The Ruhl Blog

5 Reasons Homeownership is a Good Financial Investment

According to a report by Trulia, “buying is cheaper than renting in 100 of the largest metro areas by an average of 33.1%.” That may have some thinking about buying a home instead of signing another lease extension, but does that make sense from a financial perspective? In the report, Ralph McLaughlin, Trulia’s Chief Economist...

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5 Reasons to Sell This Fall

Here are five reasons listing your home for sale this fall makes sense from Keeping Current Matters.  1. Demand Is Strong The latest Buyer Traffic Report from the National Association of Realtors(NAR) shows that buyer demand remains very strong throughout the vast majority of the country. These buyers are ready, willing,...

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5 Things to Look for in Your First Home

If you decide the time is right, here are some key things to look for in your first home. Price Tag It is essential to know how much your first home will cost. If you’re unsure about how to get this right, contact a reputable real estate agent. Property Issues A thorough inspection is a must if you want a realistic view of the good, bad...

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8 Home Improvement Skills to Master Before Moving In

Maybe you're becoming a homeowner for the first time. Maybe you are transitioning back to owning a home after several years of renting. Maybe you just need to freshen up on your home improvement skills. Whatever your situation, you haven't had to take care of your own property for a long time. So what's home improvement all about?...

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Best Time to Sell Ever

Inventory is down 10% across the region, and prices are up. Homeowners who have contemplated selling should seize this opportunity to sell at top dollar. And Move-up buyers have the most to gain, as they can sell in a seller's market and buy in a buyer's market! Home prices have appreciated from 6% to 12% in our region over...

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Buying a Home: Wants vs Needs

Starting to look for a home? Know what you want vs. What you need In this day and age of being able to shop for anything anywhere, it is really important to know what you’re looking for when you start your home search. If...

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Condo Sales Set the Pace in New Construction Market

Regional MLSs report a YTD increase of 7% in new home sales, energized by an 18% increase in the sale of new condos. New house sales were up 1% for the same period.  Sales increases were accompanied by an 11% decline in available inventory.  Some of the lower inventory numbers can be explained by current sales of older inventory and...

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Eight Things Homesellers Risk When They For Sale By Owner

There are a few things throughout your life where you should put your trust in a professional. You may want to think twice before you perform your own root canal, as there are plenty of risks involved when you’re not properly trained for the job. Believe it or not, there are lots of risks involved when you choose to sell your home without...

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New Construction, Parade of Homes

Fall 2017 QCBR Parade of Homes

We are excited to announce the line-up of homes for the 2017 Fall Parade of Homes from October 10-15, 18, 21, and 22. Please join us at this free event weekends from 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m., and Wednesday from 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. There are a variety of builders and subdivisions on display this year, so be sure to check them all out! A total of 27 homes will be on parade this year, with 8 shown by Ruhl agents. Check out the builders,...

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First-Time Homebuyers Savings Program and What it Means for You

Beginning January 1 of 2018, those looking to become first-time homebuyers in Iowa will have a new resource available to them. Governor Terry Branstad signed the legislation to make the First Time Homebuyers Savings Program official. This program authorizes tax-preferred First Time Homebuyer Savings Accounts. This account has to be in the name...

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Five Reasons Iowa is SO Much Better than New York City

A guest post by Director of Marketing - Jenny Parvin 1. You can afford a home - a real one with a nice backyard. Look! Here's mine! All of my friends have houses too - and we've had ours for awhile. You don't have to wait until you are mid-career to own here. Plus, my commute is 10 minutes! (10 minutes! Sometimes I ride my bike!)...

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Happy 40th Anniversary Roni!

Throughout her 40 years at Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors, Roni Pianca has been a leader, a mentor, an inspiration, a shoulder to cry on, a laugh when you need it most, and one of the most important members of the Ruhl Family. Roni began her journey with Ruhl by missing her initial job interview because she couldn’t find the office. Her adventures...

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Homesnap: Your New Mobile Resource

Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors is transitioning from mobileRuhl to a new, award-winning mobile application called Homesnap. Homesnap, a nationwide, user-friendly application, is now available in the Quad Cities, Clinton, Cedar Rapids, Muscatine, and Burlington. The application will be available soon in all other markets. Homesnap is a state-of-the-art...

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Iowa Cropland Values Up in Last Six Months

The Land Trends and Value Survey, presented by the Iowa Farm and Land Chapter #2 REALTORS Land Institute, reported a statewide average increase of 0.9% for tillable cropland values from September 2016 to March 2017 period. Combining this increase with the 3.7% decrease reported in September 2016 indicates a statewide average decrease of 2.8% for...

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Iowa Cropland Values Up in Last Six Months

The Land Trends and Value Survey, presented by the Iowa Farm and Land Chapter #2 REALTORS Land Institute, reported a statewide average increase of 0.9% for tillable cropland values from September 2016 to March 2017 period. Combining this increase with the 3.7% decrease reported in September 2016 indicates a statewide average decrease of 2.8% for...

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Knowledge is Power

Guest Post by Bettendorf Sales Manager, Matt Schwind Is this the year you buy a house? As a manager of a real estate office, I can tell you that, although it's only February, the sales activity in the market has already started to pick up. It's been a mild winter, and the warmer weather tends to accelerate the housing market in the Quad...

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Lack of Listings Slowing Down the Market

The real estate market is moving more and more into a complete recovery. Home values are up. Home sales are up. Distressed sales (foreclosures and short sales) have fallen dramatically. It seems that 2017 will be the year that the housing market races forward again. However, there is one thing that may cause the industry to tap the brakes: a...

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Luxurious Apartment Living with a View

Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors' Property Management department is excited to announce a partnership with new luxurious apartments for lease overlooking Downtown Davenport and the Mississippi River Valley in the completely renovated Kahl Mansion. The Gold Coast Apartments are an upscale, active community for adults 50 plus. ...

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NAI Ruhl Commercial – Industrial Report

Information contributed by Charlie Armstrong, SIOR, Richard Schaefer and Alex Kelly of NAI Ruhl Commercial Company Overview The Greater Quad Cities region is home to many Fortune 500 industrial companies including John Deere Corporate headquarters and manufacturing plants, HNI / HON Company, Arconic, Tyson Fresh Meats, Kraft Heinz, ADM,...

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NAI Ruhl Commercial – MultiFamily and Investments Report

Information contributed by David Levin of NAI Ruhl Commercial Company.  Multi-Family Overview Multi-family is coming off another record high year, both in terms of growth and sales volume. Per unit sale prices, once again, rocketed up in the fourth quarter after holding fairly steady most of the year. Multi-family continues to outperform...

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NAI Ruhl Commercial – Office Report

Information contributed by Shawn Langan and John G. Ruhl of NAI Ruhl Commercial Overview The office market remains stabilized both nationally and regionally. Nationally, new product has been constructed in larger markets with employment growth driven by the tech industry and the financial services sector. Markets without a technology employment...

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NAI Ruhl Commercial – Property Management Report

Information contributed by Laurie A. Peters, Senior Property Manager of NAI Ruhl Commercial Company Property Management is the foundation of profitability and value of a real estate investment. With over 1.6 million managed square feet of office, retail, institutional and industrial space throughout the Quad Cities and surrounding area, our...

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NAI Ruhl Commercial – Retail Report

Information contributed by Richard Weinstein and Chris Wilkins of NAI Ruhl Commercial  Market Activity 2016 continued to see the trend of strong demand for retail space in the Quad Cities. Interest in the highest profile areas however was hindered due to the lack of available supply. This also impacted the number of closed transactions....

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Buying a Home, NAR Survey

NAR Confidence Index Survey

The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) conducts a survey that gathers monthly information from REALTORS® about local real estate market conditions, characteristics of buyers and sellers, and issues affecting homeownership and real estate transactions. Check out some of the results from the survey below! Characteristics of Buyers and Sellers First-time buyers accounted for 29 percent of sales in September of 2017 compared to 34...

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Optimism & Opportunities

Guest Post by Broker/Owner Chris Beason If you're tired of negativity surrounding the change in administration, you may want to go speak with someone in the real estate industry for a more positive outlook on the times ahead. This time of year, we like to get input from a variety of sources on the outlook for the coming year. By asking general...

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Record Breaking Sales and Home Prices Appreciating

The first half of 2017 saw a record number of homes sold and closed in our region. In the Quad Cities, for example, the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) had the most sales closed from January through June that we have had since 2000 – a 17-year high (See Mid-Year Comparison Chart). Our Regional Activity Chart shows the sales increases in...

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Regional New Homes Market off to a Good Start in 2017

Builders and developers across the region are hoping that a solid increase in first quarter sales reflects stronger customer confidence and result in stronger sales levels for the entire year in 2017. Area MLSs reported an overall growth of 27% in unit sales YTD. New house sales were up 13%, while condo sales jumped 62%. Builders have also demonstrated...

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Ruhl 2017 Blood Drive

Ruhl is once again hosting our annual blood drive on Thursday, June 8 th at our Bettendorf Office to help save the lives of people like Andy Yohe. Andy Yohe received 22 pints of blood after he was struck by a train as a teenager. He lost his legs, but his life was saved thanks to generous blood donors. Today, Andy is a Ruhl&Ruhl Realtor®...

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Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors Celebrates Best Year Ever!

Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors celebrated a strong 2016, with company sales volume of $844,644,683, making 2016 their best year ever. In addition, Ruhl Mortgage closed $148,531,635 in loan volume. "It takes a great team working together to provide our clients their best real estate experiences ever! Thank you for your caring service." Ruhl...

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Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors Opens Office in Galena

Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors is pleased to announce that they have joined forces with McCoy Real Estate Inc. Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors will be opening a new office in Galena located at 412 S Main Street, formerly the office of McCoy Real Estate. Mike and Shelly McCoy are now brokers with Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors, as are Joan Murray, Kevin Knautz...

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Spring 2017 QCBR Parade of Homes

We are excited to announce the line-up of homes for the 2017 Spring Parade of Homes on April 22, 23, 26, 29, and 30. Please join us at this free event weekends from 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m., and Wednesday from 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. According to Dave Falk, director of new construction and development for Ruhl noted that there are...

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Thankful for You

As you celebrate this holiday, know that I am grateful for you in my life.  Thank you for trusting me as your real estate adviser and, more importantly, for your friendship. I hope you and your family have a wonderful...

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The Quad Cities Experiences the Largest One-Year Gain in Region

Five-year home appreciation in our region was between 6.96% and 15.32% with all of our local Metropolitan Statistical Areas experiencing a positive gain. "Although interest rates rose sharply during the fourth quarter, our data show no signs of a home price slowdown," said Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Deputy Chief...

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The Quad Cities Experiences the Largest One-Year Gain in Region

Five-year home appreciation in our region was between 6.96% and 15.32% with all of our local Metropolitan Statistical Areas experiencing a positive gain. "Although interest rates rose sharply during the fourth quarter, our data show no signs of a home price slowdown," said Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Deputy Chief Economist...

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Tight Inventory Continues to Lead to Increases in Home Price Appreciation

Five-year home appreciation in our region was between 8.13% and 14.74% with all of our regional Metropolitan Statistical Areas experiencing a positive gain. “U.S. house prices rose in nearly every state during the second quarter,” said FHFA senior economist William Doerner. “The tight inventory is a major explanation for why...

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Tips for Preparing for Homeownership

Realtor.com recently shared '5 Habits to Start Now if you Hope to Buy a Home in 2017.' Below are the top three from their list with a brief description. #1 - Automate Your Down Payment Savings One way to jump start your down payment savings is to automate your checking account to automatically save a small amount of your paycheck into...

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Company Events

Toys For Tots

Are you looking to help out with Toys for Tots? Look no further than your local Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors. Most offices will have a drop off bin for you to donate any new, unwrapped (not stuffed animal) toy, and many offices are holding special drives to collect the toys. You can drop off toys at Bettendorf, Cedar Rapids, Clinton, Davenport, DeWitt, Iowa City, and Moline. Check out some of the details on the special drives below! Quad Cities...

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What’s Holding Millennials Back from Buying?

The answer must be student loans, right? Wrong! While paying back an education is part of the equation for some, it is not the only factor that holds Millennials back from buying their first homes. A survey of young renters by Fannie Mae found that the factor that delays the most potential buyers is an insufficient credit score or history (53%),...

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Dave Moore

Licensed In IA
  • C.
Iowa City Office

1075 Highway 1 West
Iowa City, IA 52246