Spring is an exciting time of the year in the real estate market. It’s the time when a whole new crop of home buyers emerge and new homes become available. This is the time of the year when there is more competition between sellers, and buyers have more to compare and choose from. Buyers can be a bit more discriminating in their choices and become less interested in compromising their specific needs for a house and may take longer to look around at other homes that are for sale before committing to a purchase. More competition isn’t necessarily a problem if the market is moving at a lively pace.
Finding the perfect home is getting easier to do for home buyers these days. There are a variety of resources that are available on the Internet. Some are better than others. The best way is to ask your Realtor to provide a list of properties in the neighborhood you are interested in that specify your particular wants and needs. They can send you an email that is linked directly to the listing that is in the local Multiple Listing Service (MLS) as soon as one that fits your requirements gets active on the market. There you can review the description, photos and maps of the property as well as other pertinent information. This puts you at a great advantage over other buyers who are searching on their own because it gives you first notice.
Other advantages your Realtor gives you is that they can provide you with listing and sales data from the MLS. By providing this comparative market analysis (CMA), you can see how long houses have remained on the market before selling and how much they are selling for. This will give you a good idea of how long it will take to sell your own home and what your asking price should be. Your Realtor provides your property the best exposure possible and they do it at no expense to you until it is sold. In other words, if they don’t go a good job of pricing and marketing your property, they don’t get paid.
Buying and selling property in the 21st century has drastically changed over the past few years but a knowledgeable Realtor is still the best way to go.
Ray Perry is the 2013 Realtor of the Year for Lake County and works for CPS Country Air Properties. He can be reached at 277-8000 or ray@rayperry.com.
