Builders say housing is back!!

The National Association of Home Builders' index hit 52 in June, marking the first time it has been above 50 in seven years. A reading above 50 indicates that more builders say sales conditions are good rather than poor. The index has been posting gains for the last year, but those moves only indicated that builders thought the market was less bad than it had been.

"It's further confirmation of what we've felt for six months at least -- that the housing market is back and will continue to improve," said David Crowe, chief economist for the trade group.

June is typically a month when builders report slower activity, after the spring buying season peaks. But this year they're reporting better traffic levels and better sales conditions than they did in May.

The NAHB survey found that 41% of builders said current conditions are positive, almost double the percentage who said they were poor. A year ago, only 15% said conditions are good, while three times as many said it was a poor environment.

If you are looking for a lot to build or an existing home at the lake, please contact the Spouses Selling Houses team. Until next time!! Ebbie :)

Nichlos Road redesign takes next step

Osage Beach has taken the next step in upgrading a portion of what is expected to become a major intersection west of the Grand Glaize Bridge.

The board of aldermen Thursday night awarded an engineering services contract to HR Green to redesign Nichols Road from the Highway 54 expressway to near Osage Beach Parkway. The design will include a roundabout, landscaping and other features to create a boulevard-style roadway. A similar design was used for the reconstruction of Passover Road, including the roundabout.

The roundabout will be designed for a new entrance to the Lake Regional Hospital campus, and Lake Regional Health Systems will participate in the estimated $1.1 million project.

Cost of design services is estimated at $129,200. Engineering should be completed by the end of 2013 so construction can begin in 2014.

Property has been purchased and the area will be widened to accommodate the increased traffic and provide safe access to Lake Regional, the city's largest employer.

The project was first made public last February when it was announced that the city and LRHS would partner in the project. LRHS is expected to pay for the driveway from Nichols into its property near the Imaging Center. No breakdown of cost is available as yet.

Since the Expressway opened last year, Nichols Road from the highway to Osage Beach Parkway has seen an increase in traffic. Ambulances that serve the lake area now use the expressway, which has resulted in higher use of Nichols Road.

In addition, Camdenton School District's Osage Beach Elementary School will be relocated from Osage Beach Parkway to Nichols Road across from Sycamore Creek Golf Course clubhouse. Occupancy of the new school is anticipated for the 2014-15 school year.

Additional traffic from Osage Beach Parkway onto Nichols is anticipated because of the new school.

Lee C. Fine Airport

There were no comments during a public hearing on the city's request to extend the lease of Lee C. Fine Airport from the Department of Natural Resources for five more years.

As a result, the board authorized the mayor to request a five-year lease extension of the agreement to lease and operate the airport.

The board also authorized the mayor to pursue a grant agreement with the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission to assist in funding the design and construction of fox hangars at Lee C. Fine. The city's portion of the engineering and construction will be $44,754.

At its June meeting, the board approved a contract in the amount of $688,272 for construction of a four pre-engineered box hangars at Lee C. Fine. The bid includes construction of a fourth hangar. Low bidder was Curtiss-Maynes-Schulte, Inc., of Eldon.

3 major events at the lake all this weekend!

This is going to be a great weekend to be here at the lake. There are 3... yes 3 major event happening at the lake this weekend and all are great family events.


Lake Race 2013:

With support from many in the Lake of the Ozarks community, Lake Race 2013 is set for June 6-9 on the popular Missouri lake.

“This is how we Dew the Lake!” That’s the theme of the new Lake Race 2013 on Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks. It was announced last week during a press conference to recognize the event’s title sponsors, Mountain Dew and Formula Boats of Missouri. World champion offshore racer David Scott, who calls the lake his home away from home, was on hand at the Formula Boats dealer to show his support for the first Lake of the Ozarks invitational powerboat race, which takes place June 6-9 on the northeast portion of the lake near Bagnell Dam and the Lake Ozark Strip.
Scott, who has been selected honorary chairperson of Lake Race 2013, was grateful to be asked to participate in the first-year event.
“This race is shaping up to be the most spectator-friendly event I’ve ever been a part of—you’re going to be able to see the boats nonstop,” said Scott, referring to the 4.5-mile course that makes two turns in front of Bagnell Dam, which will be closed to traffic. “It should be a competitive course, too. It will be fast but challenging at the same time. I’m really excited about the race. I think it’s going to be fantastic for the lake and outstanding for everyone involved.”


BROstock Wakeboarding Festival"


The world's best wakeboard contest is back! Liquid Force's world famous BROstock will be taking place June 6-8 at scenic Lake of the Ozarks "BROzarks", Mo. Fueled by Monster Energy, BROstock will feature twenty six of the world's best riders including Harley Clifford, Shane Bonifay, and Bob Soven competing in a double-up contest for over $30,000! Axis Wake Research, the official towboat of BROstock, will be pulling the world¹s best behind a new 2014 A22. Come and hang out with your favorite LF teamriders, pick up a pair of custom Spy Optic BROstock sunglasses, a limited edition New Era BRO cap, and have the time of your life... Come for the contest, stay for the party!


Canine Cannonball:

How far can your dog jump? Find out at the annual Dock Dogs jumping contest, held at Dog Days Bar & Grill, at Lake of the Ozarks.

Canine athletes compete in Big Air; Extreme Vertical; and Speed Retrieve. Families love watching these dogs do their thing.

Call for information on entering your dog.

Free admission for spectators.

A Safe Memorial Day Weekend at the Lake!

Despite a busy weekend on land and water, the Memorial Day holiday came and went without any major incidents, drownings or boat crashes.

For the three county area. the Missouri Highway Patrol reported a total of 20 arrests, the majority of those were for Boating While Intoxicated.

Of those, 12 were made in Camden County over the holiday weekend. Eight of the 12 were Boating While Intoxicated arrests. The highway patrol also reported two boat crashes in Camden County with moderate injuries. Both accidents involved personal watercraft.

Morgan County saw four total arrests, one of which was a Driving While Intoxicated arrest. The other three were Boating While Intoxicated.

Miller County also had four arrests during the holiday weekend. Two of those were Driving While Intoxicated.

2013 Memorial Day

Camden County-

12 arrests total

8 BWI

4 other

2 boat crashes- moderate injuries

0 drownings

Morgan County- 4 arrests total

3 BWI

1 DWI

0 crashes/drownings

Miller County- 4 arrests total

2 DWI

0 BWI

2 other

0 crashes/drownings

Statewide

2012

184 DWI's

232 traffic crashes, 95 injuries, 9 fatalities

14 boat crashes, 6 injuries, 0 fatalities, 0 drownings

24 BWI's

2013

129 DWI's

274 traffic crashes, 119 injuries, 5 fatalities

7 boat crashes, 2 injuries, 1 boating fatality, 0 drownings

18 BWI's

What homeowners insurance discounts are you missing??

Homeowners insurance isn’t a topic that most people like to think about except as the funny/scary ‘Mayhem’ ads for Allstate. For first-time homebuyers the prospect of adding home insurance to the other long list of costs can seem daunting. Yet homeowners’ insurance isn’t just required for your mortgage, it’s an important part of a plan to keep you and your home safe.

Generally homeowners’ insurance covers damage from fire, most storms (some insurance does not include flood damage), theft, and more.  It can also protect you in case someone is injured in your home. It is a wise investment in your financial safety.

Luckily there are some ways you can improve your home that not only may boost resale value, but can also knock a little off your homeowners’ insurance rates. Trusted Choice conducted a national survey in 2012 and found that over 34% of respondents did not know about all the homeowners insurance discounts available to them. Below are a few key areas to focus on.

1) Home Security–Those who live in a gated community may be entitled to a discount. Gated communities tend to have lower rates of theft, vandalism, and other crimes. Having a security system in place can pare as much as 15 percent off your policy depending on the provider. Dead-bolt locks can also be a discount for some providers.

2) Fire Safety–The installation of smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors isn’t just necessary protection for your family, it’s also something insurance underwriters smile upon. Also for fire protection, a sprinkler system, heat detectors, fire escapes and plenty of fire extinguishers are also important. And keep those flammable substances outside the home at a cool temperature to avoid overheating and fire risk.

3) Home Maintenance–You may be able to qualify for an age of wiring discount depending on how old your wiring is.  Is your roof resistant to hail? Roofing is graded as Class 1 through Class 4. Class 4 roofs are often eligible for discount.  New pipes can also qualify you for a discount. Do you have handrails installed alongside your staircases? If you have a pool is it surrounded with a fence at a gate? Safety measures also can count toward your policy. If your home was recently renovated or is newer that may entitle you to a discount. Older homes can be retrofitted with materials that make them more earthquake and weather resistant.

4) Policyholder Discounts–If you haven’t filed a home insurance claim in the last 10 years you may want to ask about a discount. Homeowners who haven’t made a claim can often get as much as a 20% reduction. If you are older and retired you may also be entitled to a discount. Bundling your home insurance with other policies can also yield a savings as can being a long-term policyholder.  Another money-saving factor you may consider is raising your deductible, which can lower your premium but make sure that in the event you need to use your insurance policy that your budget will accommodate a higher deductible.

In today’s competitive market, it’s important to shop around, because you may receive  disparate quotes on policies that offer essentially the same coverage. Check consumer guides, insurance agents, companies and online insurance quote services. This will give you an idea of price ranges and tell you which companies have the lowest prices.

If we can be any help to you find ing your perfect home at the lake, please let us know. Until next time! Ebbie :)

5 Reasons why Buying a home right now might be the opportunity of a lifetime!

The oft-quoted investment advice to "buy when blood is running in the streets" is usually attributed to one of the members of the Rothschild banking family. The most plausible version of the story is that Baron Rothschild said it to a hesitant client in Paris shortly after France was defeated by Prussia in 1871. 

One important detail is that Rothschild was supposedly talking about buying real estate, an investment that would be around for a while - certainly long enough for the Paris property market to recover from deeply depressed wartime prices.

The recent recession may not have been quite as dramatic as the Franco-Prussian War, but it still had a devastating effect on real estate, which lost a third of its value, on average. Economic trends, however, have begun to suggest that prices could rise substantially over the coming decade or longer. Most recently, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's decision to begin a third round of so-called quantitative easing (effectively printing money) has increased the odds of eventual inflation that would greatly boost the prices of tangible assets, especially houses.

For people who can afford to buy a home and expect to stay in it for at least a decade, there's a compelling argument that the current housing market offers an exceptional opportunity. Consider these five factors:

#1. Buying a home right now is cheaper than renting. Both home prices and rents have risen a little bit from their post-recession lows, but rents are up more. Mortgage rates are at their lowest levels in more than half a century. And given current prices and tax benefits, owning a home is cheaper than renting in almost every major U.S. housing market.

#2. The mortgage interest deduction is unlikely to be eliminated. Comprehensive tax reform schemes often call for curtailing the income tax deduction for mortgage interest. That's understandable, since the tax benefit costs the government $80 billion to $100 billion a year that could be used instead to reduce overall tax rates. The Republican party flirted with including language in their 2012 platform which advocated for reducing the tax benefit of owning a home, but Governor Romney has remained vague on the extent of any proposed limitation for primary residences. And most commentators say that the real estate lobby and the broad popularity of the deduction among homeowners greatly limit the extent to which the deduction can be modified. At most, the cap on the amount that can be deducted may be lowered, but probably not enough to affect middle-class homebuyers.

#3. Home prices are very cheap but appear to be past a bottom. On a national basis, home prices are down more than 30% from their 2007 peak. Moreover, in some particularly hard-hit cities - such as Las Vegas, Miami and Phoenix - prices are down more than 45%. Even more striking, since the recession ended prices have recovered only a bit - the best one can say is that they aren't getting any worse.

#4. Eventual economic recovery will almost certainly boost housing prices. Following the recessions of 1973-75 and 1981-82, home prices rose by about 20% in real terms (i.e., not counting price increases from inflation) within seven years or less. The drop in home prices in the most recent recession was at least four times as large as the declines in those two previous recessions. As a result, the recovery is taking longer to get going, but the eventual rebound could be proportionately greater. Price increases resulting from inflation would be on top of those real gains.

#5. A substantial amount of inflation seems likely at some point. Since 2008, Fed policies aimed at revving up the economy have more than tripled the basic money supply (including currency but excluding checking and savings accounts). In a simplistic sense, that means the potential exists for the dollar to lose up to two-thirds of its value. The reality is more complex, of course, and inflation pressures won't begin to build until people and businesses feel free to start spending the excess cash they have.  

Construction Boom

Employers created a surprisingly large number of jobs in February, but it wasn't strong enough to prevent many Americans from leaving the workforce.

Nonfarm payrolls grew by 236,000, the Labor Department said Friday, well above forecasts of 171,000. The unemployment rate dropped to a 4-year low 7.7%, beating expectations for a smaller dip to 7.8%.

But some of that improvement was due to fewer people looking for work. The household survey that determines the jobless rate found that 170,000 more people were working, while 130,000 dropped out.

No-Participation Badge

The labor participation rate fell to 63.5% from 63.6%, returning to the low reached last summer and matching the lowest level since 1981. If it had stayed at the pre-recession rate of 66%, unemployment would be 10.7%.

The aging population may have accounted for most of the latest labor force drop, said John Canally, an economist at LPL Financial. The trend is here to stay.

"It's more longer term than cyclical at this point," he said. "It's sort of the new reality for the job market.

The S&P 500 stock market gauge rose modestly on the jobs report as well as China trade data suggesting improving global demand.

The 10-year Treasury yield rose 6 basis points to 2.05%, its highest close in 11 months. That may reflect concerns that an improving economy could eventually spur the Federal Reserve to curb its heavy bond-buying efforts.

Some Fed members are increasingly worried about quantitative easing. But Chairman Ben Bernanke and his deputy Janet Yellen have made it clear they strongly support the current easy-money stance.

January's payroll increase was revised down by 38,000, and December's was readjusted up by 23,000. That left average monthly job growth over November-February at about 205,000.

But automatic federal spending cuts that began March 1 will result in 750,000 lost jobs this year, the Congressional Budget Office recently estimated. The sequester's impact is on top of the burden of higher payroll taxes and tax rates on high earners.

The sequester makes February's hiring less impressive, Canally said. The job market is improving, but not as quickly as the data might suggest.

"The markets are saying this is not a game-changer," he said.

But the housing recovery is giving a bigger boost to jobs. Construction payrolls shot up 48,000, the best in nearly six years. Manufacturers added 14,000, the most in seven months, but far short of year-ago gains.

Health care added 39,100, continuing a trend as a top job creator. Professional services grew by 26,800 and leisure by 24,000.

Retailers hired 23,700 more, after adding 29,000 in January and 147,800 leading up to the holidays. The retail workweek also increased somewhat, from January's dive to a downwardly revised 30 hours, a three-year low.

Retailers and other low-wage employers may be shifting to part-time labor to avoid ObamaCare coverage mandates. Workweeks overall were up from January but generally little changed from a year ago, including those for leisure and hospitality.

Annual growth in nominal wages for production workers reached 2% again after a year and a half of crawling below that pace. Pay gains will be especially important this year as consumers face higher payroll taxes.

Head winds from tighter fiscal policy should send monthly job creation below 200,000 for the next three or four months, said Mike Dueker, chief economist at Russell Investments.

But February's gain still brightened his view for the first half of 2013, which he had seen as significantly weaker than the latter half.

If you are in the market for a Real Estate Investment opportunity, please give us a call. Until next time! Ebbie :)