Tag Archives: home sales

Confidence In The Real Estate Market Is Not Looking Good

Home sales numbers during July were the worst they have been in years. Real Estate inventory is up in most areas, and the confidence real estate agents have is substantially down. The government stimulus is looking like it was just a waste of money. There is a good chance we’ll see the recession double dip. Point 2 Technologies does a monthly survey of real estate agents, that determines their opinions of the real estate market. August results show the lowest confidence, 4.87% since the survey started over a year ago. In November of last year, before the expiration of the first homebuyer tax credit, the confidence index rating showed a confidence level of 6.03%. Two months earlier real estate agents had a higher confidence rating of 5.76%. August marks the third straight months of confidence declines.

Having confidence will determine future buying activites. If buyers don’t have confidence that purchasing Florence AZ Real Estate will be a good investment, they won’t buy homes. If buyers don’t have confidence they will have a job a year from now, they won’t purchase a new Logan Condo. The decrease in confidence indicates that home sales will decrease in the near future. As home sales decline, the number of homes for sale increase. Any time there are more real estate listings than the number of buyers, home values decline. As real estate values drop, the number of foreclosure homes goes up. Increased foreclosures leads to future price drops.

The home sales statistics released by NAR show a substantial drop in home sales. The number of homes sold in July was more than 25% down compared with June’s home sales figures. There has never been a month with a larger monthly decrease in home sales. It was the home buyer tax credits that caused a temporary, and artificial recovery of the housing market.. It fully appears that the U.S. housing market is going to decline before it recovers.

National July Home Sales Dismal

July Home Sales down 27% nationally. The official numbers for July Real Estate sales are in, and they are not looking good for real estate in the nation as a whole. Home sales of houses and condos were substantially done.

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said a soft sales pace likely will continue for a few additional months. “Consumers rationally jumped into the market before the deadline for the home buyer tax credit expired. Since May, after the deadline, contract signings have been notably lower and a pause period for home sales is likely to last through September,” he said. “However, given the rock-bottom mortgage interest rates and historically high housing affordability conditions, the pace of a sales recovery could pick up quickly, provided the economy consistently adds jobs.

“Even with sales pausing for a few months, annual sales are expected to reach 5 million in 2010 because of healthy activity in the first half of the year. To place in perspective, annual sales averaged 4.9 million in the past 20 years, and 4.4 million over the past 30 years,” Yun added.

via REALTOR® Magazine-Daily News-July Existing-Home Sales Fall, But Prices Rise.

Ideas To Market Your Own Home For A Very High Price

Are you planning to sell your home sometime soon? If you are getting ready to put your home on the market, you want to be certain to get as much for your home as possible. Fortunately, there are several simple steps that you can take to make this happen. Here are five ways to sell your home for top dollar.

Tip #1: Improve Overall Condition

First of all, make a good first impression on buyers by making it look great from the curb. Paint is cheap, compared to most home improvements. So, I always recommend exterior trim paint or even painting the whole house. Certainly get the exterior doors painted, including the garage door. Then, plant flosers and trim bushes and trees. Make the yard look clean and healthy.

Tip #2: Get Good Exposure for your Home

Your buyer may be driving by your home right now. Or, she may be in Beijing searching via the web. Either way, you’ve got to get exposure…maximum exposure. The more buyers who see your home translates into more buyers offering to buy your home. The more offers, the higher the closing price. You know that. So, get maximum exposure by using every possible method to spread the word.

Tip #3: Time it Right!

Obviously, you will have the best chance of getting top dollar for your home if you sell it in a seller’s market, but what about when the market is not working in your favor? If you have to sell your home while the market is down, choosing the right time to sell will still help you get more for your home. In general, the best time to sell a home is in the Spring, Summer and the early part of Fall. You will also have a better chance of selling your home for top dollar if you sell it while interest rates are down, as potential buyers are more interested in purchasing a home when they know they can save on the interest costs.

Tip #4: Don’t Stay on the Market Too Long

Price and market the home to sell quickly. It’s the only smart strategy in a declining market. In fact, agents and buyers view homes that linger on the market longer than average as “stale”. That is, they immediately wonder why others have not purchased the home and they often do not even tour. If you do “miss the mark” on price or advertising, and the home remains on the market longer than average, you may want to take it off the market for a time and start over with a fresh price and marketing effort.

Tip #5: Choose a Reasonable Price

While you certainly want to get as much as possible for your home, resist the temptation to overprice it so potential buyers can “bargain the price down.” If you put the home on the market at a price that is unreasonable, you will alienate many potential buyers who consider the property to be out of their price range. By putting your home on the market at a fair price, you will be more likely to enjoy the top dollar you are looking for.

That’s it! Five Easy Steps to help you get the most for your home. Good Luck!

About the Author: John Allen represents buyers and sellers of fine Sarasota real estate, including condos. Also, special thanks to Yorba Linda Homes for Sale.