Information that bewilders

You were saying??

Did you know that goats ba-a-a in different dialects.  Who’d have thought?  But it was on the radio the other day. And apparently this is important to know because it will help uncover the ways in which human communication evolved.  I don’t think that’s exactly unimportant.  Just another bit of information we need to store somewhere.

In a recent edition of Kitchen and Bath Design News, a report showed that the major activity that people do in the kitchen is–wait for it–cooking and eating!  It’s true that over the years the kitchen (like human communication) has evolved to embrace a range of activities. But, the use to which we put our kitchens is now common knoweldge.  We didn’t need a research study to illustrate this, did we?

And how do we process all the varied real estate news we are regularly bombarded with?  The latest Case-Shiller index on home sales activity reports that prices are down for the last quarter.   The National Association of Realtors reports that sales volume is up.  Prices down (fractionally in some communities in Greater Boston). Volume up.  The Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM) reports that their Business Confidence Index is up. Consumer confidence was down in January, but was up in February. Alot. Foreclosures are up in Massachusetts in January.  I’m holding my breath on what the February numbers will look like–not really. Massachusetts Realtors®, an optimistic lot, predict that inventories will rise and the market will improve.

Information that enlightens

INFORMATION OVERLOAD!!

So how do we use this information.? How do we make personal decisions, plans, purchases based on this stuff?  Most of us don’t use this information in any but the most casual of ways.  We hear it–sort of.

I’m always amazed when a buyer comes to see a property, takes notes the entire time and really never looks up.  How do you buy a home that way?  Even commercial buyers have to look up, imagine how to renovate in a way that appeals to people/buyers. The graphs, the numbers, the predictions are not nearly as valuable as checking in with your own vibe.

Inventory is down in the Boston area and typically this means that prices will tick up.  Multiple bid situations are increasngly common. Mortgage rates are super-low.  An experienced Realtor® can provide you the meaningful resources you need to learn about the your market, factoring in your criteria and your financial reality.  Contact us for knowledgeable and useful help in your search. We’re not interested on selling you.  We’re interested in adding value to your real estate search with tools and information you can use.

Understanding the Metrowest Boston Real Estate Market

I really don’t want to talk about  content that is readily available in the news and in commonly used real estate sites.  That’s why I haven’t shared sales statistics –quarterly or otherwise.  You can get it elsewhere.  And how do people use that information anyway?  For many buyers in many places, it certainly hasn’t supplied that critical incentive to buy, even with historically low mortgage interest rates. Real estate market trends that are identified are often undone by the next quarter’s data.  And the sum total of national indices are just plain bleak.  A good deal of the time.  The fact is Boston area home values are holding up better than national statistics.

You Still Can’t Beat Location

Not a day goes by when I’m not asked  when the home seller’s market will return.  Or when I’m told by a home buyer that they are going to make a lowball offer because it’s a buyer’s market. Or when people empathize with me as a Realtor® because they automatically assume I must be depressed by market conditions. Hmm.  If you listen to the grim drum beat coming out of the worst hit states (Nevada, California, Florida) or the latest projections from this or that homebuilder group, you are likely to conclude that this is a home buyer’s market. Well, it depends on which communities you’re talking about. You can’t generalize because, to use a cliche, in real estate it’s still all about “location, location, location”.

Newton, Brookline and Cambridge MA Real Estate

I was recently at a group showing in Newton MA. A single-family home in a lovely neighborhood that needed complete renovation.  There were cars parked on both sides of the street and more cruising, looking for a place to park.  There must have been 100+ people–agents and their clients–at this showing. Multiple offers were submitted.  I just put a two-family in Cambridge MA under agreement; there were 6 offers on this property.  The bid that was accepted was over the asking price. And my listings for two, newly renovated condominiums in Brookline’s Washington Square neighborhood sold in less than 24 hours–one at asking, one above.  If you are working in these markets, you are likely to conclude that things are pretty good. And the way you go about home buying or home selling is contingent on what communities you’re operating in.  It’s not a one-size fits-all proposition. The media clamor about curent real estate market conditions is not helpful. Figure this out with a skilled and experienced real estate professional.  Contact Roz at RG-Homes.