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Buying or Selling on Mt. Hood?

by Liz Warren

            

Mt. Hood National Forest Info

by Liz Warren

Mt. Hood National Forest is Closed due to Wildfires

DETAILS HERE

 

News from the Mt. Hood Forest Home Owners Association

 

Three Ways to Win in a Bidding War on Mt. Hood

by Liz Warren

Three Ways to Win in a Bidding War On Mt. Hood

Three Ways to Win in a Bidding War | MyKCM
 

With so few houses for sale today and low mortgage rates driving buyer activity, bidding wars are becoming more common. Multiple-offer scenarios are heating up, so it’s important to get pre-approved before you start your search. This way, you can put your best foot forward – quickly and efficiently – if you’re planning to buy a home or cabin this season. Bidding wars have become a common occurrence with today's limited inventory so buyers must be ready to compete!

Javier Vivas, Director of Economic Research at realtor.com, explains:

“COVID-19 has accelerated earlier trends, bringing even more buyers than the market can handle. In many markets, fierce competition, bidding wars, and multiple offer scenarios may be the common theme in the weeks to come.”

Here are three things you can do to make your offer a competitive one when you’re ready to make your move.

1. Be Ready

A recent survey shows that only 52% of active homebuyers obtained a pre-approval letter before they began their home search. That means about half of active buyers missed out on this key part of the process.

Buyers who are pre-approved are definitely a step ahead when it’s time to make an offer. Having a pre-approval letter indicating you’re a qualified buyer shows sellers you’re serious. It’s often a deciding factor that can tip the scale in your direction if there’s more than one offer on a home. It’s best to contact a mortgage professional to start your pre-approval process early, so you’re in the best position right from the start of your home search.

2. Present Your Best Offer

In a highly competitive market, it’s common for sellers to pick a date and time to review all offers on a house at one time. If this is the case, you may not have an opportunity to negotiate back and forth with the sellers. As a matter of fact, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) notes:

“Not only are properties selling quickly, but they are also getting more offers. On average, REALTORS® reported nearly three offers per sold property in July 2020.”

Make sure the offer you’re presenting is the best one the sellers receive. A real estate professional can help you make sure your offer is a fair and highly competitive one.

3. Act Fast

With existing homes going like hotcakes, there’s no time to waste in the process. NAR reports how the speed of home sales is ramping up:

“Properties typically remained on the market for 22 days in July, seasonally down from 24 days in June and from 29 days in July 2019. Sixty-eight percent of homes sold in July 2020 were on the market for less than a month.”

In addition, NAR notes:

Total existing-home salesjumped 24.7% from June to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.86 million in July. The previous record monthly increase in sales was 20.7% in June of this year. Sales as a whole rose year-over-year, up 8.7% from a year ago (5.39 million in July 2019).”

As you can see, the market is gaining steam. For two consecutive months houses have sold very quickly. Essentially, you may not have time to sleep on it or shop around when you find a home you love. Chances are, someone else loves it too. If you take your time, it may not be available when you’re ready to commit.

Bottom Line

The housing market is very strong right now, and buyers are scooping up available homes faster than they’re coming to market. If you’re planning to purchase a home this year, let’s connect to discuss the trends in our current area, so you’re ready to compete – and win.

Camp Creek Cabin in Rhododendron

by Liz Warren

  Camp Creek Cabin

  Camp Creek in the Mt. Hood National Forest

Camp Creek Cabin

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you're looking for a wonderful mountain getaway to relax from city stresses, this is the place. Only an hour away from Portland but it seems like a world away! One bedroom on the main level and a big loft with bunk beds upstairs gives plenty of room for sleeping. Vaulted ceilings in the living room with a stone fireplace and wood stove insert for heat. It's a quick 10 minute drive to the slopes or mountain biking on the hill. Just listed at $245,000

Rustic Mt. Hood Cabin Near Mt. Hood

 

 

What Experts Are Saying About Today's Real Estate Market

by Liz Warren

           

Mt. Hood Sales Surge This Summer

by Liz Warren

Wow! If there ever was a great time to sell, this is it. Buyers are moving out of the city and second home buyers are on the prowl for an easy to get to getaway! 

 

          

Is it Time to Sell Your Property on Mt. Hood?

by Liz Warren

Thinking of Selling Your House? Now May be the Right Time

Thinking of Selling Your House? Now May be the Right Time | MyKCM
 

Inventory is arguably the biggest challenge for buyers in today’s housing market. There are simply more buyers actively looking for homes to purchase than there are sellers selling them, so the scale is tipped in favor of the sellers.

According to the latest Existing Home Sales Report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), total housing inventory is down 18.8% from one year ago. Inventory is well below what was available last year, and the houses that do come to the market are selling very quickly.

Sam Khater, Chief Economist at Freddie Mac notes:

“Simply put, new housing supply is not keeping up with rising demand. We estimate that the housing market is undersupplied by 3.3 million units, and the shortage is rising by about 300,000 units a year. More than half of all states have a housing shortage.”

Why is inventory so low?

There are many reasons why it’s hard to find a home to buy today, stemming from an undersupply of newly constructed homes to sellers pressing pause on their moving plans due to the current health pandemic. One of the key factors making it even more challenging, however, is the amount of time current homeowners are staying in their homes. There has truly been a fundamental shift in the market that started about 10 years ago: people are staying put longer, and it’s contributing to the shortage of houses for sale.

In the 2019 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, NAR explained:

“In 2019, the median tenure for sellers was 10 years…After 2008, the median tenure in the home began to increase by one year each year. By 2011, the median tenure reached nine years, where it remained for three consecutive years, and jumped up again in 2014 to 10 years.”

As shown in the graph below, historical data indicates that staying in a home for 5-7 years used to be the norm, until the housing bubble burst. Since 2010, that length of time has trended upward, toward 9-10 years, largely due to homeowners aiming to recoup their equity:Thinking of Selling Your House? Now May be the Right Time | MyKCMThankfully, with the strength the market has gained over the last 10 years, today’s homeowners are in a much better equity position. Now is a fantastic time for homeowners who are ready to make a move to break the 10-year trend and sell their houses, especially while buyer demand is so high and inventory is so low. It’s a prime time to sell.

In addition, with today’s historically low interest rates, there’s an opportunity for sellers to maintain a low monthly payment while getting more house for their money. Think: move-up opportunity, more square footage, or finding the features they’re really looking for rather than doing costly renovations. With more new homes poised to enter the market this year, homeowners ready to make a move may have a golden opportunity to do so right now.

The Mt. Hood area has only 30 active listings! Take away three forest cabins on leased land and four mobile homes with monthly rents at the Mt. Hood RV Village gives us 23 deeded properties for sale today! Multiple bids are common place these days so it has never been a better time to put your property on the market!

Bottom Line

There are simply not enough houses for sale today. If you’re ready to leverage your equity and sell your house, let’s connect today. It’s a great time to move while demand for homes to buy is extremely high.

Still Creek Cabin in the Mt. Hood National Forest

by Liz Warren

        Still Creek Cabin in the Mt. Hood National Forest

Here's a great gem in a secluded location in the Mt. Hood National Forest near Rhododendron Oregon. Open floor plan with everything you need in your getaway. Two bedrooms upstairs and one is a bunk room! The master has its own deck that looks out over the woods. Modern kitchen with a dishwasher too. Laminate flooring. Comfortable covered porch in case there's a sprinkle or two plus a big spacious deck with benches on the back side. Steps to two premium swimming holes on kid and dog friendly Still Creek. Shared gated driveway to the cabin. Mountain bikers will enjoy the trek up to Trillium Lake. Only about 30 minutes to Mt. Hood for the only summer skiing in Oregon!   $235,000

Still Creek Cabin Living Room           Open floor plan in a Still Creek Cabin

Still Creek in the Mt. Hood National Forest with a great swimming hole

Time to Sell Your Mt. Hood Property?

by Liz Warren

Best Time to Sell? When Competition Is at an All-Time Low

Best Time to Sell? When Competition Is at an All-Time Low | MyKCM
 

In a recent survey of home sellers by Qualtrics, 87% of respondents said they were concerned their home won’t sell because of the pandemic and resulting economic recession. Of the respondents, 51% said they are “seriously worried.” That concern seems reasonable considering the current condition of the economy. The data, however, is showing that home purchasers are still very active despite the disruptions American families have experienced this year.

The latest Existing Home Sales Report published by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) revealed that 340,000 single-family homes sold in this country last month. NAR’s most recent Pending Sales Report (homes going into contract) surpassed last month’s number by over 44%, which far exceeded analysts’ projections of 15%. ShowingTime reported that appointments to see homes (both virtually and in-person) have increased in every region of the country and are up 21.4% nationwide over the same time last year.

While buyer activity is surging, the number of listings has fallen to an all-time low. Zelman Associates, in their latest residential real estate report, revealed that housing inventory as a percentage of households has fallen to 1.2%, which is half of the long-term average and lower than any other time in our history.

Bidding Wars Heating Up Again

With buyer demand growing and the supply of available homes shrinking, purchasers are again finding themselves needing to outbid other buyers. NAR, in a recent blog post, revealed:

“On average, there were about three offers on a home that closed in May, up from just about two in April 2020 and in May 2019 (2.3 offers).”

Bidding wars guarantee houses sell quickly at a price near or even slightly over the listing price.

The Mt. Hood Market has only twenty seven properties for sale as of today! There are only fifteen homes on the market under $400,000! In thirty five years I have never seen such a low inventory. 

Bottom Line

If you’re thinking of selling, don’t be concerned about putting your house on the market right now. There’s no better time to sell an item than when demand for it is high and supply is low. It is exactly at that time when you will negotiate your best possible deal.

Displaying blog entries 321-330 of 473

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