David Deem 714-997-3486 Dave@DeemTeam.com By Jordan Grice Don't you just hate it when you can't seem to find anything at your desk or in your home office?   Life as an agent can get pretty busy—especially with the housing boom these days—and a messy and unorganized workspace can breed frustration and waste valuable time that you could use to engage with your sphere and build your brand.   As many continue to work from their home offices, now is as good a time as any to take stock of your items and tidy up a bit to help make your workweek a bit easier. After all, a little spring cleaning never hurts.   Here are a few ways that you can reorganize your home workspaces and offices.   Get Rid of Clutter Making time to file documents away can help alleviate frustration and prevent it from coming back. Create a designated storage space for frequently used files so that they are easy to find when you need them. Color-coding and labeling folders and drawers can also help. For any other

  David Deem 714-997-3486 Dave@DeemTeam.com One of the biggest hurdles homebuyers face is saving for a down payment. As you’re budgeting and planning for your home purchase, you’ll want to understand how much you’ll need to put down and how long it will take you to get there. The process may actually move faster than you think. Using  data  from the  U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development  (HUD) and  Apartment List ,  we can estimate how long it might take someone earning the median income and paying the median rent to save up for a down payment on a median-priced home. Since saving for a down payment can be a great time to practice budgeting for housing costs, this estimate also uses the  concept  that a household should not pay more than 28% of their total income on monthly housing expenses. According to the data, the national average for the time it would take to save for a 10% down payment is right around two and a half years (2.53). Residents in Iowa can save for a down

David Deem 714-997-3486 Dave@DeemTeam.com Homeowners ready to make a move are definitely in a great position to sell today. Housing inventory is incredibly low, driving up buyer competition. This gives homeowners leverage to sell for the best possible terms, and it’s fueling a steady rise in home prices. In such a hot market, houses are selling quickly. According to the  National Association of Realtors  (NAR), homes are typically on the market for just 18 short days. Despite the speed and opportunity for sellers, there are still steps you can take to prep your house to shine so you get the greatest possible return. 1. Make Buyers Feel at Home One of the ways to make this happen is to take time to declutter. Pack away any personal items like pictures, awards, and sentimental belongings. The more neutral and tidy the space, the easier it is for a buyer to picture themselves living there. According to the 2021 Profile of Home Staging by NAR: “82% of buyers’ agents said staging a home mad

David Deem 714-997-3486 Dave@DeemTeam.com Last week’s  Existing Home Sales Report  from the  National Association of Realtors  (NAR) shows sales have dropped by 3.7% compared to the month before. This is the second consecutive month that sales have slumped. Some see this as evidence that the red-hot real estate market may be cooling. However, there could also be a simple explanation as to why existing home sales have slowed –  there aren’t enough homes to buy . There are currently  410,000  fewer single-family homes available for sale than there were at this time last year. Lawrence Yun,  Chief Economist  at NAR, explains in the report: "The sales for March would have been measurably higher, had there been more inventory. Days-on-market are swift, multiple offers are prevalent, and buyer confidence is rising." Yun’s insight was supported the next day when the  Census Bureau  released its  Monthly New Residential Sales Report . It shows that  newly constructed home sales are u

  David Deem 714-997-3486 Dave@DeemTeam.com Don’t be impressed by the headlines reporting year-over-year housing numbers for the next several months (data covering March, April, May, and June). The data will most likely show eye-popping one-year increases. While the year-over-year jumps will certainly be striking, consumers should take these numbers with a grain of salt, as the situation highlights a short-term quirk in the reporting of this data. Essentially, the increases will reflect a combination of two things: sharply lower housing numbers during last year’s virus-related market collapse and the subsequent strong rebound. This will result in what will appear to be unbelievable growth. Let’s use single-family home sales as an  example : As the graph reveals, last spring’s buying market was anything but typical. Instead of sales increasing, they fell sharply as a result of stay-at-home orders that virtually shut the real estate industry down. This spring’s real estate market will bo

David Deem 714-997-3486 Dave@DeemTeam.com Some Highlights In a recent article, Lawrence Yun,  Chief Economist  for the  National Association of Realtors  (NAR), discussed the state of today’s housing market. When addressing whether or not today’s high buyer competition and rising home prices are evidence of a housing bubble, Yun said that this “is not a bubble. It is simply lack of supply.” Today’s housing market is healthy, and rising prices are driven by real buyer demand. Let’s connect to talk about the best ways to navigate such an energetic market. www.DeemTeam.com DRE#01266522  

  David Deem 714-997-3486 Dave@DeemTeam.com   The active listing inventory increased for the first time since October, adding 144 homes in the past two-weeks, up 6%, and now totals 2,384. It appears as if the inventory bottomed out two weeks ago. In March, there were 5% fewer homes that came on the market compared to 5-year average between 2015 to 2019 (2020 was skewed do to COVID-19), 179 less. Last ye ar, there were 4,344 homes on the market, 1,960 additional homes, or 82% more. ·         Demand, the number of pending sales over the prior month, decreased by 92 pending sales in the past two-weeks, down 3%, and now totals 3,070, its first drop of the year. Even with rates dropping in the past couple of weeks, demand still dropped and may have peaked a couple of weeks ago. Last year, there were 1,990 pending sales, 65% fewer than today. Keep in mind, it was the start of the pandemic too, which negatively affected demand through May. ·         The Expected Market Time, the number of da

  David Deem 714-997-3486 Dave@DeemTeam.com In a sellers’ market, some homeowners might be tempted to try to sell their house on their own (known as  For Sale By Owner , or  FSBO ) instead of working with a trusted real estate professional. When the inventory of homes for sale is as low as it is today, buyers are eager to snatch up virtually any house that comes to market. This makes it even more tempting to  FSBO . As a result, some sellers think selling their house will be a breeze and see today’s market as an opportunity to  FSBO . Let’s unpack why that’s a big mistake and may actually cost you more in the long run. According to the Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers published by the  National Association of Realtors  (NAR), 41% of homeowners who tried to sell their house as a  FSBO  did so to avoid paying a commission or fee. In reality, even in a sellers’ market,  selling on your own likely means you’ll net a lower profit  than when you sell with the help of an agent. The NAR repo

  David Deem 714-997-3486 Dave@DeemTeam.com As vaccines are administered and travel resumes, many of us are beginning to plan for those long-awaited vacations we missed out on over the past year. Some households are focusing their efforts on buying a vacation home rather than staying in a hotel, too. The  National Association of Home Builders  (NAHB)  reports : “ Second homes  (i.e., homes sold to buyers who are not going to occupy the home year-round, but  use it as a vacation home , investment property, etc.)  account for 15 percent of new single-family home sales.” It’s not surprising that there’s an increase in demand for vacation homes. The majority of Americans are realizing they prefer to be around small groups, as shown in a recent  survey  from  The Harris Poll : “Social distancing taught consumers new things about how they like to socialize; (75%) said, ‘during COVID social distancing I realized I preferred smaller social gatherings at home or at friends’ place.’” Not only ar

  David Deem 714-997-3486 Dave@DeemTeam.com A  Fannie Mae   survey  recently revealed some of the most highly-rated benefits of homeownership, which continue to be key drivers in today’s power-packed housing market. Here are the top four financial benefits of owning a home according to consumer respondents: 88% - a better chance of saving for retirement 87% - the best investment plan 85% - the chance to be better off financially 85% - the chance to build up wealth Additional financial advantages of homeownership included in the survey are having the best overall tax situation and being able to live within your budget. Does homeownership actually give you a better chance to build wealth? No one can question a person’s unique feelings about the importance of homeownership. However, it’s fair to ask if the numbers justify homeownership as a  financial  asset. Last fall, the  Federal Reserve  released the  Survey of Consumer Finances , a report done every three years, with the latest editi

David Deem 714-997-3486 Dave@DeemTeam.com Some Highlights If your house is feeling a little cramped with the addition of adult children or aging parents, it might be time to consider a move-up into a  multigenerational home  that better suits your changing needs. With benefits that include a combined homebuying budget and shared caregiving duties, an increasing number of households are discovering the value of a multigenerational home. With such high demand for houses today, now is a great time to sell so you can upgrade to a multigenerational home that may better suit your evolving needs. www.DeemTeam.com DRE#01266522  

David Deem 714-997-3486 Dave@DeemTeam.com Over the past year, we’ve had plenty of opportunities to reflect on what we consider most important in our lives. The place we call home is one of the biggest things many of us are reevaluating. George Ratiu,  Senior Economist  at  realtor.com,  shares: “The very nature of the pandemic, through the health implications, social distancing, and need to isolate, has really brought a central focus on the importance of home for most Americans…In a sense, it has elevated real estate markets as a centerpiece of our lives.” For some, this has spurred an interest in making a move to a home that better suits our changing needs. In a recent  study  on today’s homebuyer preferences, the  National Association of Home Builders  (NAHB) states: “When asked more specifically how the pandemic may have impacted their preference for home size … 21% or about 1 out of every 5 buyers, do want a larger home now as a direct result of the health crisis, while another seg