when you look around you are in a nice private canyon that feels like it is away from it all.

 4. Amenities: Four thousand square foot clubhouse and large zero entry pool.

 5. Proven: Our homeowners are our raving fans.

 6. Service After theSale: We want you to be part of our community and not just sell you a house.  Take time to get to know our sales staff and our builder, we own here as well and will be your neighbors.

 7. Rentals:  Not everyone wants to rent their home and in the Reserves atBransonCanyonyou are not allowed to, we reserve that area for full time owners and folks that don’t want to rent.  But…for those that do, we have a rental program that is second to none.

 Contributed by:

 Jeramie Worley, GRI

Broker / Assoc

The Community Real Estate Group, LLC

140 Canyon Crossing,HollisterMO65672

info@bransoncanyon.com