Ascension Parish

In April 2018, there were 244 homes listed in Ascension Parish with 164 of those selling. Those sellers received 98.65% of their asking price. The Average Sales price of those homes was $251,030.

There are currently 589 homes available in Ascension with an average list price of $327,391. If you are looking for a 3-4 bedroom house, there are 528 of those with an average price of $304,848.

We are starting to see homes sit on the market a little longer than they did last year although pretty even with last month. I feel like we may be moving to a more balanced market and we will feel that more and more as we move through summer.

East Baton Rouge Parish

In April 2018, there were 468 homes listed in areas 4,5 & 6 in East Baton

Ascension Parish

In February we wondered what March would bring. We guessed it...there was a little leveling in the market. February was HOT y'all! In March we saw a steep decline in sales volume. We believe this is short-lived and may have been caused by a shock to buyers over rising interest rates. They may have held off thinking the rates would go back down. Unfortunately, that is not what we have seen. Rates are still climbing. Median price went down a little as well.

Don't freak out yet. We think this was just a blip recorrecting the big jump in February. Spring selling season has sprung and we are super busy!

East Baton Rouge Parish

East Baton Rouge Parish saw another increase in sales units again in March while their median sales price

Ascension Parish

Ascension Parish was HOT in February! Look at the uptick in the median sales price, up 14%! I believe that is because we are still in a buyer's market and with not a lot of inventory, sellers were able to push those prices up. The volume was up and that coincides with the low inventory. BUT... see those days on market? They are inching up. Makes me wonder what is in store for March reporting. With interest rates climbing a little I wonder if we will see a little leveling in the market.

East Baton Rouge Parish

East Baton Rouge Parish had a slight uptick in median sales price in February.  To offset that maintenance, there was quite an increase in volume, 20%  The days on market in EBR remained steady. I believe there is a leveling

You have decided to purchase a home. Congratulations!

The first thing you need to do is to hire a real estate agent.
How do you hire the right real estate agent?

1. Ask for referrals

Do you have friends or family that have recently purchased a home? They will have great recommendations for you.

2. Stalk them online!

Yes, you read that right! Look up the recommendations on all the social channels. Are they habitual negative posters? We all have bad days, so one or two venting posts are ok, but every other post is a clue about that person's personality. Purchasing a home is stressful enough, you don't need someone negative on your side.
What about the pictures? Do the images they post of themselves make you comfortable? Do you feel like this is

Ascension Parish

Ascension Parish is holding strong when comparing January 2018 to January 2017. The volume remained exactly the same, and the median sales price was down less than 1%. Not even enough to really report about. Median days on the market remained steady at only 14 days. Ascension Parish housing is healthy and we expect it to continue to be strong through 2018.

East Baton Rouge Parish

East Baton Rouge Parish had a Median Sales price of $232,900 in January which was up 22% from $180,500 from January of 2017. While that was great, the market showed a 42% decrease in homes sold in January 2017 to January 2018. Unlike, Ascension Parish, January 2017 still saw flooded/gutted properties on the market from the 2016 Flood. As the year closed

One item that we see buyers and sellers squabble over is window treatments.

Buyers expect the window treatments to be in the house after they close and get very upset when they aren't. Sellers are trying to save some money and take the window treatments to their new home. Yikes!

Who is right?

In the Prairieville / Baton Rouge area, the purchase agreement states "all window coverings, blinds and associated hardware" will remain. This is pretty clear language. Maybe we have agents that aren't reviewing the purchase agreement clearly with the seller. With the age of digital signatures, I think that some of the reviews get lost, and some agents are leaving it up to their clients to read the offer in its entirety.

But they match my comforter!

You are pre-approved and ready to write an offer on the house. This is the exciting part and also the most critical part. Here are some tips to help you write a strong offer.

Listen to your Agent

Your agent will run the comps in the area and review them with you before writing the offer. They will advise you on where to start with the price. Everyone wants a deal, but sometimes you just have to settle for paying fair market value. If you are in a seller's market, making an offer that is too low will negatively impact you. Another offer written more strongly may come in and knock you out of contention.

Do you really need all of those closing costs?

Lots of buyers in the Prairieville / Baton Rouge area are asking for all of their closing

Have you been thinking about buying a new home in the Prairieville / Baton Rouge area? Maybe it will be your first home!

This can and should be a really exciting time. Before starting to look for a home you will need to be pre-approved by a lender. This is important for a number of reasons. One of the main reasons is that a pre-approval will let you know what price range you need to be looking in.  Nothing is worse than falling in love with a property and then finding out you can't afford it.

Let's back up a minute... First of all, we need to make sure some things are in order in your financial house.

1. Check your credit report for errors. Did you know that just a few points could make a difference in your rate? A higher rate over 15 or 30

My answer to the question every time is, “YES”!

Many years ago, before I was an agent myself, my husband and I purchased a new home in Prairieville. We were very excited about our next move up in the housing market. The home was vacant when we started the negotiations. We closed within 30 days and everything we well. At the closing, the previous owners handed over the keys to our new home. They asked if we were going to move in right away. We told them that we were leaving the next morning for two weeks to visit my husband’s family up north. That afternoon, we picked up our kids and moved a couple of things in the house just so it would feel like it was really ours.

 Returning from our vacation we went straight to our new home. As we walked in