Hello Everyone,

Well, we work with buyers all the time. One thing that can really be a problem is unrealistic expectations. Most home shoppers go looking for their second home. What I mean by this is that they tend to envision the home they want that is one step beyond their current budget. The problem with this is twofold.

First they are not going to find it meaning they will be on the neverending search for something that doesn't exist. When you see everything on the market and you still can't find what you want that is a red flag that what you want is unrealistic.

The second problem is that you are passing up on great deals in your price range because you think you are going to find that next level home at the lower price. Let the market tell you what you should expect. If you are really stuck on getting the next level home, then buy a good investment and stay there a few years so you can sell it and upgrade to what you really want. The key is to let the market tell you what to expect not that little voice inyour own head. If you look at the top five homes in your price range and don't see what you want, it is time to get realistic.

Hire and trust a professional we see this stuff day in and day out. We are here to help you be a home owner, not a home shopper.

Call us... 509-362-1966

Hello Everyone,

Here are the numbers:

4664 - Active homes for Sale

709 - Pending Homes (Homes with Offers)

15% pending

6.6 - Months of Inventory

$206,044 - Average Sold Price

149 - Days on Market average

So what does this mean? Well compared to this time last year, inventory is up 1%, but pendings are down .4%. This big change is the average sold price is up 5.% and the overal sold number is down 30% from where the 6 month sold inventory was at this time last year. Market time is up by 26 days. So homes are taking about another month to sell and even though last summer more homes sold. The prices and pending trend is good. It is a good time to buy with low interest rates, but selling is good too if you hire the right agent.

If you are looking to start shopping for a home, call us and find out about our "Smart Home Shopper" Program, it's free and can save you thousands in your next home purchase. Call for more details 509-362-1966

Hello Everyone,

It seems that reale state companies have changed like mortgage companies over the last few years. The little ones or poorly managed ones have fell by the wayside and some of the big ones have either merged or improved how they operate.

What do you look for in a company and what do you think would cause you to be compelled to change companies?

I would love to hear the feedback. I am very happy with my company but from what I have seen many other companies don't offer the same things and I am wondering what keeps people at their company. Thanks

Hello Everyone,

Spokane temperatures are getting down there, but the Spokane Real Estate Market is heating up. I expect us to hav a pretty good winter in homes sales. Though winter time is generally a slower time for real estate, the market has more homes for sale now than it has in the last 4 years so even with people taking homes off the market, many are leaving them on.

This means more homes to choose from for those winter shoppers. With interest rates low but expected to rise next year, and with the extended buyer tax credit, this is a great time to buy. Swoop up the deals while others are staying home. Get the jump on the winter inventory and see homes online before going out by signing up for our free Spokane home shopping tool. It's free and only takes moments to sign up. Just visit our Spokane Home Buyers main page and watch the short 1 minute video to learn more and sign up beneath.

If you are thinking of buying a home in Spokane this Winter, Call Us and let us work hard for you to make sure you get the most out of your home shopping experiance. 509-362-1966

Spokane Real Estate Expert - Rick Callaham

Hello Everyone,

Have you ever toured a home that looked better online than it did in person? Have you ever found yourself looking for the room in the photo only to realize that it was shot with a bubble lens and what you thought was the closet is actually the bedroom.

In a attempt to make the homes sell some agents go too far by stretching the photos or using wide angle fish eye lenses. These distort the photo and make the room look bigger than it is. This can be very frustrating to home shoppers because they spent their time coming out to see a home that was misrepresented.

The way to avoid this is to look at the corners of the photo and see if there is any distortion, or if the photo is a thin rectangle instead of a more squared rectangle. This might indicate the photo has been altered. Estimate the size of the room to be much smaller in person.

The opposite can also be true, bad cameras and bad angles can make a place look smal or not appealing and sometimes you get out there and the place is huge and well lit. Try and rely on the text slightly more than photos espaccially if the photos have been doctored.

Just another tip from the TQ Real Estate Experts to save you time and money. If you are going to buy or sall a home or know womeone who is, call us 362-1966 and let us help you get the most out of your home buying experience. or visit our Spokane Real Estate Website

Spokane Realty Experts - Team Quintana

Hello Everyone,

This question doesn't come up enough. Many people are buying new or newer homes and the question is should you get a home inspection or is it a waste of money. Well, it used to be when we used only Spokane forms that you have to have an inspector come out and look at the home and you could ask for items that were in the report as deficient. The reason this mattered was if they agreed to do the work you couldn't get out of the deal, but in the new forms you can get out subject to your satisfaction, whether you had your uncle look at it or a professional.

So having an inspection can give you an out of the deal. (consult a Professional for your specific situation) That aside, most people think the home is new why would I need an inspection, but an inspection can find a multitude of problems even in new homes. I also find it is a good tool to get to know your home. Most inspections cover both defects and suggestions for upgrades and maintenance that is very valuable for the new home owner. It is kind fo a getting to know you book for your home.

My suggestion is to have a home inspection on any home you are buying. Though some new homes may warranty their work, you may not find out about defects to be able to use those warranties. Better safe than sorry in most cases. It is a small investment for a large investment.

If you are thinking of buying a home in Spokane call us, we would love to help you find the perfect one and make sure it gets to closing safely. Call Us at 362-1966 or visit our Spokane Real Estate Website

Hello Everyone,

Home Buyers in Spokane Washington have a great opportunity with the First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit, but that isn't the only opportunity out there. With inventories higher than they have been in years, now is a good time to buy a home in Spokane Washington.

Winter draws near and it is a great time to start shopping. The internet can save you time and money from driving around and when you find an interesting home, call us, we ould love to show the home to you and help you understand the things to look for in your first home.

Buying a home can seem scary, but we are experts at helping first time home buyers in Spokane and will show you everything you need to get started looking. We have some great tools that will help educate you on the process and also help you see the best homes first. Call us to learn more. Getting a good realtor isn't jsut free for you, but it is the first step in the home owning process. Call us today 362-1966 or visit our Spokane Home Buyer Section of our Website for more information.

Brought to you by Team Quintana, Your North Spokane Real Estate Experts!

Lets look at what is happening in the North Spokane Real Estate Market.

We look at 5 key numbers to see the trends:

Active Listings: 253 in the Northtown Area

Compared to last month: 308 that is down 18%

Pending Listings: 55 or 21% of actives are pending - 2 in 10 are sold at any given time

Last Month: 96 or 31%of actives were panding -3 in 10 were sold at any given time

So pendings are down 43% from last month

Average Price: $121,121

List price to sale price ratio: 98.7%

Team Quintana's List to sale ratio: 100.1%

Average Days on Market: 118

Last Month: 111

Team Quintana's Average Days on Market: 69

Summary - Inventory is down as people take their homes off the market for winter. The amount of people buying in the month of December goes down as people get distracted with holidays. Pending should go up in percentage when inventory goes down but it went down meaning that less buyers are buying than last month and buyers may not be finding what they are looking for as inventory shrinks. Average price has come down as inventory increases. List to sale should go up as prices come down within reason. Average Days on Market is slower than average and will increase as we get into winter.

Recommendation - Many people are taking their homes off the market now and that lowers the competition increasing your chance to sell. Though buyers reduce int he winter they bounce right back after Jan 1st. I suggest you jump your competition by listing now and forgetting about it in December but having it ready for January. We see a spike every year in January and February. Many homeowners miss this and wait until spring. We market heavy on the internet during these months for sales. Our numbers for selling are 1.4% higher than the average agent in the North Spokane area, to put that in dollars if the average price is $121,121 that is an average gain of $1,695 for people who hire us. We also sell homes 42% faster than the average North Spokane Real Estate Agent. Call us to get free consultation on the best strategies for you. 509-362-1966 ask for Ross our Selling Specialist

Hello Spokane Real Estate Buyers,

With the extension of the tax credit and expansion of the terms, you could find that buying a home this year could mean big savings for you. There are many homes to choose from and all the signs are green for Spokane Home Buyers.

Now all you need is a great agent to help you find the perfect home and get a great deal on it. Here is a link to the government site to see if you qualify for the tax credit.

http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=204671,00.html

When it comes time to start shopping call us and let us set you up with the best resources to find and track all the homes that fit your criteria with your own Online Spokane Home Shopping Suite. It's free and it will give you everything you need. Call us 509-220-9118 for more details

 Ok the media paints the picture of the greedy Realtor in sublte ways all the time. We never see the story of how th Realtor saved the day and helped the people unless the NAR runs an ad. Te free media we get is how overpaid and greedy the Realtors are and how you might not need them at all.

Fact is for sale by owners and people who buy homes on their own run into more trouble that people who hire a professional to help them. Not only that, with all of the required schooling and education on forms that keep getting more and more complex, why would you want to open yourself up to the liability of going it alone.

  The problem isn't Realtors are not worth their money, the only problem is if you don't pick the right one. Most Realtors are advertising pick me, pick me, because they only get paid when they help you buy or sell a home. The thing is you have to be able to get past the advertising and do your due diligence to see who really knows their stuff. If you do this you should be better than OK.

Let's face it, Buying or selling a home is tough and problems come up. You need a great agent to make sure you get to the finish line. So don't just automatically say you don't want help like when people walk into a store and the clerk asks if they may help you and you say no thanks, but then turn around and ask where xyz is. It's a natural reaction to the mass marketing. But don't go so overboard that you run from the people who you need to help you. Just talk to them and get some information you don't have to commit right then, but if you find a good agent start working with them. They can help you avoid early mistakes.

Call us for help buying or selling homes 509-220-9118 or visit our Spokane Home Buyer Section of our website. Thanks

Rick Callaham Spokane Real Estate Expert Team Quintana Real Estate Spokane, WA	Mobile: 509-220-9118 rick@teamquintana.com Spokane Homes
Rick Can Help You Buy a Home!
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