Watch the video here or read the transcription below (with some edits for clarity)
What’s up everybody and thanks for joining me for this week’s market minute. Now, somehow we found ourselves in 2023 and how we got here I have no idea, but the market is just cruising right along. I’m here to bring clarification to the number one question we’ve been getting from our buyers, our sellers, and those sitting on the sidelines — what in the world is going on in the market out there? We’re getting tons of varying market information ranging from multiple offers, bidding wars, hot market activity, and conversely, price reductions and no market activity. So I can totally imagine how this conflicting information would be confusing to the layperson who’s trying to make sense of the market.
So here’s my rundown. The market is changing on a week-to-week basis. It’s very important to pay close attention and rely on a professional to navigate these waters for you. The feds are manipulating interest rates, not mortgage interest rates, but the federal interest rates have a lot of the people watching the news concerned about what’s going on out there. Now, while mortgage interest rates are volatile, we’re still creating wins every week for our buyers and sellers. How? you ask. Well number one, our buyers are showing fortitude and sometimes patience as they navigate the market and trust us to use buying tools such as rate buy downs, closing cost credits, concessions, and other negotiations that we haven’t seen others using. And for our sellers, it gets even easier because we still have a low inventory market and so we’re focusing on the basics of listing real estate based on price, condition, and access. If you give us those three or as many of those three as you can, we’re going to create great results for you in the market.
So my lesson to you today is that sidelining can actually cost you money. How? Well, if we all waited for a “hot market” we would all be stymied and frustrated with tight market conditions once again. So if you’re taking yourself off the sidelines in an opportunistic market like today, you may be narrowing your chances of homeownership or making the move that you want in a market that can afford you to move up or down. Now I realize that many of you have low-interest rates locked in. Actually, 65% of homeowners in America are locked in under 3% so we realize the bottleneck that this creates. However, once we move through that and once the market starts easing up we’re all going to be able to move around a little bit better and take advantage of these conditions. So please don’t wait until the market is good because when it’s good for someone it’s usually not good for this other person. Your unique real estate goals and needs are specific to you, not the market. In general, I promise we have a solution just for you. It’s never too early just to call and talk shop. Thanks for reading or listening and I’ll see you on the next one.
In-person tours are still an option in many cases when necessary, but with precautions we take very seriously. We recommend live video tours for anyone that has cold or flu symptoms or concerned about a possible COVID-19 exposure. This goes for clients, as well as, agents. Our agents are following the recommended 6 ft of social distancing and strict hand-washing and disinfecting policies. Our agents provide our COVID-19 Safe Showing policies to clients for review prior to visiting any property in-person so you can make the best decision for your health and safety.
We are a small business that puts the care of our clients and agents first. I started this company six years ago because I knew there was a better, more innovative way to serve clients. This is an industry that one-size definitely does not fit all. Inhabit has always been forward-looking and our size allows us to be nimble in creating services that address changing needs and goals. We are here to give you the best real estate advice possible, now and into the future.
