HomeMy WebLinkAboutA021 - Memo from Real Estate Broker with comparison sales analysis November 20, 2000
To: Ames City Council
Planning&Housing Staff
From: Bonnie Homstad, Real Estate Broker
Re: Somerset Housing Sales per AMES MLS DATA BASE (all comparison sales
exclusive to Ames City limits)
Somerset Townhomes
The MLS data base shows only seven(7) SOLDS beginning October 1, 1999 through
November 12, 2000;these were in the price range of$138,500--$201,400 actual sale
price. In this same price range and in this same time period in the rest of the market I
found eleven(11) comparable SOLDS
Townhomes
(7) Somerset 119(DOM) Sold
(11) Rest of Market 159.2 (DOM) Sold
ANALYSIS
Somerset townhomes listed on the Ames MLS have sold about 40.2 days faster than other
Ames townhomes in the same price and same time period(Oct 1999-Nov 2000). Since
builders tend to voluntarily put only those properties on the MLS which they perceive to
be "difficult to sell" or"slower to sell" (Don't want to pay a realtor commission unless
necessary), one might surmise that even these most "difficult" Somerset townhomes are
well outstripping the rest of the market;the quality and village design model seems to be
working.
However, the sampling is too small to be reliable. It would be best to put ALL Somerset
townhomes on the MLS in the busy period (January I-June3 0) in order to have a broader
study and then form an opinion or make a decision. The total number of townhomes sold
or sale pending from which this data was taken was 173 per my printout of November 12,
2000
`Note—this study was done for my own professional expertise and and is intended as an
unbiased study to help my clients know about their investment in the Ames market; I
have begun a similar study on the Somerset single housing sales.