We need houses to sell. According to Trulia, last quarter experienced the biggest year-over-year decrease in home inventories since 2013. For anecdotal evidence, yesterday I was looking for a buyer in a $50,000 price range in one of Des Moines’s suburbs, there was one home for sale in that price range. ONE HOME FOR SALE!

What does this mean for you? If you are a seller, buyers are already starving for homes to buy. If you are thinking about waiting until Spring to get your house on the market, you are waiting for when there is far more competition for the buyers that are frantically searching now.

If you are a buyer, you need a responsive agent who will watch the market for you and get you into houses quickly. You need to be fully prepared. And I can guarantee that as 2018 goes on, this is just the beginning.

I am the agent who can put you in the best position if you are looking to sell or buy. Call me today and let’s get you where you want to be. You can reach me at 515.639.0047 or RyanLynch@KW.com.

~Ryan Lynch

I finally have numbers for 2017 to report on how I did versus the rest of the market. The Des Moines Area Association of Realtors average days on market for 2017 was 77. My average days on market was 25. That means that I beat the market on average by 67.6% in 2017!!! That is up from beating the market by 60.8% in 2016, which was up from beating the market by 58.8% in 2015.

I have poured much of my time and money into becoming the best agent I can be for you. This shows in my consistent results.

I want to make sure that you know that I am not just about the numbers. I love my clients and I love finding ways to make myself better for them. With that in mind, I thought I would share my very favorite review of 2017, from J.K.:

There are some ways in which Ryan is a well-above-average realtor: his knowledge and constant study of the marketplace; his network of connections including lenders, inspectors, and contractors; his instinct for thinking long-term; and his patience, diligence, and thoroughness in every aspect of the buying or selling process. That’s an abridged list, to be sure, but it will suffice to convey how dedicated Ryan is to the mastery of his real estate craft. He is someone committed to his own professional growth, and he measures that growth in the satisfaction and contentment of his clients.

Then there are the ways in which Ryan is an exceptional realtor. These are mostly intangible, which is to say, they are the most critical. Ryan is a great communicator, mostly by dint of being a talented listener. He listens intently, and he asks thoughtful questions that help his clients focus their thought process. Ryan can read a room; he is as tactful as he is forthcoming. He conducts himself with poise and brings a steady hand and level head to a frequently anxiety-inducing process. Ryan is somehow both unflaggingly positive and steadfastly realistic, which would seem a contradiction but is just an aspect of Ryan’s ability to turn a mountain into a mole hill.

The upshot? Ryan is a great realtor by way of being a great person. Let him sell your house. Or let him find you a house to buy. The only thing you have to lose is the time it takes to write a 5-star review for a truly special realtor.

Thank you Jay! If you want a realtor who consistently beats the market while staying “unflaggingly positive and steadfastly realistic”, call me today! You can reach me at 515.639.0047 or RyanLynch@KW.com.

~Ryan Lynch

2017 is over and the real estate market in Des Moines and Central Iowa has completed another insane year! If you thought 2016 was crazy for home sales, we actually sold even more in 2017. Here is the breakdown.

Total Houses Sold – 14,603

Houses Sold Growth Over 2016 – 4%

So what does this mean for 2018? As of December 31st, there were 3,213 houses available for sale. That is up 7.9% from 2016. While pending sales are about even with 2016 at 1,531 houses pending as of December 31st. That means that the demand is at the same levels as it was at the beginning of 2017 (even though it is colder now than it was then), and we have more inventory available. I am getting a lot of questions about when to sell or buy for 2018, and right now I am telling people that this is likely to be the point of the year where you will have the lowest competition for both.

If the market follows the 4% growth number, then that means we will sell over 15,000 houses in 2018. Are you thinking about buying or selling in 2018? Reach out to me and get prepared for a market that keeps getting stronger. I will have 2017 numbers for Days On Market soon. I beat the market by 60% in 2016 and 2015. You can reach me at 515.639.0047 or RyanLynch@KW.com.

~Ryan Lynch

There are a couple of things that are happening in the market right now that make it an ideal time to sell your house and/or to look for your new home.

#1 is that in the past 12 months (according to Core Logic) houses nationally have appreciated at 7%. That means that if you bought a house one year ago for $100,000, today it would (on average) be worth $107,000.

#2 is that today (December 13th, 2017) the Federal Reserve raised interest rates for the third time this year. They are expected to raise rates 3 times again next year as well. Interest rates are projected to only go up.

What this means to you as a buyer: money to buy houses is projected to only get more expensive. The house you could have afforded yesterday might have just been pushed out of your price range. You can get more money cheaper if you are looking to buy a house than you are projected to at any point in the next year.

What this means to you as a seller: your home is growing in value at ridiculous rates. The normal growth is 3% per year, and we are at more than double that. You have the chance to sell your house at a market high, while still getting historically low interest rates for the houses that you can buy.

If you have been thinking about downsizing, upsizing, or any sizing at all, I would recommend getting me to tell you what your house is worth in this market (for free and with no commitment), and what is available for you. You can reach me at 515.639.0047 or RyanLynch@KW.com.

~Ryan Lynch

I seem to do something that is mostly unique when pricing the homes that I sell. I have been compared to A LOT of other realtors. Sometimes I am being compared to one realtor. One time I was up against seven other realtors! (I got the listing and I sold it!) What I have found is that I am repeatedly told that I am the only one who is showing people one very specific thing when talking about pricing:

The Market.

Almost everyone looks at comparables. That is, houses that are the same style, in the same geographic region, similar in size and rooms, and sold within the past 6 months. Hopefully, the realtor you are talking to is at least finding similar houses. If you are just given a list of houses that does not match at least these very basic criteria, you might want to consider interviewing more realtors. (Or just interview me.)

What amazes me is that I am told that I am the only one looking at current competition. I am really happy that four houses that are very similar to yours sold for $250,000. Right now there are 6 houses that are just like yours on the market for $240,000. How well do you think your house will sell if you price it at $250,000? This also matters one week after you list, one month after you list, and so on. I update all of my clients every week with what is happening in the market and what my recommendations are based off of the data.

In fact, I would say that this is the most important piece of information to look at when pricing your home. Who you are competing against matters. It can go the other way as well. What if those same four houses that are similar to yours sold for $250,000, and now there are six houses on the market just like yours that are priced at $275,000? Do you want to lose that $25,000?

Understanding the market, and understanding your competition is a huge advantage in getting your house sold quickly and for the most money possible. Get me on your team so that you have someone that understands the market. You can reach me at 515.639.0047 or RyanLynch@KW.com.

~Ryan Lynch

You have 30 to 60 minutes to convince the average person to buy your house. That is all! You need to put your house in the best light possible so that the small amount of time they have gets people excited. There are three areas to focus on if you are planning to sell your house. These three things will make your house more attractive, more open, and more sell-able:

1. De-Clutter – Pick up and put away everything. Better yet, pack it up and get it ready to move. Have as little on the floor as possible. Have as little on cabinets, counter tops, and any surface as possible. The more open and spacious your house feels, the better.

2. De-Personalize – Put away all family pictures. Take down all non-generic art. What I mean by non-generic art is if you like art that is racy, taboo, or anything that you might not want to show your children, put it away. You want to make the space as clean as possible so that when people walk through your house, they see themselves in it. That is hard to do if they see your family’s faces everywhere they look.

3. Light and Bright – Turn on every light you can. Put in new bulbs if necessary. Open every curtain, shade, and blind. Let as much light into the house as possible. This again adds to the effect of making things look bigger and more spacious.

These simple steps will dramatically impact people’s first impression of your house. Here are a few bonuses that cost money:

4. Paint – I have never seen a fresh coat of paint make any house look worse. Unless you choose orange. Don’t choose orange.

5. New Carpet – I have had so many people ask me whether or not they should replace their carpet. My answer is almost always to do it. People have no imagination and will say no to a house they love because of stains on a carpet. People want a house that they can just move into, or they expect to pay less if they know that it is going to need work.

6. Power Wash the Exterior and/or Roof – Both of these things are much more cost effective than you might imagine, and can be incredibly powerful in changing people’s perception of your house.

These are just the beginning of tips that can make your house feel like home to a buyer. I am always happy to add value by coming out to your house and being honest with you about what is and isn’t a good use of your time and money for getting a house ready. You can reach me anytime. If you are thinking about buying a home, selling a home, or investing in real estate, get me on your team! You can reach me at 515.639.0047 or RyanLynch@KW.com.

~Ryan Lynch