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3 Ways Sellers Can Show Off Outdoor Space

House 1

Take a close look at your listing from the eye of a home buyer. Are the bushes overgrown around the front windows? Has the mulch all washed away? Is the paint on the shutters fading?

These are the questions Jon Coile, chairman of the multiple listing service MRIS in Rockville, Md., asks in a recent column at The Washington Post that aims to help sellers examine the exterior of their homes. Here are some simple ways to solve common curb appeal issues:

  • Stick to similar plant groupings
  • Use visual markers
  • Show off the entertainment value

Read the complete article…

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Surviving a Seller’s Market: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet

House 2

In a seller’s market, home buyers need to be willing and able to act fast to snag the home they want. This spring, areas across the country are facing a limited number of homes for sale. Realtor.com® offers up a cheat sheet for surviving a seller’s market.

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National Survey Shows RE/MAX Agents Average 2X the Home Sales of Other Agents

REMAX vs The Industry Revealed

It’s out! RE/MAX agents again claim the title of most productive among the national real estate brands. An analysis of the data contained in the 29th annual 2016 REAL Trends 500 survey shows that RE/MAX agents are more than twice as productive as the average of all other agents in the report. Productive agents, an unmatched global presence and the premier real estate brand. It all adds up to another banner year for RE/MAX agents and their clients!

Read the full article…

REMAX vs The Industry

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April 2016 RE/MAX National Housing Report

April 2016 National Housing Report

The 2016 home buying season began in March with a 33.4% jump in sales from February among the 53 metro areas surveyed for the RE/MAX National Housing Report, which is a little better than the 31.0% seven-year average of February to March increases. March sales were also 3.6% greater than sales one year ago. So far in 2016, the average year-over-year increase in home sales has been 4.9%. The median price among the Median Sales Prices of the markets in the survey in March was $204,000, which was the same median price reported in March 2015. The inventory of homes for sale remains very tight in many markets across the country, with March seeing a level that is 13.3% lower than a year ago, the exact same difference seen in February. At the rate of home sales in March, the national Months Supply of inventory was 3.2, down from 3.7 in March 2015.

Read the full article in RE/MAX’s Newsroom…

Watch the short video on YouTube…

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To make your real estate transactions less taxing, contact me!

Less Taxing

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Buyers Need to Be Ready for Some Competition

Planning

The spring housing market is heating up and demand is high across the country. Some would-be buyers who were outbid last year or couldn’t find a home to fit their needs are returning this spring. They’re more determined than ever to buy too.

But the competition will likely be steep again this spring.

“Would-be buyers face a dilemma: There will be more homes on the market over each week of the next three to four months, but there will also be even more prospective buyers,” says Jonathan Smoke, realtor.com®’s chief economist. “We are entering the busiest season of home buying with the lowest amount of inventory in three years. To be competitive, buyers should get pre-approved for a mortgage and be ready to act quickly if they find a home that meets their needs.”

Read more details…

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Video Tours for Listings

Video Tour

LOVE the new technology that RE/MAX Honors launched this morning – Automated Listing Marketing! The professional marketing package includes Video Tours uploaded to YouTube for all of our listings.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0otjHUu-Os

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2016 Predicted to Be Housing’s Golden Year

Prices Rising

Officials from mortgage giant Freddie Mac have made a bold prediction: This year housing starts and home prices will reach their highest levels since 2006.

The main reasons behind its bullish forecast is low mortgage rates, an improving job market, and a gradual increase in housing supply.

“Housing markets are poised for their best year in a decade,” says Sean Becketti, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “In our latest forecast, total home sales, housing starts, and home prices will reach their highest levels since 2006.”

Read more…

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9 Neighborhood Features That Hamper Values

Neighborhood

Certain features near a home — like cemeteries and power plants — could drag down a home’s price. By analyzing home prices and appreciation rates in the 100 largest metro areas with a “drag-me-down facility,” realtor.com® recently identified which could have the biggest impact.

Read the article and see the list…

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First-Time Buyers May Face a Difficult Spring

New Homeowners

Millennials may finally be ready to buy this spring, thanks to an improving job market, low mortgage rates, and record apartment rents. But the big question: Will they be able to?

This spring, first-time buyers may struggle to find a house. The number of homes in the lower-price market is severely limited. Inventory fell 8.2 percent in January from a year earlier for properties priced below $250,000, according to data from the National Association of REALTORS®.

Read the article…