No Matter What the Groundhog Says… You Should Sell Before Spring!

Music to my ears!!!

Check out the article below.

 

No Matter What the Groundhog Says… You Should Sell Before Spring!.

Thinking Of Selling? Now May Be The Time

Good info here if your on the fence about putting your home on the market during the winter months..

reposted from KCM Blog..

Thinking Of Selling? Now May Be The Time.

3 Common Real Estate MYTHS for 2013

  AS we move into 2013,  the question on everyone’s mind is : What’s going on with the real estate market? . Right?  That’s because we all know that EVERYONE is interested in real estate, home values, interest rates and Realtors®.  After all, we Realtors® are the most important people on the face of the earth…which is why we put our picture on everything!  But I digress..

Myth #1 :  Now is NOT the time to list and sell my house..its too much of a buyers market.

…While it might be true that the general feeling is that it’s a buyers market, in recent months statistics have shown that the inventory of homes listed for sale is starting to drop. The numbers are starting to show a shift in several key categories important to clients looking to sell their homes.

Compared to the 4th Quarter of 2011, the 4th Quarter of 2012 saw a decrease in the number of homes for sale. A 12.3% decrease to be exact.  **

Add to that the fact that the number of homes sold in the same time period  increased by 21.2%**

**Greater Harrisburg Association of Realtors (click for full report)

What does this mean? :  Inventories are starting to drop, and demand is starting to rise. And as we all know from ECON 1o1 , Falling supply with rising demand = $$.

With these numbers and the current interest rates, NOW is a great time to put your home on the market. A properly priced home, with the proper marketing  WILL SELL.  Additionally, if you are buying another home after you sell yours, you can take advantage of MYTH #2.

Myth #2    Interest Rates will always be this low, no need to buy now. 

In 2013 interest rates will go up. That’s just  my prediction. There are a lot of signs that interest rates will begin to rise. Mortgage professionals i talk to are saying they agree. Rates will still be low, but they might begin to tick up.2013 rates.

The reasons for this are many. The FEDs monetary policy should be kept a close eye on. Treasury Notes are of major importance. The following excerpt from ABOUT.com explains the relationship between T-notes and Mortgage interest rates.

“Treasury notes directly affect the interest rates on fixed-rate mortgages. How? When Treasury yields are higher, so are interest rates. That’s because investors who want a fixed return on their money will either shop for Treasury notes, CDs, money market funds, mortgages or corporate bonds. Treasury notes are considered ultra-safe since they are guaranteed by the U.S. government. CDs and money market funds are slightly less safe, since they aren’t guaranteed. However, that safety comes with a price – a lower return.

Investors who want a slightly higher return, and are willing to accept more risk, will buy mortgages. Instead of buying the mortgages directly, they usually purchase products backed by mortgages, called (you guessed it) mortgage-backed securities. When Treasury yields rise, mortgages also have to provide higher returns to attract investors. The result to the borrower? Higher interest rates. ”  ( see full article )

With rates still around 3.5% -4%, buyers should be thrilled and beating the streets to buy properties now. I have seen a fair number of people putting it off for one reason or another. What they should be doing is buying now rather than later.

Myth #3     I don’t need a Realtor®

You always should consult and hire a professional real estate agent. Certain things in life you should always hire a professional to handle:  you wouldn’t try to diagnose your own chest pains and you wouldn’t try to install your own in-ground swimming pool. It just makes sense, when  there is the potential to make or lose a lot of money or die, to hire a professional.  Realtors® are trained and experienced in the nuances of the real estate transaction .  We are trained to negotiate the best possible terms for our clients and we follow a strict Code of Ethics.  (see my blog post on Realtors for some great info.)

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Big Spring School District Single Family Home Priced for Quick Sale

www.century21rs.com

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Beautiful home priced to sell. Very Motivated Sellers have priced this home lower than the market in order to get a quick sale.

Click for more detail and to set up a private showing.

Cal Williams

Realtor

Century 21 Realty Services

717-919-1614

1917 Roxbury Ct,- FOR SALE Mechanicsburg Real Estate

This beautiful townhouse was just listed for sale in desirable WInding Hills.

Please click on the link below to see all the details and many pictures.

1917 Roxbury Ct, Mechanicsburg, PA | Powered by Postlets.

Cal Williams

Realtor

Century 21 Realty Services.

717-919-1614

Tenants Cause Value of Real Estate to Skyrocket – for 2 weeks

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  (New!)

  Olympic Village: Athletes’ Home Away From Home

  Here’s a peek at some of the features of London’s Olympic Village, which will be home to the world’s top athletes during the Olympic Games. Read

Visit houselogic.com for more articles like this.

Copyright 2012 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

Westfields Townhome for Sale. 82 Greenspring Drive –

Cal Williams Presents 82 Greenspring Drive – 3 hit(s)

Mechanicsburg Real  Estate for sale.

Real estate practitioners rise in public opinion, poll finds

Finally!!

Realtors are getting a little better reputation in the public eye. Most of us work hard and care more about their clients well being than we get credit for. Im my world, its not about the money, its about doing the job right, watching out for the best interests of the client in all facets.

Anyway. read the article linked below and Im proud to be a Real Estate professional

 

Cal Williams

Century 21 Realty Services.

 

Real estate practitioners rise in public opinion, poll finds.

5 Hot Design Trends in New Homes

Here is an interesting blog article from Realtor Magazine.

Cost savings are a major factor , according to the National Association of Builders, in the way new homes are being designed.

 

 

5 Hot Design Trends in New Homes.

4 REASONS WHY NOW IS THE BEST TIME TO BUY REAL ESTATE

In September  1972  the Prime Rate , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_rate , was 8- 10% and mortgage rates were hovering around 8-10%.

In 1972-3 Nixon was facing the beginning of the Watergate scandal that would bring the president and the country to its knees. The Vietnam War raged, and global tensions were epitomized by terrorists’ murder of 11 Israeli athletes at the Olympics in Munich.  Alabama Gov. George Wallace was shot while campaigning for the presidency. Times were very challenging. I was only 6 , but i do read books.

Fast forward to 2012. Times are once again very challenging and I don’t need a book to tell me that. But when historians and writers look back at the years around 2011-2012, what will they write about?

What will these days be remembered for?

People will look back on 2011-2012 for different reasons than we look back on 1972-3.  People will look back on these years for a few reasons. We got Osama Bin Laden, the price of gas, MORTGAGE INTEREST RATES and real estate is selling for a 20% discount. I’m sure there will be other things but lets focus on REAL ESTATE.  Why is now the best time to buy?

#1   Inventory high = Prices lower.  Market time is growing longer for a sale. Fewer buyers are competing for the available properties.  Many foreclosures are hitting the market. These factors are causing downward pressure on prices NOW!.

#2 Real Estate is on sale!  Prices across the country are down roughly 15-20% across the board from only a few years ago.  This is a sale! Real estate is on sale. That has not happened in my lifetime and who knows if it will ever happen again. Take advantage of a sale on real estate NOW!

#3   Interest rates are LOW.  Mortgage rates are at historically low levels, still. Everyone knows this, and  people may be  used to hearing it. But no one really knows where rates go from here. Take advantage of what we have NOW, take advantage of the lowest rates I have ever seen.

#4   Buyers make the rules. IT’S A BUYERS MARKET. Buyers control many of the aspects of the real estate transaction right now. BUY NOW. Take advantage of the current conditions.

Remember, no one will know when the market has bottomed out and is rising until the bottom has already been hit and we are on the way up. You wont know when the market is at the lowest until we passed it.