Prepping for Fall

Autumn is here! Officially it starts tomorrow but hey pretty close, right? Those wonderful deciduous trees are just aching to drop a heaping mound of leaves all over your yard, roof, car, and lawn. Although autumn can provide a warm backdrop for you property it is wise to make sure you keep the leaves off the walkways to avoid slipping by you or the people thinking about buying your house.


Autumn is truly magnificent but homeowners need to keep those leaves out of the gutters and off the walkways. Even if you are not selling your home the plugged gutters can lead to damage on the roof, siding, gutters, and even the foundation as the ambulatory nature of water can lead to moisture in places you may not expect.

For home buyers, the fall can be an opportunity to take advantage of sellers that failed to sell in the summer and are ready to look at offers that may be a little less than asking. For sellers bringing a new listing to market, there may be a few less buyers in play but their is generally a lot less listings relative to summertime.

As we approach the holidays, both buyers and sellers tend to be serious about making a deal. Otherwise why would they bother during the hustle and bustle of the holidays?

Local market trends still remain flat. New listings are outpacing new buyers but not at a rate that will quickly turn the market from sellers to buyers favor. In fact I'd say there is still a slight leaning in favor of sellers across most local segments. I like these neutral to near neutral markets. Everyone really has to put their best foot forward on both sides of the transaction and that tends to favor all parties.

Enjoy the very last day of summer and get ready to watch nature's living fireworks. Autumn is on deck.

Autumn Is Near

Ah September, the waning days of summer. Here in the Northwest, Autumn comes quick. We can feel the temperatures plummet as fall approaches in the middle of September. Soon the leaves will turn and fall off the trees. For people selling homes in the Autumn it is important to keep the driveway, side walks and rain gutters free of leaves and debris. Slippery and messy leaves are both an eyesore and a potential hazard.

Leaves look beautiful when they first fall on the ground. All those brilliant colors scattered about, make for a storybook setting. But quickly the rain and wind will break them down into a mushy mess. Curb appeal is important and sellers are advised to keep the home as tidy as possible.

On the sales side of thing, this can be a good time to buy. The rush of summer buyers starts to wane a bit and less competition is always good for buyers. often sellers are motivated to get their home competitively priced if it failed to sell over the summer. yes even in a robust buyer's market like this one, sellers sometimes price their home a little too optimistically and find themselves in a September slump. This could be a buyer's opportunity to strike.

Sales in out local market seem to be nearly identical to last year with the exception of prices running about 8-10% higher. The market has been more of a lack of sellers than a flurry of buyers and that doesn't look to be changing anytime soon. Medium demand and very tight inventory is still the state of affairs in the Clark County real estate market.