So many opinions

The Washington Post ran its Mega Real Estate section this past weekend. If you didn't get a chance to read it, here are a few articles that I think are noteworthy.
It has become more of a buyers market so if you want to sell your home be sure to price it right. Price and condition go hand in hand now more than ever.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/22/AR2007032202397.html
Lots of concerns about the types of loans that mortgage lenders have been approving. This is causing lots of concern for all of us in real estate. This article talks about getting back to basics. I agree.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/22/AR2007032202445.html

BTW, I was quoted in the Washington Post Magazine a few weeks ago. It was a story about a new agent and how difficult the business can be. As I've mentioned many times here, this is not an easy business and it does take a lot of work.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/27/AR2007022701472_3.html

That's it for today. Enjoy the rest of your day.

It's getting risky out there

Not sure how all the stock market and mortgage issues will impact future home sales but it's a bit dicey these days. More and more foreclosures are coming on the market, there's a lot of concern these days.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/13/AR2007031300505.html

If you have an ARM that's about adjust it's a good time to refinance if you can. The bottom line is don't get in over your head. It will have long term lasting consequences.

It's all so confusing

No matter where I am, I always get asked how the real estate market. Everyone has an opinion and those opinions are as varied as the house styles in D.C. It's all so confusing. The Saturday Real Estate section of the Washington had an excellent article in it that I thinks explains a little why there are so many different opinions about how the market is:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/09/AR2007030900882.html

The bottom line is that the market is doing what it's doing regardless of what anybody thinks it's doing or should be doing. People are still buying and selling homes, albeit a little slower than two years ago. A lot of the stats that you hear about are from a national perspective and thing are a little different in this area. I'm noticing that sellers are finally starting to price their homes correctly. When that happens homes will start sitting on the market a little less. We're also starting to see multiple offers again which we haven't seen in a while. Things are picking up and it's a great time to be in the real estate market, either as a buyer, seller or other interested party.