The Popularity Contest

The refrain this summer and spring has been no inventory, no inventory, where is all the inventory?  New buyers entering the market may have a hard time wrapping their heads around the necessary strategies to compete for properties, and I've been lamenting the accelerated way I've had to bring clients through the process lately.  Your first home-buying experience should be exciting and educational, not the nail-biting, crazy race to offer we're dealing with this year.

With a little planning, the anxiety can be taken down a couple of notches.  Starting a conversation with a lender to know exactly how much home you can afford will keep you from wasting time looking at houses over your budget.  Sharing your financial situation with an experienced professional can alert you to, and potentially resolve, any issues with your credit to prevent them from rearing their ugly heads during the underwriting process later.  Contacting a Realtor who can outline the entire process and begin to set expectations is an important part of conducting a smooth transaction, and getting to know the local market early will allow you to recognize a good value.

Louisville has a range of properties from condos just over $100,000 to single family homes over $1,000,000.  Like most places, some neighborhoods are more popular than others, and it's crucial to know how the individual areas are behaving when it comes to finally being ready to purchase.

Source:  IRESis

Since January 1, 2013, 119 detached and attached dwellings have sold in the city (excluding empty lots and new construction).  Of these, 46 of them, almost 39%, sold at or over the listing price.  The chart to the right shows the breakdown of the locations of those properties.

This data does not reflect any monetary concessions that a seller may give to a buyer at the time of closing.  These are usually granted as compensation for unexpected inspection items that have not been repaired, but they can be included for other reasons from time to time.  Seller concessions affect the net amount that the seller walks away from the transaction with, and are a consideration for any buyers studying sales data in order to come up with a reasonable offer price.  However, I've not included them today since my primary focus here is a snapshot view of the competitive offer situation.

Source:  IRESis

The chart on the left presents the distribution of all of the properties sold in Louisville since the beginning of the year, again excluding land and new construction.  Keeping in mind that the data set doesn't reflect the homes that were for sale and taken off of the market, we can still see some trends.  For instance, we can see that the properties that sold in Parkwood and Saratoga all sold for at least asking price, if not more.  The Heritage and Hillsborough West neighborhoods boasted 50% or better.

Obviously, I can't summarize every single neighborhood in this post, but if you have narrowed down your areas of interest I highly recommend doing a targeted analysis.  An area may not have made these charts because perhaps they only offer up one house a year, but that house may be scooped up immediately by a savvy buyer who knows there is little turnover there.  Give me a call, and I'll be happy to pull the data you'll need to start feeling confident about your decisions.  Besides, I like making the colorful charts.

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I would love to help you with your real estate journey. 

Please contact me at 303-917-7143 or robbin@stauferteam.com

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Driving Louisville

While the internet is a great place to start shopping for a new home, there's no substitute for visiting properties and driving neighborhoods in person.  Come out with me tomorrow morning to take a look at some new listings in a variety of Louisville neighborhoods.

605 Fairfield Lane - $625,000
This 3618sqft home sits on more than a quarter of an acre in the Coal Creek Ranch neighborhood.  It does back to Cherry Street which may be too busy for some, but with 5 bedrooms, 4 baths and a 3-car garage the road could be overlooked by the right buyer.

841 Garfield Avenue - $629,000
It's all about location.  Well, in this case the location and the finishes.  The owners have completed renovated this 1599sqft ranch in Old Town Louisville, reflecting attention to the historic Victorian character.  With 2 bedrooms and 1 bath, it could be the perfect home for the buyer interested in downsizing while still staying close to amenities.

1145 W. Enclave Circle - $629,000
For a little extra space, check out this 3800sqft home sitting on more than a half an acre in The Enclave.  Built in 1988, the pictures reveal that some updating still needs to be done.

824 La Farge - $639,000
Another downtown property, this 1904 home has an open floor plan plus 4 bedrooms and 2 baths.  It boasts hardwood floors, a nice bathroom remodel, pleasant outdoor spaces and an unfinished basement.  However, there are no pictures of the kitchen, which always makes me wonder what surprises await there.

1188 Grove Court - $725,000
The outdoor lifestyle is important to many who relocate to Colorado.  This 3978sqft home is walking distance to Harper Lake, and has a big backyard with a deck, garden and dog run.  With 5 bedrooms, 4 baths, finished basement and 3-car garage, it looks like it's got some updating but still room for your personality.

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I would love to help you with your real estate journey. 

Please contact me at 303-917-7143 or robbin@stauferteam.com

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