And the Good News Is... November 20, 2008 It's getting to be more and more difficult to find good news on TV. Reporters seem to be reveling in stirring up as much "doom and gloom" news as they can – after all it's been proven that bad news sells better than good. Our addiction to news tickers and 24 hour coverage was solidified during horrific news events of the last decade. But there IS positive news to be found if you dig hard enough. 28 Metropolitan areas showed increases in median existing single-family home prices from the same quarter in 2007. Areas such as Elmira NY, Tulsa OK, Wichita KS and Urbana IL. But even in areas where average home sales have dropped drastically, there is good news. Buyers who have been shut out of the home ownership market, are now finding that they can afford to buy. And they ARE buying. Three states where the ‘housing bubble' has burst are seeing some of the highest increases in sales. The largest sales gain during the third quarter was in Arizona, up 28.3 percent from the second quarter, followed by California which rose 28.1 percent and Nevada, up 26.2 percent. These areas have seen some of the strongest sales gains with some reports of multiple bidding. And there's also good news for sellers. The typical seller purchased their home six years ago and is still experiencing net equity gains, even in today's depressed markets. The national increase in value since the third quarter of 2002 is 18.3 percent, which is a median gain of $31,000. Even with the current downward price distortion, 90 percent of metro areas are showing six-year price gains. So while we are definitely in turbulent economic times, there is GOOD NEWS to be found if you look for it. Hopefully, some home buying incentives will be passed soon to stimulate even more home ownership. Lawrence Yun, the chief economist at the National Association of Realtors, said that, "A pattern of sharply higher sales in areas with large price declines is well established," Yun said. "Affordability conditions have consistently been a major factor in driving sales. Historically during recessions, buyers have responded to incentives and it's important for government to keep that in the forefront of stimulus decisions." This is an inactive RePage. If you are Dean Boivin and wish to reactivate this page, please visit www.RePagesOnline.com for instructions.

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Local Information for Saginaw, MI

Latitude: 43.420926 -- Longitude: -83.950829

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ZIP Codes for Saginaw, Michigan	48601  48602  48603  48604  48605  48606  48607  48608  48609  48663
Area Code for Saginaw, Michigan	989
Time zone for Saginaw, Michigan	EST

Other Area Cities:   Midland, MI  Saginaw, MI  Shields, MI 

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Saginaw is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 61,799 (Census Bureau estimate for July 2004 is 59,045 residents). It is the county seat of Saginaw County6. The city is served by MBS International Airport, which is in Freeland, a central point for two other nearby cities, Midland and Bay City. The city is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township. The city's main entertainment can be found in the downtown area, where places such as The Dow Event Center and the newly-restored Temple Theatre offer live entertainment. The Dow Event Center is also home to the city's junior ice hockey team, the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League. The downtown area, which contains a number of office buildings from the early 1900s, is located near the Saginaw Club (local businessmen's club founded in 1889) and an educational complex. Two formerly grand hotels have been converted into section 8 housing. -- Source: Wikipedia.com