"Local Housing Market Fares Better Than National"

WEAU-TV (Eau Claire, WI) (07/03/07) Veremis, Lindsay



Existing home sales declined nationwide for a third consecutive month in May, reports the National Association of Realtors. In parts of Wisconsin, most notably the Chippewa Valley, the housing market isn't nearly so dire. Northwestern Wisconsin Realtors Association President Mark Fouts remarks, "I think the conservative nature of the people that live here and our culture keeps it a lot more stable. That's good and bad. At the times when other parts of the country are seeing double-digit increases in home sales, we don't necessarily see that, but then again we also don't see the fall." Still, Fouts concedes that the amount of time for-sale homes remain on the market has increased in recent months an estimated 8 percent or 9 percent from this time a year ago. Consequently, it remains a buyer's market, and sellers must do all they can to prepare their homes for sale.