Matthew Gardner’s 2020 Mortgage Rate Forecast
Each year Windermere’s Chief Economist, Matthew Gardner, forecasts into the next. Here’s what he expects for Mortgage Rates in 2020.
Your Queen Anne Market Report for December 2019
First off, I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with friends and family!
Now let’s leap into what has happened on the Hill since my last report:
Sales during the Holidays and into January usually slow, but this year, at least in November, sales in King County are up 7% over this time last year according to the NWMLS. This is surprising news and confirms what my colleagues and I have been observing in our local market. In Ballard, Wallingford, Fremont, Crown Hill and most of the other near north end neighborhoods with average prices under $1Million, the competition among buyers is fierce. A very nice Craftsman bungalow in Wallingford that I looked at for a buyer last month had 8 offers on it listed at $985,000! Another home in Magnolia priced at $1.05M has had 8 pre-inspections before they are looking at offers. Much of what is causing this is traditional low inventory this time of year and amazingly low interest rates both which I expect to continue into the spring market. In looking at the data, it seems that homes listed over $1.2M are not experiencing this sales rapidity but are selling with an average on market of around 54 days. Currently, we have 16 active listings for sale on the Hill and the average sold price has been consistently right around $1.2M for a 2500 square foot home. Average price/square foot for the last 30 days has risen slightly to $525.00 November 2019 QA Pendings and solds for more details. Also, below is the 2020 real estate projection from Windermere’s economist Matthew Gardener. I encourage you to view his 4 minute video.
Finally, the home on the Hill that sold for most over list price was 3017 10thAvenue West, listed for $875,000 and sold for $913,700. Certainly not the overage we were used to seeing in the recent fast markets, but it was a major fixer in a Queen Anne Park and had been in very rough shape for years, so I am sure the neighbors are thrilled!
And that’s the way Steve sees it…
Have a magical Holiday season!
4 Reasons to Get Excited About Selling Your House in Fall or Winter
By Suzie Wilson
Looking to list your home this fall or winter? If you’re feeling anxious about doing so, you should know that these can be the perfect seasons to sell your home and can even help it sell for more profit. You just need a few fall and winter home selling tips to maximize your listing.
Winter Plants and Holiday Decor Can Boost Curb Appeal
Just because it’s fall or winter doesn’t mean your yard has to look drab. In fact, you can easily add a winter garden to your property, in order to spruce things up and attract potential buyers. Some beautiful shrubs that can withstand the colder seasons include witch hazel, Japanese pieris, and holly. If you have flower beds, you can always add these cold weather plants, or you can use containers to add pops of color to your front porch. While adding some winter plants will draw potential buyers to your listing, you may also want to add some touches to help visitors feel at home. Fall and winter offer plenty of opportunities to deck out your outdoor spaces with holiday decor. Just keep decorations simple and sleek, so your home will appeal to more potential buyers.
Special Touches Can Help Make Staging Homes Easier
Staging your home’s interior can be fairly simple in the fall and winter months as well. You’ll want to start by clearing out any excess clutter to make the inside of your home look as spacious as possible. Next, take a look at any leftover pieces of furniture or decor. Update any older items with modern touches that will help shoppers feel cozy. Those modern changes can be as simple as adding a throw rug to set spaces apart or repainting your walls in more neutral colors to create the illusion of space. Lighting is key during the darker months as well, so use a mixture of lamps and fixtures to create the perfect ambiance in each room.
Fall and Winter Open Houses Can Be Fairly Simple to Pull Off
Just like the inside of your home, preparing for open houses typically involves the same basic steps throughout the year. Since open houses are meant to attract a lot of people to your property, though, you will need to work with your realtor to create a marketing plan and to time your open house just right for prospective buyers. In fall and winter, you may need to add some extra steps to keep those visitors comfortable and safe as they explore their potential new home. If your area gets a lot of snow, be sure to shovel driveways and any other walkways. It’s also a good idea to keep all areas well-lit and warm to give your listing that cozy feeling buyers crave in a property. Good smells can add to that coziness and attract offers on your property.
Homes Listed in Fall and Winter Can Give Sellers Some Advantages
Most people would tell you that spring and summer are the best times to list a home, but that all depends on what your goals are as a seller. Selling in the winter can actually have some perks for savvy sellers, so as long as you are willing to put in the extra work to help your listing stand out, it may be best to list it during the off-season. For one, when you list your home after the peak selling season, you will be competing with far fewer properties. Fewer properties can help attract higher offers on your home, but you are also more likely to get those offers from serious buyers. So when you look at all of these benefits, this may be the best season to list your home!
Selling a home in the fall or winter shouldn’t stress you out. This can be the perfect time to sell a home, and you may even net some higher offers. There are so many cozy and warm touches you can add to help attract those fall and winter home buyers. So if you need to list your home in the off-season, don’t despair and use the tips above to help your listing sell faster!
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Queen Anne Market Report for November 2019
Are you being besieged by offers to purchase your home? I must get 4-6 postcards and letters a month to do just that. It makes me wonder if a national seminar rolled through the NW teaching people how-to low-ball owners on the value of their homes and then try to re-sell them for a profit. Speaking of that, I was on the Zillow site yesterday looking at a Zestimate of a home and noticed that Zillow is now buying homes and re-selling them! Though not in Washington yet, they are in 26 US markets. As a test, I called them on a rental home I have in Palm Springs to get an offer to purchase. That is in progress and I will let you know how that turns out in my next newsletter. I suspect their model is to purchase homes below market, add a fee due from the seller and then attempt to re-sell them in a very short time frame. One of the appeals, of course, is that there are no realtor commissions and no bank loans. The huge downside in all of this for the owner is that the home is not presented to the market at large and therefore, the owner runs the risk of selling it for less, or far less, than its real market value. I think we all agree that “Zestimates” are not exactly reliable estimates of your home’s value so why should rely on Zillow to give you a reasonable offer? I have always maintained that an experienced real estate agent is well worth the commissions paid in getting you the highest, feasible price on your home through the extensive exposure the agent can garner. Time after time, I have seen that even after commissions are paid, the seller still has a higher net than selling without testing the market place.
As far as the Queen Anne market goes now, 80% of the homes listed since my last report have gone into escrow or have closed. That is very respectable number. 36% of those sold homes had to reduce their original list price to get into escrow, so list prices generally have been declining. BTW, the home that sold for most over list price was 506 Galer, listed for $989,000 and sold for $1,030,000, not much of a difference and reflects the fact that on the Hill, prices are not being run up over list like they once were. Of course, one reason for that is that most of the homes on the Hill are listed for over $1M. Homes priced for less in other neighborhoods are still seeing more activity. Please see the attachment for the data for the last 30 days on the Hill.
Finally, for the last 20 years, I have spent the winter months from November until March in Palm Springs where I have a home. I have had a California real estate license for over 12 years, but have not affiliated with a brokerage until now. I am happy to tell you that I will be selling homes there this winter and if you, or someone you know, would like to purchase a home there and get out of the grey, wet winter weather, please let me know. Prices are much lower than Seattle BTW. Same phone number and email address as always. In March, I will return to Seattle to once again be listing and selling homes on the Hill. I am always available during the winter months to assist you and have a realtor partner in Seattle, so don’t hesitate to call. And that’s the way Steve sees it.
A Beautiful Pitch
It was a beautiful week really. I found myself in a beautiful office in a beautiful city on a beautiful day. I was sitting in front of a beautiful new client. It was a beautiful thing. My purpose that beautiful day was to make my “pitch”. We started with the glad handing. Then we moved to the client-based needs assessment. I espoused my resume, assessed potential outside threats, and finally monetized my message to close. It was all going along swimmingly, but I had one more little trick to pull out of my hat.
The Special
As we were wrapping it up, I started to show her something that I had just finished working on. It’s brand new, still a little buggy, an no one else had seen it yet. But I thought what the hell. As I revealed my new invention, her surprise became her interest and that became her approval. It really was what sealed the deal. In my pregame prep I saw myself walking out of that pitch having made the impression that I was the new messiah of my topic (or at a minimum, just stronger than my cologne). But in the end what really worked was much simpler and egoless than all of that: I have something that she can only get from me. That’s why it’s special. And she has something I need from her: access to a whole new market and the marketing muscle that goes with it.
The Schmalue Proposition
Most pitchers pitch the same way. They talk about “value”. Adding value, creating value, and of course, the value they create. There’s really nothing wrong with Value Schmalue approach. In fact, it really does play in Peoria. But there is one problem with the value-based focus: if you confront a pitcher and ask them to actually explain what all of this “value” stuff is they’re talking about they rarely (never) can. And that can be a problem for a pitcher. Especially with a smart client.
There’s a higher calling here; one that’s greater than the cliché of “value”. It’s the notion of “mutual satisfaction”. The idea that both you and the customer are better off together than not. The agreement that you both bring something of benefit to each other. It’s really no different than any other kind of relationship: when two people can come together in a transaction and find mutual satisfaction, magic occurs. You know what I’m talking about, you may just not see it quite this way. Mutual satisfaction is a point of view, an aspiration, and even an intention that each of us should embrace in all of our human interactions, but especially when pitching.
The Prep
Most pitchers prep the same way: write it down, practice in the mirror, talk to the dog. There’s nothing wrong with these practice methods, but what you’re pitching matters too. You have to have an idea of something you can provide that someone else can’t and how that fits your customer’s needs. This is strategy stuff and it’s a big deal. You may be the best pitcher ever – the kind that can sell ice to Eskimos. But you’ll pitch more effectively if you’re pitching a way to stay warm in the arctic without wearing a piece of stinky animal fur and drinking whale oil martinis. It’s kind of crazy how few salespeople really take the time to learn these things, and yet this is the world customers live in every day. Knowing what options exist for customer and knowing where you fit in the mix of choices should be the center of your pitch.
The Simple
I know this seems like such a simple thing. Even trite. But simple is beautiful and simple can make you rich. Perhaps this is a good time for you to stop and think. Think about what you do. Think about what you sell. Think about who you really are. Think about what makes you unique, special and different. Think about what makes people want to buy from you. Is it your looks perhaps? You charming personality? Or maybe the way you bake that one kind of cookie that no one else can. Marketers call this a “unique Selling Proposition (USP). Whatever it is, you should know this about yourself. Because you just never know when you’ll be in a beautiful town in front of a beautiful client staring at a beautiful opportunity. All you know for sure is that you don’t want to screw it up.
Author | Joe Still