Forbes Rates The Best And Worst Cities For Unemployment Pay
June 27, 2008
Forbes just released a list which ranked the best and worst cities for unemployment pay in the nation. San Antonio came in the 8th best city with a maxed unemployment benefit of $378, low cost of living and a 3.6% unemployment rate.
Texas cities overall ranked very well due to an unemployment rate of 4.5%, which is well below the national average of 5.5% and lower cost of living compared to other states. The process of how Forbes ranked the cities is below.
To compile our list, we evaluated the nation’s 40 largest cities on the unemployment insurance benefits available in their state–based on figures from local government agencies–and the cost of living per city, according to the Council for Community and Economic Research (CCER), an Arlington, Va. research firm. Many companies offer independent severance packages, but because they’re not required by law and vary by company, they weren’t included in our analysis.
For each city we considered how much money was available to a worker who was earning $150,000 a year and thus received the maximum weekly benefit in every state. For the sake of consistency it was assumed that our model worker had been employed during the previous year and was let go through no fault of his or her own. Then, we looked at how far the weekly unemployment check went, considering local costs for housing, transportation, health care and utilities.
For the complete story and list of cities visit Forbes.com
San Antonio Real Estate Market Report May 2008
June 21, 2008
Sales may be down from years past but then again we are comparing 2008 to the best couple of years in San Antonio’s housing market history. With a low unemployment rate, job growth, increase in population and overall healthy local economy, we are pretty good shape compared to other U.S. cities.
Sales for Single Family homes dropped 24 percent in May 2008 to 1,821 compared with 2,388 sales in May 2007, according to the San Antonio Board of Realtors.
But home prices still continue to appreciate, as the median price rising 4 percent to hit $155,100 from $149,100 and the average price also increased by 4 percent to $191,151 from $183,065 from the same time last year.
In addition the average price per square foot for the San Antonio Market increased 10 percent to $91 from $83 last year. Average Days On Market(DOM) is at 87 days and San Antonio MLS had a total of 12,962 active listings at the end of May 2008.
Source: SABOR
Bexar County Foreclosure Filings Down 6 Percent for June
June 13, 2008
Written by By Aïssatou Sidimé from the Express News
Bexar County foreclosure filings dipped below 900 for the first time in five months, continuing a general trend of declines.
However, the July foreclosure auction postings still are above 2007 levels, according to two new reports.
Lenders filed to auction 872 properties in the Bexar County foreclosure auction set for July 1, according to Foreclosure Listing Service Inc.
That’s a 6 percent decline from the June auction postings.
Lenders filed to auction far fewer single-family residences, accounting for the bulk of the decline, according to data provided by San Antonio-based RexReport.com, which tracks foreclosure postings for investors.
Bexar County foreclosure postings have been down four of the past five months.
Similarly, foreclosure auction filings were down in six of the nine Central Texas counties, according to Foreclosure Listing Service Inc.
However, foreclosure experts said the reduction might be temporary since July usually sees a dip in filings.
“Most likely, this is due to the July Fourth Independence Day holiday occurring near the auction date, which leads to a number of trustees and others taking time off during that week,” George Roddy Sr., president of Dallas-based Foreclosure Listing Service Inc., said in an e-mail.
Roddy said he would want to see several more months of significant declines to feel assured that foreclosure filings had peaked.
Comparing year-over-year statistics, Texas foreclosures for July are up 40 percent from the 618 postings in July 2007, according to RexReport.com.
Be Homes Opens The Parc at Escondido In NE San Antonio
June 10, 2008
Be Homes, LLC has open their latest residential community The Parc at Escondido located in Northeast San Antonio. The master planned community is on the smaller size with only have 450 homes to be built through 5 development phases.
The Parc at Escondido features a 28 acre amenity complex which includes acres of green space, a 94 ft. swimming pool, and 4,500 sq ft. covered pavilion for social gatherings, an administration building and pool house, children’s play area, pergola, separate picnic facilities, sport courts (basketball, volleyball and tennis), soccer field and baseball field.
Unlike many other communities under development, all the amenities mentioned above are already in place and ready for use. Homes in The Parc at Escondido are priced from the $130′s to the low $180′s and range from 1,311 to 2,710 square feet.
Driving Directions: Take IH10/Hwy 90 towards Houston. Take the FM1516/Converse exit (#585) and turn left. Continue down FM1516 approximately 1/4 mile, community will be on your right.
School District: EAST CENTRAL ISD
To schedule an appointment to visit this great community in Northeast San Antonio, register below:
