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Tis the Season for a Confusing Market- Where Are We, Anyway??

Whether you own a home, want to own a home, want to sell a home, or just like to keep up with the news, you’ve probably been hearing plenty about the real estate market, interest rates, and all the attendant chatter.

To misquote a quote, the rumors of a crash have been greatly exaggerated. Here in the Metro Richmond Market, where I also pull my numbers unless stated otherwise, we’ve definitely seen a shift- anecdotally as we’ve seen more inspections granted, fewer multiple offer situations, and more negotiation on the part of buyers (cue sound of buyers rejoicing everywhere).

By the numbers, we see basically the same thing, but you sort of have to look a bit closer to really see what’s going on. In November, the average sale price of homes in the Richmond Metro area dipped to $421,017 from $423,438. Not a huge drop at all. BUT, if you look at the median, you’ll see that the median sales prices has actually been totally flat since August at $365,000.

In addition, while the median list price to sales price ratio has been flat at 100% since September, the average has dipped to 99.9%. That’s no kind of crash. A leveling, or an adjustment for sure. But considering that the high of April 22 was 107.5%, that is a drop indeed.

Basically, you’re still not “stealing” a house here in the Richmond area, but if you were looking over the last 6 months and got tired of crazy multiple offer situations. those have largely dissipated. While we may see some *great* homes that have multiple offers, most homes now do not. Can you get homes with an inspection and/or negotiate a price reduction or some concessions? You absolutely can! It’s happening pretty consistently, in fact.

If you’re selling, 100% of list price still doesn’t sound too bad, does it? Just make sure you have an agent you trust to help walk you through the process, from prep, to pricing.

Do you have more questions on the market? I’d love to help!