Hope Leitner, Realtor®, CRS

  The Role of Access in Selling Your House March 21, 2023 For Sellers Housing Market Updates Selling Myths Once you’ve made the decision to  sell  your house and have  hired  a real estate agent to help, they’ll ask how much access to your home you want to give potential buyers. Your answer matters more now than it did in recent years. Here’s why. At the height of the buying  frenzy  seen during the pandemic, there was a rise in the number of homebuyers who put offers on houses sight unseen. That happened for three reasons: Extremely low housing inventory A lot of competition from other buyers wanting to take advantage of historically low mortgage rates And general wariness of in-person home tours during a pandemic Today, the market’s changing, and buyers can usually be more selective and take more time to explore their  options . So, in order to show your house and  sell  it efficiently, you’ll want to provide buyers with as much access...

It's Spring! The flowers are blooming on the freeways, in the hills and everywhere you turn! Just driving around I'm in awe of how beautiful it is here in San Diego County. So many people want to live here. (Aren't we lucky!) So, if you're ready to sell, I'll bring the buyers right to you! There are buyers aplenty right now!    On the calendar below are so many great events, including the ever-popular Avocado Festival in Fallbrook. There's also lots of Easter related fun for the kids!    If you know anyone who might be interested in receiving this event calendar every month, please have them sign up at this  link.   April - Ponder this -  "Not in doing what you like, but in liking what you do is the secret of happiness" J.M. Barrie. Of course, not all of us get to bring characters like Peter Pan into the world for a living like J.M. Barrie. But, I for one love to bring people home. My job helps people move through life's biggest changes. It's a...

Sales in February 2023 were up 14.5% month over month and still down 22.6% year over year according to the NAR Housing Snapshot.   The median sales price dipped 0.2% to $363,000 and there are 2.6 months supply of homes on the market compared to 1.7 months a year ago. "Inventory levels are still at historic lows, and consequently, multiple offers are returning on a good number of properties." According to Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist for the National Association of REALTORS�. It is still important to have a strategy for potentially competing with other buyers on the house you want to buy.   The plan should include several available provisions and options, so that at the time of drafting the sales offer, you can consider exactly what to include based on the situation. Unless a person is paying cash, you need to be pre-approved by a trusted mortgage professional long before you start looking at homes.   Include the written pre-approval letter along ...

The housing market in 2021 and part of 2022 was anything but normal.   Mortgage rates were at all time lows and may never reach those levels again.   Double-digit appreciation drove prices to new heights.   Low inventories fueled by high buyer demand made multiple offers a normal expectation. As we look at the market snapshots provided by MLS in the various markets across the U.S., it appears that things may be returning to normal, but not necessarily in all areas.   While there are more homes on the market now than a year ago, there are less sales due primarily to the doubling of mortgage rates in 2022. Time on the market is lengthening but that can be explained by the removal of approximately 15 million homebuyers who now have affordability issues.   When the market shifted, sellers expectations for what they thought their home is worth are not keeping pace with current conditions. Some sellers who didn't put their home on the market in 2021 and...

  Real estate market fluctuation has not been extreme in San Diego.  Our average home value was just below $1 million, then just above, and now just below again. The average days on the market is holding steady, which tells me the demand for homes is still good. And, the number of new listings on the market reflects normal fluctuations that have to do with the time of year we're in. People get the urge to move in January as they're doing their new year reflections and setting goals, that urge declines in the Spring a bit, then soars in the summer when kids are out of school and it's a good time to move.    Below I have this month's Market Report for San Diego County, and below that is last two month's reports, so you can make your own comparison. I believe that as Spring comes - we will see a normal warming of the market. So, whether you're considering buying or selling, give me a call so we can talk about your realistic options in our unique housing market.  ...

  March 2023 Colleen,   Spring is on the way! So is the big real estate inventory crunch. The reality is that there are not enough sellers for all the buyers who want in on the housing market. So, if you've been thinking of selling, think hard. We need homes on the market in San Diego!   That being said, the market is stabilizing and buyers are not so quick to do things like skip inspections, or overpay. Negotiations are back in play as the market is not a runaway train anymore.  So, this newsletter talks about some of the things to expect in this new market.    March - Ponder this - “ Nothing ever seems impossible in spring, you know.” —  L.M. Montgomery  This quote is by the author of Anne of Green Gables, one of the most influential novels of my childhood, Anne “with an ‘e’” Shirley’s irrepressible enthusiasm for life and contagious positivity carry her through many of life’s storms. After all these real winter storms we’ve been having I’m look...