Home resales in Carson Valley up in June

Home resales are increasing in Carson Valley, according to Re/Max Realtor Christianne Gordon.

"According to the Multiple Listing Service, 57 homes closed escrow in the Carson Valley in June," Gordon said. "This confirms our interpretation that January was the low point in the market."

Gordon said home sales have followed an increasing trend: 21 sold in January, 35 in February, 36 in March, 42 each in April and May and 57 in June. Numbers do not include sales of manufactured homes.

"These are resales by and large, not new homes,"Gordon said. "When the market was thriving, the Valley had 100 homes close escrow each month on average. We are more than halfway back towards a normal volume of transactions."

Gordon said despite a trend, one must consider declined home values.

"If you are a seller, you may still be pining for prices of 2005," she said. "If you don't absolutely have to sell right now, and simply can't stomach the temporary market correction we are in, don't."

Gordon said it's a prime time for buyers, though.

"There are a lot of homes to choose from, mortgage rates are low, and there are more and more sellers out there who are making deals with buyers," she said.

Carole Thompson, executive director of the 185-member Douglas County Building Industry Association, said sales of new homes are still down.

"Our members, mostly custom home builders, sold about five houses in June," Thompson said. "I can't sit here and say it's not bad. It's bad, but we will gradually come back."

Thompson said the association has switched gears in the last few years to emphasize environmentally-friendly development: energy-efficient technologies, renewable resources and smart planning.

"Traditional builders are now going green," she said. "We are redefining sustainability. Not much is selling right now, but still when consumers have the choice between green and traditional housing, green is the better investment and ends up saving consumers more money."

Thompson estimated 9 to 10 percent of Douglas County's workforce is tied to the construction industry.

"Everyday I get calls from people out of work," she said. "Builders are the backbone of a community, and when they feel hard times, everyone feels hard times."

But Thompson said market ups and downs are nothing new for the building industry, and she expressed optimism about the future.

"This will be a test of our character," she said. "It can't be about growth or no growth; that's too limited. A community needs to be balanced across the board, have a healthy economy, businesses, jobs , a workforce, but also support for schools, quality services and a high quality of life.

"It's difficult right now for the building industry to feel good about itself. People need to be there for each other and support each other, and then we'll really shine."