Local realtor says this year's spring market will be huge
Birmingham, Ala. — In just a few short weeks more "for sale" signs could be popping up in yards across Alabama. "The spring market is when we have the most multiple offers on homes that are listed," says LAH Realtor JanieMac Roe.
The spring market starts in February. It's one of the busiest times for real estate. Roe predicts this year will be especially busy. "Interest rates are starting to inch up a little bit and there's no telling how long they'll continue to be low and so really I think people are realizing that and they're going to start buying to try and take advantage of that."
So if you're looking to buy what should you do? Roe says start looking now. "There's going to be a lot of buyer competition out there...the mortgage lenders and brokers are going to get very busy in the spring time so to have a competitive edge when these multiple offers start occurring it's definitely a good idea to go ahead and be pre-approved."
To find a real estate agent she says to read reviews online and talk to people you know and get their recommendations.
If you want to sell your home Roe says you should have your agent do a market analysis to know all the factors when pricing your home. "It's really important to price your home well the first time. it's a really bad idea to price high and then it sit for a while then reduce because the buyers are looking at how long the home has been on the market. And if you price too low that can look bad too. Buyers are very educated right now and they're looking at those low homes and thinking something is potentially wrong with that house."
Cleaning and staging is also very important in every inch of the house. Roe suggests setting your dining room table to help people envision themselves eating meals there. And don't forget about your closets. "It is really important to de-clutter your closets because people will actually open your closets and look in there and if it is a complete mess people are going to assume there's a storage issue in this house," says Roe.
In all rooms you should remove as much as you can from surfaces and counter tops.
Roe says she see's a lot of people moving from out of state who look to live in north Shelby County but she predicts the market will really start to ramp up all over the Birmingham area come February.
