9 January 2013
Home Sales Market Showing Encouraging Signs
Home sales in Florence showed a measure of improvement in 2012 and that should translate into a gradual strengthening of property values. But how long that takes is still anyone’s guess. Tawfik Ahdab is a certified residential real estate appraiser. His company, Pacific Valuation Group, has been tracking home values in the Florence area for nearly two decades. He says the number of home sales increased over the past 12 months with 311 closed-sales. That’s the most since 2006 and the first time since 2007 that the 300-home mark has been broken.
Ahdab says despite the increase, there are some “anomalies” that raise questions. The length of time that homes have been on the market, on average, has remained high… while prices remain depressed.
Ahdab said there is an encouraging sign in last year’s information…. The number of homes that are offered for sale “under duress”; either as a bank-owned foreclosure or a “short sale”; continues to fall… homes in those categories make up only four percent of the current market… far less than in recent years.
***
Gas Prices Peak in 2012
Gas prices in Oregon were the most expensive ever last year. According to Triple-A, the average price for 2012 in Oregon was $3.81… 14-cents more than the previous record high in 2011. Marie Dodds with Triple-A said most of the price pressures were caused by supply issues… refinery fires; storms; and pipeline shutdowns. Dodds says prices are at a relatively low level right now, but a gradual increase is expected through springtime. But, at a slower pace than last year. Today’s average price in Florence remains at $3.34 a gallon; four cents less than Oregon’s statewide average price and four cents more than the national average.
***
Dunes City Ceremony
Dunes City Mayor Rebecca Ruede will make a special presentation to outgoing councilor and Dunes City webmaster Richard Koehler tomorrow evening. Immediately following the ceremony, she and three councilors will be sworn in for their new terms. Ed Scarberry and Jamie Mills were re-elected to four year terms; Maury Sanders was elected for the first time. They’ll join Duke Wells, Dick Anderson and Troy Sathe who are all ‘mid term’.
It won’t be all pomp and circumstance tomorrow evening… Immediately following the swearing in, the new council is scheduled to make a series of committee appointments, then they’ll hear the second reading of a new ordinance regarding enforcement of city codes.
***
Summer Reading
The Siuslaw Public Library recently received a grant of just under $2-thousand from the State Library to help services to children. The “Ready to Read” grant will be used to help fund new science based activities that are intended to promote reading “with purpose” during the summer according to children’s librarian Gayle Waiss.