As we near the end of 2013 and approach the Christmas season, we often are asked advice regarding remaining on the market.  Below is an article that came out recently from the National Association of Realtors that addresses just that issue.  Keep in mind, that the artcle adresses the broad, National real estate landscape including large metropolitan areas and does not take into account specific market segments.  For example:  in-town, single family homes and condos/townhomes in our market fare far better during the winter months than rural properties on acreage.

From a marketing perspective, we continue to market all properties actively in the winter season - locally via our print ads in the Durango Herald, as well as Nationally, and Internationally through the internet.  The latest analytical information culled from our website, www.DurangoRealProperty.com, for the past 30 days shows 1225 visits with 869 unique visitors to the site.  Those using our site for real estate information come from the US, UK, Canada, Germany and beyond.  When you combine the use of our site, along with www.WellsGroupDurango.com and our dominant presence on popular sites such as Trulia, Zillow, and Realtor.com - you get the most conistent representation around - no matter the time of year!

Home Buyers Plan to Make a Move This Winter

Daily Real Estate News | Thursday, November 21, 2013  | Realtor.org

Home buyers who weren’t successful this summer at finding a home due to limited inventories and competition from all-cash offers are looking to retry their luck in the winter, according to realtor.com®’s Winter Home Buyer Report. 
“This summer and spring, home-buying season was particularly challenging for buyers, especially first-time home buyers trying to compete with all-cash offers and bidding wars because of reduced inventory,” says Alison Schwartz, vice president of corporate communications at realtor.com®. “In fact, a quarter of the winter home buyers revealed they are in the market now because they were unable to find a home during this last home-buying season.”
But winter home buyers know they’ll face some challenges. Forty-five percent of those surveyed say they believe they will be up against inventory challenges again, with few homes for sale within the price range they desire. Twenty-nine percent also say that winter weather makes house-hunting unpleasant. 
But they believe that the winter can be a good time to buy a home. Twenty-six percent say winter is a good time to buy because they feel sellers will be more motivated and willing to negotiate. Twenty-four percent also say they think home prices will be better.
Of those looking to buy this winter, 23 percent are planning to make a down payment of 10 to 20 percent, according to the realtor.com® survey. Twenty-two percent are planning to put down 21 to 99 percent in cash; 19 percent plan to put down 100 percent cash; and 13 percent are planning to make a down payment of 3.5 percent to qualify for a Federal Housing Administration loan. 
We hope you have a wonderful weekend, and - as always - if you have any questions, always feel free to give us a call.

Don Ricedorff, Broker Associate, GRI, CRS, CCIM, ABR, RSPS, CDPE

E-Mail:  don@durangorealproperty.com

Direct:  970-375-7014

Fax:  970-259-5007

Web:  www.DurangoRealProperty.com