State of California Home Inventory
With Halloween coming up, there is nothing spookier than thinking about the housing shortage in California. With continued low home inventory and demand being steady, housing shortages are exacerbated with high interest rates influence on buying price. Even with volumes increasing to 43,687 active listings as of September 2023 (a more than April 2023’s by 10,194)[1], sellers are holding on to their homes.

Source: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (Realtor.com Housing Inventory Core Metrics)
The Fear
Many homeowners fear that if they sell their home, then they would lose on a low interest rate and won’t get that bang for their buck on their next purchase, especially if they are looking to stay in California. The fear of selling is a true reality for many.
Nevertheless, circumstances other than the fear of the bottom line may drive us to sell our home. But for those that want to explore the thought, then plan your exit to be SMART. When you do then the fear will reduce so the light can shine on through.
Solution
When you list your home with Lumbang Realty Associates, we stay SMART: Specific, Measurable, Action-oriented, Reachable, Time-bound.
Specific: Define clear and specific home selling goals. This is more than the bottom line you are netting. Why are you selling? What would be your terms to sell? Would you be okay moving out right away? What is your flexibility for showings? 24 hours’ notice? 48 hours’ notice? Where are you going to move? Will you need lending?
Measurable: These are established quantifiable objectives. Metrics such as these are good ways to keep track of you and your agent’s progress. What is your minimum sales price? Your maximum sales price? Do you need some rent-back to find the new home? How many people are you expecting to attend the open house? What is the commission? What are the closing costs? How will selling affect your income reporting?
Action-oriented: These are the steps or tasks you need to take. Speak and plan with a trusted REALTOR® or start interviewing them! Create a checklist for tasks: including repairs, if staging is needed, showing and open house schedules. Create a budget for each task. It can be a lot to handle even if you know what to do. Have a real estate professional make it easier. At Lumbang Realty Associates, we will do your cost of sale (COS) analysis for you.
Reachable: Ensure your goals are attainable within present real estate market conditions. Have your REALTOR® research local housing market, review the comparable market analysis. Be realistic. Isn’t realistic to have your 400k home 100% over average market value of comparable homes in your area. In addition, an estimate from Zillow or Redfin is not enough. Work with Lumbang Realty Associates to really see what is possible.
Time-bound: Set doable timeframe for achieving your home selling goal. Figure when you aim to have your home sold and work backward to establish milestones and deadlines for each step in the selling process. For example, you might aim to have your home sold on July and looking to Move out by July 30th. So, you may have your home listed for sale by late April. We have closed as fast as two-weeks, so if you are curious how that plays out, let us know!
Closing
By following this SMART goal, you have a clear and structured plan for selling your home. It provides a specific target, a way to measure your progress, and a timeline to work within, making it easier to stay on track and make informed decisions throughout the process. As always, call, email, or text us to get started with planning SMART. We got your back!
[1] "Housing Inventory: Active Listing Count in California," Housing Inventory: Active Listing Count in California (ACTLISCOUCA), Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, FRED, last modified 5 Oct. 2023, accessed 10/25/2023. https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/ACTLISCOUCA
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