Affordable Downtown Living

This great article published by Harold Miller of Pop City Media really addresses the misconception that Downtown real estate is too expensive. After reading the article, please take some time to look under my "Featured Listings" section to view information on three great listings I have at 151 First Side. You can view more details on my homepage at www.howardhanna.com.

Ecobroker Certified®

I am very proud and exited to announce that I have become one of the first certified Ecobrokers® here in Pennsylvania. With my intensive specialized training and education, I can now identify potential energy saving features to assist sellers in more effectively marketing their home, and introduce buyers to the benefits of owning a home with improved indoor air quality and energy efficient appliances. These features in a new home can help you save money and live more comfortably! If you have any questions about what is available in the Pittsburgh area, please feel free to contact me. I look forward to sharing my new-found knowledge with you!

Real Estate is Local

Hello Everyone! Here is an article recently publised in the online edition of the NAR newsletter. It stresses the importance of understanding the market, and decoding all of the negative Market reports that we have seen in the media lately. It is especially relevant to those of us in Pittsburgh, who continue to enjoy the benefits of a stable Real Estate Market. Thanks so much and I hope you all have a very Happy Thanksgiving Holiday!

Going Green - Where to Start

Here is an article recently published in the Real Estate Journal. A great resource for those who are interested in taking steps toward going green but arent sure where to start.

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) on the Home Front

This article was recently published in the Real Estate section of the Wall Street Journal. If you have read any of my previous posts, you will recognize this as the pilot program that the Green Building Council is rolling out for single family residential homes and the program that we are attempting to implement for Project Greenhouse. Although inevitably confronted with controversy as all things involving Green construction seem to be, it is a great guide for potential home builders/renovators to utilize as it separates the process into several different categories (taking into account such things as location, access to transportation, energy usage, water systems and quality etc.), each of which can score a certain number of points. The total number of points that a new home achieves will determine it's status on the LEED scale (bronze, silver,gold or platinum). If you would like more information on the pilot program, please contact me!

State of the Pittsburgh Housing Market

Frequently - I am asked by clients about the state of the Pittsburgh housing market, particularly in Downtown Pittsburgh. It is important to realize that national reports take the average of what is happening in the nation, which can be misleading considering that Real Estate is regional, and different markets can be drastically different. To put things into perspective, here are some statistics that I recently came across regarding downtown Pittsburgh:

1. The value of Downtown housing is up! The average price of units sold in the Downtown area so far this year is $220,737. This is up from the 2006 average of $178,596 (statistic from National Association of Realtors).
2. Currently there are 87 units under contract and 87 units showing as actively on the market.
3. As for units sold YTD, we are only down 4 units from 2006 (yes, 4 with no zeros at the end). Taking into account that there are currently 87 units under contract, some of those are bound to close before the end of the year, which will put us ahead! Yes, downtown Pittsburgh will most likely show an increase in number of units sold in 2007!

So much for the doom and gloom projected onto us from the national media! These statistics are for Downtown Pittsburgh alone. If you would like similar statistics on other areas or have any questions please feel free to contact me!

*statistics from West Penn Multilist through 11/8/2007

Top 10 List for a Green Makeover

The Post Gazette published an article today referencing this Top 10 list featured at www.pathnet.org. Perfect for those embarking on a remodeling project who are interested in some of the aspects of "green" development.