Ann Arbor area housing market shows improvement for sixth consecutive month
The Ann Arbor area's housing market has shown improvement in housing permits, employment and house prices for six consecutive months, according to data released today by the National Association of Home Builders.
The "improving market index" identifies metropolitan areas in the U.S. that have shown improvement for at least six months, and Ann Arbor was added to the list of 41 improving housing markets this month.
“With more than a half decade of record low building activity now combined with modest employment gains, we’re seeing a shortage in the availability of quality housing choices, which has increased both new construction and renovation activity,” Maureen Sloan, CEO of the Builders and Remodelers Association of Greater Ann Arbor, said in a statement.
According to recent data from the Ann Arbor Area Board of Realtors, the average sale price for a home in Ann Arbor in October was $300,125, up from $248,321 in October 2010.
As of October, there had been 10 permits filed in Ann Arbor for single-family home construction in 2011, according to regional housing data compiled by the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments.
In 2010, 13 new construction permits were filed, up from nine in 2009 and eight 2008.
Robert Filka, CEO of the Michigan Association of Home Builders, said the entire state of Michigan has been showing signs of modest growth in building and remodeling in recent months.
“Michigan’s housing market began its decline long before the national housing bubble burst and we, as a state, saw our market bottom out more than a year ago,” Filka said in a statement. “Many of our communities are starting to turn the corner and this is yet another confirmation of that fact.”
Lizzy Alfs is a business reporter for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at 734-623-2584 or email her at lizzyalfs@annarbor.com. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/lizzyalfs.
Comments
BobbyJohn
Wed, Dec 7, 2011 : 6:48 p.m.
Lizzy last year there were 13 new housing permits. So far this year there have been 10. 1 more than 2009 and 2 more than 2008. I don't see how this is an improvement in housing permits. At best we are flat compared to the worst times in our lifetimes when it comes to new housing. Please keep in mind that Builders and especially Realtors are above all Salespeople. Just take a look at their predictions in previous years, always overly optimistic
Bcar
Wed, Dec 7, 2011 : 12:12 p.m.
grrrrrreat, so you're saying our assessments are going to go up yet again... funny how they say that they dont track sale prices, but only "other factors." Yet when the market is falling like a rock, assessments do not fall nearly as fast, but when prices are rising you can bet the farm assessments will track up instantly!
Bear
Tue, Dec 6, 2011 : 10:57 p.m.
well, where are the usual suspects who cry about the 'greenspace' not being a wise investment and hate urban density? Using our urban areas more wisely helps to keep our local economy thriving in the face of an State & Federal economic downturn. We continue to grow. Good move Ann Arbor.