Click above to see a comparison of sales and pricing.

The ideal market has about 6 months of inventory.  Our market currently has approximately 15 months.  With this much inventory, getting your home even on the homes to look at is a challenge, and pricing is one of the top considerations. 

As a seller, it is important that you understand that the market will determine the final selling price. I can't take responsibility for market conditions. My job is to help you understand where the market is, and what the price range your home will sell in.

 The home has to be priced so that it’s considered by buyers to be within the top two or three values in that price range. If the market is very slow, your home may have to be the best home value in its price range. 

Industry standards suggest that if you haven’t received an offer after 8 to10 showings, a price adjustment is probably necessary. We would want to sit down and re-evaluate whether the market had changed, and if we needed to make an adjustment.

Starting at the national level there are real estate search companies such as Trulia.com, Realtor.com, and Zillow.com.  I mention Zillow because many people do use it, but my personal opinion is that it falls short in providing reliable data on all markets.  Trulia offers ease of use, and not too many loopholes to jump through before you are actually searching for your property.  Over 5 million people a day use this search to look at homes.  That in itself speaks to it's viabiltiy. Realtor.com has been around a long time, and many find it to be a great tool. It also has a high number of users. However, an agent can post a listing here, and if it sells and the agent does not remove it, you may receive some outdated information.

At the next level, are the regional players.  That would include my favorite for the west coast, Windermere.com.  I think Windermere offers a mulititude of ways to search in an easy to use format.  You can read about agents in an area that you are considering, and contact them directly from the website.

But when you get right down to listing your home, be sure the agent you are choosing has a viable website of their own. Their website should be able to be used as an informational tool to more fully explain about the community and the property available there.  It should be where people are directed from the national and regional websites when they click on information on your home. It is the hub, and when the final choice of homes to view is being made, you have your best chance to be on the list.

It is a good time to buy a home…

INVENTORY There are plenty of homes to choose from. This wasn’t true a year ago when there were very few homes on the market, which in turn made searching for a home frustrating. But today, on Whidbey Island there is an abundance of homes to choose from.

Narrowing the search down to a reasonable number is something we can do at the office before we go out on the road. In the conference room we can look at details, photos and videos that will help make your list the best of the best for you.

NO BIDDING WARS It happens a lot in a seller’s market. You find the house you want, and so do 10 other people. The bidding that ensues can cause you to pay more for your home that it is worth. Fortunately, this seldom happens in a buyers market.

TIME FOR NEGOTIATIONS In this market you will have time to strategize your offer, and negotiate with the seller. Sellers will be more willing to work with you if you offer is fair, and you may get terms and extras you would not get in a sellers market.

FINANCING There are great loans out there today. Reputable companies are offering competitive rates and personalized packages. Appraisals are fast, and loan times can be sped up if it is to the buyer and seller’s advantage.

Harry S. Truman famously said “I am tired of economists who say, ‘On the one hand…and then on the other hand.’  Send me a one-armed economist.”  Unfortunately there are no one armed economists that I know of predicting real estate trends here on Whidbey Island.

• If you are buying - shop carefully, negotiate strongly if the house you want appears to be out of line price wise.  But don't be bull headed, prices are NOT going down, they are just not going up as fast as in the past few years.  The question is did the seller and their agent factor in an assumed price appreciation of 15-20% for the past 12 months?  If so - take it out.