Ask Yourself These 3 Questions for 2023

Now is the time to start planning your real estate goals for 2023.

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Buying a Massachusetts home? Click here for full MLS access

I want to wish you a happy New Year and welcome you into 2023. If you happen to have any plans to make a move next year, whether it's an investment purchase, sale, transition, upsizing, or downsizing, now would be a good time for you to have a consultation with your real estate agent. Here are three questions that you may want to ask yourself and your agent:

1. How will home values be affected by the changing interest rates and the economic forecast for 2023? 

2. What are the best preparation steps that you can make so that you can get the most money possible for your home?

3. How can you best be prepared for any changes in circumstances that may occur within the economy?

If you’d like to discuss any of these points or go over your buying and selling plans, please call or email me. I am always willing to help.

Happy Holidays!

From our team to your family, we want to wish you a happy holiday season.

Selling your Massachusetts home? Get a home value report

Buying a Massachusetts home? Click here for full MLS access

Thank you very much for your business this past year. 75 families in the

Merrimack Valley have done business with us this year. We've helped

people with selling and buying homes and making great investments.

We really appreciate our clients and are very grateful for your trust over

the past year, which has been a record-breaking year for us.

On behalf of my entire team, we want to wish you and your family

a happy Christmas holiday, a wonderful new year, and good

health and happiness.

If I can help you in any way, reach out to me by phone, email, or visit

www.homesareus.com. This may be a busy time of year, but I am

always here to help you answer any questions you may have. In case

I don’t hear from you until 2023, have a happy New Year!

What’s Your Motivation for Moving?

Figure out if you’re sufficiently motivated to sell your house.

Selling your Massachusetts home? Get a home value report

Buying a Massachusetts home? Click here for full MLS access

I've been helping people rent, invest, buy, and sell real estate in

Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and around the globe for 40 years. To share

this expertise, I’m talking today about motivation. What is your motivation

for making a move in your life? If you're not sure, here are five questions

to ask yourself to help determine what path is right for you:

1. Why do you want to move? Think about what would be the greatest benefit you would enjoy if you did move.

2. What life enrichment would you and your family get from moving and upgrading your lifestyle?

3. Can you afford to purchase and sell a home?

4. Do you need assistance in calculating the expenses, rates, and profits of making a move to see whether or not it fits your budget?

5. Would you give me a call? If you can afford the transition to your new life by making this move and creating a huge benefit for you and your family, reach out to me at (978) 256-3306 or www.homesareus.com.

I’d be honored to help you with your real estate needs. I look forward

to hearing from you.

Our Market Explained in 5 Key Points

Here’s what buyers and sellers should know about our housing market.

Selling your Massachusetts home? Get a home value report

Buying a Massachusetts home? Click here for full MLS access

“What’s happening in our housing market?” People ask me this all the time.

To make things easy for you, I’ve broken down our market into five key points:

1. The market is shifting. We’re moving from a crazy seller’s market to a

more balanced market.

2. Interest rates are up. Money is a bit more expensive for buyers than
it used to be. This is the main reason our market is shifting. 

3. Our market is better for buyers. There are fewer bidding wars and
less competition. 

4. There are more opportunities. More homes are coming onto the market,

so people looking to move will have more choices. 

5. Your situation is key. No matter what is happening in our market at any

given moment, your personal situation is the most important factor when

determining whether or not to buy or sell. 

If you have questions about your situation or anything else, please

call or email me. I look forward to hearing from you.

How To Handle a Multiple-offer Situation

The NAR’s brochure outlines several strategies for buyers and sellers.

Selling your Massachusetts home? Get a home value report

Buying a Massachusetts home? Click here for full MLS access

In our current market, inventory is tight and interest rates are high. It's not

unusual for a seller to get up to a dozen offers on their property. Today we’ll

discuss the brochure that the National Association of Realtors published

outlining how to successfully navigate a multiple-offer situation.

The brochure has several strategies to help sellers decide which offer to accept. It also explains multiple strategies to help buyers who need to be clever and competitive if they want to win. If you'd like a copy of this brochure, reach out to us. Additionally, don’t hesitate to call or email us if you have any other questions. We look forward to talking with you and helping you make a fantastic real estate decision.

The Latest News About Our Real Estate Market

Stay up to date with the latest real estate market information.

Selling your Massachusetts home? Get a home value report

Buying a Massachusetts home? Click here for full MLS access

To keep you up to date on happening right now in the Massachusetts real

estate market, here are the latest statistics:

The median price for a single-family home is $560,000, which is an all-time

high. Inventory is still limited. There are 3,862 single-family homes available

on the market, which is 14.8% fewer than there were at this time last year. 

That means that the single-family market is still very competitive among

buyers. It’s a similar case in the condominium market. The median price for

condos has increased by 9.8%, and there's been a 15.2% drop in inventory.

Interest rates are still rising, so it's even more stressful for buyers to try to get into the market. If you have any questions about selling or buying a property in this market, please reach out to us at (978) 256-3306 or visit paulbrouillette.com. We look forward to hearing from you.

Is the Housing Market Going To Crash?

Many are concerned about a market crash. Are those fears grounded?

 

Selling your Massachusetts home? Get a home value report

Buying a Massachusetts home? Click here for full MLS access

There are economic concerns surrounding things like the ongoing supply chain

issues, which is bumping up construction timelines, as well as the Russian

invasion of Ukraine, which can drive up energy prices and theoretically elevate

construction prices in the process.

“Limited supply is the main culprit of Greater Boston’s slowdown in home sales,

but economic and geographic tensions abroad are still areas of concern,” real

estate and economic experts told Boston.com this week. However, the slow-

down in sales doesn’t really have local economists fearful of the market

crash reminiscent of the Great Recession, especially as many regulations

enacted since then prevent the kind of loose credit that really caused the crash

of 2008.

 

It remains to be seen how long buyers can weather this storm.

Rising interest rates are also combating inflation, which can dampen the homebuyers' interest as mortgage rates jump. It remains to be seen how long buyers can weather this storm and how long homeowners will watch their values rise before deciding to list. Neither has blinked yet, but something has to give eventually.

However, that won’t necessarily translate into a bust in the Northeastern Massachusetts area. Economists generally see the region’s economy as backed by higher education, healthcare, and life sciences industries that rely on in-person work as a safety net against a boom-or-bust scenario.

If you have any questions about local, regional, or national real estate, or if you’re planning to move and would like a complimentary consultation, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We’d love to hear from you.

What’s Happening in Our Market?

Five emerging trends we’re tracking in the Greater Boston Area marketplace.

Selling your Massachusetts home? Get a home value report

Buying a Massachusetts home? Click here for full MLS access

Today I want to tell you about what's happening in the Greater Boston Area real estate market. Here are the five key trends that we’re starting to see: 1. Mortgage rates are expected to climb. Low mortgage rates have contributed to the recent competitive market and the lowered cost of borrowing. 2. Sale price growth is expected to slow. Rising interest rates mean higher monthly mortgage payments, but they’ll also usher in a return to a more balanced supply-and-demand dynamic. 3. Buyer rebates are becoming more important. Buyer’s agents are working hard to get buyers rebates for their closing costs to help them compensate for the high prices in today's market. 4. Normal seasonal buying patterns are likely to return. Over the past few years, homebuyers' journeys have felt more like a marathon of bidding wars than a pattern of seasonal sprints. However, experts believe that seasonality will return this year. 5. A desire for shorter commutes. As people return to the office, they are trying to live closer to their places of work. If you have any questions, reach out to me by phone or email. I look forward to hearing from you.

What Your Commission Pays for in Real Estate

What are you paying for when you pay a commission fee in a transaction?

Selling your Massachusetts home? Get a home value report

Buying a Massachusetts home? Click here for full MLS access

Where do your commission dollars go when you hire a real estate professional to represent you as a seller? Since commission can be handled independently by agents or teams, what you pay varies. You can always ask your agent what your commission fee goes toward and how the price you pay benefits you. In our network, we usually allocate about 17% of your commission payment toward our membership fees to the Northeast Association of Realtors and the Massachusetts Association of Realtors, office fees, staff salaries, transaction coordination, and contract management. Another 17% is invested in internet exposure for our listings on the MLS, Realtor.com, Trulia, Zillow, and approximately two dozen other websites. Roughly 13% is put toward video tours, priority features, video broadcasting, TV/internet/radio ads, social media, and referral sources. 42% of your commission is allocated to go directly to the buyer agent’s company so that they get paid for their work as well. Finally, the agent you’re working with earns the last 13% of your commission. If you have further questions regarding commissions or anything else about the financial aspects of a transaction, feel free to reach out via phone or on our website. We would love to help you.

5 Homebuyer Tips and a Brief Market Forecast for 2022

Here’s what you can expect from the real estate market in 2022.

Selling your Massachusetts home? Get a home value report

Buying a Massachusetts home? Click here for full MLS access

Today I have a brief real estate market forecast to share with you for this year. I recently spent some time in Vegas with Mike Ferry, the leading real estate trainer in North America, and 1,600 of the top agents in the world. 

One prediction Mike has made for 2022 is a strong, robust real estate market. In addition, the National Association of Realtors is projecting between 5.5 and 6.5 million sales in the coming year in the U.S. Another thing to be aware of is that there is an influx of new licensees flooding the market. This typically happens when there’s an upcycle in the market like we're experiencing now.

When you’re getting ready to jump into the market, there are five steps you’ll need to take:

1. Plan your move

2. Prepare your financing

3. Hire an experienced Realtor

4. Make sure you’re prepared to enter the market

5. Assemble a professional team of an agent, attorney, and lender

Remember, there's no place like home. If you have any questions about the 2022 market, buying a home, or real estate in general, don't hesitate to reach out via phone or email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.