There has never been a better time to sell a home.  Sellers are in the driver’s seat from start to finish.  “Give me your tired, your dated, your wallpapered and overgrown”. In this market, no task is too great. Finicky buyers who want “move-in condition” are finding they often have little choice but to take … Continue reading Time waits for no one.

January 15, 2022 If you have been following my commentaries, you know I have been concerned about consistent double-digit price appreciation.  Long term, it is not healthy.  Homes selling within days, multiple bids, over list price – it is simply too hot. It is tough on everybody. It would be a good thing if some … Continue reading It’s All About the Treasurys

My forecast for home sales in 2022: continued price appreciation, critically low supply of homes for sale, increasing demand, multiple offers, minimal days on the market, homes selling over list price. If you have been following my commentaries you know that I consistently have posited you can’t argue demographics, low interest rates, and the multi-generational … Continue reading 2022 Forecast for Home Sales

What you need to know … What you should ask your REALTOR® Changes effective as of November 1, 2021 Until 2009 I practiced real estate law in the State of Rhode Island and Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Amongst my clients was the Rhode Island Association of REALTORS® (“RIAR”). As Legal Counsel I drafted, prepared the contracts, … Continue reading Major changes to the FAR/BAR Real Estate Contracts

Sarasota County  Normalizing home sales: the prescription. Real estate appreciation is driven by a confluence of factors: supply and demand, demographics, low mortgage rates, location, and property type. In an ideal market, home appreciation and inflation should bare a reasonable nexus. It is a generally accepted industry standard that 4-6 months of inventory is considered … Continue reading Normalizing home sales: the prescription.

Interest rates are going up … and that’s a good thing. The Federal Reserve has signaled a change in its guidance.  It is likely to taper bond-buying and move up its timetable for raising rates.  I have never accepted the Federal Reserve’s position that inflation is “transitory”.   For months I have advanced on these pages … Continue reading Interest rates are going up … and that’s a good thing.

The month of September, fall is in the air, Labor Day, kids go back to school, snowbirds making plans, we begin to assess, plan for the year ahead.  We tend to plan now so that we are settled in for the holidays. Remembering family trips, the kids in the car, 5 minutes out and the … Continue reading Are we there yet?

“Should I stay or should I go?” The Clash, 1981 What should you be doing right now?  If you are or have been considering selling your home, prices have never been higher.  Even if your home is tired or has deferred maintenance, this is the time to move and sell.  Many buyers are prepared to … Continue reading Should I stay or should I go?

The Fed is buying the stock market and housing market to prop up the economy.  Housing doesn’t need it.   On this tract, home values will continue to appreciate at unhealthy levels.  You may ask, “Why is this a bad thing, my home’s value is going up”?  Because it will get to the point where the … Continue reading Calling on the Federal Reserve: Stop Purchasing Mortgage Backed Securities

AN INCREASE IN MORTGAGE RATES WOULD BE A GOOD THING. Comparing this past month to May of 2020 is not useful.  2020 was an anomaly.  However, comparing May 2021 to May 2019 is quite telling.  Last month the median sold price of single-family homes and condos rose approximately 30% from May 2019.  See tables below. … Continue reading Hot Hot Hot … is our market!