Signs of a Recovering Real Estate Market

Unemployment and foreclosures have kept the real estate market from coming back as it was expected a few years ago. Some news seem to be a bit confusing for sellers and buyers who do not know what to expect - as it seems that one day the market is recovering and the next day, it is doomed to more foreclosures. However, house prices have not soared yet, and although this is bad news for sellers, it is great news for prospective home buyers who are sitting in the lines waiting for the right time to buy. For buyers, the right time is now, not only for the low prices, but also for the low interest rates and the amount of inventory available. For sellers, it is another story, as they will not get as much $$$ as they wanted.

The signs of a recovery in the real estate market can be seen around your neighborhood. To the untrained eye that is skeptic of statistics, it may look like this. Suddenly, for sale signs that have been stuck on the ground are starting to disappear. "Sold" and "Sale Pending" signs are starting to replace faded "For Sale" signs. New faces are strolling down your streets, and if by miracle, the eyesore of the neighborhood has been given a face lift. Agents are parading the neighborhoods again, and signs of open houses are adorning neighborhoods on Sundays. The market seems to have starting to become alive, and agents are starting to smile again.

More and more "Pods" and trailers are coming to the neighborhood and are being parked in the driveways. The weekends are becoming full with activity of homeowners packing their belongings. Garbage pickup includes furnishing items, and some items are waiting on the curve for the curious picker. Rows of new "For Sale" signs appear overnight, and neighbors start competing with one another by sprucing their property in order to have the most enticing curve appeal. The weekend starts showing some expected individuals visiting some of the neighbors' homes - the ones with the For Sale sign, and Fido is happy to start his "barking with excitement" once more. Busy agents stop outside and chat with prospective home buyers after a home showing, admiring the neighborhood and point out things. Yes, to the untrained eye, it seems that some kind of awakening is happening - dormant neighborhoods are starting to glow and buzz with activity.

A drive around downtown shows that the many "We are hiring now" signs in several Real Estate agencies are becoming less frequent - for some reason, it seems that some agents are staying after the hard debate of going back to full-time work on another field, and others are coming back to their old RE jobs. New hires will have some competition after all.