Realty Executives Midwest
If one of the questions you’re asking yourself is, “Should I sell my house this year?” consumer sentiment about selling today should boost your confidence in the right direction. Even with the current health crisis that continues to challenge our nation, Americans still feel good about selling a house. Here’s why.
According to the latest Home Purchase Sentiment Index from Fannie Mae, 57% of consumer respondents to their survey indicate now is a good time to buy a home, while 59% feel it’s a good time to sell one:
“The percentage of respondents who say it is a good time to sell a home remained the same at 59%, while the percentage who say it’s a bad time to sell decreased from 35% to 33%. As a result, the net share of those who say it is a good time to sell increased 2 percentage points month over month.”
As you can see, many still believe that, despite everything going on in the world, it is still a good time to sell a house.
There simply are not enough homes available to meet today’s buyer demand, and they’re selling just as quickly as they’re coming to the market. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), unsold inventory available today sits at a 2.3-month supply at the current sales pace, which is down from a 2.5-month supply from the previous month. This record-low inventory is not even half of what we need for a normal or neutral housing market, which should have a 6.0-month supply of unsold inventory to balance out.
With so few homes available for buyers to choose from, we’re in a true sellers’ market. Homeowners ready to make a move right now have the opportunity to negotiate the best possible contracts with buyers who are feeling the pull of intense competition when it comes to finding their dream home. Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist for NAR, notes how quickly homes are selling right now, further confirming the benefits to sellers this season:
“The market is incredibly swift this winter with the listed homes going under contract on average at less than a month due to a backlog of buyers wanting to take advantage of record-low mortgage rates.”
However, this sweet spot for sellers won’t last forever. As more homes are listed this year, this tip toward sellers may start to wane. According to Danielle Hale, Chief Economist at realtor.com, more choices for buyers are on the not-too-distant horizon:
“The bright spot for buyers is that more homes are likely to become available in the last six months of 2021. That should give folks more options to choose from and take away some of their urgency. With a larger selection, buyers may not be forced to make a decision in mere hours and will have more time to make up their minds.”
If you’re ready to make a move, you can feel good about the current sentiment in the market and the advantageous conditions for today’s sellers. Contact a local real estate professional today to determine the best next step when it comes to selling your house this year.
Article Source: Keeping Current Matters
Realty Executives Midwest
1310 Plainfield Rd. Ste 2 | Darien, IL 60561
Office: 630-969-8880
E-Mail: experts@realtyexecutives.com
The real estate market is affected by so many factors, and yet top, elite agents find a way to always grow and thrive in any market.
Sherri Johnson, premier real estate gives her take on how to work like the most productive agents do!
Making the difference
I remember my first manager telling me that I could make it in any market because I went out and “made it happen” and didn’t rely on one particular lead source for all my business. When you truly know how to add value and deliver five-star level service, you can create your own success. It takes grit, dedication, a business plan and a winning mindset.
Here, I share the “uncommon” characteristics of top selling real estate agents that allow them to keep growing their business regardless of outside economic factors.
These atypical but totally necessary behaviors ring true with all top, elite agents. When adopted and implemented fully, these attributes will become the “difference makers” you need to go from good to great and from wishful thinking to potentially doubling or tripling your production and income.
1. An inner drive to succeed
When you want to succeed, you will do whatever it takes to make your goals happen. First, you must know precisely what you want to accomplish. Is it an income goal or an achievement goal? Knowing what drives you will help you stay committed to the goals you set. Top real estate agents know what their inner drive to succeed is and use it to drive them every day. Know yours, share it with another person — your manager or a coach — and keep that inner drive alive. I can’t motivate a satisfied person. No one can. What motivates each of us is different, but it is that inner motivating drive to succeed that is in every top agent I know. Find it. Embrace it. Run with it.
2. Totally focused and disciplined
Successful agents maintain a laser focus on what they want to accomplish every day. How many listings, sales or calls do you need to make to hit your goals? Staying focused and avoiding distractions requires discipline, and this will help you achieve your success faster and with better clarity. Nothing will interrupt a top agent’s schedule to create new leads. Get zeroed in with your discipline and focus, and watch successful results happen almost immediately.
3. A winning mindset
Every top agent believes they are already a winner and that they can and will achieve their desired goals. Your mindset totally impacts your behavior and your daily actions. Develop the mindset that you have a listing or sale this week. You just don’t know the address yet! Create the positive, winning mindset that you are as good as the other agents in your market and that you can increase your average sale price or break into the luxury market successfully. I remember believing that I was already a $10 million producer before I was, and it gave me the self confidence and mindset to act like I had achieved my goals. Developing a winning mindset will allow you to win before you start your day and enable you to see your winning results happen just as you intended.
4. A beyond-positive attitude
I love when people say, “Are you always so positive?” And I say, “Yes, of course!” A top trait of successful agents is that they are beyond positive. They are positive about the market they sell in, positive about any offer they are negotiating, positive about any listing they are trying to sell — just always positive. Other agents love to sell homes with these agents because they are positive and keep everyone in the transaction positive too. It’s a winning trait and it works.
5. Action-based
Top agents don’t talk about what they want to do; rather, they constantly take action. They’re trying new things and making success happen for themselves. They’re not waiting for leads to come to them; they are going out and finding the opportunities. What types of action will you take to increase your business for yourself? Taking action makes opportunities happen. Top agents know this and live it!
6. Perseverance and a never-give-up attitude
There is always a way to solve an issue if you have the perseverance and attitude to exhaust all options to help put a deal together or keep one alive. Top agents have a “never, ever give up” mentality and it’s obvious. They will find a way to bring buyer and seller together for the good of both clients. This trait goes beyond the norm and really shows the dedication of adding value to clients.
7. Passion, humility and gratitude
Top agents have a humble and grateful attitude of gratitude. My belief is that this is what makes them even more amazing. They are passionate about serving.
8. Focus on listings
Top agents have always been focused on listings. Listings are the most important business activity an agent can do. All the marketing, name recognition, spin-off sales and listings, and all the credit goes to the listing agent. Top agents have mastered the art of servicing seller clients, and the payoffs are huge. Focusing on listings will make you the “name brand” and most recognized top agent in your market. Create a plan to increase your listing inventory and dominate your market with more for-sale signs with your name on them. This will create increasingly more success for your business.
Adopting these attitudes and behaviors will give you the ability to survive any market and create your own success each month. In the end, real estate is easy hard work. It’s easy if you like to proactively help people and solve their problems, but it requires a strong work ethic and commitment to work the business and make it happen.
Originally published by our partners at www.dotloop.com.
Article Source: Realty Executives International
Realty Executives Midwest
1310 Plainfield Rd. Ste 2 | Darien, IL 60561
Office: 630-969-8880
E-Mail: experts@realtyexecutives.com
Over the past year, mortgage rates have fallen more than a full percentage point, hitting a new historic low 15 times. This is a great driver for homeownership, as today’s low rates provide consumers with some significant benefits. Here’s a look at three of them.
1. Move-up or Downsize: One option is to consider moving into a new home, putting the equity you’ve likely gained in your current house toward a down payment on a new one that better meets your needs – something that’s truly a perfect fit, especially if your lifestyle has changed this year.
2. Become a First-Time Homebuyer: There are many financial and non-financial benefits to owning a home, and the most important thing is to first decide when the time is right for you. You have to determine that on your own, but know that now is a great time to buy if you’re considering it. Just take a look at the cost of renting vs. buying.
3. Refinance: If you already own a home, you may decide you’re going to refinance. It’s one way to lock in a lower monthly payment and save more over time. However, it also means paying upfront closing costs, too. If you want to take this route, you have to answer the question: Should I refinance my home?
Last year, the average mortgage rate was 3.93% (substantially higher than it is today). If you waited for a better time to make a move, market conditions have improved significantly. Today’s low mortgage rates are a huge perk for buyers, so it’s a great time to get more for your money and consider a new home.
The chart below shows how much you would save per month based on today’s rates compared to what you would have paid if you purchased a home exactly one year ago, depending on how much you finance:
If you’ve been waiting since last year to make your move into homeownership or to find a house that better meets your needs, today’s low mortgage rates may be just what you need to get the process going. Reach out to a local real estate professional to discuss how you may benefit from the current rates.
Article Source: Keeping Current Matters
Realty Executives Midwest
1310 Plainfield Rd. Ste 2 | Darien, IL 60561
Office: 630-969-8880
E-Mail: experts@realtyexecutives.com
Even before we entered a pandemic, the holiday season could be a difficult time for many. Now, with the CDC reporting that traveling to spend the holidays with others increases the risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19, it’s likely that the holiday blues will be especially prevalent during the 2020 season.
This year, it’s more important than ever to reach out to family and friends both near and far. Tell them how you feel, remind them that they are loved, and if you’re able, send them a little something to make them smile. This definitely doesn’t have to be in the form of extravagant presents. Instead, here are 11 simple, inexpensive ideas for sending DIY holiday cheer to those you won’t see in person this season.
Knowing that someone took the time to actually write—not type!—to you can make you feel less alone, minimizing feelings of remoteness because of distance. So here’s your perfect excuse to bust out any pretty pieces of stationery you have lying around, and then fill them with heartfelt notes and drawings and fun stickers and stamps.
Cooking and baking for friends and family is a beautiful, delicious love language. Just like writing a letter, baking cookies takes time and energy. It lets the receiver know that you care about them. And to assist in packaging the cookies, UPS has a handy guide that you can find here.
Sending a bouquet of fresh flowers can be costly, so why not DIY an alternative arrangement that’s just as smile-inducing? This pom-pom bouquet from Damask Love can double as an everlasting centerpiece. We’re also fans of this Honestly WTF dried flower bouquet—just make sure you package it carefully to prevent any sort of breakage.
Does your intended recipient have a favorite charitable organization? See if you can give that charity a donation in your loved one’s name. Or, if you’re able to safely do so, take the time to volunteer for the organization and take photos of and notes on the experience. Then send it all to your loved one, and let them know that you did this in their honor.
Holidays are a time for reminiscing, so consider framing and mailing a friend or family member a photo that will remind them of a happy memory. It can be a picture of you two together, a snap from a past vacation, or an image of one of their favorite places. Then customize a frame, like one inspired by this easy DIY sticker option by Crafty Chica, to make the gift feel extra personal.
If arts and crafts aren’t your style, you can take to the kitchen to make a yummy ingredient for a loved one, like this spiced toffee sauce by The Crafty Gentleman. After you whip up your chosen ingredient, plan a recipe around it, send the ingredient and recipe to a friend or family member, and then take the time to virtually bake the treat together. It’s a gift that comes with the bonus of quality time.
What’s more nostalgic than an old-school friendship bracelet? If you’re looking for an updated version, check out this morse code bracelet from Honestly WTF. Using a morse code translator, you can transform a sweet message into a piece of jewelry your loved one can cherish forever.
Help your recipient amp up their home’s holiday cheer with a piece of homemade, seasonal decor. For example, if your giftee puts up a Christmas tree, send them a homemade ornament for it, like the puff-painted and glittery concha ornaments that Craft Chica demos on her blog. Another option: This photo keepsake ornament DIY that only takes 10 minutes to craft.
Interested in sending some holiday love that’s both thoughtful and functional? Make a custom face mask for your intended recipient, like this easy rainbow bandana face mask by Once Upon a Journey. And if sewing isn’t your forte, DIYer Sarah Maker offers several no-sew face mask options.
Scrapbooks can be lovely gifts—but can also take a lot of time and money. A virtual option is less involved, more easily delivered, and just as expressive. Put one together in PowerPoint, Keynote, or Google Slides, and get as creative and personal as you’d like by including captions, poems, quotes, or even doodles and pieces of digital artwork.
Though this item is traditionally known as a “Christmas cracker,” it could be a fun gift no matter what holidays one celebrates. You can easily DIY your own with that signature “Pop!” sound by using this tutorial from Happiness is Homemade.
The Home for the Holidays vertical was written and edited independently by the Apartment Therapy and The Kitchn editorial teams and generously underwritten by Cointreau.
Article Source: Apartment Therapy
Realty Executives Midwest
1310 Plainfield Rd. Ste 2 | Darien, IL 60561
Office: 630-969-8880
E-Mail: experts@realtyexecutives.com
In a year when we’re learning to do so much remotely, homebuying is no exception. From going to work to attending school, grocery shopping, and even seeing our doctors online, digital practices have changed the way we live.
This year, rather than delaying their home purchases, buyers – alongside their trusted real estate professionals – turned to the Internet to do more than just a typical home search. In some cases, they bought homes without even stepping foot inside. Jessica Lautz, Vice President of Demographics and Behavioral Insights at the National Association of Realtors (NAR), says:
“People really didn’t buy houses sight-unseen, traditionally. It’s still not a huge number, but it has gone up, and we have definitely seen that trend accelerate.”
According to NAR, throughout the coronavirus pandemic, one in every 20 homebuyers purchased a house sight-unseen.
Today, real estate professionals are using digital practices to help homebuyers and sellers walk through many steps in the process virtually. While following the regulations set forth by the CDC and all local guidelines, this year, agents quickly empowered buyers and sellers with virtual tours, 3D floor plans, high-quality photos, videos, online open houses, and more. For those who had homebuying and selling needs in 2020, trusted advisors made it possible in many markets.
Here’s a graph showing some of the digital options buyers found most helpful in their searches this year, as noted by NAR in the 2020 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers:
The report also mentions that buyers this year generally searched for eight weeks. Throughout that search, they viewed a median of 9 homes, but not all of them were seen in-person. Yahoo Finance notes:
“Buyers viewed five homes online and four homes in-person during the pandemic, compared to nine homes in-person in 2019, according to NAR. This was the first year NAR asked buyers to specify the number of homes toured virtually.”
In true 2020 fashion, virtual practices helped buyers safely narrow down their top choices, so they didn’t have to unnecessarily walk into more homes than they needed to see throughout the process. Here’s the breakdown by region:
At a time when health and safety are top priorities, current technology is making it possible for buyers and sellers to move their real estate plans forward at their own comfort levels, even through a worldwide pandemic. For many, this means buyers no longer have to physically tour every home they want to see, and sellers don’t need to open their doors over and over again throughout the process. Safety can come first, and trusted real estate professionals are here to help.
If you’re ready to make a move, you may not have to press pause on your plans this season. Reach out to a local real estate professional to determine the safe and effective options to buy or sell a home in your area or wherever you’re looking to move.
Article Source: Keeping Current Matters
Realty Executives Midwest
1310 Plainfield Rd. Ste 2 | Darien, IL 60561
Office: 630-969-8880
E-Mail: experts@realtyexecutives.com
Realty Executives agents are real estate experts. They have the education and expertise you need to navigate through the process of buying or selling a home. From listing at the right price to making the best offer, our Executives have witnessed the best - and most regrettable - decisions homeowners and homebuyers can make. Every day, they are immersed in every aspect of real estate that includes comparable home price analysis, property surveys, credit reports, open houses, HOA agreements, lenders, title companies, homeowners’ insurance, walk-throughs, terms of sale or purchase, repairs, concessions and closing documents. Let our accomplished Executives help navigate you through the process of buying or selling a home.
