Sell my home now or wait?
Now that the housing market in America is crashing, it seems that the news is likely to get worse before it gets any better. Many people who would like to sell their homes are wondering should I sell my house now before the market gets worse? Or should I wait until next year and hope it will get better?
Many people are asking should I put my house on the market now or perhaps should I wait till next summer when maybe prices will be increasing?
It’s hard to know the answer to this question, the housing market is made up of hundreds of different areas around the country. Market conditions in these areas can vary quite a bit and while some areas may be reasonably strong other areas are terrible. In some areas there are many more for sale signs that our buyers and houses are sitting on the market for months but no one looking at them. Some sellers can’t wait they bought a house that into financial trouble and can’t make the payments any longer. Many people have been downsized or outsourced from their jobs and had to take positions that pay a lot less.
You can tell the condition of your local market by taking a look at the number of unsold houses that are up for sale and then taking a look at the recent number of sales. If the real estate listings are getting longer and houses are staying on the market longer this makes your local housing market a buyers market. In other words, the pressure on home prices is forcing sale prices downward and you’re likely to get less for your home than you would have previously. The local real estate agent can give you this kind of information.
This information won’t tell you how many other home sellers are also becoming desperate in your area, many of them may still be waiting hoping the market will get better when they are struggling financially. The demand for homes usually picks up in the spring especially amongst families that are moving between school years. Some people will be waiting for this seasonal upturn in the housing market. However what sometimes happens as many people list at the same time based on this strategy and actually end up forcing prices down and hurting themselves.
Something to keep in mind is all the major recessions since World War II have been preceded by a housing sales decline in the current market does not seem to be any exception to that rule. This can become a self-fulfilling prophecy in that the housing industry provides about 13% of the nations jobs. If the housing industry slips this affects unemployment in the country which then feeds additional pressure forcing the housing market down still farther.
Price deflation for homes can also accelerate in the current situation because so many homes have been financed to people with weak credit and a number of second mortgages that have been financed at up to 125% of the homes of actual equity make for a very dangerous situation in which many people may be forced to dump their homes below market in order to get out from under the payments.
Our sources in the refinancing industry are telling us that sources of capital for doing refinances have been steadily drying up since October with many other sources telling them even as far back as October they were doing no more lending whatsoever. This is going to add a great deal of pressure on real estate prices.
Always remember that in any market there are buyers if the price is right and that if you make your place standout you have a shot at selling your home to one of these buyers. However in order to sell your home you’re going to need to stand out from the crowd. You’re going to need inside information tips and tricks that will generate more traffic in terms of people looking at your home and bring you offers. This is a tough market and you’re going to need an edge to sell your home quickly. In addition you can get more money net at the sale by saving on commissions paid to realtors. Remember in a flooded housing market where there are more homes than there are buyers adding your listing two the long list that the realtors already have is not going to get your house sold.
If you want more information on how to sell your house for the best possible price in a difficult market please continue here for information on the sell your home book. Download: Sell My Home Book