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In its 4th quarter report of 2006, the real estate information site estimates the home value trends for the U.S. and 75 metropolitan areas. According to the data from http://Zillow.com, home values are now declining slightly on a year-over-year basis for the first time in a decade after years of appreciation.

Zillow’s home value data goes back to 1997 and reveals the depreciation of home value rates at 0.48 % year-over-year at the national level. The depreciation in home value every quarter is at 4.77 %. Zillow’s appreciation rate is based on the value of all homes in an area, including those that were sold.

Although there is a fall in the over-all home price growth, areas such as Seattle and Portland are experiencing a surge in home values at good appreciation rates. Besides national home values, the report also presents comprehensive data on local market price growth and decline in 75 metropolitan areas. The Zillow report gives detailed data on home value changes for counties, cities, neighborhoods and ZIP codes in U.S.A.

The top 5 metro areas with the highest price growth, year-over-year, are:

1. Lakeland-Winter Haven, Florida, with an appreciation rate of 25.88 %
2. Yuma, Arizona, with an appreciation rate of 25.66 %
3. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, with an appreciation rate of 21.24 %
4. Flagstaff, Arizona, with an appreciation rate of 19.02 %
5. Ocala, Florida with an appreciation rate of 17.56 %

The 5 metropolitan areas that have the most declining home values, year-over-year, are:

1. Panama City, Florida, with a depreciation rate of 11.84 %
2. San Luis Obispo-Atascadero-Paso Robles, California, with a depreciation rate of 11.35 %
3. Punta Gorda, Florida, with a depreciation rate of 9.23 %
4. Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida, with a depreciation rate of 8.99 %
5. Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, South Carolina, with a depreciation rate of 8.73 %

The Zillow national report also includes the top five most expensive and least expensive metro areas measured by the Zindex home value indicator.

The top 5 metro areas that are most expensive are:

1. San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, California at $684,459
2. Salinas, California at $654,503
3. Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Lompoc, California at $627,323
4. Honolulu, Hawaii at $626,452
5. Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, California at $545,409

The top 5 metro areas that are the least expensive are:

1. Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL at $86,201
2. Peoria-Pekin, Illinois at $91,984
3. Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, South Carolina at $96,508
4. Tulsa, Oklahoma at $97,186
5. Dayton-Springfield, Ohio at $103,729

Even within these markets, there are hot and cold housing segments of the community. Be sure to seek out the services of a local real estate agent, who can advise you about local market conditions that impact the price of homes, condos and other types of real estate.

Buying home, condo or any other real estate in a market that is protected from a bursting bubble is every investor’s dream. Knowing where to look for these bubble-proof markets and how to identify them is crucial.

There are some important factors that investors should consider when searching for stable investments such as single-family homes, condos or any other type of real estate. Some of these factors include a fast growing population (which positively impacts the demand for housing), a solid and diverse economy (which impacts employment rates and subsequent demand for housing), rising incomes (which impacts buyers’ ability to purchase real estate), a developing infrastructure (which contributes to the appeal of a city or community), and restrictions on future real estate development (which limits future supply of real estate). Investing in real estate within communities that meet these criteria may prove to be more profitable than communities that are missing one or more of these factors.

A recent report by Business 2.0 Magazine identified U.S. cities that have consistently demonstrated price appreciation in the real estate market. The October 2006 issue of the Magazine identified the top 5 real estate markets that demonstrated an upward price trend over a long period time. The top-ranking cities were:

1. San Francisco, California
2. Los Angeles, California
3. Seattle, Washington
4. Boston, Massachusetts
5. New York City, New York

San Francisco topped the list with an average annual home price appreciation of 4.2% from 1949 to 2006. In contrast, the national average was 2.3%. Strong restrictions on real estate development and a limited geography helped push San Francisco to the top slot.

Los Angeles ranked second in the report. The average annual home price appreciation in Los Angeles was 3.7% from 1949 to 2006. Reductions in available land and increasing restrictions on further development helped pushed Los Angeles to the number 2 slot.

Home prices in Seattle, which was third on the list, demonstrated an average appreciation rate of 3.2% from 1949 to 2006. While Seattle made the top 5 list, recent easing of building restrictions may cause Seattle to fall out of the top 5 over the next few years.

Boston was fourth in the rankings. The city has seen annual home prices appreciate by 3% over the period from 1949 to 2006. A strong increase in per capita income contributed to Boston’s high ranking.

New York City follows close behind with an average annual home price appreciation of 3% from 1949 to 2006. A limited geography, large population, and finite number of properties contributed to New York’s high ranking.

While there is no guarantee that any of the real estate markets listed previously are truly “bubble proof,” the factors described above may help investors find the profitable markets and avoid “bubble” markets. Since the real estate market is constantly changing, be sure to seek out the services of a skillful real estate agent to help you navigate your next real estate purchase.

It’s difficult enough to have to pack all your life to move into a new home, but when you have to do that and still, do it fast, you better have an easy and practical method to support you, otherwise the memories you will hold for years to come will be bitter and frustrating, turning what should have been a joyous occasion into a living nightmare!

Luckily, that easy and practical method is reachable; there are many ways to make any fast move go smoothly and enjoyably, and it has all to do with organization. Follow these tips and find the bright side of moving.

1. Prepare a list. Write down everything, no matter how insignificant it seems. Create a simple record keeping system to pack boxes, be it numbers, colors, or anything else. Get a notebook and write down in detail everything that goes in each labeled box, when it is ready, put it down on your designated “To Go Central”, meaning, everything that is there is ready to go. You should also have a packing area, where you have everything from scissors to labels, tape and markers.

2. Have enough supplies. Get enough boxes, better safe than sorry. Save around ten boxes for last minute packing, things like bedding, clothing, and cleaning supplies. Use strong tape and unprinted newspaper or bubble wrap to protect your belongings. You will need more than you think of everything, so get a lot of supplies and return what’s left at the end.

3. Use wardrobe boxes. They are great for things like pillows, comforters, blankets, and clothes. Calculate how many boxes you will need and ask the Seattle moving company to bring enough so that you don’t have to over stuff each.

4. Use wardrobe boxes strategically. The movers can move some of your things ahead of time, thus, pack a little ahead of time and as early as possible. Also, take advantage of the size of the boxes and fill them in a way that is easy to unpack and to keep everything organized inside: shopping bags filled with several closet items at the bottom, then hanging clothes, and finally some purses or sweaters.

5. Coordinate colors. Choose a color for each room in your new home, put a color sticker on each box, near the number, and put a matching sticker on the door of every room. In this way, the movers will know where everything goes.

6. Keep together things that belong together. Tape small parts to the items these belong to, or put them inside an envelope. Picture hooks with pictures and shelf brackets with bookcases. Designate a “parts box” and put any cables, pieces, parts or nails that appear here and there inside, so that you can easily find everything on moving day.

7. Pack ahead. Anything you can pack ahead of time will free you to take care of important stuff on moving day. Leave only the indispensable and pack everything else.

8. Organize cleaning supplies. Clean you old place ahead of time, but have a cleaning kit ready for action on moving day.

9. Use luggage to pack. Fill them with clothes, sheets, towels and papers.

10. Keep an eye on valuables. As much as possible, everything valuable must remain with you. Review the movers’ insurance to see how you are covered in case you lose something.

11. Guard important papers. This means birth certificates, school records, mover estimates, job contracts, utility company numbers, bank records, bills, phone lists, closing papers, realtor information, maps and installation manuals. Always keep them with you.

12. Get a box for each person. Each family member should get a special box. It should contain items that will be needed immediately after the move.

If you enjoyed this article, please feel free to post it to your site or blog and forward this link to your friends. Have a great day!

Don’t forget to visit our moving blog.

Joe Tacoma has written numerous articles for Puget Sound Moving, expert movers in Seattle, Washington and surrounding areas. Their blog is full of great moving and packing tips; check it out at www.psmoving.com/blogArticle Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/real-estate-articles/12-tips-to-handle-a-last-minute-move-1352130.html