Thank you for checking out my August real estate market report for Omaha, NE area including Papillion, Bellevue, and Sarpy County.Active Listings, Pending Contracts as of September 5, 2007 and Sold Data from August 1, 2007 to August 31, 2007. Information was pulled from the Omaha Board of Realtor Multiple Listing Service, OABR deems information reliable but not guaranteed.  Prepared by Steve Lauver--REALTOR08/1/2007-08/31/2007  Papillion, La Vista 263, 264Active386Pending137Sold68Bellevue 260-262Active532Pending116Sold76West Sarpy 265-267Active409Pending136Sold64Sarpy CountyActive1350Pending392Sold210NE of Dodge & 72nd, 210, 221-223, 230-232Active910Pending205Sold117SE of Dodge & 72nd, 240-242, 250-252Active1042Pending248Sold163NW of Dodge & 72nd, 233-234, 224-225, 211-213Active1014Pend... 09/05/2007

A friend of mine, Tanya Siragusa owns Candid Moments Photography.  She specializes in weddings, children, & family portraits.  Tanya is customer serviced oriented. That's one of the differences with Candid Moments.  Sessions are relaxed and focused around your child or family.  She allows enough time for your child to become comfortable in his/her surroundings so that their little personality shines through in every shot.  Sessions range from 30-60 minutes (it's up to the child J), in studio, or on location.  So if you are tired of rushing in and out of a crowded department store studio, where they give you 15 minutes, 5 poses, and maybe an outfit change, give Tanya a call.       Tanya also does wedding photography. Formal wedding portraits are a part of every wedding she shoots - as fe... 08/31/2007

  http://www.npdodge.com http://www.realestateshows.com/   As president of NP Dodge Real Estate Sales Inc I am proud that we are now providing free unlimited Tours for all of our Sales Associates and customers. I believe that it is the broker's responsibility to provide Sales Associates the very best technology tools to enable them to stay ahead of the competition and provide outstanding customer service. These tours will allow our associates to provide every seller the best exposure without regard to the value of the property. It will also be a great tool to provide buyers a tour of their new home that they can share with family and friends. I personaly want to thank Jeff Turner president of Real Estate Shows for coming to Omaha to launch this exciting new product. Jeff is the most kno... 08/30/2007

August Market update for Stonybrook South in Millard.  Out of roughly 325 homes in the area, there are currently seven homes for sale in the area, two pending and five homes that sold between March 31, 2007 and August 27, 2007.ActiveStyleBedBathList/Sold Price13910 Emiline StSPET33  139,900 14118 MargoMTLV33  144,950 13964 Emiline StTRLV33  159,900 7211 S. 142 StSPET33  165,000 7114 S. 141 StRanh43  192,000 14060 Gertrude CirTwo43  212,950 13911 Gertrude CirTwo43  219,000 Avg:  176,243 PendingStyleBedBathList/Sold Price13963 Margo StSPET33  155,000 14108 Edna CirMTLV33  169,000 Avg:  162,000 Sold 3/31/2007 - 8/27/2007StyleBedBathSold Price13912 Josephine StSPET33  144,000 13962 Olive CircleTRLV43  169,000 7227 S. 141 StTRLV43  183,000 13923 Olive StRanh43  200,000 7101 S. 140 StTwo54  2... 08/28/2007

A good credit history is more important than ever.  With the collapse of B/C lending and the elimination of mortgage programs that use to offer 100% financing to people with 580 FICO scores, improving your credit is a must before buying a home.  Solid credit keeps down the cost of consumer financing, and it can be the deciding factor in whether an auto or home loan application is approved.  The following is an article about FICO scores.In today's fast-paced, high-tech age, your credit history will be reviewed more often by artificial intelligence than human intelligence. This computerization has made the loan process much more efficient. That's a good thing.  But computers take all the subjectivity out of credit evaluation, and that means you have to take ownership of your own credit st... 08/22/2007

I felt like I was in a room full of Tigger the Tigers, with all the jumping, running and playing at BounceU.  My wife and I reserved a birthday party room last weekend for my son that turned 5. Well, all the kids and adults had a great time and I highly recommend BounceU. Here is what I liked:The supervisors in the room were great they supervised, played with the kids and helped little ones in, out and up the big slide (great for your little dare devils).The room was clean and cool, which was great when it was 100 degrees outside.  The party room was set up and ready to go right after bounce time.  They served the cake and juice (we provided the cake, they provided the juice).  The birthday boy got to sit in a special chair to open gifts.  The staff helped hand out the gifts, read the c... 08/16/2007

Clint Eastwood starred in the classic movie, "The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly" Well, in real estate I deal with the good, bad and the ugly every day.  The Good is meeting new people, helping them buy and sell a home and giving them good news they just bought or sold their home.  The Bad is relaying the various bad information to my clients like we just received an extremely low offer on your house or your offer wasn't accepted.  In real estate, there is no identical transaction - each is unique.   The Ugly (currently) is the Subprime mortgage market and its current affects on the market.  The subprime mortgage market is down-right UGLY!  Homeowners with 2 year adjustable rate mortgage are really getting hurt. Why? Two years ago, most anyone could get a mortgage.  Mortgage lenders were g... 08/05/2007

Thank you for checking out my July real estate market report for Omaha, NE.Active Listings, Pending Contracts and Sold as of August 3, 2007, Sold data is from 7/1/2007 to 8/2/2007. Data is for residential properties both detached and attached homes.  Information was pulled from the Omaha Board of Realtor Multiple Listing Service, OABR deems information reliable but not guaranteed.  Prepared by Steve Lauver--REALTORDouglas and Sarpy Counties •·        Active       5233•·        Pending    1723•·        Sold          858Douglas County•·        Active       3903•·        Pending    1242•·        Sold          626Douglas County: NE of Dodge & 72nd•·        Active       891•·        Pending    248•·        Sold          145Douglas County: SE of Dodge & 72nd•·        Active       1004•·      ... 08/03/2007

Check out this great midtown home that has been recently updated and ready to move in to.  This raised rance has been completely remodeled two years ago.  The main floor has two bedrooms, large family room with a beautiful fireplace, and an updated kitchen.  The basement has a non conforming bedroom, perfect for a home office.  The garage is extra deep and has lots of storage space.  The basement also has a finished media room, that's perfect for watching movies.  Check www.OmahaRealtyPro.com for more information or virtual tour 05/31/2007

What questions should a seller ask when interviewing a Realtor? As a potential seller it is always a good idea to interview several agents when you sell your home.  Not all Realtors are created equal, and when you sell your home you are hiring ONE agent to represent you - all the rest are looking out for the best interest of the buyer.  Many sellers make the assumption that all agents from a particular company are the same and nothing could be further from the truth.  Here are a few questions to ask a potential Realtor when you are hiring that agent. 1)  Are you a full-time or part-time agent?  There are some great part-time agents, however, what happens if someone wants to show the home while your agent is at their other job?  If that situation arises, what is their plan to handle that... 05/13/2007

Omaha, Nebraska     Contributed by David Matney with Alliance Real EstateI have in the past always stressed the importance of a pre-inspection to my sellers when listing their property.  Many times my suggestion was met with... "well, that sounds good but we paid for our own inspection we we bought the home"  I have now changed my marketing plan to include a FREE pre-inspection provided by me when I list the home.  Since I have begun to provide this service it has worked well for several reasons.1)  Reduction of liability for both the seller and the agent.  I no longer receive the call eight months after closing saying the sellers should have known the ..... was not working.  A pre-inspection shifts the burden on the home inspector.  We include the inspection summary report with the dis... 02/12/2007

On behalf of all the agents at Alliance Real Estate we would like to take this time to say thank you and to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!  We have had a tremendous year and without our clients none of that would be possible.  Thank you, David Matney, CRS,GRI Alliance Real Estate 12/24/2006

Omaha, Nebraska.       Contributed by David Matney with Alliance Real Estate The Omaha Area Board of Realtors Member Services Forum has announced the beginning of a City Wide Tour for Omaha Realtors.  Starting January 2, 2007, members of the Omaha Area Board of Realtors will be able to put homes in the MLS for the tour.  The tour will take place every Tuesday from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM and this will allow Omaha Realtors from ALL different companies to see the inventory on the market. I am excited to see this development and our many of our agents are looking forward to participating in the tour.  The tour will take place on every Tuesday, and will give MLS members a chance to market their homes to other members as well as gaining feedback from fellow agents.   David Matney, CRS,GRIAllianc... 12/17/2006

What if you had a prospect that drove by one of your listings and they were actually interested enough in the home that they called you to get information and you were unable to field the call?  How many agents spend money on "home" magazines to offer homes to folks who go to the store to buy milk? So many agents in our market underestimate the power of the flyer box.  Here is a gizmo you can reuse, guage the effectiveness and market yourself and the property.  In a way you are handing them your business card with every flyer they pull.  It can be used in many ways, neighbors ALWAYS pull a flyer.  So, by having a flyer box I am marketing myself to the neighborhood.  Neighbors for the most part are interested enough to at least pull a flyer.  Why not market yourself on the back or outlin... 12/15/2006

Omaha, Nebraska - Contributed by David Matney with Alliance Real EstateIt is obvious to all agents in the industry of the value of a home warranty.  This may not apply to all markets but in the Omaha market you can get a home warranty with the choice of it being an EVALUATED or NON-EVALUATED plan.With an EVALUATED home warranty, the warranty company visits the home to make sure the major systems of the home are operational and are in working condition.  Now, if the warranty company finds a something wrong like a "dripping faucet" then that particular item is EXCLUDED from the warranty coverage.  Therefore, if your buyer wants the faucet fixed then they have to fix it on their own and the repair is not covered under the warranty coverage.Now, if you represent a buyer a better way to prot... 12/13/2006

What do I mean when I say K-mart pricing of homes?  First of all, this is not a slam on K-mart in any way.  Many agents in our marketplace and across the country still K-mart price their listings.  Here is what I mean when I say K-mart pricing.  Let's say you have a listing in the neighborhood of around $125,000.  Some agents will insist on pricing that home for 124,900.  This is why I believe this is a HUGE blunder in marketing.  The key to marketing is exposure.  How many buyers have you helped said to you, "We are looking in looking in the $100,000 to $125,000 price range?"  I have yet to hear a client tell me, "David, we are looking for a home in the price range of $100,000 to $124,900."  At the same time I might find a different set of buyers that say, "We are looking in the $125,0... 12/11/2006

Omaha, Nebraska.  On December 10, 2006 Tori Lynn Ross of Ross Designs was featured in the Business section of the Omaha World Herald for an indept article on home staging.  David Matney with Alliance Real Estate and one of his clients were interviewed by Deborah Shanahan for the article because professional home staging is just one of his marketing techniques he uses when he lists a home.  David provides his use of a professional home stager in order to make the property more marketable.  He provides this service to his clients at no cost and it has proven to be extremely effective.  As of December 10, 2006 Matney's has SOLD 41 homes with average market time is only 32 days on market.  The average days on market in the Omaha area is 61 days. David credits his use of Tori Ross as one of ... 12/11/2006

Omaha Real Estate     Contributed by David Matney with Alliance Real EstateWe are excited to announce that Alliance Real Estate has posted all their virtual tours on ActiveRain.  We currently have visualtour software and it is available for all agents.  We are very pleased to offer this service to our agents.Click on the link below to see our virtual tours online.David Matney, CRS,GRIAlliance Real Estate 12/11/2006

Welcome to the second issue of At Home, my new e-newsletter.  The goal of At Home is to provide you with valuable information about the Omaha area real estate market, a Home Tip, a Quick Note from Steve, and my monthly Trivia Challenge.  Congratulations! To Curt V. for submitting the correct answer for my Trivia Challenge (Will Ferrell, Wedding Crashers) and being drawn.  He received a $20 gift card to Douglas theaters. Real Estate Market Flat! November 2006 was pretty flat for Omaha area real estate.  As the holiday season kicks off with Thanksgiving, everyone is thinking of shopping for Christmas (including my wife), but some are thinking of shopping for a home.  Family discussions turn to buying a home or selling a home when they realize they need more space.  Normally in December or... 12/11/2006

New Website! Alliance Real Estate is proud to announce the roll out of a completely updated version of www.AllianceSells.com.  In order to better provide for our clients, we have updated our website in order to have access to ALL the homes for sale on the Multiple Listing Service in the Omaha area. Unfortunately, some companies do not have the technical capability to showcase ALL the homes on the Omaha Multiple Listing Service. Thus, making buyers have to "shop" real estate websites in order to get a true picture of what is available in the Omaha market.  David Matney, CRS,GRI Alliance Real Estate       12/09/2006