Strengthening in the Suburbs Is Good News for New Orleans Metro Communities

Wade Ragas, real estate consultant and owner of Real Property Associates continually analyzes sales reports for new homes and previously-owned homes, as well as new home starts, new home trends, the monthly supply of homes for sale on the market, and many other real estate related information in order to present his findings to local Realtor and Builder Associations.  These types of informative seminars aid in the strategic planning of builders and Realtors for their quarterly planning.  Ragas recently gave a talk to the New Orleans Metropolitan Association of Realtors for his twice-yearly report and announced the median home prices have pretty much stayed the same in the Greater New Orleans area from 2013 – 2014.

Regular home sales in the Greater New Orleans area showed a cost of $153/square foot with an average cost of $309,533 which is actually down from the major price increases during 2012 – 2013 where the average price rose to $325,348. A 3.1% increase in price year-over-year was reported compared to an 8% increase from 2012 – 2013.  Another reason the cost was so much lower were that the homes sold reported lower living square footage, so homes sold overall were smaller.

The most drastic change in statistics that Ragas reported was that the cost to purchase a home to renovate or “flip” it has increased on average 40% year-over-year for the same time period.  The average price jumped from $52,669 to $71,845 to purchase a home in need of a renovation.

The most important aspect of his study of real estate statistics for the Parks of Plaquemines, located just 10.2 miles from the Central Business District, showed that strengthening in the suburbs is good news for New Orleans Metro communities.  Home sales in the 8 parishes around New Orleans increased by 7.5% from 11,160 – 12,000 with home sales in Jefferson Parish, the parish adjacent to the Parks of Plaquemines up by 2.3%.  The cost per square foot to buy a home in Jefferson Parish was approximately $104 / square foot which is only slightly off the $105 / square foot to buy a home pre-Katrina. Ragas also reported that most of the high volume of home sales in Jefferson Parish was on the West Bank, which is a sign that real estate on the West Bank may finally be taking a turn upwards from the real estate slump during the Recession.

Prices going up are not necessarily a bad thing, and recovery in the suburb, West Bank areas of the Greater New Orleans area means that people are moving back into our communities and may be interested in purchasing a new home for sale in the Parks of Plaquemines, right next to Jefferson Parish on the West Bank and an easy commute to New Orleans for work.  To learn more about our homes for sale and lots for sale, Contact Us at 504-364-2350 or E-mail Info@TheParksLifestyle.com.

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Belle Chasse Bridge will close to traffic March 7-8, 2015

Belle Chasse Bridge Closure

7300 Louisiana 23
Belle Chasse, LA 70037

March 7 – 8, 2015

The Belle Chasse Bridge in Plaquemines Parish will close to traffic next weekend beginning March 7 at 5 a.m., transportation officials have announced. The bridge is scheduled to reopen March 9 at 12 a.m.

Two-way traffic will be re-routed through the Belle Chasse Tunnel. But some vehicles will be prohibited from traveling through the tunnel. Those are dump trucks and larger vehicles, and trucks pulling boats and motor homes, transportation official said.

Restricted vehicles can take General deGaulle Drive east in Algiers to Woodland Highway to Belle Chasse Highway.

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Winners of the Louisiana Landmarks Society Awards for Excellence in Historic Preservation

In 2014, the New Orleans Military and Maritime Academy  rebuilt 2, 200-year-old Navy buildings on the Mississippi River with an addition of a 3rd connecting school building which resulted in a $17 million expenditure in real estate construction.  The new school campus is now located in Federal City which is the name for part of the former naval base here in New Orleans.  The New Orleans Military and Maritime Academy is a state charter high school which emphasize a Marine Corps Junior ROTC program

The school, which has actually moved three times – once from a public school campus in Algiers, Louisiana and then from the Navy hospital facility in the shuttered naval base – now has a permanent location which they were able to OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAmove into over the winter break in February, 2015.  Now the 2 historic buildings that received a complete renovation were winners of the Louisiana Landmarks Society Awards for Excellence in Historic Preservation in 2015.  New construction projects, historic restorations, and renovations are given awards by this program for any home, building, or commercial / industrial construction projects in neighborhoods throughout New Orleans, excluding the French Quarter.

“The variety and caliber of the projects were amazing this year,” said Sandra Stokes, a member of the awards selection committee. “They ranged from individual homes to large-scale projects. There also was a major resurgence in one area — the O.C. Haley area — which is great to see.”

The awards selection committee is part of the Historic District Landmarks Commission, and its members include local architects, historians, and members of the Commission itself.  Several components are factored into choosing award winners: restoration helps with revitalization, eco-friendly, sustainable energy efficient renovations / restorations, and cultural and ethnic diversity which is a big focus of the revitalization of New Orleans.

The two buildings of the New Orleans Military and Maritime Academy were in “good company” with other winners which included the Tulane School of Social Work, Pan American Life Insurance Building, Bienville Avenue Residences, Carver Theater, Il Mercato, and New Orleans Jazz Market.  The awards will be presented on April 15 during a reception and fundraiser for the Louisiana Landmarks Society.

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New Orleans is Building Back Smarter and Stronger

Three agencies – the Housing Authority of New Orleans (HANO), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development – have come together in New Orleans to finance and oversee the construction of the Faubourg Lafitte Senior Housing Community which will have 100 apartments for senior residents ranging in size from 615 – 900 square feet. 89 of the apartments will be one-bedroom units and 11 will be two-bedroom units. They will be offered to Section 9 and public housing residents in New Orleans.

“The Faubourg Lafitte community is another example of how New Orleans is building back smarter and stronger,” said Mayor Mitchell Landrieu. “Once completed, the new Lafitte Senior Housing building will contribute greatly to this revitalized corridor by providing our seniors with an affordable housing option that is just blocks away from the new Lafitte Greenway, which is opening this spring.”

The groundbreaking for the new housing units will be held Wednesday, February 25, 2015.

Lafitte_Greenway

The new senior housing community is located conveniently close to the new Lafitte Greenway which will be open to the public in Summer, 2015. The Lafitte Greenway is an integral part of the revitalization of New Orleans for the area of town located between the Treme and Lakeview. The purpose of the planning of this area was to offer more convenient means of public transportation for residents without vehicles, to link the two neighborhoods of Treme and Lakeview, to provide a community space that would also offer a safe path to home, school, work, or play, and to provide walking and biking paths for not only community residents but also to the elderly or disabled who may need rehabilitation opportunities.

As a 2.6-mile bicylce and pedestrian trail, New Orleans homeowners and renters will be able to travel from Armstrong Park to City Park. In addition to the walking / biking asphalt pathway, the Lafitte Greenway will also feature recreation fields, new landscaping, planted trees, green spaces, and drainage in the form of bioswales and stormwater retention. Safety is the priority of this non-profit organization’s planning, so the path itself will be well-lit by LED, energy efficient lights. Other features include curb extensions, signalized high visibility crosswalks, Americans with Disabilites Act-compliant curb ramps at sidewalk corners, environmental remediation, a crushed stone walking path, and a bicycle and pedestrian roundabout.

 

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New Orleans Home and Garden Show – March 13 – 15, 2015

Sixtieth Annual New Orleans Home and Garden Show

Mercedes-Benz Superdome
2424 N. Arnoult Rd
Metairie, Louisiana 70001

Featuring home vendors, presentations by experts, cooking demonstrations and celebrity appearances. 

Friday March 13, 2015 12PM – 8PM
Saturday March 14, 2015 10PM – 8PM
Sunday March 15, 2015 10PM – 6PM

Tickets: $15 Adult
$8 Military
Kids 12 & Under – Free

Click Here for $5 OFF.


Purchase Tickets Online or call 504-835-6383.