“How we do any one thing is how we do everything”
My mother
“We do exactly what we want to do”
My father
As I sit down to write to you, I close my eyes and ask myself what it is I really want to convey. I could write about the market (extremely competitive), about my sales since COVID (very busy) and my predictions for the future (I wish I knew) but I am motivated by these two sentences from my parents.
My daughter is interested in buying her first home. She is 23 and has an exceptionally good job with Facebook. She is impressive. I am in awe of her. At her age, I was married and a new mom but I most certainly was not thinking about buying a home, on my own. I was trying to figure out how to make baby food, how to make ends meet, and how to be a wife and mother when I was still very much a child.
As I navigate my way through being both her mother and her realtor I am struck by how, even at 47 (48 on the 20th), I am still getting to know myself. My first inclination is to be disappointed in my reaction, “Why don’t you know exactly what to say to her? Why are you so confused?” But having spent the weekend reflecting I realize that this is a new experience for me. Of course, I am confused. I am her mother (I should tell her what to do), I am her realtor (I must respect her decisions) - the contradictions abound.
I am settled by my parent’s guidance now integrated into my own consciousness, my daughter needs exactly what any client of mine needs; information. She has always been a driven person and she is doing exactly what she wants to do in precisely the way she does things. All I have to do is show her the way, and as all my clients do, she will come to the right decision for her.
And on a final note - the market is hot - to quote myself (this is a quote heavy email), “Real estate is a psychologically driven industry”. COVID will not last forever but we humans are mere animals and we react en masse to cataclysmic events. I am observing an intensified drive to be safe, an increase in the need to be settled, and a deeper desire for comfort. My buyers are less motivated by speculation and instead motivated by the tangibles; location, space, sunlight. My sellers are looking to get out of Dodge before it is too late to do so. Inventory is down significantly so although I have received many calls from folks hoping that this is the moment to finally get a “deal” (again, to quote myself, “there are no deals, only opportunities”) the market continues to favor sellers.
How long this will continue is anyone’s guess - not much longer is my prediction but I have been saying that for years. My best advice, do what is honest for you but do it with consciousness. If you want to buy a home and you believe you will stay put for at least 5 (preferably 7) years, then buy. If you want to sell, now is as good a time as there ever was. Interest rates will not stay this low forever, the economy will tank. But ultimately, we live in the most desirable place on planet earth, temperate climate, innovative culture, people who believe in science and wear masks, what more could anyone ask for?
I am here if you need me, always.
Love,
Sarah
