Housing Slump!!

It seems that Rochester has caught up with the rest of the country and that is not good news. According to the Rochester Associations of Realtors, home sales in the Rochester region fell 5.6 percent in November, as compared to November 2005. The actual figures are 1,047 homes sold this November, down from 1,109 last November. Furthermore, this is the second month in a row that shows a decline. Today's newspaper reported that this is a strong signal that the seller's market is over and we are entering a buyers market.

In real life, I have 5 listings to sell and am working with 4 buyers. One of my buyers is very motivated and the rest are looking for deals. I'll keep you informed of their activity.

First time Home-buyers....Mr & Mrs Gonzalez

As a real estate agent, it is easy to get caught up in making quotas, reaching goals and winning awards and forgetting what the business is really about.....Helping people! Yesterday I attended a closing that reminded me what I really like about the business...Becoming an important part of a family's life while they make some of the most crucial financial decisions of their lives. We all met yesterday at the downtown office of Forsyth, Howe, O'Dwyer, Kalb & Murphy and attorney Nancy Pappal did a great job explaining all the paperwork as she collected what seemed like hundreds of signatures. Mr. & Mrs. Gonzalez could hardly contain their excitement and upon receiving the keys, dashed off for the huge job of moving! Congratulations Diana and Edgar! And thank you for the privilege of being your real estate agent!

Is it really a buyer's market? That's what the media keeps saying and I was a believer. I sold three homes the first week in November 2006 (a nice little rush before the holiday season) and then my phone stopped ringing. I've been feeling like a 16 year old hoping for a Saturday night date.

Suddenly, in the last 24 hours, I have three new buyers! You would think that listing agents would adore me! Not so. One of the buyers picked out 3 homes in Northeast Rochester to look at. One is under contract but still active in the MLS, one was shown for the first time yesterday and is expecting a contract today. The third is still available. Another buyer looking for a more rural setting with at least an acre of land for less that $150,000 could only find one home they were interested in seeing. I am having better luck with my third buyer, that is looking for a small home near the city for herself and her dogs. I will keep you informed of our progress and see what kind of buyer's market it really is!