(West Des Moines, Iowa) – Officials with the Iowa Association of Realtors (IAR), Wednesday, said August’s home prices were up 13.3 percent and sales decreased 23.3 percent according to the Housing Trends by the IAR.  3,802 homes sold in August 2022. In August 2021, 4,956 properties were sold. For the first eight months of 2022, Iowa has experienced a 10.4 percent decline in sales compared to the same period in 2021.  The median sales price for August 2022 was $229,900 compared to $203,000 in August of last year.

The number of homes available for sale continue to increase after record low numbers this Spring. Our inventory of homes was 20.3 percent lower than in August 2021 with 7,510 homes on the market statewide. 

“Home sales typically start to slow in August with families finishing up vacations, so many Iowans attending the state fair and school starting up. After a summer of inflation and higher interest rates, many experts, including NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun, believe the worst of inflation may be over. Price growth is expected to moderate in the future as the market shifts in a more buyer-friendly direction,” stated IAR President Byron Menke.

Homes continue to sell quickly. August saw an average of 27 days on the market. That is almost 13 percent faster than August of last year.

ATLANTIC, IOWA — Officials with the Southwest Iowa Planning Council (SWIPCO) report the addition of Aaron Koontz as a Grants Specialist. Koontz will work with SWIPCO housing programs to ensure that the agency and the communities it serves are doing what needs to be done per grant regulations. He will help clients navigate through rules and procedures and application paperwork.

SWIPCO and the Southwest Iowa Housing Trust Fund operate a wide range of programs, including housing repair, down payment assistance, demolition of dilapidated houses, and lead abatement. SWIPCO also provides building inspection services and currently has more than 1,500 rental units in its inspection program. Koontz will assist with all of these programs and will be an asset to the agency.

Aaron Koontz

Koontz, a graduate of Denison High School, said “I have lived in Southwest Iowa all my life, and I am excited about helping this region of rural Iowa thrive and become a better place to live. Through my position, I will be able to help others while ensuring that we stay in compliance with multiple programs.”

“He is great with people and is an effective communicator. He has a great eye for detail, and he brings many years of experience working as a legal specialist and a legal coordinator at PayPal,” SWIPCO Executive Director John McCurdy said.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA – A man from Minden was sentenced to prison, Tuesday, following his plea to a charge of bank fraud. Authorities say a judge in Council Bluffs U-S District Court sentenced 40-year-old Stewart Jerome Messerschmidt to two months in prison followed by five years of Supervised Release.

Messerschmidt made false statements to Shelby County State Bank (SCSB) regarding collateral for his farm loans. During 2017 and 2018, Messerschmidt also provided false information on applications for Marketing Assistance Loans from the Farm Service Agency (FSA) for Messerschmidt’s 2018 farm production. The fraud was discovered during an investigation by SCSB and FSA which showed that Messerschmidt had overstated the grain he produced, had claimed grain belonging to other producers, and falsified the number of cattle he owned.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of the Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.

(Radio Iowa) – The luxury goods retailer Nordstrom is laying off 231 employees at its warehouse in Cedar Rapids. K-C-R-G T-V reports Nordstrom has filed a layoff notice with the State of Iowa. The layoffs will take effect October 18th. Seattle-based Nordstrom opened a fulfillment center in Cedar Rapids in 1997. The company expanded the size of the facility about a decade ago, as online sales soared.

Nordstrom has recently trimmed its sales outlook — predicting revenue will rise in the third and fourth quarters, but by about 200 million less than previously predicted.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – Officials with Pottawattamie County Emergency Management, say the 2^nd annual preparedness night will be held Thursday September 29, 2022 from 5-until 8-pm. The event is being held at the Pott. County EMA Office (205 S Main St, Council Bluffs), and on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/PottCoEMA).

During the event, you’ll learn about emergency & disaster preparedness, emergency services, and relief programs available to the public. Learn more in this flyer:

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA – A woman from Nebraska was sentenced Tuesday in Council Bluffs U-S District Court, on a drug charge. 34-year-old Tabitha Standley, of Nebraska City, Nebraska, was sentenced to serve 10-years (120 months) in prison, following her plea to a charge of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

On October 18, 2021, Standley was arrested at the Horseshoe Casino on an unrelated felony warrant. Officers performed a probable cause search of the Standley’s vehicle and located over 300 grams of methamphetamine which Standley had intended to distribute.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Council Bluffs Police Department, Southwest Iowa Narcotics Task Force, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, and Division of Narcotics Enforcement investigated the case.

(Radio Iowa) – The Wolfe (silent E) Eye Clinic — which operates out of 25 locations around the state — is warning patients of a security breach that may have involved personal information.
A statement on the Wolfe Clinic’s website indicates there’s no evidence patients’ personal information was accessed or has been misused, but out of an abundance of caution patients are being notified by letter about the incident. Last December, someone hacked into the electronic medical records platform called myCare Integrity that many of the country’s eye care clinics use. The unauthorized party deleted some files and databases before being detected. The Wolfe Clinic says none of its patients have reported cases of identity theft that may be related to the security breach.

(The Wolfe Clinic’s main offices are in Ames, Ankeny, Carroll, Cedar Falls, Fort Dodge, Hiawatha, Iowa City, Marshalltown, Ottumwa, Pleasant Hill, Spencer, Waterloo and West Des Moines. It operates Family Vision Centers in Albia, Belmond, Clarion, Fairfield, Grundy Center, Humboldt, Sac City, Story City, Toledo, Traer, Waverly and Webster City)