Beat the rush! Many folks do not list during the holidays and then hold off in January and February, perhaps postponing until late March or April. That delay is exacerbating the shortage of available homes that has been an issue for the market for months! It is a window of opportunity for savvy sellers to jump in and take advantage of the market – it IS a seller’s market. Have a look at the chart. The most popular months for listing a home is April, May and June. Ready to get ahead of the crowd? A buyer will like you for it!
FINALLY – light at the end of the tunnel. The gap between what homeowners thought their house is worth and what appraisers thought the house is worth is getting narrower. So, what happened? Well, it is quite a combination actually. Some homeowners did not realize how much equity they had gained in the rising market. Others have relaxed their values and are being realistic to market conditions. Appraisers were challenged by the lack of comparables in the rising market and low inventory. The market remains short on available homes, but there are more comparables (closed transactions) for appraisers to use in their evaluations. It is getting closer!
The sky is not falling – nor is the roof rising. The best predictions are that the new tax code will have a negligible impact on home prices. Checkout the chart for estimates in your state.
Quite a few states had a heavy outbound population relocating to other areas. Some states were on the receiving side with more newcomers. However, the majority of the states seem pretty much balanced. Have a look at the chart to see how your state has been impacted.
2017 finished as a great year for home sales – homes sales were higher than in a decade - and the momentum is still there! The predictions for 2018 are more of the same. Positive news. However, the housing market inventory is down even from last year! The shortage of homes continues – and that affects sales negatively. The opportunity for sellers remains. It will not last forever.
Did you know that more than 50% of staged homes received a 1 to 10% increase in dollar offers from buyers? That is only the measure of hard dollars resulting from staging. It is much more difficult to quantify, but staged homes draw more potential buyers and likely score a sale sooner. Buyers like staging because it helps them visualize themselves in the home – with no clutter in the way! Buyer agents and Seller agents agree – the benefits of staging make it worth the small investment to get it done. Have a look at the chart to see just how much that can mean to you! Staging is a great way to begin the sale of your home!