Friday, July 27, 2012

Fannie Mae Reports Optimism in Home Buying

Home Buying & Selling NewsYou may have noticed more “for sale” signs around your neighborhood of late and that is a sign of change – of positive change – according to Fannie Mae! The housing market is showing definite signs of improvement which is good news, regardless of whether you are a buyer or seller.

The Fannie Mae Economic & Strategic Research Group reports a “modest growth” trend through the rest of 2012.  Despite an uncertain job market and lowered consumer spending in the first quarter, the group is still forecasting a 2% increase in the gross domestic product growth projection, which is excellent for real estate and for you, if you are interested in buying or selling a home!

Fannie Mae’s Chief Economist Doug Duncan reported that, “Despite signs of deteriorating momentum for economic activity, housing continues to be a bright spot as news from the housing market has been relatively upbeat, presenting a rare upside boost to the economy.” The report went on to state that home sales have increased 9% in the last year and that single family homes are selling for 20% more than they did in 2011.

Combining those statistics with the National Housing Survey released last month, which showed greater confidence in homeowners about the real estate market, means that a turn-around is in progress. In fact, those polled showed a 6 percentage point increase in their desire to buy, an all-time high as compared to normal poll statistics gathered over the last two years.  Visit Fannie Mae online to access the survey results and see other recent reports on the housing market.  Or call me to learn more about how I can help you with your individual home needs.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Your Home & the Start of School

School supplies are showing up on the shelves of stores everywhere reminding everyone that the final days of summer are edging closer.

With that in mind, it’s a good idea to evaluate your home to make sure you are organized and prepared for the approaching business that may soon impact your days. Even if you do not have children in school, shortened daylight hours and changing traffic patterns can affect your neighborhood and home life, giving you a reason to pause and consider changes you may want to incorporate now.

Home Improvement Projects

With extended daylight hours, now is the time to evaluate your home and complete any DIY projects you’ve been contemplating. Summer time schedules are a bit more open, typically, allowing you more freedom to work on your project AND recruit friends who may be available to help, too. Finishing projects up now will create more peace in your home throughout the rest of the year, including those busy first weeks of fall and keep you smiling through the holidays.

Conquering Home Calendars & Paper Chaos

With sales on school and office supplies, now is the time to make headway on your paper projects. Whether you need a new wall calendar or a dry erase board, or are looking for that special desktop accent to spark creativity in your home office, you can save time and money by shopping now while inventory is high and sale pricing is available. Perhaps with the additional daylight hours of summer, you can even spend some time scanning and/or discarding the papers piling up on your desk, too!

Regardless of the projects you embark on as you enjoy the lingering days of summer, mental preparedness is one of the keys to a good transition. If you have school-aged children, start coaching them now on sleep and eating patterns to ensure that your family is ready for the transition to a new schedule. But don’t go overboard....  After all, summer is not over yet!

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Home Buyers & Sellers – How Quickly Can You Move?

Days-on-the-market
Often when I speak to someone who wants to sell their home, they have an immediate need. The same is true for home buyers. When they are ready, no time is fast enough for finding a home!

How long do you think it should take to sell a home? How long do you feel the buying process should take? Many home buyers and sellers may guess at that number, but did you know that you can actually view it from a statistical standpoint?

When a home is listed for sale, that time begins to be calculated using “Days on Market” or DOM. This factor tracks the time from the home’s first entrance into the MLS until an offer has been made and accepted by the seller. Once an offer has been accepted, the home’s status changes to a pending versus active status.

If a home has been on the market for a longer period of time, sellers may be more willing to negotiate on price, so that number can be very helpful to buyers. It is possible to remove a listing for a variety of reasons and then re-list it as a new listing, so checking the history of a property listing is valuable, too, to make sure the DOM status is accurate.

The DOM figure can be a helpful guideline to home sellers, as well, but only in a very general sense. Property condition, location, interest rates and other market factors can result in increased and decreased DOM statistics, so it’s a tough stat to base your plans on.

If you are curious about a home for sale, or would like to sell your home, please contact me to see how we can decrease your DOM and help with your real estate needs. Let’s determine how quickly YOU can move!

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Credibility Matters in Real Estate

Logo_with_crs
When buying and selling a home, it is important to trust the team that will represent you, from your real estate agent to the escrow officer and mortgage broker. Checking on certifications or credentials can bring peace of mind and help you as a consumer feel more “at home” with the real estate professionals with whom you will work.  The proper credentials and strong professional knowledge base can also make your real estate transaction flow more smoothly.

Perhaps you found me through a positive referral from a friend, so feel like you are in safe hands – that’s great! However, even with the best recommendations, it’s still wise to be aware of credentials, distinctions and designations that help to develop my integrity and credibility as a real estate agent. Through your discovery, you may even become aware of additional tools that I can offer to you, along with feeling like you and your property needs are in capable hands.

One of the most important things you should be aware of is my knowledge of your area. This is my home town. I know all about this area, as you’ll notice on my active website and social media pages. I am active in my local community and can provide you with a list of referrals, from satisfied customers to service providers. Use the pages of my website, like the about page or specific community pages, as tools to give you information about the community, but also about me as a professional. Reference my blog to gain a better understanding of my knowledge of the local area and the real estate industry at large.

Secondly, I hold several designations that are valuable in the field of real estate. You’ll notice the “R” symbol after my name, designating me as a Realtor. Realtors abide by strict industry standards and a code of ethics and that symbol indicates that I am a member of the National Association of Realtors (NAR).

Other designations you may see can vary from agent to agent, and here are several to consider. Please ask me about my specific credentials and designations so that you can feel comfortable knowing that I can meet your real estate needs.

  • Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR)
  • Accredited Consultant in Real Estate (ACRE)
  • Accredited Seller Representative (ASR)
  • Accredited Staging Professional (ASP)
  • Certified Short Sale Seller (CSSS)
  • Counselor of Real Estate (CRE)
  • Certified Residential Specialist (CRS)
  • Certified Distressed Property Expert (CDPE)
  • Certified Internet Professional (e-PRO)
  • Graduate Realtor® Institute (GRI)
  • Quality Service Certification (QSC)
  • Senior Real Estate Specialist (SRES)

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Multiple Offers Return as Buyers are Back

Stressed
RISMEDIA, Monday, July 09, 2012— Record tight inventories are making it increasingly difficult for growing numbers of buyers, who are creating multiple-bid environments in markets that haven’t seen buyers battle over homes in six years.

Buyers are back but sellers aren’t, especially in Western markets recovering from large volumes of foreclosures. The result is that inventories are still tightening as the spring buying season ends. Buyers are fighting over what’s available, often to the benefit of those sellers who took a risk in this year’s evolving marketplace.

Buyer demand is reported to be growing faster than supply, and many REALTORS® are reporting multiple offers. However, buyer foot traffic slowed in May compared to last year, perhaps as buyers grew discouraged by slim pickings. It is like going to a yard sale at 3pm in the afternoon all the good properties are picked over. Homes in Utah with are in good condition are going fast.   I  listed a home on Friday for $119,000 and had an offer accepted on Sunday before the sign even went up. If you are buying be ready get to your lender so that when that prefect offer comes on the market you can make the offer and WIN.

Multiple bids are changing the playing field in a number of markets this spring and summer. Many agents new to the business who have little experience with them are dealing with a sudden and unexpected competition for homes brought about by inventors more than 20 percent below those of a year ago.


“Remember the “Roaring ’90s?” Those days when you could list your house on Friday and on Saturday people would be parked in your driveway writing offers and good faith checks on the hood of their cars? Multiple offers were the norm and offered sellers a generous selection of offers from which to choose. Believe it or not. we are experiencing a trend toward multiple offers even in this still difficult market and there is evidence that this trend will continue as buyers compete in a market with limited inventory,” reported REALTOR® Noel Crider of Auburn, Calif.


However, buyer traffic is still well above the moderate level, but seller traffic is flat, according to the NAR survey. First-time homebuyers accounted for 34 percent of total buyers. Normally first-time buyers are in the neighborhood of 40 percent of total residential sales, according to NAR’s Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers.

 

 

Sunday, July 1, 2012

“During your life, never stop dreaming....."

“During your life, never stop dreaming.....

Life is so full of decisions and chooses.... Each day we have the opportunity to touch the life of those people that cross are paths

Don’t ever be reluctant to show your feelings
When you’re happy, give in to it.
When you’re not, live with it.

Don’t ever be afraid to try to make things better,
You might be surprised at the results.

Don’t ever take the weight of the world on you shoulders.
Don’t ever feel threatened by the future;
Take life one day at a time.

Don’t ever feel guilty about the past;
What’s done is done.
Learn from mistakes you might have made.

Don’t ever feel that you are alone –
There is always somebody there for you to reach out to.

Don’t ever forget that you can achieve
So many of the things you can imagine,
It’s not as hard as it seems.

Don’t ever stop loving,
Don’t ever stop believing,

As life deals you your hand
whether it be Black or Red 
Kings or 2’s

You have the right to make the chose
To change a life or to kill a dream                                                 

Ark
                              

 

  remember no one can take "YOUR JOY"

 

...Dont ever Stop Dreaming your Dream"

 

This is for my little buddy who sometimes finds himself as one of the animals in the Ark thinking he is going to sink and not NOAH who is keeping the dream alive and going. It is because of Noah that we are all alive with the ability to dream the dream......Noah started to built the Ark long before the rain started to fall!!!