Category Archives: The Market Condition

Homeowners Are Staying Longer in Their Homes

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In recent years, the National Association of Realtors’ historical data has revealed that homeowners are staying in their homes an average of nine years, as compared to four to five years just 13 years ago. There are several reasons for this dramatic change.

When home prices took a big dive in the mid-2000s, many owners were forced to stay in place because of little to no equity in their homes. This pushed the five-year average tenancy up.

The length of homeownership among younger families, who typically relocate about every five years, has not caught up with older generations, who live considerably longer in their homes.

The size of homes has been increasing for the last 40 years, and in conjunction with that, family household sizes have been getting smaller. As a result, the need to keep moving up to larger homes has greatly diminished. Many find that after several years of owning the same home, their needs are still satisfied.

Today, some homeowners are not anxious to give up a comfortable loan balance with a good interest rate after having benefited from good appreciation and historically low interest rates. Staying where they are is more appealing. Other homeowners who may have an interest in selling may be dissuaded by the lack of supply of homes to buy and not being able to find a replacement residence.

Today’s credit standards are tighter, making qualifying for a mortgage more difficult for some of those who do wish to sell and buy another home. When homeowners are less likely to qualify for a new mortgage, they are more likely to have to stay where they are, contributing to the average length of homeownership in the market.

Many factors contribute to choosing to stay in a home or not. If you are considering buying or selling a home, call or email us today, and we can help you navigate each of them so you can make the decisions that are best for you.

 

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House-Hunting Etiquette: Questions You’re Afraid to Ask

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Permission to view someone’s home for sale comes with some rules of etiquette.

Even if you are visiting an open house, you need to be aware of things that you may normally take for granted.

Preparing ahead will help alleviate confrontation or the need to ask these questions when you are in someone else’s home.

  1. Is it okay to consume snacks or drinks? Unless you are prepared to clean up or pay for a spillage accident, have your refreshments before you enter a home. If a seller has left cookies out for the showing, feel free to take one and eat it in the kitchen.
  2. Can I use the bathroom? If it’s urgent, ask for permission. You never know if the water has been shut off. Schedule stops to take care of your personal needs before visiting.
  3. Is looking into closets acceptable? Look all you want, but don’t disturb what you see.
  4. What about taking photos? Before you click the camera, first ask if it’s okay. This is especially important if you intend to post your photos publicly and the seller has personal effects that they don’t want promoted.
  5. Can I sit on the furniture? This is not a good idea unless you have a physical need to do so. Ask for permission if you need to sit for health reasons.

Call or email us with any of your burning house-hunting questions. We are always here to help and make sure you have a pleasant experience.

 

 

 

 

 

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On the Fence of Selling Your House?

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On the Fence of Selling Your House? 

No matter what made you decide to buy your current home, sometimes it’s hard to know if you are ready to head back to the market.

You’re Outgrown Your House – Whether you have expanded your family or have empty nest syndrome, your needs might not be there in your current home.

It’s a Seller’s Market – Inventory in the real estate industry is low and so are the current interest rates. This is perfect for someone selling their home, where they are typically going to get more than their asking price with little to no buyer demand for changes.

You Are In a Good Place Financially – If you have all your ducks in a row and your debt is low, selling your house is natural to get the most out of your good fortune. This is emphasized if you already have enough money saved for a down payment.

Your Location Is No Longer Fitting Your Lifestyle – The community and amenities near your current house always feel like they are missing your favorite gym or you wish you can be 15 minutes from the beach, finding a new home where you can have all you want with the space you need is a natural next step.

Do you think you are ready?

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Should Realtors go on Holiday During the Winter?

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Its getting real cold and frosty outside, with the winds blowing like a vacuum cleaner put in reverse, and the likelihood of someone buying a home during the winter months is 1 out of 1,000! Ugh!brideswhisper

Or is it?
Not so fast!

It’s true, the real estate market in the Northeast has looked quite lonesome in 2010, and 2011, particularly, in this latest January, February, March, and April months were as dismal as I have seen it. In fact, I have never seen it that horrific with regard to sales. Make you nervous? I understand and I want to urge you NOT to take a leave of absence during this most critical time of year, because, I will warn you, that most of your competiton heads for Florida, which means business, like you have never seen.70-485

Being in the business for 26 years, I can tell you, at my prime, I was fortunate enough to have sold 21 homes in the month of December, almost single handedly. It’s true! While the bears were hibernating, I was shoveling pathways to listings, just to get in the door. Imagine a buyer wanting to track through the high snow-walls of New England communities, challenge themselves in the biting winds, and braving the icy roads? Well if that’s not obvious motivation to buy a home, I don’t know what is.

Open houses, definitely! Instead of getting 7-8 families coming through, you only get that one, but that one is as serious as they come. And now for the seller: DO you think for a mili-second a seller that is dealing with keeping their home tidy, their driveway free of ice, the thought of having to move in a Nor’ Easter isn’t a motivated seller, think again! They are and they want to sell; at least most of the time. You see, be where your competition is not.

Just like advertising in the Eagle Tribune every Sunday. We want to be where others are not. We believe in a marketing mix of Newspaper ads, internet, mail and personal networking campaigns to drive buyers to our client’s homes, while the competiton is almost 100% dependent on the Internet. Don’t tell them the newspaper still works real well, shhhh! This is how we get our sellers TOP dollar for their home. The more eyes that see their home, the higher the price they will receieve. Averaging more than 3 homes SOLD everyday of every week, our secret at Coco, Early & Associates is simple – be where buyers are, not where they might be. We know home owners and home buyers read the newspaper, search the internet and open their mail on a daily basis. This is our marketing mix and what a mix it has proven to be for our clients.

We have grown our company and market share by more than 200% this year for three main reasons: Ownership-experience, cutting edge technology, and the most incredible sales team ever assembled in the Merrimack Valley and the New Hampshire markets. With a compliment of almost 200 agents, and 10 offices, we are measured by our professionalism, ingenuity and ability to execute, not to mention the personal testimonials we receive on a daily basis from our clients. If you are thinking about a career in real estate, or looking to re-energize your business, call us today and start earning the higher levels of success you deserve. 978-375-4345 Blaise J.prom dresses online shop
Coco, CEO, Coco, Early & Associates000-958

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