While it may feel like winter has just begun, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort has already received over 24 feet of snow this season. Teton Village has received more snowfall than any other ski resort in North America.

With a record amount of early season snow fall, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort was able to open 100% of the mountain, including the Aerial Tram, on opening day in late November. Since opening day, we have continued to receive consistent snow which has contributed to a strong and stable snow pack.

Word has gotten out, as Teton Village has seen high occupancy levels at all the base area hotels – including the Four Seasons, Teton Mountain Lodge, Hotel Terra and the Teton Club. Jackson Hole Real Estate activity has also increased at the base of the mountain. There are currently 19 properties under contract in Teton Village. These pending sales include ski-in, ski-out condominiums, condo hotel investments, fractional time shares and large single family homes located underneath the Aerial Tram at Jackson Hole. We are well on track to out pace last winter’s 32 closed sales in Teton Village.

If you would like to learn more about current real estate opportunities in Teton Village contact the Gillespie Real Estate Team – the Jackson Hole Experts by visiting www.jhexperts.com or calling 307-413-5243.

Working at Jackson Hole Sotheby’s International Realty has so many benefits…To name a few – We have the strongest real estate professionals in the Jackson Hole Valley.  Year after year we post an incredible market share usually averaging over 60% of the buyers in the market.  That is staggering when you compare it to like markets.  Technology is another – www.jhsir.com is one of the best Real Estate websites out in the cyber world.  Sales office locations is another huge benefit – especially for sellers as JH Sotheby’s has working real estate professionals located in the Town of Jackson, Teton Village, the Aspens and all the major resort hotels at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort – including the Four Seasons, Terra and Teton Mountain Lodge.  Finally but not the last benefit is out ”stats man” - Leonard Klieman.  Every month Leonard looks over the data and provides all of us up to date market statistics.  Today I’ll share the latest December 2010 information.

During the end of 2010 we have started to see an increase in activity with properties listed over $2 million.  This continued in December 2010.  In Dec. 2010 we had 6 sales over $1 million with an average sales price of $3.7 million compared to 10 sales over $1 million in 2009 but had an average sales price of $1.9 million.  Overall we had 20 transactions during the month.  Unfortunately that is not a great number and was the lowest number of transaction since July 2010.  Unoffical numbers indicated that Teton County, Wyoming had 241 transactions in 2010 with a volume of $359 million.  That is the second lowest sales volume and transaction datat recorded in the past 8 years – only beating 2009. 

Comparing Year to Date December units and volume – 39% more transaction and 78% more volume when compared to 2009.  Sales volume is 3% below that of 2003 and 52% below the peak of 2007.  The increase in activity in the higher end is evident in the residential average sales price increasing 53% when compared to 2009.

Hopefully that was helpful.  For additional real estate information please feel free to contact Christy and Garth Gillespie – the Jackson Hole Experts.  We pride ourselves with working hard for buyers and sellers and having a secure grip on the market.  Feel free to visit our website – www.jacksonholeexperts.com or feel free to give us a call at 307-413-5243.

In today’s update we will explain the Teton Pines and Aspen’s locations for 2010. Both locations allow for short term rentals and are within the resort district. The location being on the Moose-Wilson makes it convenient for skiing in the winter and hiking in the summer. The Teton Pines offers a “resort” golf course, year round tennis, a summer pool and year round dining and bar. In the winter there is a wonderful Nordic center.

Teton Pines had a good year for real estate transactions. There were a total of 9 single family homes sales ranging from $950,000 for the desired Teton Pines Garden Homes to a high sale of $7,800,000 for a 7,300 sq. ft. estate home. The once popular Teton Pines Town Home on the other hand did not see a lot of activity. There are only 2 on the market but to see a year where no townhomes sold is a rarity. With the sale of a Garden Home below $1 million there is considerable price pressure on the townhomes. There are currently 22 active listings in Teton Pines. This is a great amount of inventory for buyers to choose from. We are predicting a strong sales season in Teton Pines.

The Aspens is located just north of Teton Pines and offers a mix of condos, townhomes and single family homes. Lake Creek carves its way through the neighborhood creating a very peaceful environment. The Aspens is frequented by moose throughout the seasons. Since January 1, 2010 there have been a total of 14 sales ranging from a low of $186,000 for a 760 sq. ft condo (Bank Sale) to a high of $1,293,700 for a wonderful single family log home (Gillespie Real Estate Team Listing). There are 2 current pending transactions – both below $500,000. As for Active inventory in the Aspen’s….there’s a lot of it. 23 listings – 13 condos (1, 2, 3 bedrooms), 6 townhomes (all located in the Pond’s and Cove) and 4 single family homes. The 6 townhomes in the Cove and Pond’s is an eye opener. The least expensive is $799,000 and the most expensive is $1,197,500. Hopefully there are a few buyers this winter and in 2011. Unfortunately I believe that the sellers are not quite realistic as to the current market.

With all the new snow and the best early ski season we have seen in years we are anticipating a very strong Holiday Season. Some of this visitor traffic should translate to an increase of real estate sales. If you would like additional information about the real estate market in Jackson Hole — please pick up the phone and give us a call – 877-739-8056. We are excited to answer any questions you may have. You are also welcome to visit us at www.jacksonholeexperts.com.

Jackson Hole Q1 Real Estate Results

Today at Sotheby’s International Realty – Jackson Hole Real Estate Brokerage we sent out this informative newletter to out client base.  It is a very good article about recent active in the Jackson Hole housing market.  I think you will find it very helpful in understanding what is currently happening….

With things a bit quieter here now that Jackson Hole Mountain Resort has successfully closed out the ski season, Sotheby’s International Realty is studying recent real estate activity and preparing for what by recent indications could be a hot summer selling season. Click for more

So far this year data from the Teton County Multiple List Service reports an upward trend in real estate sales in Jackson Hole. In March, for example, unit volume was up 170 percent suggesting increased buyer demand.

Looking at entire first quarter of 2010, dollar sales volume rose 88% percent over the same period in 2009 according to our analysis of the market and MLS data. Interestingly, twenty-five sales were for properties of more than $1 million, versus only 11 in the first quarter of last year. This could be read as a sign that though there are still excellent values to be found, some buyers see current prices as true bargains and are taking action and the lower end of the market is beginning to stabilize.

Certainly proper pricing has played a key role in getting the market back on track. Our market-watch committee meets each week to review pricing of the latest pending sales, closed sales, current inventory and new listings. The committee reports its findings at our weekly sales meetings.

While the lines on the graph are heading in the right direction, we continue to increase our sales and marketing efforts keeping us on top of the latest trends with increased e-marketing as well as creative print advertising.

Our overall expertise as well as in specific market areas around the valley such as the Town of Jackson, Shooting Star, Teton Pines, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Hotel Terra, north of town, in eastern Idaho, etc. – allows us to closely monitor the pulse of the daily market activity and helps us deliver exceptional service to our clients.

Initiatives like this appear to be working for Sotheby’s and its clients. In Q1 of 2010, Sotheby’s Jackson Hole Brokerage accounted for more than 70 percent of the total dollar volume in the Teton County.

Last fall, Congress extended the Home Buyer Tax Credit to April 30, 2010 and expanded the program to apply to non-first time homebuyers as well. These buyers are sometimes referred to as “repeat buyers” or “long term residents”.

 Here are some further details on the Extended Home Buyer Tax Credit:

Deadline: All buyers must be under contract to purchase a home by April 30, 2010 and must close on that home by July 1, 2010.

Type of Property: This credit may only be applied to primary residences and can include townhomes, condos and single family homes.

Type of Buyer: In order to qualify as a first time home buyer, buyers cannot have owned a home anytime over the last 3 years. In order to qualify as a ‘repeat buyer’, the current homeowners must have used the home that is being sold as a principal residence for 5 consecutive years within the last 8 years. Additionally, the full credit is only available for taxpayers with a modified adjusted gross income of $125,000 or less.

Tax Credit: The tax credit for first time homebuyers is $8,000 and the tax credit for “long-time residents” is $6,500. Buyers can apply their credit to their 2009 return or apply the credit on their 2010 tax return.

Trivia: For 2008 and so far for 2009 tax year, the IRS reported that 1.763 million tax payers applied for the First Time Home Buyer Credit and received credits of $12.4 billion. (Source: CNBC 03/17/10)

 Time is running out – must be under contract by April 30, 2010.

Check out great Jackson Hole properties offered by Christy & Garth Gillespie at www.jacksonholeexperts.com

Wanted to post with an update on the improving sales and activity in the Jackson Hole real estate market.  As with the January statistics we have to put the numbers in perspective — last year we only had 4 sales….  February 2010 was much better with 10 recorded sales in the Teton Board of Realtors Multiple Listing Service.  7 sales under $1,300,000 and 3 sales over $4,000,000.  Notice the market gap between $1.3 and $4 million — This is the market Christy and I see as the slowest segment. 

Of the lower priced properties 4 look to be “local” purchases which is very encouraging.  Last year Christy and I did not see the “local” market move around much through out the valley.  We are currently showing a lot of properties to locals so we hope this translates to an active spring and summer sales season.  Of course the only way this market will move forword will be if the sellers of all properties properly understand the market and price their homes at current market prices.  There is an indication that we are starting to see the new listings enter the market with proper price placement.

The other segment of the market – over $4 million looks to be responding to the more stable ecomony and rising stock prices.  We still see uncertainty in the markets but it seems like there is a general consensus that we have turned a corner.  This news seems to have brought a few additional buyers into the market.  We will continue to watch this trend as we close out the first quarter. The three other transactions mentioned above were:  All on the “west bank” with one in Teton Village (ski/ski out home – Granite Ridge), one in HHR and one in John Dodge which sold for over asking price (listed at $7.4 million!).

Updates should be coming more frequest as we will have Katie Colbert – Buyer and Commercial Real Estate specialist – for the Gillespie Team adding to our blog posts.

Here’s to a Happy St. Pats.  Go Marquette and Wisconsin in the NCAA Tourny!

For additional information on Jackson Hole Real Estate please feel free to call or email the Jackson Hole Experts!

Last week Christy and I received an email from Kathy Korte, President and CEO, of Sotheby’s International Realty, updating us on ways the private sector are trying to jumpstart the sluggish housing market. A Business Roundtable was formed and here are the results of that meeting.

Business Roundtable, an association of chief executive officers of leading U.S. corporations and specifically, the Business Roundtable’s Housing Working Group – which is chaired by Realogy CEO Richard A. Smith – issued a set of recommendations for the White House and Congress that are aimed at jumpstarting the housing market in order to stimulate a broader economic recovery.

The Business Roundtable’s recommendations are as follows:
· Keep mortgage interest rates at historically low levels (below 5 percent) for at least one year;
· Expand the current First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit incentive from the lesser of 10 percent of the purchase price of the home or $8,000 to a higher limit of either 10 percent or $15,000 for all homebuyers, remove the income restrictions and include all primary residence purchases for one full year;
· Conduct a thorough review of current foreclosure mitigation and loan-modification programs in light of rising loan-modification re-default rates;
· Make permanent the current temporary conforming loan limits; and
· Continue to review and strengthen government efforts already underway to review and refine mortgage lending practices.

“We believe targeted, demand-side solutions – such as the ones Business Roundtable is recommending today – will provide a critical next step for a housing recovery that will help create jobs and boost the economy as a whole,” said Smith in the Business Roundtable’s press release.

To obtain a copy of the Business Roundtable press release and its Housing Working Group’s detailed recommendations, click here. To read an article that appeared in today’s online edition of The Wall Street Journal containing an interview with Richard Smith about the Business Roundtable’s recommendations and why they are crucial to jumpstarting the housing market, click here

NRT and The Jackson Hole Experts, Christy and Garth Gillespie, applauds the Business Roundtable for its proactive efforts to reinvigorate the U.S. housing market, and we are proud of the leadership role our parent company, Realogy, has taken in this regard.

For more information on the current housing market here in Jackson Hole please feel free to call at 877-739-8056 or visit us at our website.

Last weeks sunset from Melody Ranch

The Jackson Hole Experts have been working our tails off. Last week we listed 3 more properties. We are so grateful to the many sellers out there that have confidence in our marketing program. We believe that the combination of Christy and Garth Gillespie and Sotheby’s International Realty is hard beat and we wake up every day trying to do our best. We look for new, creative marketing ideas, we make sure we have updated photography, we network with the right people….it is on going and effective.

The May 31, 2009 update sums up the market quite well — 43 transaction since January 1st! Yep – 43… The previous low was 2008 with only 127 closings and before that it was 2003 with 186 closings already. This is a shocking number! Jackson Hole Real estste sales volume is half ($66.5 million) of what it was in 2003 ($122 million). The unit volume peaked in 2005 and 2009 unit sales are down 85% from that level. Sales volume peaked in 2007 and 2009 volume so far is down 79% vs. 2007. Days on market is just about irrelevant with so few deals. Prices are hard to fine tune into a pattern but 20% off the high selling prices seems to be a number we are seeing quite a bit. That is about all we can say about the current/past market.

Where do we go from here? An interesting marketing tool that Sotheby’s of Jackson Hole has started in the past 2 months seems to be working. Here at Sotheby’s we have a pricing committee which is comprised of 12 working real estate agents. The pricing committee talks about the market and the current listings at Sotheby’s. They discuss current trends and closings that have occured during the past few months. They also evaluate Sotheby’s current listings on the market. They then select the best values on the market. In turn Sotheby’s uses the top section of our advertising to highlight these exceptionally priced properties. During the past 2 months – 50% of the Sotheby’s listings that have sold have come from this list! Currently 50% of the under contract properties Sotheby’s has listed came from the “priced great” list. Christy and I are meeting with seller’s weekly and we are doing our best to assist them in understanding the market — we are advising our seller’s to make the list with our original listing price.

For details on what makes listing homes or land with Christy and Garth Gillespie and Sotheby’s International Realty different than any other “agency” or “associates” in Jackson Hole – call us toll free at 877-739-8056 or on our cell at 307-413-5243. We are very excited to be busy and we are working very hard to increase transactions in this difficult market.

One of the finest loan representatives in the Jackson Hole area is T.R. Pierce from the Bank of Jackson Hole. T.R. Pierce is the senior vice president loan officer at the largest “local” bank in Jackson Hole and for the past few years has been educating the Jackson Hole real estate agents on the current local mortgage rates. As part of our weekly updates we will be posting T.R.’s report about once a week. This should give readers a good idea of local rates. We of course recommend calling T.R. Pierce, SVP Residential Loans, 307.734.8111 for an appointment if you would like additional information on mortgages. Today’s report is below:

Conforming interest rates rise as pending home sales increase for the third straight month… the NAR reported that pending home sales rose 6.7% in April after a 3.2% increase in March. Homes under contract increased 32.6% in the Northeast, 9.8% in the Midwest, 1.8% in the West and only 0.2% in the South. This morning Wall Street is showing some caution after yesterday’s rally which was spurred by upbeat reports on manufacturing, construction spending and consumer spending.

Residential Mortgage Rates for June 2, 2009

The following rates are thirty (30) day quotes for fully documented, owner-occupied and/or second home loans for borrowers with a minimum credit score of 700 which feature a one (1%) percent loan origination fee and the escrow of taxes & insurance.

PLEASE NOTE THAT CONFORMING LOAN AMOUNTS OVER $417,000 TO $693,750
ARE AVAILABLE AT HIGHER INTEREST RATES THAN INDICATED BELOW.

PROGRAM CONFORMING
(Loans to $417,000)
JUMBO
(Loans over 417,000)

30 Year Fixed
5.250%
7.875%

15 Year Fixed
4.750%
6.875%

10/1 ARM
5.250%
7.875%

7/1 ARM
4.750%
5.000%

5/1 ARM
4.000%
4.500%

3/1 ARM
5.375%
6.625%

30 YEAR FIXED RATE FHA LOANS TO $693,750: 5.250%
PRIME RATE: 3.250%
ONE YEAR LIBOR RATE: 1.607%

Rates are still great but we are starting to see an upward tick in the rates. Don’t be left behind – Now is the time to look at the inventory on the market. For more information call the Jackson Hole Experts at 307-413-5243. We have been tracking the market and have selected some great Jackson Hole deals. To hear more or to see what we have picked check out our TOP PICKS page.

Recent data is showing that homes being built today are smaller than they were in the beginning of 2008. In the third quarter of 2008 median home size was 2,090 square feet, down from 2,629 square feet in the second quarter of 2008. With housing prices dropping and the economy weakening, homeowners may be looking at homes with less unused space, more energy efficiency and a home that better fits their overall needs. There is more of an interest in economizing space and making one room of the home a more flexible space that can be used for a myriad of activities. Outdoor kitchens and entertaining areas are becoming more popular as square footage decreases.

Of course this is national data – what is going on in Jackson? For one thing the Town of Jackson is attempting to limit the size of homes on standard Town of Jackson buildable lots. The standard size lot in town is 50 X 150. The current proposal would limit house sizes to 3,000 square feet. As this is debated by the planners we will keep you up to date.

Do Christy and I see a pattern of smaller houses? Not yet but we believe this could be contributed to a lot less construction taking place in the valley. According to the Teton County Planning and Building Department and the Town of Jackson, February permits for new homes and remodels dropped considerably from January. January had 23 permits issued and February had just 13 issued for a total of 36 for the year compared to 54 in 2008. Another interesting fact is that the Town of Jackson has not received one application for new construction in 2009. We will keep you updated on any trends in new construction in the Jackson Hole real estate market.

Research shows that builders are paying very close attention to what buyers want. The National Association of Home Builders is reporting that 88% of homebuilders surveyed plan to build more smaller homes, and that 89% of homebuilders surveyed claim that they plan to build lower-priced homes.

For additional information on the current Jackson Hole real estate market and current events in the Town of Jackson and Teton County, Wyoming feel free to call the Jackson Hole Experts, Christy and Garth Gillespie, Jackson Hole real estate associates for Sotheby’s International Realty – Jackson Hole Brokerage toll free at 877-739-8056.