Is the Holiday Market Ripe for Sellers?

I’m a big fan of selling during the holidays if it makes sense to the homeowner. There are four reasons why.

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A lot of sellers have been asking me what I think about selling a home during the holidays. They’ve heard it’s not the best time because the market slows down and not as many buyers are looking.

What these sellers are saying can be true. There are definitely fewer buyers out there looking, and the market definitely slows down a little bit during the holiday season. However, there is a silver lining. I’m actually a big fan of selling during the holidays if it makes sense to the homeowner. There are four reasons why doing this may actually result in you selling your home quickly and for the most amount of money versus waiting until the new year:

1. Low inventory. Inventory generally falls during the holidays because all the sellers that are either unmotivated or don’t have to sell take their homes off the market. What this means to all the other sellers who are motivated and do absolutely have to sell is there will be more demand for their homes.  
2. We’re dealing with more motivated buyers. For the same reasons that the majority of sellers exit the marketplace during the holidays, the majority of buyers do, too. This leaves a crop of buyers that absolutely have to move and do it soon. Although you’d get fewer buyers looking at your property, the ones who do are far more motivated, and the quality of their offers will be far higher.
3. You can avoid the new year listing rush. Think about all the people waiting to put their homes on the market in 2017. Think about all the people who took their homes off the market at the end of the year with the intention of putting it back on in the new year. If all these people put their homes on the market in 2017 and you do the same thing, your listing is going to get lost among the competition.
4. Low interest rates. The savviest buyers understand that price is a one-time thing. Interest rates, though, affect you every 30 days. Every month, you need to make your monthly payment. A higher interest rate means a higher monthly payment. These buyers, then, want to buy now while interest rates are low and they can secure long-term savings.

If you’re thinking about getting your home on the market this year and you’re curious to know what my team and I think your home can sell for, please reach out to me by phone or email. Also, if you have a video topic in mind you want me to expand on in the future, send them my way. Until then—happy selling!

Why Are More and More Homes Expiring?

Homes are taking longer to sell and people want to know why. It really comes down to buyers and sellers not being on the same page.

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If you’ve been watching any of my videos recently, you’ve heard me talking about a shift. It’s still happening and prices are adjusting. Homes are taking longer to sell, and in some areas, homes are selling for less than they have in the past.

The reason why more and more homes are expiring is because most sellers are still under the impression we are still in a seller’s market and prices are continuing to go up. However, buyers have reached a point of fatigue. They are getting frustrated because prices have gone up too high and too fast.

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Buyers have reached
 a point of fatigue.

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The bottom line is, what sellers are expecting and what buyers are willing to pay are two different things. That’s why homes are getting stale on the market and taking longer to sell. Sellers are struggling with the idea of selling for less than their last home sold for.

If this has happened to you, but you still want to get top dollar for your home, give me a call or send me an email. I would love to help you market and sell your home for the most amount of money possible in this market. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

What Does the Perfect Home Buyer Look Like?

What does the perfect buyer look like? Today I wanted to run you through the simple steps you can take to become a perfect buyer and make your transaction as smooth as possible.

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What does the perfect buyer look like?

We're finding that the most prepared buyers are the ones who have the greatest advantage in the market today. A well-executed plan is so important in the real estate process. As a buyer, your goal is to submit the best offer on the perfect property in the time frame that works best for you.

These are the important steps to becoming a perfect buyer:

• Get pre-approved. Talk to a lender to find out how much you can afford, the type of loan you’re eligible for, and the interest rate you'll get, among other things. Since there are so many elements that factor into loans, it's important to start this process and get it squared away immediately.
• Meet with your Realtor to focus in on what you're really looking for. Dial in on where you want to live based on who you want to live near and what you want to experience. Then, dive into what you must have in a property versus what you dream of having so that we can strike a balance between the two. From there, we can build a plan to look at properties in person.

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Follow your Realtor's advice
from the beginning to set
yourself up for success.

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Ultimately, the perfect buyer is someone who takes our advice from the very beginning, listens to us, and plans with us. If there's no alignment between you and your agent, it's not going to end well.

Hopefully, this is valuable information for you. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, give me a call or send me an email today. I'd be happy to help you!

What Does the Perfect Home Seller Look Like?

What does the perfect seller look like? Here is a story about a couple I recently worked with who perfectly illustrate the success that is possible when sellers work well with agents.

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What makes a perfect home seller?

I was recently part of a very specific situation last month which I think really illustrates what I look for in a seller. I was fortunate enough to get to work with a perfect seller, and the end results couldn't have been better.

They were former clients who bought a condo about five years ago. When the time came to sell, the place looked good, but there were some opportunities to make the home shine. I'm a big believer in investing some money and time to create a great product to showcase to buyers, so the first thing we did was send out my interior designer for an analysis of what would make the home look show-ready, and she recommended a staging package and some lighter paint.

Since the sellers knew me and trusted me, they took a few days to paint the place and have the carpets steam cleaned. Then they had the home staged and deep cleaned to be sure that we were putting out a perfect product on the day of the open house. The whole setup process took about three weeks and was very inconvenient for my sellers—they had service providers constantly coming and going—but they trusted me, we put the home on the market, and sold it for full list price in less than a week.

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These clients were truly perfect sellers.

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They were truly the perfect sellers. Many times, sellers will just want to get their house on the market quickly, thinking it will sell because the market is hot, but that's not the way to do it. You need to take time in the preparation process. My strategy is always to spend three weeks or so getting the home prepared and then sell it in one week, rather than to simply slap it on the market and hope for the best. This can cause the house to sit on the market for months at a time.

If we sell your home in three weeks or less, that's how we know we're getting top dollar.

If you have any more questions about preparing your home for the market or how to be a perfect seller, I'd be happy to answer them. Give me a call or send me an email and let's talk soon!