Karen Boyd, one of McAnaw and Company, REALTORS' veteran Realtors, has enjoyed helping people buy and sell homes in the Bartlesville area for over three decades.  Prior to her real estate career, Karen worked For Cities Service Oil Company in Public Relations and as Editor of the company magazine.  She also worked for Phillips Petroleum and Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church.  She has served on several committees and boards over the years and is presently a director on the Bartlesville Board of Realtors, and a member of the Citizens Advisory Panel for ConocoPhillips.  She is blessed to have two children and two adult grandchildren, and she has been married to her husband Jim for many years.  Karen is, undoubtedly, the only member of the McAnaw staff who can groom a Southdown sheep to show condition!

Among real estate news emails received in the McAnaw and Company, REALTORS office this week are these headlines:  "Home Prices Fall to New Lows," "Short Sales Increase, Bank-Owned Sales Decrease," "More Borrowers Underwater," and "Sellers Get More Realistic About Housing."

In case you're interested about what those articles had to say, here's a very condensed version of each article:

U.S. home prices fell 3.8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011, according to the latest S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index.

More than 907,100 homes in some stage of foreclosure were sold in 2011, and they accounted for 23 percent of all real estate sales during the year. Pre-foreclosures sales increased 15 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011 compared to a year ago, while bank-owned sales decreased 12 percent during the same time period.  It is expected that foreclosure-related sales will increase in 2012, particularly pre-foreclosure sales, as lenders start to more aggressively dispose of distressed assets held up by the mortgage servicing gridlock.

Nearly one in four households with a mortgage (11.1 million) had negative equity at the end of the fourth quarter of 2011, according to CoreLogic.

More than half of surveyed Realtors say sellers are becoming more willing to price their homes competitively or update the appearance of their homes for a quicker sale in more competitive markets.  New or updated kitchens and baths and open floor plans are the most values features buyers look for in a home.

The good news about all this bad news is that the Bartlesville, Oklahoma region is doing very well in real estate.  Although not unscathed from the effects of the national economy, sales are brisk this spring.  Since January 2, 2012 in the Bartlesville Extended Area (Bartlesville, Dewey, Copan, Barnsdall, Ochelata, Ramona, Nowata, and Pawhuska), 115 residential properties have sold and 114 have gone under contract.  Our office is a beehive of activity! 

The Bartlesville Association of Realtors recently released the closing statistics for January, 2012 compared with January of 2011.  The Bartlesville area real estate market was slightly less active in 2012 than it was in January, 2011, which can most likely be attributed to the ConocoPhillips company decision to divide into two separate companies.  Most employees have been uncertain about their jobs and have held off doing anything in the real estate market.

It is expected that the market will pick up in the spring with new hires and the usual move-up buyers.

RESIDENTIAL CLOSING STATISTICS

January 2012 vs January 2011

                                                 2012                        2011

          # sold                                            40                           47

Avg. $                                $  102,660                $ 136,014

Median $                            $    74,500                $  119,900

Total Monthly Closings:       $ 4,106,421              $ 6,392,700

Year-to-Date Total $:          $ 4,106,421              $ 6,392,700

Year-to-Date Sold:                            40                          47         

Average Days on Market:                  74                           73     

Current Active Listings:                    313                        341

          Breakout of 2012 January Sales:

          0 - $100K = 25 (low - $ 8,100)

$100-$200K = 9

$200 - $300K = 4

$300K + = 2 (high - $397,200)

The Bartlesville Community Foundation and the Young Professionals of Bartlesville joined forces to provide a fun-filled evening fundraiser on Saturday, January 21.  The Hilton Garden Inn was filled with activity and laughter as teams competed to win the most points for their teams.

Competitors play basketball.  The Guy Sutherland team won first place!

Adam and Rachel Nash, Allie, and Jacob Atkinson, and Emily and Kevin Hieb play blackjack as John Pannell deals the cards.

Title sponsor Brad Doenges of Doenges Toyota and Ford poses with Bob Pomeroy, Bartlesville Community Foundation Chairman of the Board.

Dan Gilliam and Charlie and Corky Bowerman

Wii dancing competitors get plenty of exercise!

Christy Wareham, Earl Sears, Marilyn and David King, and Bruce and Jeannette Peabody take a break from games.

Sandy Kent and Mary and Thad Friedman competed on the "Fairview Flames" team.

Emcee Heath Osborn and Bartlesville Community Foundation President Joe Haney.

The "money machine" was a popular attraction.

Auctioneer Roger Skelly

We are so pleased to offer congratulations and kudos to the fine people who educate the children of Bartlesville!  A recent article in the Bartlesville newspaper reported that Bartlesville Public School District ranked first in its peer group for students scoring advanced on assessment tests.  Schools used in the comparison are Owasso, Stillwater, Jenks, Yukon, Sand Springs, Broken Arrow, Mustang, Enid, Union, and Ponca City.

The Academic Performance Index is how the Oklahoma State Department of Education measures school performance.  They rate test scores, graduation rates, and attendance rates, but they do NOT give extra points for students who score advanced.  Bartlesville had the most students scoring advanced in third, fifth, seventh, and eighth grades in a variety of subjects.  Bartlesville Public Schools administrators give credit to teacher dedication and high level of instruction.

Bartlesville is definitely the place to live for families looking for quality education for their children!  Shop and compare! 

The McAnaw and Company Team is pleased with what we did in 2011. Although the year was nearly identical with 2010 as far as number of listings, sales, and months of inventory, our company was able to increase our market share to approximately 34% of the dollar volume. Our nearest competitor is around 27%.

More importantly, the McAnaw team is working hard to increase value for our customers, trying to leave no stone unturned as far as providing “over the top” service and assistance. Do you have any suggestions? I’d love to hear from you – really!

Here are the Absorption Rates for the entire year for 2011 and 2010. As you can see, they are very similar.

2011 Absorption Rate for Bartlesville, Dewey, Copan Schools

2010 Absorption Rate for Bartlesville, Dewey, Copan Schools

We are looking forward to another good year in 2011. Once the ConocoPhillips company split is settled, we are expecting to be busy with buyers and sellers who have been waiting until their future is certain before making any moves. We are also expecting to see some new hires.

May you have a happy and blessed 2012!

It is FUN to live in the Bartlesville area!  There are always plenty of activities and events.  Last night (December 1, 2011) we were privileged to attend the Prelude to Christmas at Oklahoma Wesleyan University.  The university showcased the newly refurbished Foster mansion, which has been remodeled with grants from the Lyon Foundation.  Guests enjoyed touring the main floor rooms, the entire upstairs, and the downstairs "rec room" area.  Delicious hors d'oeuvres were served throughout the mansion, and carolers and string quartet provided music.  The final event of the evening was a fireworks show!

Carolers greet guests to the Foster Mansion.

(download)

Click here to download:

ringing-in-the-christmas-season-for-bartlesville-veatyqeBiFagBfizGfah.zip (6.49 MB)

Guests enjoy chamber music in the living room.

Carolers in the library.

The former dining room is currently used as Dr. Piper's office.

Fireworks to kick off the Christmas season!

We have a great team here and we want to make sure you have the chance to meet each and everyone of them.  So we will be randomly picking one of our fabulous realtors for you to meet every so often.

This week's Agent starts with the letter "P" no matter how you look at it: Pat Poindexter

Experience and Knowledge are the two words that best describe why Pat Poindexter is such a great member of the McAnaw and Company Realtors’ team. 

Experience: As Pat likes to say, “If you remember green stamps, then you are as old as I am!” (If you don’t remember them, then go read about them here, you’ll wish they were still around) 

Her experience doesn’t just come with age.  Pat was a personal lines insurance underwriter for seven years. In addition, she owned and operated a small business for 19 years.

Then, Pat says, she finally figured out what she wanted to do when she grew up. So in 1997 she became a realtor and a part of the McAnaw and Company team.

Knowledge: If you want to know something or anything about Bartlesville, OK, just ask Pat.  She is a native of Bartlesville. She claims to pretty much know every street, short cut and country road around. 

Beyond knowing the community, she knows how to bring value to her clients. Pat is diligent at keeping pace with the constantly changing business complexities of real estate.

Community:  Pat doesn't just know how to get around Bartlesville, she cares about her community. Including the four-legged members of Bville.  Pat is a great lover of and advocate for dogs. She started the local organization called Bark Park Buddies.  They have raised money and are now building a fence around the land across the street north of Lowe's for a dog park. 

If you are looking for a realtor that has a depth of knowledge of the area, and the experience to help you buy or sell a home, then you need to contact Pat.  She will also be happy to explain the whole “green stamp” thing too if you’re interested!

Contact Pat:  pat@patpoindexter.com  or call Office: 918-332-3016  Cell: 918-331-8031

Are you enjoying the cool weather?  After our extremely hot summer, most of us are very thankful that we’re no longer sweating!  The fall colors are beautiful, and since the time change, we can enjoy long, cozy evenings by the fire (if we’re lucky!).

In spite of the recent ConocoPhillips announcement, we have been surprisingly busy with 55 residential listings in the Bartlesville, Dewey, and Copan school districts going under contract during the month of October, and 48 closings during the same time period.  Of course, very few of those buyers have been ConocoPhillips employees, as the are waiting to see what will happen with their jobs.

The latest Absorption Rate statistics (see below) show that our market this year has been very similar to 2010.

Absorption Rate – January-October, 2011

Bartlesville, Dewey & Copan School Districts

Absorption Rate – January-October, 2010

Bartlesville, Dewey & Copan School Districts

A recent article from RisMedia.com (see www.realestateeconomywatch.com) was titled “Renters Outspend Owners on Housing.”  Due to economic fears and restraints, more people are renting rather than buying homes.  The article stated, “Renters now spend 5% more of their household budgets on housing costs than do homeowners, and the difference is growing as rents rise.  Since 2005, homeowners’ expenditures for housing have risen from 31.9% of their household budget to 33.2%, but renters’ costs have risen even more, from 35.6% to 38.4%, according to the October CoreLogic U.S. Housing and Mortgage Trends.  Since 1985, homeowners have increased their housing expenditure allocation by 12%, while renters increased by 22%.” 

So spread the word . . . real estate is STILL a great investment!  Also, since more people are now renting, rental properties can be a much better investment than the stock market or a money market account.  The Bartlesville area has a serious shortage of good rental properties, so anyone inclined in that direction should MOVE FORWARD!