Baltimore

Baltimore is arguably the most important urban center in the state of Maryland. Baltimore has a population of approximately six hundred thirty seven thousand five hundred residents, although when the city’s metropolitan area is considered, that figure expands to above two and a half million individuals. On an even larger level, the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area includes a total of more than eight million residents, thanks to the city of Washington. Baltimore is technically considered an independent city, which it has been since the community broke apart from Baltimore County in the middle of the nineteenth century. Baltimore takes its name from Lord Baltimore, a member of the Irish House of Lords who served as the founder of the entirety of Maryland.

Some of the many nicknames held by Baltimore include The City of Firsts, Charm City, Monument City, B-More, and Ravenstown. The city’s motto is “the Greatest City in America”, and encompasses a total area of just over ninety two square miles, including about eleven and a quarter square miles of water. Baltimore actually came into existence substantially later than the rest of the state of Maryland, specifically in the year seventeen six, when a port was founded at the city’s current location. Baltimore was officially incorporated in the year seventeen twenty nine, and experienced its first growth spurt during the eighteenth century. Baltimore played an interesting role in the American Revolution, the War of 1812, and the American Civil War, and has since leveled out in terms of growth.

There is a remarkable array of educational institutions available in the city of Baltimore, including primary, secondary, and post-secondary institutions of both the private and public variety. The largest conglomerate of schools in Baltimore is the Baltimore Public School System, and other important institutions include Archbishop Curley High School, Arlington Baptist High School, the University of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins University, and Baltimore International College. Attractions in Baltimore include the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Municipal Museum of Baltimore, the National Aquarium, and the Phoenix Shot Tower. Baltimore also maintains an extensive array of parks and recreational facilities throughout the city limits.

New Haven

The suburban area of New Haven, Connecticut, like many of its neighboring and nearby cities on the East Coast, has seen its share of ill effects from the U.S. financial crisis, which triggered a collapse in the U.S. residential real estate market. As a result, New Haven real estate has seen a decline in its value, a rise in troubled mortgage-holders and a buildup of inventory.

Despite tough market conditions, the market for real estate in New Haven does seem to be on the brink of turning the page into a brighter, if not at pre-crash levels, future. According to local realtor Donna Bigda, at the end of October 2009, there were 178 homes for sale in New Haven, ranging from just $29,900 all the way up to $1 million.

October’s real estate statistics show slow improvement in the market. The month saw 34 sales, an increase of 16 from October 2008’s figures, up by around 50%. Prices of homes on the market in New Haven remained mostly steady. In October of last year, the average sales price for a sold home was $174,050; this year in October, the figure rose slightly to $174,534.

However, homes are now spending more time on the market before selling as compared with last year. In October 2009, the homes sold did so after an average 108 days on the market. Last year’s average was just 68 days. It is estimated that the market had about a six-month supply in 2009’s third quarter.

Laguna Beach

The famed Laguna Beach neighborhood in Southern California’s Orange County, notorious for being home to some of the nation’s most pricey residential real estate, has seen its sales figures and home values drop in the midst of the nation’s worst housing crisis in decades.

Though many would think residents of upscale neighborhoods like Laguna Beach immune to the effects of a recession, like foreclosures, that thought is not quite right. According to the Orange County Register, in November, there were 77 homes in the Laguna Beach real estate market in default, with nearly half, 36, valued at more than $1 million.

Real estate in Laguna Beach is languishing on the market as well, looking for buyers with lots of cash or credit. As of Nov. 30, according to the Register, the average time on the market for homes for sale in Laguna Beach was 9.69 months, up from 8.27 months just two weeks ago.

The neighborhood, too, has seen its median sales price continue to decline. The median price of a home in Laguna Beach in a three week period ending Dec. 5 $1.02 million, down by 45% from last year. However, sales volume shows signs for encouragement during that period, as the area tallied 33 homes sold, an increase of 73.7% over the same period of last year, according to the OC Register.