6 Tips to Help You Make the Most of Your Summer!

I love summer! With longer days and possibly more flexible schedules, life can slow down and allow us time to connect with friends and family. 

What are you doing to make the most of your summer?

6 Budgeting Tips - Saving for a Down Payment

Some great tips to get you set for buying your first home!

April 2018 Real Estate Market Statistics

The following is the latest Real Estate Market Statistics for April 2018.
Click here for the full report

• Sales:   2,523 in April 2018 vs 2,219 last April  13.7 %

• Pending Sales:   3,008 in April 2018 vs 3,088 last April:  -2.6%

• New Listings:   3,990 in April 2018 vs 3,759 last April:  6.1%

• Average Sales Price:   $436,800 in April 2018 vs $406,400 last April:  7.5%

• Total Market Time: 42 days in April 2018 vs 42 days last April:  0.0%

• Inventory in Months: 1.8 months in April 2018 vs 1.7 months last April

Inventory by Area:

• NW Washington County   1.34 months
• Beaverton/Aloha               1.02months
• Hillsboro/Forest Grove     1.28 month

Inventory in Months is calculated by dividing the Active Residential Listings at the end of the month in questions by the number of closed sales for that month.

7 Considerations When Selling a Vacant Home

There are some important considerations when needing to sell a home that is not currently being lived in.  They are similar to when you are residing in your home, but need a little more focus since you may not be around to check on the home after showings or on a regular basis.

1.    Ask for an 'extra set of eyes' to watch the property
2.    Ensure all doors and windows are secure
3.    Consider staging with a few pieces of furniture
4.    Stop mail and newspaper delivery
5.    Hire someone to maintain the landscaping and keep up the curb       appeal of the home
6.    Keep the home at a comfortable inside temperature
7.    Question the benefits of holding Open Houses

This Just In: Data Says May is the Best Month to Sell Your Home

According to a newly released study by ATTOM Data Solutions, selling your home in the month of May will net you an average of 5.9% above estimated market value for your home.
For the study, ATTOM performed an “analysis of 14.7 million home sales from 2011 to 2017” and found the average seller premium achieved for each month of the year. Below is a breakdown by month:

ATTOM even went a step further and broke their results down by day.

Top 5 Days to Sell:

• June 28^th – 9.1% above market
• February 15^th – 9.0% above market
• May 31^st – 8.3% above market
• May 29^th – 8.2% above market
• June 21^st – 8.1% above market

It should come as no surprise that May and June dominate as the top months to sell and that 4 of the top 5 days to sell fall in those two months. The second quarter of the year (April, May, June) is referred to as the Spring Buyers Season, when competition is fierce to find a dream home, which often leads to bidding wars.

One caveat to mention though, is that when broken down by metro, ATTOM noticed that while warmer climates share in the overall trend, it turns out that they have different top months for sales. The best month to get the highest price in Miami, FL, for instance, was January, and Phoenix, AZ came in with November leading the charge.

If you’re thinking of selling your home this year, the time to list is NOW! According to the National Association of Realtors, homes sold in an average of just 30 days last month! If you list now, you’ll have a really good chance to sell in May or June, setting yourself up for getting the best price!

Bottom Line

Let’s get together to discuss the market conditions in our area and get you the most exposure to the buyers who are ready and willing to buy!