Statistics looking up

In May, the local multi-list service that I belong to - Realcomp - released the stats for April of 2008. Once again, for the fourth straight month, the sales figures for April, 2008, were up when compared with April of 2007. For the first four months overall, the MLS recorded an increase of 10.84% over the same period for 2007.

Specifics for April included:

Area/........April 2008.....April 2007......% Change
County..........Sales..........Sales

All MLS.........4,671...........4,064........14.9% up

Detroit...........932.............544........71.9% up

Livingston........161.............165.........2.4% dn

Macomb............861.............751........31.6% up

Oakland.........1,102...........1,003.........9,9% up

St Clair Area.....102.............118........13.6% dn

Wayne...........1,774...........1,418........25.1% up

The Realcomp people sited the fact that more homes are being priced to sell in the current market, that interest rates remain at historically low levels and that the good spring weather has finally brought out the buyers. On the negative side they sited the continuing credit crunch and tightened bank lending. All-in-all, at least in Macomb Oakland And Wayne Counties things are looking up.

This is a ray of sunshine in and otherwise dreary real estate landscape, so let's hope that it indicates a real trend and that things are turning around locally.m We're no longer number one in many of the bad categories like foreclosures. Let's hope we can be number one in the rebound and recovery category.