In these times, it’s rare to find positive news about housing, but I found something good in an earlier edition of Builder Magazine.
In an article on the health of the country’s top housing markets, the Raleigh-Cary market was ranked No. 1 with a score of 86.9; Durham-Chapel Hill was No. 3 at 81.5 and in 9th position with a score of 76.6 was the Charlotte metro area. Now, after reading this, I must admit I was feeling pretty good that we are selling homes in three of the top 10 markets in the entire country…wow!
The categories they looked at to determine the rankings were based on unemployment rate, change in employment numbers, home appreciation, household growth, job growth and median income growth. The result was a numeric score called the Market Health Indicator where 1 is lowest and 100 is the best.
So yes, I am the eternal optimist and the glass is always half full from my perspective, and yes, I do have to hunt and peck to find that positive housing news. However, when I do find it gives me that little spark that keeps me “Feel’n Good in Bad Times!”
By Mike LaRuffa (President, Builders Services, Inc.)
