Equilibrium. The state of "Equilibrium" is achieved when there is balance between the number of homes on the market and the number of buyers in the marketplace. Of course, since no true accounting exists to determine the number of buyers in the marketplace, the determination of whether it is a Buyer's or Seller's market (or Equilibrium) is totally a judgment call based on a particular Realtor's reading of the market.

Holidays. We frequently see a slowdown in showings (and therefore sales) around holidays. It seems that people are focused on celebrating the holidays or going out of town, etc. rather than buying houses.

School Starts/Ends. Similarly, we typically see a slowdown in showings and sales around the time that school is starting and ending. The exception to this rule is that there are frequently some last-minute-shoppers in early August that try to get a home under contract so that their child can start school in a particular school district.

Please check out the graph (at left) and forecast (below) for more information on the cyclical nature of the real estate market.

As the number one seller of homes in the 30189 zip code, Gina's team members are recognized as the experts in helping people buy or sell Towne Lake area homes. We hope that you love Gina's magazine, The TowneLaker, and that you will think of us, CENTURY 21 Advantage, first when you need to buy or sell real estate in the Towne Lake area.

Visit us at ginacarr.com or viewtownelakehomes.com.

The Carr Report
Is Now a Good Time to Sell My House?

Gina Carr,
Advantage Team Leader

When is the best time to sell your house?

The easy answer is that the best time to sell your home is when you really need to move.

However, the more complicated answer concerns the fundamentally cyclical nature of our local real estate market. Over the years, I have become a serious student of the real estate market place. Following are some of my observations and the introduction of a new forecast to assist residents with analyzing the market.

In the Towne Lake area, houses sell during all months of the year. However, as you might have guessed, more sales occur during the spring and summer. (See attached graph at bottom.)

Ski Slope. Not surprisingly, sales follow an almost "ski slope" pattern as they ramp up beginning in January, top out during June, and trend downward through the fall.

Seller's Market. When Realtors^® use the term "Seller's Market," they mean that more Buyers are in the market than Sellers and therefore Sellers are able to command a little higher price for their homes. For the last several years, we have seen a Seller's Market almost every fall.

Buyer's Market. Starting in January, we typically see a flurry of new listings (homes for sale). It seems that a lot of people put off listing their home until after the first of the year. That is why you will see a lot of homes go on the market in January. By spring, we see a return to a Buyer's Market, i.e., there are a lot of homes from which the Buyer may choose. Therefore, only the homes that are priced well and that show well receive offers.

Real Estate Forecast

This month we are introducing the Real Estate Forecast (REF). This is the index of sales volume in the Towne Lake area (zip code 30189). Each month, we will tell you whether sales for the previous month were above or below the average of 68 homes per month.

Home sales for August 2002: 75
Average for August ('98 — '02): 68

Current Market Conditions: Based on my market knowledge, I believe that we are currently in a Buyer's Market. I expect to see Equilibrium in October/November, trending towards a Seller's Market in late November.

Prediction for September: 64

Given the incredibly low interest rates (and the speculation that rates will rise beginning in 2003), I predict that sales this fall will be stronger than normal.

Prediction for October: 61