‘Twas the week before Christmas

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Real Estate

‘Twas the week before Christmas,

And all through the market,

Not a listing was stirring,

Except mine!

This week I got my condo listing at 91 Forest Lane in Terra Linda into escrow! The buyers had come to our first open house, but they waited over three weeks before deciding to write an offer. Sometimes sellers decide not to sell until the New Year, other times they wait between the New Year and spring to put a property on the market. The times we typically see an uptick in activity are the first week of the New Year, after the Superbowl, and then Ski Week. Ski Week might be the slowest week of the year in real estate because so many families head out of town. By March 1st the market really starts to pick up steam and when we hit April buying and selling activity reaches a crescendo as the days get longer and warmer, and gardens start to blossom. Every year and each property is different, but we still can anticipate seasonal activity.

Also, last week I put a townhouse on the market at 100 Marin Center Dr #71 in Terra Linda. The sellers don’t have a whole lot of time to wait around because they are in contract on a replacement property out of state. After my broker’s open and a few considerable nibbles, I’m feeling really good about our chances of attracting an offer within our tight timeframe.

Likewise, my new listing at 335 Las Colindas has attracted at least one potential buyer who is getting everything together to make an offer. Throughout my 20 year real estate sales career I’ve found that just because sellers don’t traditionally try to sell during certain times of the year like the holidays and the month of August, it doesn’t mean good buyers aren’t still paying attention and ready to make offers on new listings. In fact, there is less for buyers to consider with less competition among sellers, which is fertile grounds for selling.

Last week the Federal Reserve hawkishly lowered the interest rate by a quarter point, cutting expectations for rate cuts in 2025 back to only two. Who knows if that will even happen? It all depends on inflation and unemployment, which may be greatly effected by the Trump tariff and mass deportation plans. The stock market didn’t like what was happening, taking a severe drop. Mortgage interest rates spiked to over 7%.  Meanwhile the house had a difficult time keeping the government open after Trump torpedoed a bipartisan proposal that would have kept the government running for a few more months. In a bit of a surprise move, Republicans in the house voted for a continuing resolution that Trump/Musk did not endorse which kept the lights on but didn’t lift the debt ceiling. That issue will rear its ugly head in March. In the meantime, Trump continues to distract and deflect by threatening to take back the Panama Canal. As long as he doesn’t start messing with the housing market we should be okay.

Happy Holidays!

*** Thank you for reading my blog! If you or any of your friends and family ever have any real estate questions, please feel free to contact me at andyfalk2112@yahoo.com or 415-250-8025. I’m always happy to help!