Home Sales in Canton Appear Stable, Realtor Says

Carly and Frank Plescia of Canton have been shopping since March to find a larger home — one with a three-car garage — for their family of four, which includes two teenage sons.

On Sunday, they rang the doorbell for a 4-bedroom, 2.2-bathroom home on Woodson Way, listed for $329,900. Realtor Tom Lewarne greeted the couple.

Now seems the time to shop, Carly Plescia said, "because housing prices are just starting to rise and interest rates are still low."

Lewarne, a realtor for 30 years, said the retail housing market seems to be coming back, despite last week's glum economic report.

"It's better than a year ago," he said, adding that this is true despite recent tepid economic reports on jobs and auto sales. While sales were slightly off for GM and Ford, he said,  Chrysler reported a 10 percent uptick "and no one seems to be talking about the good news."

In the five-county area covered by the company Lewarne represents, Century 21 Today, the revival of the market has been aided by a slowdown in housing starts."We're running into a shortage of listings," he said. "So, it's becoming more of a seller's market."

Lewarne said homes which are selling "have no baggage," meaning the homes are in good locations, in good shape and aren't candidates for short sales. He said foreclosured homes are also selling well, because deals  on bank-owned properties can be closed in about 60 days.

The housing market challenges includes appraisals, he said, which reflect figures from about six months ago.

Editor's note: House Hunt will move from Thursdays to Sundays and feature open houses. If you are planning a Sunday open house, email editor Peg McNichol. To find Canton's realtors, visit the Patch directory.