4 Urgent Reasons to Put Your Home on the Market in 2017

There are four reasons why now is the perfect time to jump off the fence and put your home on the market.

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If you’ve been thinking about selling your home, now is the time to get off of the fence. There are four reasons why: 

1. Mortgage interest rates are rising. Interest rates have been historically low, so we all knew that this was coming. The Fed raised their rates by a quarter of a point, which will affect the mortgage rates. In fact, the Fed is expected to raise rates several more times this year, which will affect the number of buyers who can afford to purchase your home. 

2. Inventory is extremely low. Inventory is shrinking, which means you will have less competition and your home will be more valuable. 

Thanks to low inventory, your home is worth more money in our current market.

3. Home prices are rising. Buyer demand is incredibly high right now. That combined with low inventory and rising interest rates means that home prices are going up. 

4. Consumer confidence is on the rise. Thanks to an improving job market and economy, buyers are more confident about purchasing homes. 

So, if you are ready to jump off the fence, now is the time. If you have any other questions about our current market or the home selling process, give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!

How to Sell Faster and for More Money

We want to help you sell your home faster and for more money in 2017. Here’s how we can help ensure a successful home sale.

Selling your Birmingham home? Get a free home value report

Buying a Birmingham home? Search all homes for sale

2017 is going to be a great year for real estate, and if you’re thinking about selling, we want to help you sell your home as quickly as possible. 

There are a couple key factors in making sure your home gets sold quickly and for top dollar. 

The first is pricing. When we price a home, we look at the market data and figure out the range, low, median, and high. We then price the home on the lower end of that spectrum to make sure we don’t end up chasing the market or scare off any potential buyers. This pricing strategy combined with our marketing will likely increase demand and result in a bidding war which will drive up the price. 

The second factor that will influence a successful home sale is maintenance. You want to make sure you have all those repairs or upgrades done before you list. Get new paint on the walls, make sure your yard looks great, and complete any other projects that will get your home in tip-top shape. 

A staged home sells 88% faster and for 20% more than a non-staged home.

Finally, make sure your home is decluttered and have it staged. One of the biggest complaints we hear from buyers is how much clutter is present during a home showing. So, it’s very important that you have decluttering taken care of. As far as staging goes, a staged home sells 88% faster and for 20% more than a non-staged home on average, so it’s something you definitely want to consider doing. 

If you have any further questions about this topic, or if you have any other real estate-related questions, please don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help! 

Why Consider Buying Early in 2017?

Buying a home should be on your list of New Year’s resolutions. Here’s why.

Selling your Birmingham home? Get a free home value report

Buying a Birmingham home? Search all homes for sale

If you haven’t already, you should make buying a home one of your New Year’s resolutions based on what we are seeing in the Birmingham market.

2017 is shaping up to be a great year in real estate. If your goal is to buy a home, you should start the process as soon as possible. We don’t want you to postpone your goals for a few reasons, such as:

• Consumer confidence is at an all-time high.
• Unemployment is as low as it has been since August 2007. 
• Most major markets have completely recovered from the mortgage and economic crisis.

It’s a perfect storm for buyers.

Based on this information alone, it’s a great time to buy this year. However, there are two key factors that will make you want to move sooner rather than later:

1. Mortgage interest rates. The Federal Reserve recently upped their base interest rate, and all signs point to even more increases in 2017. When rates go up, it impacts your buying power significantly. We can get you in touch with some great mortgage lenders if you need a recommendation.

2. Inventory. Our supply of homes is getting lower than ever. We are sinking to record lows in desirable markets.

Even with those potential problems, we still think 2017 is a great time to make your resolution of buying a home a reality. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you.