Skip to main content

How's The Market?


How's the market? I hear it all the time. I'm glad people ask me, it means they trust my opinion. That picture over there is me smiling every time someone asks me about Real Estate ---- so keep on asking. The answer to that question, at least in the area where I live and help people buy and sell homes, is almost always "Great".

However, I don't stop there, because I want to know what people mean by "... how is the market...".

If you bought a home two months ago, did nothing to it and want to sell it now ---- you'll probably think the market is "bad". Is it? The situation isn't the best, that's for sure. I can think of a few solutions to that predicament, but that's a discussion for another day.

So how do you know if the housing market in your town or neighborhood is good or bad? Talk to an expert. Call a Realtor you trust and ask them about trends they are seeing.

I often see stats published in newspapers claiming the market, or a niche in the market, is " ... 5% down ..." or "... up by 2.5% ....". While having statistical information is good to have, you need a professional to explain what it really means.

How is the market in the 717 area code? It's GREAT. Ha!

Popular posts from this blog

Housing Shortage or Thought Scarcity?: A Common Sense Proposal

  Photo by  Roberto Nickson  from  Pexels With low inventory, BOTH buyers and renters are having a challenging time getting into a home. A solution, one would think, is creating more available homes. A gut reaction would be to build big developments, with large homes or maybe a condo complex. But what if you could build a home on your current property and rent it out? I see small towns around me push back, and a common reason is "parking" . Meanwhile, a quick drive down their streets will show plenty of parking. And get this, the people that would shop in the now almost empty stores in their town wouldn't need to drive there - they would walk. Another pushback I hear is that a new structure will create too much non-permeable space . It's always an interesting thing to hear from a sector that listens and smiles - but does nothing - when I talk about clean water bills, riparian buffers, and other common sense solutions to a healthy local environment. The more I learn a...
Read more

The Reluctant Real Estate Recruiter: Me?

The phone rings and it is the daughter of a friend. Or maybe an old highschool acquaintance. Neighbor. Past client. They are interested in doing what I do. Full of energy. Almost all of them tell me they watch most of the HGTV house buying/selling/flipping/designing shows. They love looking at houses.  I have to pause and remember what I promised myself a few years ago. When I first got into this business it wasn't long until my old brokerage asked me to mentor new real estate agents. The same demeanor that helps me form successful working relationships with clients today led to a thought that I would be a great ambassador for new Realtors 20+ years ago. Think again. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) announced that in 2023 they lost over 26,000* members. How does that happen? While there are some other factors (ie, selling real estate without being under the NAR umbrella, retirement, etc .. ) a reasonable assumption is an overwhelming majority of Realtors left the business...
Read more

Land, Views, and Garages

In today's hectic world, a number of people are looking for some room to breath and relax. This might mean a house on a couple of acres. It might mean mountain views. It might mean a giant detached garage w/ it's own furnace. Sometimes, with a little luck, you can find all of those things in one location .
Read more