Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Easter Real Estate Market in Houston and Pearland

Easter is here!  At last, "lenten" is nearly over . . . back to over-indulging in whatever you gave up! My friends gave up things such as sugar-based sodas, red meat, and the like.  So, back to eating and drinking it up again.  All because our sins are washed away!  (I love Easter!)

But Easter in real estate brings a sketchy period . . . people are slowed down and involved in the holiday, then realize it's time to pay Uncle Sam.  April 15, that magical day, follows Easter by only ten days......what then?

For some, it means a tax refund to be used as a down payment on a home!  Thus, the market goes crazy with buyers around that time.  For others, it means long hours of frustration trying to find all their deductions to reduce their tax liability and get all those complicated forms done.  Regardless which category, it all ends in a buying frenzy after tax day that runs until "vacation month."  (I'll leave that for a future blog entry . . . after all, I don't want to discuss two distinctly different real estate market timing strategies!)

So get ready to get lots of buyer/lookers real soon . . . after a brief Easter and tax-time slowdown. The interesting part this year is the lack of inventory.  There are a lot of discussions about the low numbers of sellers.  That means less to choose from for many buyers.

Case-in-point:  I opened an email this morning from a buyer who said he'd like to find a nice 3 bedroom, 2 bath home, near Hwy. 288, for around $150,000.  And I say, "good luck."  That used to be easy to find . . . now it's next-to-impossible.  If that home existed, it would have 5-7 offers in the first 3 days on the market.  Crazy.  And going to get crazier.

A challenge for many sellers is finding a move-up or scale-down home!  Financing is complicated with so many government regulations, as well as the new closing guidelines that take effect August 1 throughout the country that will add 15 days to every closing, according to some estimates.

So, Happy Easter (and it's accompanying "Good Friday").  Your sins are forgiven and buyers are a-plenty.  What else could a Realtor want?

Thinking of Buying or Selling?  Let me guide you through the complicated processes!  With over 40 years experience, my team and I have helped people just like you achieve their real estate goals.  -Sam Ferreri, 832-200-5656

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