Low inventory levels are bringing a faster turnaround for today’s sellers. From 1987 through 2011, analysis of the NAR Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers series showed the typical time on market was 6.9 weeks, while the existing-home sales series showed an average supply of 7.0 months, just above the high end for a balanced market. Today’s median time for a home to remain on the market is 69 days (July 2012). This is down nearly 30...

    Buying a home is both exciting and sometimes stressful…whether you’re a first-time homebuyer or an expert at it. The key to reducing the stress and successfully finding the home that matches your wants, needs, and budget is to have a home-buying strategy. A home-buying strategy serves to keep you focused, in line with your goals, and on financial track. It can function much like a marketing strategy does for a company....

What sells a home? Is it the price, location, or condition? The truth is that it takes a combination of all of these factors to make a sale in today’s market. Unlike boom era transactions, the seller is now in the passenger seat. Buyers today have a great advantage. A glut of homes in many markets means that supply far outweighs demand. Buyers are able to be choosy and to negotiate sweet deals. When your home is on the market you want to...

As you start to gather up your belongings and pack them away for your move, many sellers question which items they should leave out for buyer appeal. Often the wrong items are left on display; things like family photos, personal keepsakes, and treasured belongings. All of these items should be safely packed away which very often creates open space (a plus for buyers) on shelves, refrigerator doors, and desktops. Buyers often make a decision...

As the race for the 2012 Presidential Election gets rolling, a new survey from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) shows what is on voters’ minds. Topping the list of concerns for voters is the importance of homeownership and the ease of obtaining it. The survey showed that American voters “strongly value homeownership and would oppose efforts to weaken or eliminate the mortgage interest deduction or diminish a federal...