A Look Back at 2013

Hello and happy holiday season from Coldwell Baker Burnet and myself. I hope this special time of year finds you warm, happy, and full of the giving spirit. 2013 is coming to a close and so I want to take this time to discuss the last year in the real estate market here in St. Cloud.

This year we had 2,600 closed transactions within a 30 mile radius of St. Cloud; which is the highest it's been in 8 years. That's 2,600 families who relocated, and many of these families moved quicker than we've seen in a while. Average move time was 2-8 weeks, vastly exceeding 2011's average of 4-8 months, and the predictability of sales is much better as well. Clearly, now is a great time for sellers and buyers which means our market is getting back to a good balance. Inventory is down and interest rates are still in the low 4%, but early next year they may start rising as the government looks to maintain a balanced market.

Beginning of next year, I predict a quick start as we have 220 pending sales. This is almost double from where we were at this time last year. It's a great time to sell or buy in St. Cloud and it looks like that trend will continue into 2014.

If you have any real estate questions please don't hesitate to call me at (320) 240-3363. Stay tuned for our future video blogs, have a wonderful holiday season, and I look forward to hearing from you.

4 Tips to Get Your Home Ready for the Market

Welcome back! Sellers frequently ask me how to get their home ready for the market. There a few inexpensive things you can do to add tremendous value to your home in the eyes of a buyer.

1.    First impressions. When a buyer first drives up to your home, what will they see? Is the lawn mowed and the paint fresh? Are the toys put away? How the outside of your home looks creates the mood for the inside of the home.

2.    Declutter. We can all be guilty of letting things pile up. Maybe you have some extra furniture or knickknacks you’ve collected. Go through room-by-room and take out any unneeded items. The most important rooms are the kitchen, living room and bathroom. Then take some stuff out of that overstuffed closet!

3.    Touch ups. Replace the carpet if needed. Add a fresh coat of paint. Polish the woodwork. These are all minor things that can add a fresh look on your home.

4.    Invite a friend or us to walk through the home. Maybe there is something you overlooked.

If you have any questions on how to get your property specifically ready for the market, give me a call. I’d love to help make your home a competitor.

Now is the time to buy and sell

Welcome back! The market has been fantastic this year: sales are up, homes are selling in as little as 2-8 weeks and we have an increased inventory for next year.

It is the perfect time to buy or sell. If you’re a first time homebuyer, we can help you find the home you want, walk you through finance options and help make the new process smooth for you.

Or maybe you have elderly parents who are having a hard time with that stairway in their home. Is it time to downsize? We can help find a home with easier mobility and we can price the current home to get the best deal.

Give me a call so we can help you with all your real estate needs! Thanks for watching!

Saint Cloud Market Update

Welcome back to our video blog! I have some great news! Pladson Prudential Realty has now merged with Coldwell Banker Burnett. We have double in size and gained better technology to give you even better service!

We’d love to help you with your real estate needs. Have you been thinking of buying or selling? Now is a great time.

Home prices have stabilized and are starting to go up. As many of know, too, interest rates have been on the rise. They rose to 4.5 percent, but recent dropped back down to 4.25 percent. Take advantage of these historically low rates; they are expected to increase again.

For any of your real estate needs, please give me a call!

Is it Too Late to Move for the Year?

Welcome back to our video blog! I’m here to answer questions that have been coming up lately and one of the biggest questions I’ve heard is “Now that it’s fall, is it too late to move?”

I have great news; the answer is no! Typically we have most of our activity from February through May, but if many of you can remember, we had a lot of snow in April. The weather slowed down the normal spring market. Activity didn’t crank up until about May 1^st. Because of this we are expecting a busy fall market!

If you are thinking about buying a home right now, there’s a great selection of homes, great interest rates and lenders are excited to lend money! If you’re thinking about selling, we have a lot of people who are currently renting and are ready to get back into the market.

Some other great news is there’s still plenty of time to get into your new home and settled and be relaxed and ready for the upcoming holiday season. Market values have stabilized and are improving. If you have any questions about what your home is worth, just give us a quick call at 320.240.3363 or send me an email at hauck@saintcloudrealestate.com we’d be more than happy to help you!

Is the market better?

 Thanks for joining me today! We are here to give you an update on our market, and it really is an exciting market with wonderful changes. Today, I wanted to answer a couple of questions I’ve been hearing a lot lately.

Is the market better? Can I get my home sold?

If we take a look at the Saint Cloud Market, we have 350 pending sales. These are home that are waiting to close. That’s the best we’ve seen in about seven years. The exciting thing is these homes are selling in 2-8 weeks. Absolutely can we get your home sold! Not only that, but we can sell it at a price that’s 2-4% of the sales price!

Why would I do it now?

Some people have expressed concern that it may be better to wait until next year. Well, there are some benefits to making your next real estate move now. As we all know, that crystal ball is never 100% accurate, but it looks like the interest rates will be higher next year. It also looks like as the market gets stronger, the prices of homes will be higher as well. If you buy today, you will save a significant amount of money by locking in the phenomenal interest rates.

What difference do interest rates make?

Today mortgage rates are right around 4% for a 30 year fixed rate loan, which is a phenomenal rate.  If you finance a $200,000 home, your payment at 4% will be right around $954. This is tremendously better than the past.

If you wait a year, and rates go up to 6%, your monthly payment will be $1,099. So, if you buy today, you’ll save $245 a month! If you own your home for 10 years, that’s $30,000 of interest you wont pay!

You can also get more house with our current interest rate. With a 4% interest rate you can buy that $200,000 home, if rates go up, you are looking at homes right around $159,000.

If you are interest in moving or selling or know someone who is, give us a call 320. 240.3363, we’d love to help them take advantage of the market!

Tips from the Best Agents in the Nation!

Hello! We are in Las Vegas attending the Mike Ferry Seminar where we learn about the best practices in real estate to better help you! We have some fantastic ideas to help you take advantage of this exciting and changing market.

Now is a great time to sell! If you’re thinking about buying, interest rates are low, but on the rise! You want to buy now to lock in the lowest rate and save money!

Give us a call! We have met with some of the best agents from all over the country and we’re excited to share them with you!

What is the Market Like for Buyers?

What is it like for buyers in the current market?

Currently there is a small inventory with a high demand. Homes are selling in as little as 2 to 8 weeks and at full price.

If you are making an offer, it must be realistic and fair. An aggressively low offer will not get you the home as it may have a year ago.

What are the dos and don'ts of negotiating?

Buyers do not have a lot of room to negotiate in today’s current market. There are a lot of buyers and a low supply of homes. Often a seller will have multiple offers. If a buyer tries to negotiate too much about price, inspection, etc. the seller can likely find a buyer who is willing to buy the home as is.

Sellers Are Enjoying a Strong Market

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A lot has happened during the past several years and as we have waited and watched the market change, we can finally say that it’s a great time to sell your home. In fact, in 2012 we reported a very strong year with a rise in sales, decline in the number of days on market for many areas plus an overall upswing in general.

Those positive trends have definitely carried into this year and as we move closer into the spring selling season, more and more sellers are finding success in their quest to make more money and sell efficiently. Part of their confidence comes from the knowledge that our housing industry has strengthened. Sellers are less worried and in fact any worrying has to do with their missing out on the current low interest rates.

Whether buying up or just from the standpoint that buyers in the marketplace are eager to lock in those historic rates, sellers know that now is the time.

Far Less Competition to Contend With Nowadays
Keep in mind that just a few years ago we had 3,300 available homes on the market whereas now there are less than a third. That lesser inventory amounts to fewer homes competing against yours so that gives you a lot more leverage in the marketplace. So much so, that many homes that have recently sold went under contract fairly quickly, in as little as two to eight weeks.

Well Priced Homes Can Expect Multiple Offers
Pricing strategies are also at play these days. Without heavily discounting the price of your home, you can still expect a lot of offers by just lowering the price a little and therefore attracting a larger pool of buyers. As soon as multiple offers come in, the situation quickly has a tendency to become a price war with more than one buyer vying for the same property.

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If you would like to explore selling your home, contact us today. We have a lot of unique strategies designed to get your home sold for the right price, in the least amount of time and of course with the least hassle to you. We look forward to helping you achieve your real estate goals!

Tips for Buyers in Today's Real Estate Market

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There is great news on the real estate horizon lately and it directly impacts our local marketplace. Right now, I’m coming to you from the Mike Ferry Organization’s conference in sunny San Diego. This is where the country’s top-producing real estate agents get together to compare notes, learn about national real estate trends and most importantly, take away some amazing points from real estate guru Mike Ferry.

Here’s what we are seeing in our local marketplace:

Housing Market Recovery Expected to Accelerate in 2013

We saw a very strong year in real estate in 2012. The trends of increased buyer demand coupled with fewer seller hang-ups helped to further accelerate our housing market recovery process. There were a lot more sales on record and the average days on market was also faring well for our region.

Historically Low Interest Rates Continue to Dominate the Market

For over eighteen months now we have been seeing interest rates that have never before been available in the history of the housing market. Currently with mortgages available as low as 3.25% for the qualified buyer, buyers can expect very affordable monthly payments.

Pent Up Buyer Demand Will Propel the Housing Industry

First it was the Presidential election, then it was the holidays and after that uncertainty about the Fiscal Cliff loomed in the air, leading to buyers not venturing into the market. But now all that is past us and we are reporting a lot more buyer activity. All the pent up demand is creating and will continue to create very positive trends moving forward.

Sellers Are Getting Multiple Offers and Prices Expected to Rise By Summer

Buyers are not the only ones enjoying the real estate arena these days. In fact, for the first time in a while sellers are also gaining confidence. With buyers often unable to find what they are looking for – the end result is multiple offers that sometimes end up in price wars. It is predicted that by end of summer prices will start to rise.

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If you have been on the fence about buying your dream home – now is the best time to get in on the action. With interest rates as low as they are and prices still reasonably low, you can easily find a very affordable home with lots of great amenities.

As I mentioned in the video, five years from now you will be very glad you bought a home at this time – that by then will have generated a good amount of equity!

Contact us today for a customized consultation so we can help you find your dream home!