Hello Everyone,

Well, we work with buyers all the time. One thing that can really be a problem is unrealistic expectations. Most home shoppers go looking for their second home. What I mean by this is that they tend to envision the home they want that is one step beyond their current budget. The problem with this is twofold.

First they are not going to find it meaning they will be on the neverending search for something that doesn't exist. When you see everything on the market and you still can't find what you want that is a red flag that what you want is unrealistic.

The second problem is that you are passing up on great deals in your price range because you think you are going to find that next level home at the lower price. Let the market tell you what you should expect. If you are really stuck on getting the next level home, then buy a good investment and stay there a few years so you can sell it and upgrade to what you really want. The key is to let the market tell you what to expect not that little voice inyour own head. If you look at the top five homes in your price range and don't see what you want, it is time to get realistic.

Hire and trust a professional we see this stuff day in and day out. We are here to help you be a home owner, not a home shopper.

Call us... 509-362-1966

Hello Everyone,

Here are the numbers:

4664 - Active homes for Sale

709 - Pending Homes (Homes with Offers)

15% pending

6.6 - Months of Inventory

$206,044 - Average Sold Price

149 - Days on Market average

So what does this mean? Well compared to this time last year, inventory is up 1%, but pendings are down .4%. This big change is the average sold price is up 5.% and the overal sold number is down 30% from where the 6 month sold inventory was at this time last year. Market time is up by 26 days. So homes are taking about another month to sell and even though last summer more homes sold. The prices and pending trend is good. It is a good time to buy with low interest rates, but selling is good too if you hire the right agent.

If you are looking to start shopping for a home, call us and find out about our "Smart Home Shopper" Program, it's free and can save you thousands in your next home purchase. Call for more details 509-362-1966

Hello Everyone,

It seems that reale state companies have changed like mortgage companies over the last few years. The little ones or poorly managed ones have fell by the wayside and some of the big ones have either merged or improved how they operate.

What do you look for in a company and what do you think would cause you to be compelled to change companies?

I would love to hear the feedback. I am very happy with my company but from what I have seen many other companies don't offer the same things and I am wondering what keeps people at their company. Thanks

Hello Everyone,

Spokane temperatures are getting down there, but the Spokane Real Estate Market is heating up. I expect us to hav a pretty good winter in homes sales. Though winter time is generally a slower time for real estate, the market has more homes for sale now than it has in the last 4 years so even with people taking homes off the market, many are leaving them on.

This means more homes to choose from for those winter shoppers. With interest rates low but expected to rise next year, and with the extended buyer tax credit, this is a great time to buy. Swoop up the deals while others are staying home. Get the jump on the winter inventory and see homes online before going out by signing up for our free Spokane home shopping tool. It's free and only takes moments to sign up. Just visit our Spokane Home Buyers main page and watch the short 1 minute video to learn more and sign up beneath.

If you are thinking of buying a home in Spokane this Winter, Call Us and let us work hard for you to make sure you get the most out of your home shopping experiance. 509-362-1966

Spokane Real Estate Expert - Rick Callaham

Hello Everyone,

Have you ever toured a home that looked better online than it did in person? Have you ever found yourself looking for the room in the photo only to realize that it was shot with a bubble lens and what you thought was the closet is actually the bedroom.

In a attempt to make the homes sell some agents go too far by stretching the photos or using wide angle fish eye lenses. These distort the photo and make the room look bigger than it is. This can be very frustrating to home shoppers because they spent their time coming out to see a home that was misrepresented.

The way to avoid this is to look at the corners of the photo and see if there is any distortion, or if the photo is a thin rectangle instead of a more squared rectangle. This might indicate the photo has been altered. Estimate the size of the room to be much smaller in person.

The opposite can also be true, bad cameras and bad angles can make a place look smal or not appealing and sometimes you get out there and the place is huge and well lit. Try and rely on the text slightly more than photos espaccially if the photos have been doctored.

Just another tip from the TQ Real Estate Experts to save you time and money. If you are going to buy or sall a home or know womeone who is, call us 362-1966 and let us help you get the most out of your home buying experience. or visit our Spokane Real Estate Website