The last two years caught many of us off guard — and not just because of the pandemic. They also ushered in the hottest housing market on record, with home prices rising nationally by nearly 19% in 2021, driven primarily by low mortgage rates and a major supply shortage.
The real estate market remains influenced by the old supply-and-demand predicament: U.S. home sales continue at a rapid pace, but the number of listings remains limited. Amid historically low mortgage rates, buyers keep shopping, reducing inventory and sparking a rise in home prices.
Remember finding a home you lived as a young adult? Now imagine trying to fit your life today into that space. Not pretty, right? For most of us, our housing needs are cyclical. A newly independent adult can find freedom and flexibility in a tiny apartment. That same space, to a growing family, would feel… Read more »
While many areas of the economy have contracted, the housing market has stayed remarkably strong. But can the good news last? When COVID-related shutdowns began in March, real estate brokers and clients scrambled to respond to the shift while fearing a real estate crash. Record-low interest rates caused some lenders to call a halt to… Read more »
Shelter-in-Place orders have led to limitations on in-person home showings. These changes have forced agents to quickly adapt to an entirely new landscape. Unsurprisingly, some agents are more comfortable with virtual technologies than others. How do you ensure you are partnering with an agent who is a master of digital systems? A few things to… Read more »
“2020 will be known for a lot of things, and a record-breaking year for real estate will certainly be one of its more unexpected legacies,” prominent economist Daryl Fairweather said. And he’s right: most of us would have expected the housing market to suffer from circumstances like a once-in-a-hundred-years pandemic and historic inventory shortages.
It is difficult to think of a single segment of the economy that has not been dramatically improved by technology. I have spent my real estate career, and work in law prior to that, developing a tech stack to help me organize and optimize. For needs large and small, there is a tool to help… Read more »
Since the warnings about the coronavirus, a virulent virus rapidly spreading across the globe emerged, the real estate industry has been tasked with finding a way to prioritize public health while continuing to help clients buy and sell properties. Ten days ago Alameda County deemed real estate agents as essential workers under the shelter in… Read more »
Simply connecting a buyer and seller in a digital marketplace cannot address the many challenges and complexities of the real estate sales process.