may market update

May 2021 Market Update

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The real estate market reminds me of the great Bill Murray movie Groundhog Day. It seems like every month I am conveying the same story. Housing inventory levels are still low, we continue to have multiple offer situations, interest rates continue to stay modest, and prices are rising. Sorry, but that’s the story in Northern Virginia today, and I believe it will be for years to come. 

The good news is we continue to see additional inventory come on the market. The issue is, in most cases, we have more demand than the supply that is coming onto the market. This has some buyers experiencing “buyer fatigue” as they cannot waive all contingencies or go high enough in price to win in a multiple contract situation. In some instances, this has resulted in fewer contracts submitted in what could be a multiple contract situation and, in some rare cases, only one or two offers are received. For today’s buyers, patience is critical, but the speed of writing the offer is the key to success. If you are thinking of buying, let’s meet to discuss your plans in more detail.

If you are a seller, it is extremely important to be realistic and do the right things to get your house sold. We have seen some sellers trying to take advantage of the market by not completing the finishing touches typically done when preparing to sell their home. They are not painting, replacing carpets or flooring, making minor repairs such as caulking in bathrooms or repairing rotten trim, etc. and worst of all, overpricing their properties. Greed is not good; being sensible is as the market is not like it was in 2004-2006, where you could price properties for tens of thousands of dollars above the last sale. People who do the right things such as staging and proper pricing see the market take their sales prices higher because buyers are willing to pay premium prices for properties in the right condition. If you are considering selling, let’s get together and see what we can do to help you maximize the market.

Enjoy the spring weather and all that May has to offer.

May Market Update

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I’m Still Amazed…

The real estate market never ceases to amaze me. We have weeks, months and years where sales go up and down, prices go up and down, inventory goes up and down, but now, we are dealing with people’s emotions going way up and way down – including real estate agents. The lack of inventory in some areas have resulted in buyers losing out multiple times on their home of choice. They become frustrated and make irrational decisions on prices, terms or location. These decisions will have an impact on their financial lives as well as their quality of life (including potentially longer commutes). When clients lose out on offers multiple times, agents get frustrated too, either because the clients don’t listen on how to position themselves or with other agents believing they were treated unfairly during the negotiations. This is why it is imperative to work with an experienced agent to help you navigate through this emotional time in real estate. An agent that has been there before, understands what is going on and can provide the right advice so you (or someone you know looking to buy) get the proper guidance and the house you want – without getting tied up in the emotion adding stress to the situation. Well, guess what? I have been through these types of turbulent, emotional times and I can lead you or someone you know through these situations, just call me.  I will help everyone stay calm and focused on the eventual task which is getting the house sold.

Keeping with the amazement theme, we still have very low inventory levels – 20% below last year’s levels. This is creating the type of market I just mentioned. Unfortunately, sellers are not immune to the emotions of selling. Unrealistic expectations of timing, pricing and response times from buyers/buyer agents make for stressful times during selling. It is important to have the right expectations when selling a house, mostly to keep the seller on an even keel. Once again, I am here to help provide the right advice, guidance and emotional balance to get you through the home selling process, just give me a call. I am happy to help!

Have a great Memorial Day!

hello spring