MLS HPI [Home Pricing Index] Explained
The MLS® HPI is an alternative measure of real estate prices that provides a clearer picture of market trends over traditional tools such as mean or median average prices. It is a  more stable price indicator than average prices because it tracks changes of ‘middle-of-the-range’ or ‘typical’ homes and excludes the extreme high-end and low-end properties.

Typical homes are defined by the various quantitative property attributes (e.g. above ground living area in square feet) and qualitative housing features (e.g. proximity to shopping, schools, transportation, hospitals etc.) toward the home price of properties sold.

These features together become the ‘benchmark’ house, townhouse or apartment in a given area. A benchmark property is designed to represent a typical residential property in a particular MLS® HPI housing market, such as an individual community.

The breakdown of each month’s real estate sales in a given area are estimates of current prices paid for bedrooms, bathrooms, fireplaces, etc. Prices for these qualitative and quantitative features are then applied to the typical house model and an index price is estimated for that month.

In summary,  the MLS® HPI measures the rate at which housing prices change over time taking into account the type of homes sold.


 How to Remove Snow from Shrubs and Plants
After a heavy snowfall many of us look at our poor outdoor plants and wonder if there is anything we can do to ensure the weight of the snow doesn’t hurt them in the long term. Here is some advice on how to help them while ensuring you and your lovely shrubs are kept safe in the process.

1 Sweep Gently Using a broom or your hands, GENTLY sweep in an upward motion, loosening the snow and allowing it to fall. Don’t sweep downward, as you might break an already bent branch, and don’t shake the plant. The branches will be very brittle and already stressed, so disturb them as little as possible.

2 Avoid Accumulation You’ll have much less damage to your plants if you remove snow after every couple of inches of accumulation, rather than waiting until it’s deep.

3 Leave Ice Alone Don’t try to remove ice, as the branch will likely break. Once ice has formed, you really should just wait it out

4 Be Safe Never try to remove snow or ice from overhead branches! There’s a high risk of breakage, and you don’t want heavy limbs falling on you, your house, or your car!.

 


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kerry@kerrybostick.com   |    403.837.5377