April marks the 10th consecutive month in which home sales have increased in Birmingham when comparing the month to the same month last year. On top of the year over year improvement, April also had over an 11% increase in home sales from this past March as well, as reported by the Alabama Center for Real Estate (ACRE).

This news of Birmingham’s home sales follows last month’s report from ACRE that states new home sales alone have increased 9.2% year over year across Alabama, with a jump of over 16% from February 2012 to March 2012. This increase of new home sales year over year even outperformed the national market which had just a 7% increase in sales during that time.

As pricing remains relatively low the demand for new homes has steadily increased with the improving economy, leading to a shrinkage of new construction inventory over the last year. Minimizing the amount of available inventory is certainly key to improving home values and prices. The current prices of homes have recently become even more enticing to potential buyers as it was announced that the average interest rate of a 30-year mortgage has dropped yet again to a new record of 3.84%.

Attractive pricing and record low interest rates (not to mention favorable weather this Spring) have created a buyer-friendly market unlike any other in recent decades. Buyers that are taking advantage of this opportunity have found themselves paying hundreds of dollars less each month for mortgage payments than they would have just a short time ago when interest rates were considerably higher.

For the first time in six months, Alabama's home prices have seen an increase when compared to the previous year. This March Alabama's median price rose to $118,280, which is over a 6% jump over March 2011 and nearly a 10% increase from this February. Historically, according to the Alabama Center for Real Estate, March sees only a 1.4% bump over February every year.

September 2011 was actually Alabama's last year-over-year increase in the medium home price, and it was only a mere .6% over September 2010.

Over the past couple of years the home price statistics had been somewhat skewed by both increasing foreclosures as well as federal tax incentives. Since the real estate market has been improving in 2012, foreclosure have declined somewhat and prices are stabilizing. This has also been the first year in a while where comparative data has not been effected by government sponsored tax programs.

For more information on the homes for sale at Ross Bridge, contact us here today!

According to the Birmingham Business Journal and the Birmingham Association of Realtors, Birmingham's home sales rose to 2,222 during the first 3 months of 2012 when compared to the same quarter of 2011. During Q1 2011, home sales in Birmingham totaled just 1,931, which translates to a 15% increase in 2012 over 2011.

Home buyers have been active this year in Birmingham, particularly in the last third of the quarter where home sales rose 6% in March alone.

To read more on Birmigham's home sales from the Birmingham Association of Realtors and the Birmingham Business Journal, visit the latest post on bizjournals.com here!

Ross Bridge reached its 1,000th settlement since beginning sales in November of 2005 making them Birmingham’s hottest selling new home community.

The past 24 months have been nothing but extraordinary at Ross Bridge, bucking all the national and regional real estate trends.

The new home community located in Hoover, Alabama ranks among the top 20 master-planned communities nationally for total home sales.*

Ross Bridge was also named winner of the 2010 Best in American Living Awards (BALA) by the National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) receiving the platinum award in the category of best community.

In addition to this prestigious new home community award, Ross Bridge’s Dorothy Tayloe won the Silver Award for Best Sales Manager and the Community won the Gold Award for Best Signage and Best Sales Pavilion.

USS Real Estate and Daniel Corporation have thoughtfully developed Ross Bridge with award-winning new home builders helping to create some of the best neighborhoods in the region.  Finally, none of this would be possible without the tireless efforts of all of the on-site sales professionals.  It is through their hard work that 1,000 families now call Ross Bridge home.

This past summer, Ross Bridge opened its second neighborhood park, pool and playground. The new Shades Creek Park & Pool is located in the James Hill neighborhood and convenient to the Haddon neighborhood. Taking it's cue from the spectacular Ross Park & Pool located in the Village Center of Ross Bridge, this new community amenity is surrounded by the natural beauty of the Shades Creek Preserve and features a playground, sun and shade park, pavilion and resort-style pool with separate baby pool.

Earlier this year Ross Bridge introduced its newest neighborhood – Northampton with courtyard designs from the $250's. Featuring a unique eurpoean streetscape, these brand new homes from the regionally acclaimed Signature Homes boast open floor plans and unique designs unavailable anywhere but Ross Bridge. Priced from the $250's to the $400's and ranging from 1,700 sq. ft. to over 3,200 sq. ft. there is surely something for everyone at Northampton.

The success of Ross Bridge is no secret. The combination of a wide variety of home-styles from which to choose, built by the areas finest homebuilders; with a world-class amenity — The Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa have all translated into a new home community that home buyers recognize as superior to any other in the region.

More than just owning a house, home buyers are looking for that “front porch–friendly” style of living with opportunities to bond with their neighbors. Each distinctive neighborhood within Ross Bridge has its own lush, landscaped park and beautiful tree-lined streets and sidewalks. In all, there are over 200 acres of parks, green spaces, the Shades Creek Preserve, and five miles of trails providing nature enthusiasts, hikers and cyclists avenues to enjoy outdoor activities that help establish a real sense of community.     

The sense of community at Ross Bridge is perhaps its most compelling feature. Throughout the year there’s something exciting going on that brings everyone together.

From the Movies in the park, Fresh Markets on the green and Annual 8K run/Walk to the regionally popular Arts & Music on the green & “Uncorked” on the green, Hometown Fair and Lighting of the green.

With spacious and enchanting single-family homes from the $200's; to exquisite, custom estate homes over $1 million, there's something for everyone at Ross Bridge.

The consistent sales pace at Ross Bridge is counter to everything the buyer is being told throughout the general media. The reality is that there's never been a better time in history to buy a new home. Interest rates are at historic lows, home prices are as competitive as they've ever been and the selection is awesome.

While sales continue to outpace the rest of the market, there’s still plenty to choose from at Ross Bridge — for now.

Visit Ross Bridge today and see for yourself how wonderful life is at the area's hottest selling new home community!

The Award Winning Welcome Center and Models are open
Daily 9am-5pm, Sunday 1pm to 5pm

For more information, please contact Dorothy Tayloe at the Ross Bridge Sales Center at (205) 443-4663 or visit www.rossbridge.com. The Sales Center is located at 2101 Grand Avenue, Hoover, Alabama 35226

•Source: John Burns Real Estate Consulting national sales report.

This data is quite encouraging as we slip into Spring. New home sales have picked up while inventory continues to shrink, both of which are geneearly indications of a strong season to follow with rising home prices. This news follows last months data that showed January's sales reached $111.1 million, a 7.6% increase over January 2011.

This week the Washington Times did an interesting piece on Birmingham's wide cultural appeal. The article happens to also serve as a mini-guide to the city for those who are new to or visiting the area. The piece had a nice mention of the Renaissance Birmingham Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa, listing it as their "Where to Stay" spot in Birmingham.

"The Renaissance Birmingham Ross Bridge Golf Resort and Spa is the area’s premier accommodation. It’s located in a lushly wooded spot with lakes and a Robert Trent Jones golf course. There’s a luxe spa and Brock’s — a relaxed fine dining restaurant serving locally sourced produce and meats. Nightly rates start at $189."

The article goes on to explore some of Birmingham's more creative dishes as well as some of the city's historical exhibits. To read more about some of Birmingham's most interesting attractions, check out the full article at the washingtontimes.com!

For the first time since 2006, Alabama's home sales in January had positive sales growth when compared to January of the previous year. According to the Alabama Center for Real Estate (ACRE), January is the 7th month in a row that reported increased home sales when compared to one year previous.

Below is an excerpt from the ACRE report on AL.com:

"The good news is that January's report continues the market momentum ushered in by the December report that showed Alabama's 2011 residential sales ended 2.0 percent ahead of the prior year. The year-end figures reflect the first positive annual residential sales growth in Alabama since 2005.

In January, Alabama residential sales outperformed the US market which showed an increase of .7 percent from the prior year (January 2011), according to the National Association of Realtors."

To read the full article on AL.com, visit here!

PGA.com has released its list of the top golf courses in Alabama, and has named Ross Bridge as one of the state's top courses!

"Symbolic of an old parkland style golf course, 10 holes play along the banks of two significant lakes connected by a spectacular waterfall dropping 90 feet between the ninth and eighteenth greens."

Click here to view the full list of Alabama's best courses: A Quick Nine – Best Golf Courses in Alabama.

Housing starts and building permits are are up in January according to the Census Bureau. New home construction is one of the major indicators from the real estate industry as to how well the economy is doing, and certainly an increase in housing starts is a very positive sign for the economy. These housing starts, as reported by CNNMoney, rose to a 699,000 annual rate, which is a 1.5% improvement over December and 10% better than a year ago. Building permits are up an impressive 19% over the previous year as well. These results for 2011 even surpassed most expert forecasts.

New homes construction typically picks up as the inventory of existing/pre-owned gets low. With the rise in foreclosures during the worst of the economy, the market was flooded with inexpensive resales. As the supply of existing homes for sale dropped off and unemployment decreased, demand for homes started to climb, so in stepped the builders to fill the demand. 

The strong start for new home sales and starts in 2012 certainly is a welcome site for real estate professionals and a clear indication that the market, and the economy as a whole, is heading in the right direction.