I thought I would share a solid list of things that will make buying a home or selling a home easier. I have had many clients tell me that they are happy they worked with me for the same reason: because I help keep them calm and I am not pushy. I have had it said so often I thought I should share it in case you or anyone you know is looking for a realtor like this.

Buying or selling a home can be one of the most stressful transactions you will ever do. It is usually one of the largest financial transactions of most people’s lives. And if you have never done it before you will find so much that you did not expect. I have now been involved in over 100 transactions of buying and selling real estate. I have learned an incredible amount in that time. I have found that there is always something different and that there are so many ways to protect yourself.

Here are some simple steps for helping you through the transaction:

1. Wait – I am not pushy. If you are not instantly in love with a house, I tell you to wait and see if you are still thinking about it tomorrow, or the next day. Take your time and get what you want.

2. Don’t wait – If you are instantly in love with a house and you know that it is the one you must have, make an offer. If something comes up that makes you change your mind, I can get you out of it. If you miss it though, that house can be gone the very next day.

3. Realize that most people don’t even think about you – That guy is not out to get you. That girl is not trying to screw you. They are thinking about themselves. I guarantee you that they are thinking about themselves and you are not even in their mind.

4. Everything is fixable if you are willing to pay for it or work on it – I have seen houses go from shells to high end. I have seen cramped quarters become spacious. I have seen UGLY become beautiful. You can do anything if you find the one that is just right and you are willing to do what is necessary to make it perfect for you.

5. Breathe – There are always more houses. There are always more buyers. There are always more options and you are almost never boxed in.

Get someone one your team who makes it feel easy. If you are looking to buy a home, sell a home, or invest in real estate, put me on your team. You can reach me at 515.639.0047 or RyanLynch@KW.com. Have a fantastic day!

~Ryan Lynch

The Federal Reserve recently released their Survey of Consumer Finanaces. In it they said that the average homeowner’s worth is 44 TIMES higher than the average renter. This was from data pulled from 2013-2016. Beyond that they found that the average homeowner’s net worth went up 15% while the average renter’s net wroth actually went down by 5%.

What this means to you is that simply owning your own home puts you in a stronger financial position on average. Imagine what the difference would be if you also looked at investment property? If you are interested in buying a home, selling a home, or investing in real estate (or you know someone else who is), put me on your team. You can reach me at 515-639-0047 or RyanLynch@KW.com.

~Ryan Lynch

This is the time of year where I get the question of “Should I wait until Spring?”. Here is the simple answer: no. Here are the reasons why:

Right now many people think that nothing sells and they should wait until next Spring. What that means to you: you have less competition when selling your home.

Right now interest rates will start to drop, historically. What that means to you: motivated buyers are out there getting more motivated.

Right now unmotivated buyers start to drop off because they are not motivated enough to look, and especially move, in the winter. What that means to you: Your house will be shown to more motivated buyers. You don’t get a lot of pointless showings. You show to people who are ready to move.

What all of this means to you: You can put your house on the market at a time when you have less competition in the market and the percentage of your buyers who are motivated is much much higher. To me, having less competition for highly motivated buyers sounds like a goldmine. How does it sound to you?

If you are looking to buy a home, sell a home, or invest in real estate: get me on your team! You can reach me at 515.639.0047 or RyanLynch@KW.com.

~Ryan Lynch

The Des Moines Area Association of Realtors (DMAAR) has already surpassed 10,000 houses sold in 2017! To put that in perspective, we are about 600 houses ahead of this time last year, and it took until December to break that magical 10,000 houses sold, and last year was a record breaking year!!!

What does this mean to you? It means that if you are a seller, there is a HUGE demand for getting your house on the market. Houses are still selling and they are selling quickly. It means that if you are a buyer, that you have had more houses to choose from in 2017 than in any other year. Interest rates are still low, and there are so many houses to look at.

If you or someone you know is looking to buy a home, sell a home, or invest in real estate, I am the realtor for you! You can reach me at 515.639.0047 or RyanLynch@KW.com.

~Ryan Lynch

A study at Harvard University by the Joint Center of Housing Studies released their housing study of 2017 so far and this jumped out at me:

“For the fourth year in a row, the inventory of homes for sale across the US not only failed to recover, but dropped yet again. At the end of 2016 there were historically low 1.65 million homes for sale nationwide, which at the current sales rate was just 3.6 months of supply – almost half of the 6.0 months level that is considered a balanced market.”

I have been shouting from the mountaintops for years now that we are in the strongest Seller’s Market in a long time. I wrote about it last year and the year before. 2016 was stronger than 2015, which was stronger than 2014. 2017 is putting them all to shame. I have buyers that are just waiting for the right house to come along and they are ready to pull the trigger. If you are thinking about selling, you are going to be hard pressed to find a better time than now. I said that in 2015 and 2016, and it is actually more true today in 2017.

If you or someone you know is interested in selling (or buying), I want to help! You can reach me at 515.639.0047 or RyanLynch@KW.com. Let me help.

~Ryan Lynch

I have had many conversations lately where people were asking me about whether they should sell their home or turn it into a rental. My advice might not be expected, since my job is to sell houses. I pretty much always tell people that owning rentals is a great way to financial independence. (Here is why I say that.) There are a few thoughts I would talk about before anyone goes down that path.

The first and most important is that you should get a property manager or property management company to take care of it for you. It is not an investment if it is your job. Depending on the tenant, it can be a full time job. Also, if anything goes awry and you do not follow the letter of the law, the tenant gets all of the power, since it it the home that they live in. Paying someone who knows exactly what to do in that situation is well worth it. (I am very happy to refer the one that I use if anyone wants a great referral.)

Second, you need to understand that this is someone’s home. Trying to squeeze every last dollar out of a property can make someone a terrible landlord. No one is looking for terrible landlords. Be prepared to put money into the investment when needed.

Third, hands off is the best approach in my mind. If you have a good property manager and you are fixing the things that a tenant wants you to fix, don’t micromanage. For some people that can be a very hard challenge, since it is THEIR property. Unless you are just adding on tons of value, let people live in their home.

If you can handle those three things, than I say turning your home into a rental property is a great thing to do for all the reasons that I wrote about previously. If you think any of the three above things disqualifies you, and you know that selling is the way to go, then I am the realtor for you. You can reach me anytime at 515-639-0047 or RyanLynch@KW.com.

~Ryan Lynch