March 2021

Trying to buy a home in the hardest buyers’ market

March 29, 2021Continuing the conversation… what it’s like trying to buy a home in the hardest buyers’ market we’ve ever seen. Where the inventory is miniscule. And the competition is fierce. And where the vague notion of “market value” is an increasingly fluid concept that seems to change by the hour, by the day and by the week! To all those intrepid folks who are hunting for a home right now, I feel your pain. Diving into the deep-end of this crazy market isn’t easy. And trying...

When a recent listing received 12 offers in the first week

March 22, 2021When a recent listing received 12 offers in the first week, I had a chance to refresh my observations about how difficult it is to be an inexperienced buyer or a new agent in a multiple offer marketplace. A market that specializes in chewing up and spitting out the naive, the well-meaning and anyone who isn’t 100% committed to the process. No matter how qualified they are. Or how good their intentions may be. When I see young buyers struggling or hear their agents complaining...

What it feels like to be a Buyer in today’s market

March 16, 2021Continuing the conversation… what it feels like to be a Buyer in today’s market. A market that just might be the hardest market Buyers in these parts have ever seen. Hint: Fun isn’t the word that comes to mind. I’m thinking more along the lines of: disappointing, exhausting, crushing - take your pick and then some! And that goes double for the vast majority of Buyers who are lumped into the same narrow price range and who are finding themselves repeatedly locked in mortal combat...

What’s the market going to look like in 2021?

March 9, 2021Continuing the conversation… what’s the market going to look like in 2021…. If it is anything like the first month, it’s going to be extraordinary. And by that I mean, extraordinarily successful for some (Sellers) and extraordinarily stressful for others (Buyers). As I write, there’s a paltry inventory of 119 active single family listings on the market, scattered across the entire County. That includes the West Side, East Side, Mid County, Capitola, Aptos, San Lorenzo Valley, Watsonville and the hills of Soquel and Corralitos combined....

More Acceleration

March 2, 2021Looking ahead… trying to imagine what the next year in real estate is going to look like now that the year like no other has finally ended.. It was a year that shattered the few norms still left after eight straight years of the longest upcycle ever. And a year that saw wild price increases in the face of a global pandemic, waves of social unrest and swathes of devastating fires. Looking back over 2020, the real estate market was one of the best things...