Minneapolis Real Estate Podcast with Erik Winegarden

teamwinegarden@teamwinegarden.com (Erik Winegarden) — Mon, 29 Mar 2021 12:34:00 -0700

There are three things sellers need to remember about this market.

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Minneapolis is in a seller’s market, but there are three things you need to remember if you truly want to sell for the most money and in the shortest time.

First, trust that you’ll find a property that meets your and your family’s needs after you sell your current home. A lot of people are concerned that they won’t have anywhere to go if they put their home on the market and it sells. If there’s no inventory, what will you buy? The good news is that in our 15 years of being in the real estate business, we’ve never once left a seller living in a refrigerator box without anywhere to go after their home is sold.

If you work with our team, we’ll pound the pavement and find an off-market property that suits your family’s needs that you can potentially move into once your current home sells. Minnesota is a seasonal market, so it’s common to see low inventory right now, but by the time you do list your home, we should see inventory rise. This means that not only will we be able to find you an off-market property, but we’ll also be able to find homes for sale for you to buy.

"We understand the market and know how to get you to where you really want to be."

Second, the condition of your home still matters. Everyone thinks that because there is no inventory, buyers will just buy automatically. It’s important to understand, though, that buyers still like pretty. That’s why, again, if you work with us, we’ll consult with you on what your home needs to look like to entice the most buyers in the shortest time so you sell for the most money. We have stagers, professional photographers, handymen, painters, etc., who will help make your home look its best. Investing the necessary time and money will make your home look like a million bucks.

Lastly, your agent needs to know how to price your home correctly. There are a lot of multiple-offer situations happening, which means homes are selling for over asking price. The critical thing to understand is how these properties got to those proces. In this market, a lot of inexperienced agents are listing homes at the exact prices they sold at instead of listing them at prices which would’ve caused the necessary activity to boost the final sale price. Your agent needs to understand how other properties sold above their asking prices. We understand the market and know how to get you to where you really want to be. Overpricing your property is the worst thing you can do right now.

If you'd like to know more about how we can maximize your home sale or what your property is worth in this crazy market, give us a shout. We’d love to help you.

Near Water? We Can Sell Your Home Without the Hassle

teamwinegarden@teamwinegarden.com (Erik Winegarden) — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 14:23:00 -0700

Here's how to sell your lakeshore property without the hassle.

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A few things are starting to happen in our market. The lakeshore is starting to open up, and we have a few buyers who are specifically looking for lakeshore properties. Our buyers are especially excited about any property near water.

“Get what you want, when you want it, for how much you want it.”

If you have a home that you’re interested in selling and live in the following areas: Lake Minnetonka, Lake Prior, Medicine Lake, Lake Riley, or anywhere with water, please reach out to us. We may be able to make a match with a buyer for you without too much hassle.

We have buyers at all different price points. These are trusted clients that we have sold homes for who are now in the market for new homes. If you are interested in selling, give us a call. We will make this a simple process to get what you want, when you want it, for how much you want it. Team Winegarden would love to hear from you, so please give us a call at (952) 444-3994, so we can be of service to you.

Your Mobile One-Stop Tire Shop

teamwinegarden@teamwinegarden.com (Erik Winegarden) — Thu, 28 Jan 2021 09:26:00 -0800

I caught up with a client of mine who just started a mobile tire business.

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I’m out in front of my house after just getting back from a listing appointment. I have a past client I need to introduce to you guys today. His name is Paul, and he recently needed to sell his house to get into something bigger. He had started a new business and needed a bigger garage, and that’s exactly what we helped him find.

The reason Paul needed the extra garage space is that his new business is a complete mobile tire shop. Tread Connection is awesome; you can pick out tires and schedule appointments online, and Paul will come right to you! Visit them online or give them a call at (763) 843-3029. If you have any tire needs and don’t want to wait for a tow or AAA, give Paul a call.

If you have any additional questions for me about real estate, don’t hesitate to reach out via phone or email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

A Look Back at a Monster Year for Real Estate

teamwinegarden@teamwinegarden.com (Erik Winegarden) — Mon, 28 Dec 2020 11:51:00 -0800

We’ve reached the end of a wild year in real estate; here’s a quick recap.

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Though 2020 was a challenging year for many, we’re thankful to be able to say it was an absolutely monster year for real estate; we’re on pace to close 96—potentially 100—deals before the new year rolls in. As you likely already know, interest rates have been insanely low; some of our clients are locking in mind-blowing lows of 2.75% on a 30-year fixed mortgage.

In general, people have begun valuing homes differently now that they’ve spent so much time inside this year; when you’re quarantining with family for months on end while having to work from home or facilitate remote learning for your kids, it’s only natural that you’d put a premium on space when you decide to enter the market. In fact, buyers are looking for upgraded space now rather than later because they want to lock in those low interest rates and enjoy a new home gym or office space for the remainder of this pandemic.

"Some of our clients are locking in mind-blowing lows of 2.75% on a 30-year fixed mortgage."

Furthermore, it’s a great time for people to sell their current homes because the inventory in our market is so low. 2020 can be characterized by a unique dichotomy of great prices for sellers and amazing interest rates for buyers. Will the market continue to have such strong incentives for both buyers and sellers as we move into 2021?

There is plenty of economic uncertainty to go around with vaccines on the way and a new administration in the White House, but what we can say is that interest rates will remain low, which is great news for everyone. Inventory levels have been closer to normal as of late but are still considerably low. Hopefully, these two factors that made our 2020 so hot will carry over into 2021, giving us yet another great year for real estate.

Now’s the time to start asking yourself big questions about where you want to be living in the next two to five years; would it make sense for you to move up your timeline so you could capture these historically low interest rates?

If you want to discuss your specific real estate needs with us or just have a few questions, please reach out by phone or email any time. We’re always here for you. From the bottoms of our hearts, we thank you for your continued support and we appreciate everything you’ve done for us this year. Happy holidays, and may you have an incredible start to 2021!

Wishing You A Merry Christmas!

teamwinegarden@teamwinegarden.com (Erik Winegarden) — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 12:28:00 -0800

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The holiday season has officially arrived. We hope you enjoy this wonderful time of year and make some fantastic memories.

We wanted to take a moment to thank you for your continued support. We love helping people make their real estate dreams come true, so thank you for working with us and supporting our business.

This may be a busy time of year, but we are always here to help you and answer any questions you may have. Give us a call or reply to this email and we’d love to help out.

Buying & Selling At Once

teamwinegarden@teamwinegarden.com (Erik Winegarden) — Tue, 24 Mar 2020 10:31:00 -0700

Need to buy and sell a home at the same time? Marissa Browne joins me today to share some tips to make this dual transaction as smooth as possible.

Selling your Minneapolis home? Check out our free home value report

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Ours is a more traditional real estate market—we have fewer investment properties, distressed properties, and flip sales. That means we have more homeowners who are buying new homes and selling their current homes outright, whether they’re upsizing or downsizing.

To pull all of these transactions off at the same time does require some strategizing, which can make a lot of people nervous. Today, however, I’ll talk about the trick to making these kinds of transactions go off without a hitch.

The problem with managing two transactions at once is that many people want to buy the new house first when they haven’t sold their current one and they don’t have any money because they need to sell their house.

"We’ve never had one seller who wasn’t able to find a house before their current one sold."

Ideally, you should put your current house on the market and then begin your search for a new home. This scares some people—what if they don’t find the right house? In the 15 years we’ve been doing this, we’ve never had one seller who wasn’t able to find a house before their current one sold.

It sounds like a complex situation, but that’s where the value of hiring a professional real estate agent will really come into play. Reach out to us if you have any questions about buying and selling at the same time. We would love to guide you through our step-by-step process.

Generate Immediate Showings With 2 Steps

teamwinegarden@teamwinegarden.com (Erik Winegarden) — Thu, 13 Feb 2020 12:19:00 -0800

Today I’m sharing when, in our current market, you should expect your listing to generate showings.

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So you’ve just listed your house, and now you’re waiting to schedule your first showings. When can you expect that to start happening? When is an appropriate time to hit the panic button if no one’s reached out to you yet?

The answer is right away; because of our market’s low inventory levels, you should be getting showings immediately—without fail. So, to avoid hearing crickets after you list, consider the following:

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The two points I shared today seem simple enough, but I assure you there’s a lot that goes into each.

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Look at the presentation. Are your photos professional? Has your home been properly staged? At the Winegarden Team, we hire professional stagers and photographers to create a visual package that draws online viewers in naturally.

Next, look at the price. As a real estate agent, one of our hardest jobs is to tell the truth about a home’s true price. If you have questions about what your listing should look like and how to price it aggressively and reasonably, please give us a call.

The two points I shared today seem simple enough, but I assure you there’s a lot that goes into each. Let us help you navigate the home selling process and attract buyers from the jump. We’d love to hear from you, even if you’d just like some more information.

The Perks of a Winter Home Sale

teamwinegarden@teamwinegarden.com (Erik Winegarden) — Fri, 31 Jan 2020 11:57:00 -0800

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Last year in our Hennepin County market, there were about $7.5 billion of sales throughout the year. When you look at the relationship between sales and active listings on a chart throughout a year, it looks like a bell curve—the year begins low, peaks toward the middle, and then drops back down at the end.

This bell curve is interesting because about the same number of properties that are listed end up going pending, meaning they go under contract, through the year. If 100 properties are listed in January, for example, about 80 of them sell. If 120 properties are listed in February, about 100 of them sell.

So are you better off selling now or waiting until the spring market?

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January and February can also be great times to list.

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Most people think that most homes sell in the springtime, but they don’t realize that January and February can also be great times to list. If the same percentage of homes sell in January as they do in spring, and there is less active inventory in January, supply and demand suggest that you’ll have less competition by selling in January than you will at busier points of the year. You might even be able to get a better price.

If you have any questions about selling your home or when is the best time to do it, reach out to me. Let’s take a look at your situation and see what we can do to help you make the best choice.

The 3 Ways a Transaction With a Low Appraisal Can Proceed

teamwinegarden@teamwinegarden.com (Erik Winegarden) — Mon, 21 Oct 2019 11:19:00 -0700

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Imagine a seller lists a house at $500,000 and a buyer agrees to purchase it at that price. But after the buyer’s lender orders an appraisal for the home on the bank’s behalf, the appraisal comes in at $475,000.

What happens next? What can a buyer or seller do in the event of a low appraisal? In this scenario, there are three ways the transaction can proceed:

The seller can accept the appraised value as the new purchase price
The buyer and seller can negotiate a middle ground in terms of price
The transaction gets canceled

Low appraisals are something that, unfortunately, sometimes occur in a rising market like ours. The good news is that 99% of the time, deals with low appraisals still get resolved.

If you have any more questions about this or any other real estate topic, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’d love to help you.

One Way to Start Preparing for Your Winter Home Sale

teamwinegarden@teamwinegarden.com (Erik Winegarden) — Mon, 16 Sep 2019 12:36:00 -0700

Having professional listing photos taken of your home ahead of your winter sale goes a long way with buyers. Here’s what I mean.

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The fall season is almost here! Before it arrives, though, today I’d like to look a little further into the future and discuss a topic that comes up not in our fall market, but in winter.

I often have clients come to me looking to sell their home during the colder months. Now, anytime a home goes on the market, the best way to showcase it to buyers is to have professional listing photos taken, which can be tough when the home’s exterior is partially concealed by snow.

A lot of times, we learn that our sellers didn’t think to take photos of their home in the spring, summer, or fall, but the good news is we don’t let this deter us from making the best of the situation. No matter what time of year, the professional photographers our team works with will have your listing photos looking like a million bucks.

And on that note, if you know you’ll be selling your home this winter, let’s not wait to start making preparations: We can take full advantage of this beautiful fall weather and set up a professional photo shoot of your home now, which, in turn, will give us a decisive advantage when it comes time to list your home. We know that the first place buyers will look for their new home is online, so if they’re interested in a home’s listing photos, they’ll be interested to see it in person as well.

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If you’re planning a winter home sale, we can take full advantage of this beautiful fall weather and set up a professional photo shoot of your home now.

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For the sake of argument, let’s say we listed your home in February after we’ve been hit with heavy snowfall. Let me ask you this: If every other listing is accompanied by photos taken in the winter and yours were captured in the fall, whose home do you think will garner more buyer attention? The answer seems obvious.

The bottom line is if you’re looking to sell your home between this winter and even as late as spring of next year, now’s the time to get a leg up on the competition and organize a strategy that includes snapping some professional photos.

If you have any questions or would like to get preparations for your winter home sale started a little early, don’t hesitate to reach out to me and my team. We look forward to speaking with you soon!

The Difference Between Inspections and Appraisals

teamwinegarden@teamwinegarden.com (Erik Winegarden) — Fri, 13 Sep 2019 11:37:00 -0700

What’s the difference between an appraisal and an inspection? Let’s find out.

Selling your Minneapolis home? Check out our free home value report

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Sellers always ask me, “What is the difference between an inspection and an appraisal?”

Simply put, inspections verify a home’s value while appraisals verify its condition. Inspections are ordered by the homebuyer during their due diligence period. During an inspection, a professional home inspector will visit your property to assess everything from the plumbing to the electrical sockets.

Once they’re finished, they’ll draft a report of their findings so as to alert you (and the buyer) of any issues they noticed. Then, if necessary, you and the buyer will negotiate repairs before proceeding with the deal. In short, inspections are intended to provide the buyer with peace of mind, and to ensure that the home is in liveable condition.

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Inspections verify a home’s value while appraisals verify its condition.

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Appraisals, on the other hand, are designed to give the buyer’s lender peace of mind. Just because you and the buyer have agreed upon a certain price, that doesn’t mean your home is actually worth that amount. To ensure that they aren’t lending the buyer more money than the home is worth, the bank their lender is associated with will send a third-party appraiser to objectively assess the property’s value. Assuming the home appraises for approximately the same value as your list price, you and the buyer can go ahead with the transaction. Even if the appraisal doesn’t go through, though, you still have options. If you’d like to discuss what these options are, feel free to reach out to me.

And, as always, if you have any other questions or would like more information, please give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

The Major Tax Benefits of Real Estate

teamwinegarden@teamwinegarden.com (Erik Winegarden) — Mon, 5 Aug 2019 09:23:00 -0700

Do you know about the tax benefits to homeownership? We’re talking about two of the most common today.

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Before we start, let me just say that I’m not an accountant or tax attorney and you should always consult those people before making a final decision on real estate sales or purchases. However, there are certain tax benefits to owning real estate that you can take advantage of if you decide to take the leap.

Right now in 2019, a homeowner who is selling a house is allowed to take $250,000 from that sale to buy a new home without having to pay taxes on it. For married couples, it’s $500,000. If a home was purchased a few years ago for $300,000 and then sold for $800,000 at a later date, you have $500,000 in gross proceeds that you can use as a down payment on your next house without having to give the government a cut.

For investment properties, a 1031 exchange is also a great tax tool. It allows you to defer your taxes to your next investment property. You will have to pay taxes when you sell the property, but you can also leverage your investment to get something that can make you more money in the future without having to pay taxes on it again. There are plenty of accountants we know who are experienced in this and can help out if you need it.

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A 1031 exchange allows you to leverage your investment.

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If you want to build wealth in real estate, these are two very important things to know about. If you have any questions for me in the meantime, don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

What Financing Options Do First-Time Investors Have?

teamwinegarden@teamwinegarden.com (Erik Winegarden) — Mon, 8 Jul 2019 12:49:00 -0700

Today, let’s discuss the options you have if you’re looking to become an investor but are struggling with the financing.
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What can you do to get your first investment property if you don’t have enough for the 20% down payment?

Actually, you have a couple options in this situation:

First, if you don’t have enough for a 20% down payment, there are other loan programs for investment properties to consider. Some companies can offer down payments as low as 5% for some properties! Of course, the market always changes and we’ll constantly have to update our understanding of what is available, but regardless, there are programs with requirements other than the traditional 20% conventional loan.

Second, try bringing in a partner. If you’re taking the steps to buy your first investment property and you’re willing to do all the necessary work to find the deal but you don’t have the cash to make it happen, you might work with a partner who can fill in that half of the equation.

Who would count as a viable partner? Well, tell the people you know and trust—like your friends, family, neighbors, etc.—about your goals and dreams. Give them the rundown of your plans and see if they’re interested in joining you in your venture. There are plenty of people out there who might have the cash, but like the hustle, and it’s through them that you have an opportunity to get your foot in the investment door. It won’t necessarily be easy to find the right person at first, but finding a well-funded partner to match your drive and vision is a good way to overcome that barrier.

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If you want to get into the investment game, there are opportunities in the market to be had by those with the proper drive.

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Lastly, look for a contract-for-deed. Now, because the market is doing so well, there won’t be a lot of these opportunities. But again, the market always changes, and eventually these contract for deed options will come back in a stronger suit. Essentially, a contract for deed is an arrangement in which the buyer makes regular payments to the seller until the amount owed is paid in full or the buyer finds another means to pay off the balance. Until the balance is paid, the seller retains legal title to the property. If you can find a seller who wants to keep their cash flow but doesn’t want to take the tax hit, this may be a viable option for you.

Ultimately, if you want to get into the investment game, there are opportunities in the market to be had by those with the proper drive. If you’d like to dig into this topic further or if you have any questions, feel free to give me a call. We can put together a plan for you to help you build wealth. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Is It a Good Idea to Sell to a Cash Offer Company?

teamwinegarden@teamwinegarden.com (Erik Winegarden) — Tue, 11 Jun 2019 13:58:00 -0700

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I get a lot of questions from homeowners about the advertisements you see from cash offer companies. These advertisements promise to buy your home as-is for cash and close in a very short timeframe (e.g., 48 hours).

Is it a good idea to sell your home to one of these companies, though?

In certain situations, yes. If you need to move out of your home quickly and have it sold within a week, for instance, this is a great option.

If this doesn’t apply to you, though, there’s one big drawback that comes with selling to a cash offer company: You won’t get a retail offer (i.e., maximum value).

Since these companies are essentially investment companies, their goal is to either sell your home after they own it or rent it out and make a profit, and part of that process requires making an offer below market value.

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Since these companies are essentially investment companies, their goal is to either sell your home after they own it or rent it out and make a profit.

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If you have a longer timeframe in which to sell and you’re looking to get maximum value for your home, you’re better off listing the conventional way with a team such as ours.

If you’d rather consider one of these cash offers that will allow you to sell quickly, don’t hesitate to give me a call, because I can refer you to several buyers who’d be interested.

If you have any other questions, feel free to reach out to me as well. I’d be happy to help you.

Why Buyers and Sellers Can Take Advantage of Our Current Market

teamwinegarden@teamwinegarden.com (Erik Winegarden) — Tue, 21 May 2019 10:54:00 -0700

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As things stand, we’re in a great place in our Minneapolis market right now—for both buyers and sellers.

Not only are interest rates are very low, but inventory levels are creeping up as well, which gives both sides more options in terms of getting the best deal possible.

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We’re in a great place in our Minneapolis market right now—for both buyers and sellers.

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One of the biggest concerns I hear in a market like this is from sellers wondering whether they’ll be able to find their next house if they list their current one. Let me tell you this: In my 13 years as a real estate agent, I haven’t worked with a single seller who wasn’t able to find a new home they absolutely loved after selling their original home.

The bottom line is our market is extremely healthy, so if you’re ready to buy or sell or you’d like to know more about how you can take advantage of current conditions, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’d love to speak with you.

3 Tips for Winning Multiple-Offer Situations

teamwinegarden@teamwinegarden.com (Erik Winegarden) — Thu, 2 May 2019 09:26:00 -0700

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As a buyer, there are a few things you can do to give yourself the best chance of winning in a multiple-offer situation:

Get pre-approved. Thanks to low interest rates, homes are moving rather quickly. If you don’t know what you can afford to purchase, you’ll lose out. Sellers don’t want to wait for you to get your pre-approval, so make sure you have it from the outset.
Be early to the game. In sports, you can’t show up at game time and expect to play well. You have to do the work first and be prepared. It’s very similar to buying a home—when we see something, we have to be there and be ready to put in an offer right away. The worst thing we can do is try to come in at the last minute.
Put your best foot forward. When you’re writing offers, you can’t rely on winning by simply setting a high price. You have to think about your terms as well.

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When we see something, we have to be there and be ready to put in an offer right away.

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I’d be more than happy to help you navigate these multiple-offer situations. If you’d like my guidance or you have any questions whatsoever, feel free to reach out to me. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

How to Sell This Spring

teamwinegarden@teamwinegarden.com (Erik Winegarden) — Tue, 16 Apr 2019 13:37:00 -0700

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Many sellers approach me with questions and concerns about selling in the spring market, so I’ve decided to share some insight into this common, yet crucial, subject today.

For one thing, you may believe that it’s best to wait until your yard turns green to put your home up for sale, but consider this: Everyone’s yard looks the same right now. The color of your lawn has nothing to do with your specific property at this time of year, and buyers are savvy enough to know this.

In other words, if you’re thinking of listing, don’t let the hue of your grass stop you from doing so. Also, it’s important to realize that by the time your grass is greener, everyone else’s will be too.

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To attract offers and add value to your home, you need to clean, declutter, and stage.

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So once you’ve decided to move forward with the listing, you’re probably wondering what it takes to successfully attract buyers. It’s simple: To attract offers and add value to your home, you need to clean, declutter, and stage.

By doing these things and by partnering with an experienced agent, you’ll be able to sell quickly and for top dollar. If you have any other questions or would like more information, please give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

How Can Debt Help You Build Wealth?

teamwinegarden@teamwinegarden.com (Erik Winegarden) — Tue, 5 Mar 2019 14:08:00 -0800

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When people talk about debt, it typically has a negative connotation to it. If used improperly, debt can be a huge stressor and a drain on your finances. However, if leveraged properly, you can use debt to make you wealthy at the end of the day.

Consumer debt is the one with the negative connotation. It includes things like credit cards, car loans, and basically anything else that doesn’t pay you. As we build your investment portfolio, living within your means and avoiding as much consumer debt as possible is key. It’s a hard temptation to resist, but if you do, you can use your debt to build something in the future and buy what you need without taking on debt.

Now, let’s look at income debt. This is debt that actually makes you money. One example is the income you receive from a rental property that you own. This is a simple concept, but unless we put it out there, it’s not going to happen. My job is to help you understand that there’s a big opportunity to use debt to your advantage in this market. There’s a lot of confusion out there, but I’ve been buying properties for a long time.

At the end of the day, if the deal works from a cash flow perspective and you have an interest rate that’s locked in for the life of the loan, it will work as well today as it does 30 years from now. You want to invest your money somewhere, get it working for you, and make a lot of money over time.

If you have any questions about using debt in a good way or how to stop using it in a bad way, don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I would love to hear from you soon.

Real Estate Is a Three-Pronged Investment

teamwinegarden@teamwinegarden.com (Erik Winegarden) — Mon, 18 Feb 2019 11:45:00 -0800

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As you guys all know, there are many different investment vehicles out there that you can make a lot of money from. But why would you invest in real estate as opposed to the traditional stock market? We’re going to look at that question a little more closely today.

There are three ways to make money in real estate:

1. Appreciation. Home values go up over time. When you purchase at x, it will eventually go up to y over time. Certainly, there are fluctuations in the market, but in the history of real estate, those values always go up eventually.

2. Depreciation. The government gives you incentives to purchase and own real estate in order to stimulate the economy. These deductions lessen your income for these things.

3. Cash flow. This is money that you make after somebody pays your mortgage with rent. The difference in rent and the mortgage payment is your passive cash flow each month.

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Home values always go up over time.

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In the stock market, the only way to make money is through appreciation, although the cyclical nature of the market is similar. The stock market just makes promises of tomorrow while real estate does that, and pays you today.

There’s a clear advantage to investing in real estate just based on the sheer numbers. If you have any questions about this topic or where you should be putting your money when it comes to real estate, don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

The Future of Our Real Estate Market

teamwinegarden@teamwinegarden.com (Erik Winegarden) — Thu, 31 Jan 2019 13:57:00 -0800

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As you all know, real estate markets are cyclical—they go up, they go down, and then they start over again. Our market has been moving in an upward trend since around 2012. Typically, upward trends in the market last between five and seven years and are followed by an 18- to 36-month sideways or slightly downward trend. This is considered normal.

Over the past 10 years, we’ve been everything but normal. There have been massive lows and highs, and it seems like a lot of people have forgotten what a normal real estate market actually looks like.

So what does this mean for 2019?

Well, based on what we’ve seen, it seems likely that our days on market will go up alongside rising inventories. Homes won’t necessarily sell in seconds with multiple offers—we in the industry are going to have to put in some work, sharpen our skills to get homes sold, and remind ourselves how real estate markets actually operate.

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Whether you’re buying or selling, you have an awesome market to take advantage of.

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What I do know about the market is that interest rates are still outstanding—if you look at historical trends, you’ll see that our current rates are amazing. Sales prices are great, as well. This means that, whether you’re buying or selling, you have an awesome market to take advantage of.

If you have any questions about market trends or what to expect from the coming year, feel free to reach out to me. There is a lot more to discuss in detail than what I’ve said today, and I would be glad to have a deeper discussion with you.

We Want to Answer Your Investing Questions in 2019

teamwinegarden@teamwinegarden.com (Erik Winegarden) — Wed, 2 Jan 2019 10:08:00 -0800

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Happy New Year! We can’t wait to make this year our best yet, and one of the ways we plan to do this is by continuing to answer your questions.

We will, of course, continue to take new questions, but we would also like to announce an upcoming series that will cover the questions you’ve asked up to this point.

A lot of the questions we received in 2018 were about investing, so this series is going to focus on that topic, specifically. We look forward to using our personal experience with investing to help guide you toward reaching your goals.

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We look forward to using our personal experience with investing to help guide you toward reaching your goals.

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If you have any other questions or would look more information, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

The 1 Key Reason We Switched to eXp Realty

teamwinegarden@teamwinegarden.com (Erik Winegarden) — Mon, 15 Oct 2018 10:50:00 -0700

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Our team has an exciting announcement to make: We’ve made the switch to eXp Realty!

Beyond simply keying you in on this great news, though, I also wanted to explain why we decided to make this move. Ultimately, it comes down to one simple reason: eXp Realty offers amazing technology—and this allows us to better serve you, our clients.

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It’s the least we can do to make sure our clients are achieving the best possible results.

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After 12 years of being in the business, I’ve come to realize that real estate is truly a service industry. When clients come to my team for help, they’re trusting us with one of the greatest investments of their lives. Therefore, it’s the least we can do to make sure our clients are achieving the best possible results. We want to help your buying and selling dreams come true.

If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

You Don't Need to Wait Until Spring to Sell

teamwinegarden@teamwinegarden.com (Erik Winegarden) — Wed, 19 Sep 2018 08:36:00 -0700

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Should you list your home now as we approach the fall and winter seasons? Or should you wait until next spring? People ask me this a lot during this time of year, so I thought I would share my thoughts with you today.

If I showed you a list of the percentages of sale from January 1 to December 31, you would see a bell curve. What's interesting about this bell curve is that, while the volume does increase, the percentage of sale meaning the homes listed and sold, are almost exactly the same throughout the year.

In simple terms, this means that if there are 100 homes listed in January and 1,000 homes listed in June, you'll see the same percentage of homes sold.

What do these numbers mean? They mean that if you're looking to sell a home in the fall, you're going to have less competition. This means you may be able to net more money because there's less to choose from for the potential buyers looking.

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There is never a bad time or a good time to sell if you need to sell real estate.

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There is never a bad time or a good time to sell if you need to sell real estate. The reality is that we'll get it done for you and net you the most amount of money.

If you have any questions about selling in the fall, please let me know. I look forward to speaking with you soon.

What Does a Shift in Our Market Mean for You?

teamwinegarden@teamwinegarden.com (Erik Winegarden) — Wed, 5 Sep 2018 09:16:00 -0700

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I’ve been getting a lot of questions lately about the market and what exactly is going on right now. I’ve done a little bit of research for you and wanted to share my thoughts today.
As you all know, we’ve seen some interest rate hikes, but we haven’t seen anything too major. However, experts are forecasting approximately three more hikes in the next year that will take interest rates up by 2% to 2.5%.

When these interest rates go up, it’s going to affect affordability for homebuyers in the market. Instead of being able to purchase a $250,000 home, you’re only going to be able to afford a $225,000 home.

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Increased interest rates will reduce buyer pools and reduce home prices.

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For home sellers, this is going to reduce the buyer pool for their home. This will put downward pressure on the market and push your home value down.

That’s why if you’re considering selling at all in the next few years, it’s vital that you look at your options for selling this year before these rates increase and prices start to go down.

There’s a lot going on here. If you have any specific questions about this or about anything else related to the real estate market, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you.

The 9 Emotions of Selling a Home: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

teamwinegarden@teamwinegarden.com (Erik Winegarden) — Tue, 14 Aug 2018 13:24:00 -0700

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Selling a home can be an extremely emotional process, and because it isn’t something most people do very often in their lifetime, it’s sometimes confusing to know what feelings are normal.

Well, if you’ve found yourself riding an emotional rollercoaster during your selling experience, you’re not alone. There are nine emotional stages most sellers go tend to go through over the course of their transaction.

1. Excitement. Once sellers have finally signed the listing documents, they tend to feel energized by the prospect of the sale.

2. Anxiety. After the home is live on the market, a number of “what-if” scenarios can start popping into a seller’s mind. They wonder whether anyone will like their home, whether they’re going to get a fair deal, and whether they’re making the right choice in the first place.

3. Delight. Shortly into the listing process, nervous energy starts to wear off and sellers bounce back to the positive end of the emotional spectrum. Everything appears to be going well, and all signs point to a successful closing being well in sight.

4. Disappointment. Whether it comes from an unpleasant surprise on the inspection report, a difficult negotiation period, or something else entirely, most sellers will have the wind knocked from their sails at some point during the deal.

5. Elation. As the end of the transaction draws near and problems are resolved, the joy of seeing everything come together begins to set in.

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If you’ve found yourself riding an emotional rollercoaster during your selling experience, you’re not alone.

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6. Worry. Until the sellers have reached the closing table, there’s always the chance for more problems to arise. Last-minute details, like the appraisal, can easily take a seller from thrilled to troubled once more.

7. Relief. At last, when they’ve crossed the t’s and dotted the i’s, sellers can finally relax knowing that all their hard work has paid off.

8. Sadness. Even after everything is settled, the reality of knowing their home now belongs to someone else can be somewhat hard to swallow.

9. Joy. After the melancholy dissipates, sellers will find that everything they went through up until this point was worth it.

When you go through the process of selling a home, these ups and downs are normal. As a real estate professional who handles these transactions every day, I still go through this rollercoaster when I sell my own homes. I completely understand what this process and the feelings it brings are like, and would be more than happy to guide you through both.

If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.