Facts Argue Why Healdsburg Listing Now Might be Shrewd

If this is going to be a year of upsets, the rules for when Healdsburg listings are best initiated might be primed to fly out the window. There’s no guarantee that 2017’s Healdsburg listing performance will bend the rules, but if the National Association of Realtor’s® news site is right; it’s a definite possibility.

A few weeks ago, the Realtor® website ran an article in their Trends area headlining that “This Year, Sellers May Benefit from Listing Early.” Their reasoning was short and sweet—citing recent facts, and then drawing a conclusion that’s the opposite of what they seem to indicate. Here are the facts:

Supply. According to the NAR, “Inventory levels at the beginning of 2017 are at multi-year lows.” Thus, homeowners who list now “face very little competition.”

Demand. Even though the late fall and winter months have traditionally shown weak demand, the threat of mortgage rate hikes—than the actual rises—may have been all that was needed to instill a growing sense of urgency among buyers.

Optimism. With consumer confidence at a 15-year high, Healdsburg buyers might find themselves in “buying competition” that will “get fierce.”

Sellers will be Buyers. Overwhelmingly, national surveys suggest that the homeowners behind most Healdsburg listings will also become buyers once they have sold. In fact, an estimated 85% of American home sellers plan to buy another home! All of a sudden, the net advantage to listing early could be substantial!

These trends are all well documented. Yet at first blush, they seem to argue against listing your home now. After all, wouldn’t it still make sense for to follow the traditional dictum—to hold off until that fierce competition takes hold? In short, simply accepting the old common wisdom warrants a second look in 2017.

If you are one of our Healdsburg homeowners who automatically presumed the wisdom of waiting awhile longer to join the Healdsburg listings, it might pay to reassess. Give me a call if you’d like to discuss how your plans fit into today’s broader residential picture—and how to take maximum advantage of this year’s market!