Home sales up for Carson City

Carson City home sales have shown a slow but steady increase in activity since January, according to data filed with the Carson City Assessor's Office.

Only six properties sold in Carson City in January. That number increased to 15 in February, and 16 in March. There are 12 property transactions recorded in the first 17 days of April, the most current data available.

"There are a lot of first time buyers, and people who are getting the tax credit," said Bob Fredlund, a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Best Sellers. "Banks are getting a little more cooperative."

The current home sales look to be clustered at the lower end of the market. Of the 49 properties that changed hands this year, 21 were sold for less than $200,000. Only 11 properties above $400,000 have been sold so far this year, and seven of those are commercial properties or empty land slated for development.

"There is a lot of competition on the lower end, with multiple offers on some of the bank-owned properties," said Chick James, owner of Realty Executives. "The banks are getting aggressive in their pricing."

James said that while overall inventory of homes on the market is down from previous months, it's still a buyer's market.

"If anyone is interested in buying a house, they shouldn't let this time pass," James said. "There are a lot of good reasons to buy right now, with interest rates low, incentives like the $8,000 tax credit, and homes being priced competitively."

Fredlund said that with all the incentives for lower-priced homes, he worries about what happens to the more expensive properties.

"We don't have buyers for the upper end," Fredlund said. "(The incentives) are going to change the whole marketplace."