New Orleans West Bank Living and Real Estate News: Louisiana

There is so much happening on the West Bank this weekend that my calendar is overflowing. I don't know how all of these great events ended up on the same days, but if you can't have fun this Saturday and Sunday, well....there's not much we can do to help you. Rest up on Friday night, because the rest of the weekend is jam packed with West Bank Living!

1st Annual Terrytown Spring Festival

Celebrating the 50 year history of Terrytown, the Spring festival is Saturday from 11am - 11pm at 641 Heritage Avenue.

A 9:30 am parade through Terrytown will kick off the event, which is filled with food, fun and live music, a kids area, car show and more.

The music schedule is:

12-3pm Amanda Shaw
4-7pm the TopCats
7:30-10:30pm Rockin Dopsie, Jr

Bring your lawn chairs to spend the day, but no outside food or drink is allowed.

Mo's Pizza Fest

This year’s annual Mo’s Pizza Fest starts at 11:00am. A great local fundraiser, proceeds from the Festival benefit both the Westwego Fire Department and Westwego Police Department.

Don’t miss out on all the great food, fun, raffles and live music. Again, bring your lawn chairs, but leave the food and drink at home.

Band schedule is:
Foret Tradition – 11:00am -12:30pm
Mojeaux- 1:00pm -3:00pm
Weathered – 3:30pm -4:30pm
Bag of Donuts – 5:00pm – 6:30pm
Five Finger Discount – 7:00pm – 9:00pm

Mo’s Pizza, 1112 Avenue H, Westwego, LA. 70094. Call 341-9650 or mosfest@gmail.com for more information.

Gretna Jubilee

The JPPSS Advanced Studies Academies on the Westbank are hosting the fourth annual Gretna Jubilee – a gala event, featuring restaurant tasting, open premium bar, charity auction and outdoor concert at the historic Gretna Farmer’s Market.

This year’s event will take place on Saturday March 6, 2010 from 7p.m. – 11 p.m., in the open-air Gretna Market at the corner of 4th St and Huey P. Long Avenue in the City of Gretna.

The Jubilee is a benefit for charter schools, with food samplings from an expected 35 restaurants and this year featuring two bands – rock-a-billy sensation Gal Holiday and legendary New Orleans rockers Dash Rip Rock. Tickets to the event are $50 and include food, an open premium bar, concert and participation in the auction. Visit www.gretnajubilee.com for more information on the event.

Louisiana Saturday Night

A family friendly fund raiser being held by the Krewe of Choctaw, Louisiana Saturday Night kicks off at 6 pm at the VFW Post 3121, 475 Monroe Street in Gretna.

It's a Louisiana Saturday Night party with the Jimmy Thibodeaux Band playing all of your favorite Louisiana music from 6-10pm. The event is free and open to the public.

The Kids are welcome... Choctaw will be selling fried catfish dinners and drinks and you can dance all night long! Come dressed as you are from the festivals as they roll back the rug and just have some fun.

Algiers Friendship Day

As if Saturday wasn't enough to wear anyone out, Sunday is Friendship Day in Algiers Point. One of the most anticipated block parties of the year, with food, drinks and live music from Outlaw Jim and the Whiskey Benders and Algiers' own Chicken on the Bone.

The weather is supposed to be delightful, so stake out a spot for your blanket on the levee or bring your lawn chairs to the corner of Olivier and Patterson. The music starts at noon, with an official end time of 4 pm, but this party usually lasts into the night. Kid friendly, it's a wonderful way to welcome spring to the West Bank.

That's my calendar. What are you doing this weekend?

For information about home buying or selling on the West Bank of New Orleans, or relocating to or from NAS JRB New Orleans, please contact the West Bank Living Team. It would be our pleasure to have the opportunity to assist you with any of your real estate needs and have a little fun while doing it!

Originally published at West Bank Living

Current real estate activity in English Turn (New Orleans, LA):

30 single family homes for sale

• High list price $1,799,000
• Low list price $399,000
• Average list price $704,067
• Median list price $549,000

2 homes are under contract or pending sale, priced from $469,000 to $499,000

Based on January sales (2), there is a 15 month supply of homes for sale in Belle Chasse

English Turn | Number of Home Sales | January 2010

English Turn started the year with 2 homes sold in January, surpassing January sales in both 2009 and 2008.

The few bank owned properties in English Turn have sold, so now the rest of the inventory is starting to be cleared. As a result, I anticipate days on market will rise (see the sharp uptick in January) as homes that have been on the market for an extended period of time are sold.

English Turn | Average Home Sale Prices | January 2010

The January average sale price in English Turn was $508,500, up from the 2009 average of $492,938. As we move further into the year, we will have a better handle on whether this is a blip or a trend in the market.

Because of the price range of these luxury homes, conventional financing was used for both purchases. Sellers did not provide any closing cost assistance to the buyers, but 1 seller did provide a home warranty for the purchaser.

Related Articles:

Home buying tips
Home selling tips

Algiers homes for sale

West Bank Real Estate Market Statistics

For more information about home buying or selling on the West Bank of New Orleans, or relocating to or from NAS JRB New Orleans, please contact the West Bank Living Team. It would be our pleasure to have the opportunity to assist you with any of your real estate needs and have a little fun while doing it!

Originally published at West Bank Living

Current real estate activity in Belle Chasse LA:

43 single family homes for sale

• High list price $1,700,000
• Low list price $85,000
• Average list price $362,440
• Median list price $283,500

7 homes are under contract or pending sale, priced from $183,000 to $450,000

Based on January sales (1), there is a 43 month supply of homes for sale in Belle Chasse

Belle Chasse LA | Number of Home Sales | January 2010

January saw 1 single family home sale in Belle Chasse, the slowest January since we started tracking sales in 2004. With only 1 sale, the average days on market has little meaning. I can tell you that of the currently active listings, the average days on market is 170, so Belle Chasse seems to be slowing down. We won't know that for sure until we see another couple of months of data for comparisons.

Belle Chasse LA | Average Home Sale Prices | January 2010

The January average sale price was $263,300, but, again, it's important to remember that this is only one sale. No seller concessions were made and no home warranty was provided for the buyer.

All data is provided by GSREIN and is deemed reliable, but not guaranteed

Related Articles:

Home buying tips
Home selling tips

Belle Chasse homes for sale

West Bank Real Estate Market Statistics

For more information about home buying or selling on the West Bank of New Orleans, or relocating to or from NAS JRB New Orleans, please contact the West Bank Living Team. It would be our pleasure to have the opportunity to assist you with any of your real estate needs and have a little fun while doing it!

Originally published at West Bank Living

Current real estate activity in Algiers Point:

26 single family homes are for sale

• High list price $390,000
• Low list price $126,000
• Average list price $268,231
• Median list price $277,000

7 homes are under contract or pending sale, priced from $123,500 to $425,000

Based on the number of homes sold in January (3), there is a 8.7 month supply of homes for sale in Algiers Point

Algiers Point | Number of Single Family Home Sales | January 2010

The Point started out the year with 3 successful single family homes sales – a vast improvement over last January when there were no sales at all and the most January sales we’ve seen in the neighborhood since 2007.

Days on market took a jump to an average of 136, but since it is just for one month, we’ll have to track it over time to get a true picture of how long it is taking homes that are priced right to sell.

Algiers Point | Average Single Family Home Prices | January 2010

Finally, we are starting to see some of the move in ready and upper end homes in the Point begin to move. January ended with an average sale price of $302,750. Granted, with only 3 sales it’s easy to skew the numbers, but all of the homes sold were over $260k, which is well above the 2009 average.

Conventional financing was used for all of the homes sold in January.

Some more details about January sales in the Point

• All of the homes were in Very Good or Excellent condition
• None of the sales were of bank owned or foreclosure properties
• 1 (33%) seller provided closing cost assistance to the buyer
• 1 (33%) seller paid for a home warranty for the purchaser

All data is provided by GSREIN and is deemed reliable, but not guaranteed

Related Articles:

Home buying tips

Home selling tips

Algiers homes for sale

West Bank Real Estate Market Statistics

For more information about home buying or selling on the West Bank of New Orleans, or relocating to or from NAS JRB New Orleans, please contact the West Bank Living Team. It would be our pleasure to have the opportunity to assist you with any of your real estate needs and have a little fun while doing it!

Originally published at West Bank Living

Current real estate activity in Algiers LA 70131 (excluding English Turn):

182 single family homes are for sale

• High list price $895,000
• Low list price $29,900
• Average list price $181,517
• Median list price $155,000

29 homes are under contract or pending sale, priced from $50,000 to $325,000 Based on the number of January sales (9), there is a 20 month supply of homes for sale in Algiers

Algiers LA 70131 | Number of Single Family Home Sales | January 2010

The 70131 zip code of Algiers started off the year with 9 homes sold, up from 7 in January 2009. The days on market dropped substantially, but that is mostly due to the sale of several bank owned homes that were aggressively priced and moved very quickly.

Competition from foreclosures should be a factor when pricing your West Bank home to sell, so be sure that you have information on all of your competition before putting your house on the market. Get your free report of recent listings and sales in your New Orleans West Bank neighborhood

Algiers LA 70131 | Average Single Family Home Price | January 2010

The average single family home in Algiers sold for $147,758 in January, up over $20k from December, but still below the 2009 average shown above. Conventional loans and cash were the most popular forms of payment, since many of the homes sold in January were in less than excellent condition, keeping them from being financed with VA or FHA loans.

Some more details about January home sales in Algiers

• 33% of the sales were of bank owned or foreclosed properties (33% is the average across the West Bank)
• 11% of sellers provided some type of closing cost assistance to the buyer
• 11% of sellers paid for a home warranty for the purchaser

All data is provided by GSREIN and is deemed reliable, but not guaranteed

Related Articles:

Home buying tips
Home selling tips
Algiers homes for sale
West Bank Real Estate Market Statistics

For more information about home buying or selling on the West Bank of New Orleans, or relocating to or from NAS JRB New Orleans, please contact the West Bank Living Team. It would be our pleasure to have the opportunity to assist you with any of your real estate needs and have a little fun while doing it!

Originally published at West Bank Living

Current real estate activity in Algiers LA 70114:

112 single family homes are for sale

• High list price $390,000
• Low list price $10,000
• Average list price $144,144
• Median list price $118,750

19 homes are under contract or pending sale, priced from $13,000 to $425,000

Based on the number of homes sold in January (7), there is a 16 month supply of homes for sale in the 70114 zip code

Algiers LA 70114 | Number of Single Family Homes Sold | January 2010

The 70114 zip code of Algiers started out the year with 7 single family homes sold, up from only 2 in January 2009, so it’s a nice start to 2010 after disappointing sales last year.  3 of the sales were in Algiers Point, while the other 4 were in various neighborhoods in the area.

The average days on market for homes sold in January was 80, while the average days on market for active listings is at 155.  This is a good indicator that some of the homes that have been on the market for awhile may be overpriced or in not so great condition.  If you are selling your home, you need to know your competition.  Find out what's going on in your West Bank neighborhood with this week's free market snapshot

Algiers LA 70114 | Average Sale Price of Single Family Homes Sold | January 2010

The average sale price jumped up to $154,707 in January, mostly due to the number of homes sold in the Point, which always commands a higher price.

The split between conventional and cash sales tells me that there are very few entry level homes being sold in the area, which would more than likely be financed with FHA loans.  Instead, it appears that either investors or stronger buyers are the ones more interested in these properties.

A few more facts about January home sales:

• 29% of the sales were of bank owned or foreclosure properties (compared to 33% across the West Bank)
• 29% of sellers provided some type of closing cost assistance to the buyers
• 14% of sellers paid for a home warranty for the purchasers

All data is provided by GSREIN and is deemed reliable, but not guaranteed

Related Articles:

Home buying tips
Home selling tips
Algiers homes for sale
West Bank Real Estate Market Statistics

For more information about home buying or selling on the West Bank of New Orleans, or relocating to or from NAS JRB New Orleans, please contact the West Bank Living Team. It would be our pleasure to have the opportunity to assist you with any of your real estate needs and have a little fun while doing it!

Originally published at West Bank Living

Current real estate activity in Westwego, Avondale and Bridge City:

139 single family homes are for sale

• High list price $330,000
• Low list price $24,900
• Average list price $130,840
• Median list price $119,000

23 homes are under contract or pending sale, priced from $19,900 to $299,000

Based on the number of homes sold in January (8), there is a 17 month supply of homes for sale in the 70094 zip code

Westwego Avondale Bridge City | Number of Single Family Homes Sold | January 2010

The 70094 zip code started the year with 8 home sales in January, compared to 10 in January 2009. This marks the slowest January sales in the last 5 years. But, with 23 homes under contract, I expect to see an increase in closings for February.

Days on market took a jump, up to an average of 107 days for sold listings. Active listings have been on the market for an average of 129 days, so look for this trend to continue.

Find out what's going on in your West Bank neighborhood with this week's free market snapshot.

Westwego Avondale Bridge City | Average Single Family Home Price | January 2010

While the number of sales was down, the average price for homes sold in January was up to $120,850. This is the highest monthly average we’ve seen in the 70094 zip code since 2007.

FHA continues to be the financing option of choice for the majority of buyers in the Westwego, Avondale and Bridge City communities. With the stricter condition requirements for FHA loans, sellers should be aware that deferred maintenance can make their homes ineligible for this type of financing.

A few facts about January sales:

• 37.5% of homes sold were bank owned or foreclosure properties (compared to 33% across the West Bank of New Orleans)
37.5% of sellers provided some type of closing cost assistance to the buyers
• 25% of sellers paid for a home warranty for the purchasers

All data is provided by GSREIN and is deemed reliable, but not guaranteed

Related Articles:

Home buying tips
Home selling tips
Westwego homes for sale
West Bank Real Estate Market Statistics

For more information about home buying or selling on the West Bank of New Orleans, or relocating to or from NAS JRB New Orleans, please contact the West Bank Living Team. It would be our pleasure to have the opportunity to assist you with any of your real estate needs and have a little fun while doing it!

Originally published at West Bank Living

Current real estate activity in Marrero LA:

257 single family homes are for sale

• High list price $2,450,000
• Low list price $24,500
• Average list price $167,294
• Median list price $140,000

48 homes are under contract or pending sale, priced from $16,900 to $273,000

Based on the number of homes sold in January (10), there is a 25.7 month supply of homes for sale in Marrero (over 2 years)

Marrero LA 70072 | Number of Single Family Home Sales | January 2010

What the heck happened?  Marrero started out the year with 10 homes sold in January, compared to 31 in January 2009, resulting in the lowest number of monthly home sales in the 70072 zip code in over 5 years.  With 48 pending sales, I can only assume that the holidays have stretched out some closing times.  We will continue to keep a close eye on this trend over the next couple of months to see if it balances out or if it’s a sign of a significant change in the Marrero real estate market.

Days on market for sold homes dropped to 51, and days on market for active listings is now at 115.

Marrero LA 70072 | Average Single Family Home Prices | January 2010

While the number of sales may be down substantially, the average sale price is holding steady at just over $139,000.  The first time home buyer tax credit has definitely resulted in increased sales in lower price ranges that are most affordable for first time buyers, keeping the average prices down.

More details about January homes sales in Marrero

• 40% of the sales were bank owned or foreclosure properties
• 50% of sellers provided some type of closing cost assistance to the buyers
• 20% of sellers paid for a home warranty for the buyers

All data is provided by GSREIN and is deemed reliable, but not guaranteed

Related Articles:

Home buying tips
Home selling tips

Find Marrero LA homes for sale

West Bank Real Estate Market Statistics

For more information about home buying or selling on the West Bank of New Orleans, or relocating to or from NAS JRB New Orleans, please contact the West Bank Living Team. It would be our pleasure to have the opportunity to assist you with any of your real estate needs and have a little fun while doing it!

Originally published at West Bank Living

Current real estate activity in Harvey LA:

149 single family homes are for sale

• High list price $549,000
• Low list price $500
• Average list price $175,505
• Median list price $145,000

53 homes are under contract or pending sale, priced from $54,500 to $419,000

Based on the number of homes sold in January (13), there is an 11.5 month supply of homes for sale in Harvey

Harvey LA 70058 | Number of Single Family Home Sales | January 2010

13 homes were sold in Harvey LA in January 2010, compared to 8 at the same time last year, continuing the trend for Harvey as one of the most popular areas on the West Bank.

At the same time, the average days on market for homes sold in January increased to 91.  The average days on market for active listings is now at 112 days and the average for pending sales is 139 days.  After a slight dip in 2009, it looks like it may take a little longer to get homes sold in the area.

Find out what's going on in your West Bank neighborhood with this week's free market snapshot.

Harvey LA 70058 | Average Single Family Home Prices | January 2010

The average sale price for a single family home in Harvey ended January at $144,329, down from the both the December 2009 average and the overall 2009 average.  Part of this drop can be attributed to 4 low end (under $65,000) sales, which accounted for 31% of the January activity.

Some more details about January sales in Harvey

• 23% of the sales were bank owned or foreclosure properties
• 23% of sellers provided some type of closing cost assistance to the purchasers
• 31% of sellers paid for a home warranty for the buyers

All data is provided by GSREIN and is deemed reliable, but not guaranteed

Related Articles:

Home buying tips
Home selling tips

Find Harvey LA homes for sale

West Bank Real Estate Market Statistics

For more information about home buying or selling on the West Bank of New Orleans, or relocating to or from NAS JRB New Orleans, please contact the West Bank Living Team. It would be our pleasure to have the opportunity to assist you with any of your real estate needs and have a little fun while doing it!

Find out more about the West Bank real estate market at West Bank Living

Real estate activity in Gretna LA 70053 as of 2/10/2010:

57 homes are for sale in Gretna, 70053

• High list price $409,000
• Low list price $45,000
• Average list price $153,403
• Median list price $139,900

11 homes are under contract or pending sale, priced from $29,900 to $169,900

Based on the number of homes sold in January (3), there is a 19 month supply of homes for sale in the area

Gretna LA 70053 | Number of Single Family Homes Sold | January 2010

Gretna started off 2010 with a total of 3 home sales in January, compared to 4 in January 2009.  With the first time home buyer tax credit extended, I would expect that we will see an increase in buying activity once we get past Mardi Gras.

Because buyers must have a home under contract by April 30th to take advantage of the credit, there is a short window between the end of Carnival and the deadline for choosing a home.  If you are considering selling during this time, be sure that you have taken care of all of the little details in preparing your home to show and that you are priced right to attract the most attention during the marketing process.

Find out what's going on in your West Bank neighborhood with this week's free market snapshot.

Average days on market for homes sold during January was 98.  Average days on market for active listings is 147, so I would expect to see that number rise during the year as some of the older inventory is cleared out.

Gretna LA 70053 | Average Single Family Home Prices | January 2010

The average single family home sale price jumped to $191,000 in January due to a couple of sales in the Garden Park neighborhood.  Remember, there were only 3 sales, so the numbers can be greatly skewed by just one or two of them.  It will take at least until March or April before we have a good feel for the trends for this year.

FHA financing made up 2 of the 3 Gretna homes sales in January.  Because of the tightening of credit restrictions across the board, I anticipate that will continue to be the case through 2010.

All data is provided by GSREIN and is deemed reliable, but not guaranteed

Related Articles:

Home buying tips
Home selling tips

West Bank Real Estate Market Statistics

For more information about home buying or selling on the West Bank of New Orleans, or relocating to or from NAS JRB New Orleans, please contact the West Bank Living Team. It would be our pleasure to have the opportunity to assist you with any of your real estate needs and have a little fun while doing it!

Data originally published at West Bank Living