I’m sure all of you who sent your children off to school this week have been wondering where the summer went. As quickly as the summer season came, it has already passed. It’s been a crazy and really bizarre season for real estate as well. Those of you who were in the thick of house hunting, selling, and buying this past Summer are probably exhausted and finally ready for a breather. We saw some homes (most of which you would think would sell quickly) sit and suffer several price reductions, some which are still sitting, and some flying off the market with multiple offers (most at or above list), short contingencies or no contingencies at all. If you didn’t get to the hot new properties within an hour of being on the market, they were already gone so we are so thankful our clients were such troopers, stuck with us, and allowed us to be a part of their experience. It was an absolute rat race this Summer.
I’ve been hearing quite a bit lately that “home prices are at an all-time high” or “when is the ball going to drop?” and “when is the housing market going to tank again”? The answer is….no one knows. As it stands right now, interest rates, while they have increased slightly, are still pretty low and the markets (all the markets) are doing really well. For now, home prices are holding strong and still increasing in most cases. Some experts say, “We’re at the top” “prices won’t increase much more” and “We’re going to have another recession”. While others are saying “We’re still increasing, we haven’t hit the top yet!” or “Now is the time to invest and sell, we are in a bull market”. That is why I mentioned above that the market is in a bizarre state. No one has been able to predict with absolute certainty what the markets are going to do except that no matter what market we’re in, it’s never a bad market to buy and sell real estate.
While I’ve been busy with work this past Summer, I’ve also learned (constant work in progress) to manage my time a little better and to enjoy the small things (2 small things in particular). I’ve been making sure to take the time with my two little guys (Hudson 3 and 1/2 and Connor 2) because if there’s one thing that is becoming glaringly obvious, it’s that they will only be this little for so long. I feel like I will blink and they’ll be in High School. So this past summer, I have worked a lot but I have also really enjoyed whatever time I had and made the most of it with my family. We took a great trip to Destin in July and we have taken several last-minute day trips all over the southeast region. We said goodbye to our long-term nanny this past week which was sad. However, while dropping them off at their new school this morning, I am so excited for what they’ll learn this year. I also could not be more excited to be on a consistent schedule again. What I will say is that in this market, it is incredibly important to have a great agent in your corner every step of the way. So in getting back into the swings of normalcy and starting this new year, I am so excited about what it will bring! As always, I hope that if you know of anyone looking to buy, sell, or invest in real estate; you’ll give the Suits Team a call.
