Texoma real estate sales on the rise

If the Texoma housing market is any indication, the local economic condition is greatly improving. The entire nation has been hit hard by a recession in the past few years, but here in Bryan County, things seem to be looking up. Increases in the real estate market reveal that consumers are becoming more confident in the economy.

Linda VanMeter, a local Realtor with Coldwell Banker, recently gave a presentation to the board of the Durant Chamber of Commerce about real estate sales in Bryan County. She said numbers have gone up substantially in in the past year.

“People are feeling more comfortable with the economy,” she said. From January through September 2011, the Texoma housing market showed a 12.7 percent increase in the total number of homes sold than in the same period in 2010. The average price of a home sold also increased by 10.5 percent. In the first nine months of 2011, the median price of a home sold was $95,835, which is up $6,363 from 2010. In 2011, the average number of days a house was on the market was 155, which is a 19 day decrease from the year before.

Statewide, real estate sales are also improving. Real estate sales from January 2011 through September 2011 were up 1.7 percent than 2010. In the third quarter of 2011, there was a 23 percent increase in homes sold statewide than in the year before. VanMeter said the real estate community believes these numbers will continue to improve.

“We feel confident they’ll continue to go up with the stability of the economy,” she said.

She also offered advice for those looking to purchase homes.

“The easiest way to approach it is to talk to a lender to find out any restrictions and find out what payments you can afford, then start looking for a house,” she said. “That way, your heart isn’t broken when you fall in love with a house out of your price range.”

VanMeter said she enjoys being a Realtor and hopes to help others in Bryan County find their perfect home.

“It’s a good time to be in real estate because it’s a joy to help people,” she said. “The real estate community can help people find a home and help make it an easy transition for them.”

Source: http://www.durantdemocrat.com/view/full_story/17720120/article-Texoma-real-estate-sales-on-the-rise-?instance=popular