February!!!  you say.   That can’t be right, but alas positioning your home’s listing just ahead of the April/May rush is a very smart move.

Get your house out there ahead of the pack.  Didn’t you just tell your friend you have tons of things you need to do before closing day?  List your house now, then tackle the “to do” list. 

Long Island Realtor and Mortgage Broker, L. Lane advises, “Spring market in real estate . .  (is)  a legendary time. It’s the time when all sellers and buyers come out of hibernation and transact real estate. But if you wait for Spring to sell your house, it may be too late.” Lane adds, ” you think of Spring, you think of April showers and May flowers. But in real estate, the spring Market is half over by then. Will you have missed your buyer if you list your house in April or May?”

Spring comes early in Virginia, so contact one of the 5 Best Real Estate Agents in Richmond now to find out the most advantageous time to list your Virginia home.  Parents may wait until the school year is over to pack the moving van, but they start looking for the new place in F-e-b-r-u-a-r-y!

Start getting ready to sell your house before the daffodils bloom.

Much like Central Virginia’s buds and bulbs will be doing in March, the real estate market in Richmond is already beginning to blossom again. Linda Burchett of Keller-Williams realty says, “Here in the Richmond metro area, the market activity has definitely improved since 2010. I’m not only seeing first time buyers ready to make buying decisions, but move-up buyers as well.”

“Even though those buyers may be up-side down on their current home, they recognize this is a great buying-opportunity market…desirable inventory and low interest rates,” Linda adds. “These are clients who purchased their first home within the past 4-5 years, have started their families or are getting ready to start and desire a larger home that they will stay in for some time. It is wonderful to have these buyers back in the market.”

National Association of Realtors’ chief economist, Lawrence Yun seems to agree that the market is coming back and credits reasonably-priced properties and growing consumer consumer confidence. Mr. Yun asserts that “Mortgage rates should rise only modestly in the months ahead, so we’ll continue to see a favorable environment for buyers with good credit.”

Asked if he thought the worst was over, Yun replied, “”The latest pending sales gain suggests activity is very close to a sustainable, healthy volume of a mid-5 million total annual home sales.”

Do the five best real estate agents in Richmond agree with Lawrence Yun?

“If 2012 follows last year’s trend, this will be a great year for our sellers and our buyers and Richmond Realtors.  As Yen says, the inventory that has been on the market for some time will be absorbed and we will enjoy a sustainable market.” (Linda Burchett – Keller-Williams)

According to Celinda Lake, “People believe overwhelmingly that owning a home is an anchor to the American Dream,” she said. “It’s an anchor to your retirement and it’s an anchor to your personal economic well-being.” Ms. Lake continues, “Owning a home isn’t just a policy to people, it isn’t just a commodity to people. It is a core value.”

Americans believe that owning their own home is as important as being successful at their job or being able to pay for a family member’s education. At least that’s one of the “truths” to come out of a recent survey conducted on behalf of the National Association of Home Builders.

Neil Newhouse, co-founder of Public Opinion Strategies, says, “Even though the market is weak, people who don’t own say they want to buy a house. Almost three-quarters of those who do not currently own a home, 73 percent, said owning a home is one of their goals. And among younger voters who are most likely to be in the market for a home in the next few years, the percentages are even higher.”

If you’re ready to make the American Dream of home ownership come true for your family in Central Virginia, one of the five best real estate agents in Richmond can help you make that dream come true!

 Two thousand likely voters were surveyed nationally earlier this year by Public Opinion Strategies of Virginia and Lake Research Partners of Washington, D.C. The study had a margin of error of +2.19%.