Buyers Play Hide and Seek
The shift from the strong seller market we saw in the first half of 2013 to a buyer’s market in 2014, has created a certain level of disbelief. Local markets shift fairly rapidly – and changes in supply and demand are generally the cause. Although we have commented on this shift in past articles, it…
The Sub-markets
Despite a number of naysayers, the market has in fact shifted from a balanced market (which only lasted a few months) to a gentle buyer’s market. This has been caused more by a decrease in demand, than a huge increase in supply. Supply is still growing in most areas, but only slowly. But viewing the…
Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign….
At the risk of dating ourselves with that song’s line, today’s market reminds us a bit of those words. What do we mean by that? Simply that our gentle balanced market appears to have now tipped to a buyer’s market. At least for the moment. A balanced market is where supply and demand are in…
Is NOW a Good Time To Buy?
When someone asks me, “How’s the market?†I sometimes want to say, “Please finish the sentence..for WHOM?†If it is totally great for buyers can it really be totally great for sellers? I see some so called real estate “experts†saying it is always a good time to buy or a good time to sell….
Why Selling in a Balanced Market is actually Good
One of the most common questions that would-be sellers ask us is when is the best time to sell? The questions vary but generally sound something like this: “Isn’t it best to sell in a seller’s market?†“Now that the market has shifted to a balanced/slight buyer’s market isn’t that a horrible time to sell? 
Will This Be a Happy New Year?
2014 is not starting off with a bang. At least not yet. The 4th quarter of 2013 was one of the lowest for pending sales in many, many years (2008 to be exact). This has contributed to a dramatic shift from what was a red hot seller’s market into a balanced market and even –…
Market Roulette
2014 is beginning quite differently than 2013 did. 2013 entered as an overheated seller’s market –with inventory unusually low and properties coming to market at one of the lowest rates in history. Fast forward to 2014 and we find a very different market. Only a few geographic areas in the valley are still in a…
The only thing that remains the same is change
As 2013 begins to wind down, our real estate market seems to be following suit. As we reported last month, demand has dampened significantly. Many observers will attribute this to the “seasonal effect†– meaning that the market has its peaks and valleys every year in a somewhat predictable pattern – the fall season being…
Buyers hit the Pause Button
Demand for homes has been a complete non-issue in the valley for the last 3 years – so much so that the current drop in demand has come as a bit of a shock to anyone observing it. Supply has been beyond abundant through our recent distressed market. Banks were overwhelmed with the volume of…
Waiting For the “Good Time†to Buy
You are thinking of buying a home – but not sure if now is the “right timeâ€. If you are waiting for the perfect time – it was May of 2011. It isn’t coming back. I fully understand that numerous national experts are blathering on about a “bubble†and the big problems that will result…