Congratulations on your new career as a Realtor! This can be a highly rewarding profession, but it also requires two distinct skill sets in order to be successful. The first is the ability to manage transactions and take care of your clients. This is the most important aspect of being a Realtor, as it directly affects your reputation and future business. As a Realtor, you will be responsible for ensuring that your clients are happy with their transaction and that everything goes smoothly. The second skill set is equally important: the ability to get the business in the first place. This is where many new agents stumble, as they are not sure how to market themselves or find clients. But fear not, there are a few steps you can take to set yourself up for success in this area. Firstly, ensure that you join a brokerage that is effective for rookie agents. Some brokerages are more geared towards developing new agents, while others are better for producing results. Finding the right fit is crucial. Secondly, decide whether you want to work solo or on a team. Working on a team can be highly beneficial, as you will have access to more support and opportunities. If you do choose to work solo, try to connect with someone in your office who can serve as a mentor and provide guidance. Finally, it is important to know who you are and who you want to be as a Realtor. If you love selling and are comfortable with online lead generation and follow-up prospecting, then that might be the game for you. On the other hand, if you prefer connecting with people on a smaller scale, then building a business strategy that relies on your sphere of influence might be more suitable. Ultimately, the key to success in this business is to tailor your approach to your strengths and what feels good to you. As long as you are ethical, do good for others, and stay true to yourself, there is no right or wrong way to do things. Good luck on your new journey as a Realtor! With these tips in mind, you are well on your way to building a successful career in this exciting industry.      

Starting your first year in real estate can be a daunting experience. With so many different shiny objects and various methods of doing business, it can be easy to lose sight of who you are and who you want to be. That's why it's essential to know yourself and your goals before you jump into the industry. As a new real estate agent, you will undoubtedly encounter many different coaching plans, processes, and systems. There will be various mentors with different styles, each promising to lead you to success. While it's vital to learn from those who have experience in the field, it's equally important to stay true to yourself. The best way to run your business is by finding things that you genuinely enjoy doing and consistently and disciplined behind those efforts. By doing what you love, you will stay motivated and energized. This motivation will reflect in the quality of services you provide to your clients, which is crucial in the real estate industry. It's important to remember that as long as you are ethical and doing things in the right way for other humans, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to running a successful real estate business. The key is to be authentic and consistent with the real you, and people will recognize and appreciate that. Authenticity is vital in real estate because people want to work with someone they can trust. If you are true to yourself and your values, you will attract clients who share those same values. Building a personal brand based on who you are will help you build long-term relationships with clients who will refer you to their friends and family. In conclusion, starting your first year in real estate can be challenging, but it doesn't have to be. The key is to know yourself and your goals before diving into the industry. Find what you enjoy doing and consistently and disciplined behind those efforts. Be true to yourself and provide authentic services to your clients. By doing this, you will build a successful real estate business that reflects your values and attracts clients who share those same values. Good luck!

One of the biggest mistakes agents make, especially new agents, is not knowing their numbers. This can lead to working by accident instead of being an intentional and purposeful realtor. As a lifelong coach I've always relied on practice plans and game plans to make sure that we're focused on what we're supposed to do and real estate is really no different. Here's an exercise to help you get your real estate career on track: Know your finances: Set a budget by looking at all your expenses for the year to determine how much you need to make to maintain your lifestyle. You can expand this into a dream budget to set your vision and goals for the future. Know where your business is coming from: Identify your successful areas, such as where your buyers and sellers are coming from, to focus on improving those areas. Dial in on your strengths and identify how many referrals versus cold leads you're working with. Know exactly what you want to achieve: Determine your required earnings and use your commission split to calculate how many sales you need to generate.  Set your goals with supporting strategies: When you know how many sales you need, and where your business is coming from, you can determine the strategies you'll put in place to achieve these goals. These strategies should be the foundation of your business.  Create a warm list: Keep track of people you've talked to about buying or selling real estate and pay attention to those in your world who are ready to buy or sell. By following these steps, you'll have a game plan in place for 2023 and can start your year off intentionally and purposefully, rather than accidentally.

This idea that the world is going to crash and everybody's gonna end up upside down in their mortgage is a myth that has been perpetuated by the media and doomsday lovers who thrive on the drama and bad news. However, it is not true - it is not a bad time to buy a home, and in Madison Wisconsin, there is no need to wait. Here's why... Supply and demand is so out of balance that we have a long way to go before we can create any sort of situation where values go down. As of this writing we have just over 400 home available in Dane County. Compare that to just 5 years ago when we still had an inventory shortage but had more than 1000 home available. In our area we cannot build housing units fast enough to keep up with population growth. Until that changes we can expect to see a seller's market in our area.  With the equity that most home owners have built up over the last few years, they won't be underwater - even in a very significant crash. In Madison Wisconsin, we would have to see the worst market crash we have ever seen for people to owe more than what their home is worth, and the environment simply isn't in place for that to happen. 

Is this a bad time to start your real estate career? There are so many stories about what's happening in the market, what's going to happen to the value of homes, and opinions that the market going to fall apart and agents are going to be jumping out of the industry.   Despite the fear out there, I believe it is a great time to start a real estate career. Agents who started in the past two to three years may not have had to learn the vital skills needed to operate in a different market. In the recent years, it seemed one could easily find people looking to buy or sell homes without much effort. As the market shifts and changes, those skills will become increasingly important to success. Therefore, realtors starting their career now have the opportunity to learn those skills and build their business from the ground up with a strong foundation, rather than having massive success and then trying to identify and fix problems. All in all, I believe any year is a great year to start in real estate, so long as you have a plan in place, systems in place, and are willing to do the work.

  Congratulations on becoming a Realtor! You have some decisions to make, one of which is whether you should join a team or work as a solo agent. Both have their benefits, so let's look at them.   As a solo agent, you have a higher upside on your income as commission splits are usually better for solo agents. However, being on a team may help you generate more leads in that crucial first year, resulting in more closings and higher income even with a lower commission split.    As a solo agent, you will be responsible for all your business expenses, but as a team member, you may see things like lead generation fees and marketing expenses covered.   You will need to work within the team's philosophy as a team member, while as a solo agent you can run your business however you like as long as it is legal and ethical, making it a better option for those who like to do things their own way.   As a solo agent, you may be one of hundreds of agents in your brokerage, limiting your access to support. As a team member, you will likely be one of only five or fifteen, thus having closer access to support during that first year. Additionally, you will be tied to a team leader who is motivated by your success.   Wherever you land and whether it's team or solo just make sure that the environment and culture is a fit for you and that you can be confident you're going to have all the support you need to have a fantastic first year in real estate.     

If you're considering buying or selling a home you may be wondering what the right time is to get a Realtor involved. Unfortunately, a lot of consumers wait until the very last minute before connecting with a Realtor. They do a lot of legwork on their own, they do their own planning, and put their own strategy in place.  Waiting until you're ready to go can be a huge mistake for both buyers and  sellers. Your Realtor can help you put together a strategy that is going to make sure you are ready when it's time to strike. It doesn't matter if you're two to three years out or 60 days out there is a strategy and a plan to make things the most effective and efficient for you when it is time to make the move.  A lot of times I'll have sellers call me when their house is ready to go on the market immediately. Oftentimes they've overlooked things that need to be addressed before they hit the market therefore delaying their process further than they had planned or they've done renovations or upgrades thinking it would help sell their house when really it's going to be lost cost because the return on investment isn't there. Meeting with an agent well before you're ready to go on the market can help you avoid these mistakes and as a home buyer your strategy matters too. You don't want to miss out on the home that you've been dreaming of simply because you weren't fully prepared to write a strong offer and win.  So when is it the right time to connect with an agent? It's as soon as you're starting to have the conversation about making a move. Meeting with a Realtor doesn't commit you to anything it's just a helpful conversation to start a strategy and make sure you can get to where you want to go on time and in the best way possible. 

July 2022 - Dane County Market Update Summer is in full swing, which means campfires and cookouts, vacations, festivals and swimming. But this year, summer also brings with it concerns about inflation, rising interest rates and that big, scary word "crash". Depending on where you place your focus and energy, it can be a really scary world out there, and let's face it, most media outlets are doing a really good job promoting that drama. When it comes to real estate, what's really happening? Are we really going to crash or is now really a bad time to be in the market? Let's take a closer look at what's driving our market in this month's Dane County Housing Market Update. Mortgage rates have been a big player in this year's market, and rightfully so. Many buyers have found themselves priced out of the market, not necessarily due to rising home prices, but due to the significant increase in rates that we've seen since January. At the beginning of this year, if you could qualify for a $1,500 per month principle and interest payment, that also means you could have bought yourself a $445,000 house. Today, that same $1,500 in principle and interest only gets you a $330,000 home. That's over a hundred thousand dollars in purchase power that this theoretical home buyer lost. And a lot of people are in that boat. Quite frankly, it's a tough, tough pill to swallow. The good news is that rates have crept back from that 6% mark with many local lenders, and most experts expect that we've peaked for the year. This means that many home buyers can regroup and plan with a new normal in mind. It's very unlikely that we're going to see the 3% rate that really drove demand these last few years anytime soon. There's still hope for the budget conscious home buyer as some local lenders still have adjustable rate mortgages that you can find for under 4%. That is a great opportunity for someone looking to maximize their purchase power in today's market. The last thing I want to point out with rates is something you've probably heard before, but that's because it's true. Yeah, we had it really, really good for a while. And for people that purchased or refinanced into 3% or even lower, good for you for taking advantage of those market dynamics. But big picture with where rates are today - it is still cheaper to borrow money for your home purchase than every previous decade, with the exception of the last 10 years. It's all about perspective. With rates taking some buyers out of the market and inflation hitting our pocket books, plus the huge increase in prices over the last few years, does that mean we are heading towards a bursting bubble or a crash? Not exactly. Headlines will say a lot of things that can cause confusion, but no signs point to us actually heading towards a market crash. In Dane County we are certainly seeing some shifting, but that's not uncommon for this time of year, and it's somewhat seasonal in what we've started to expect for our summer months. This time of year, we're seeing the impact of so many home buyers starting their process right away at the beginning of the year with that mid-winter/early spring market. Others have tapped out because they're exhausted or they've been priced out with the interest rates. Some people have resigned leases, and there are many people that are simply just enjoying the beautiful weather and taking advantage this summer. Because June numbers aren't in yet, we're going off some anecdotal evidence and some of our experiences and conversations that I've been having with agents about what they're seeing and what they're feeling out there. But in just the last few weeks, it certainly feels like I've seen a higher number of homes hit the market, go through that first weekend and still be available on Monday or Tuesday without getting an accepted offer over the weekend. We actually had a home buyer with 5% down and a subject to sale - which means they had to sell their house in order to purchase a new one - get an accepted offer on a property. And that is something that we haven't seen a whole lot of, if at all, over the last two to three years. Keep in mind, that markets are driven by supply and demand dynamics. Through May, Dane county listings were up 15% while sales were down 8% over the same time last year. That's good. That's shifting us back towards balance. And it'll be interesting to see where this shift continues to go and how it moves. Big picture remains that we have way too far to go to get to any level where we can start being concerned about depreciation or lower home prices in our market before that actually happens. Even a potential nationwide recession doesn't mean that home prices are going to go down. Looking at this graph, you can actually see that home prices increased during four of the last six recessions. So what does that all mean for you? Is it a good time to be in the market or not? Well, look, if you want to buy a house, go buy a house. There's absolutely no sense in waiting to do so. If rates do come down, you can always refinance into the lower rate. And there's no data anywhere that shows that we're going to see home prices depreciating or going down anytime soon. Which means this; if you are in the market to buy a house, if you are planning to buy a house, if your goal is to buy a house, the longer you wait to do so, the more of a hit it's going to take on your pocketbook. Prices will continue to go up, which means your monthly payment will continue to go up, and it's going to cost you thousands of dollars over the years to wait. Sellers, you'll be fine for the near future. The days of 300 offers and $400,000 over asking price competition may be dwindling, but it's still reasonable to expect competition and a quick home sale if you do things the right way. Also, remember that real estate is always local. So depending on what price point you're in and where you live in Dane County, your experience may be slightly different than the market at large. For more tips, tricks and updates, make sure you follow us on social media. And as always, if you have any questions about your unique situation, give my team a call. We'd be happy to help. Let's connect soon.

July 2022 - Oregon, WI Market Update Hey there, Oregon. There is lots of chatter happening out there about the economy and housing market. Inflation, interest rates and home prices are going through the roof and the media loves using words like bubble, crash and recession. But where are we really headed? Is it a good time to stay out of the market? Let's take a closer look at what's affecting us in Oregon in this month's Oregon, Wisconsin housing market update. Through the first half of 2022, Oregon numbers are historically low. Our 81 single family home sales is the lowest number we've had in the last 10 years. Likewise, the number of new listings coming on the market is also among the lowest in the last decade and down 6% from last year. Now, this doesn't mean that houses aren't selling, because obviously sales are connected to how many options are available. As we have fewer and fewer houses hit the market, there's fewer and fewer opportunities for sales to take place. The name of the game in our local market has been lack of supply. Demand has remained consistent over years and years and years, but the supply is at the lowest number we've seen. But there is a shift happening - I don't have numbers to support this, but I have seen more price adjustments in the last month in Oregon than I've seen in any time in recent history. Showing activity is down with many houses only getting four, five or six showings on the first weekend. We're actually seeing people get offers accepted with subject to sale of their existing home. But is this bad news for us? Well, not quite. For starters, we need to understand that price reductions are not always directly tied to price depreciation. Out of the 12 houses in Oregon that have required a price reduction over the last month, only one of those was listed by a local agent. This speaks to the value of working with somebody who understands the nuances of the Oregon market. Oregon agents understand that our market fluctuates a little bit differently than the Madison market. So sellers and agents that price their property based on the Spring market or based on what's happening in Madison are not accounting for the fluctuations that we often see during the summer months in Oregon. In other words, market trends that are historically normal. Many people believe that the recession looming spells trouble for home values and they're staying out of the market because of this. Yet, historically you can see that home values actually increased in four of our last recessions. I would not be surprised to see the rate of appreciation slow down as we've gone up with our median sales price in town; 23% since 2020 - that's not sustainable. So if we go down to 5% appreciation or 3% appreciation, that's going to feel like a big shock to the system, but it's certainly not dangerous. So what does this all mean for buyers and sellers? Well look, if you want to buy a house, if you are prepared to buy a house, if you've outgrown your house, if you need to downsize from your house, buy a house. There is nothing you can be waiting for that is actually going to happen. Many people are waiting for rates to drop and that could happen, but it's certainly not a guarantee. If rates do drop in the future, you can always refinance into the lower rate. But the longer you wait, the more likely we're going to see prices continue to go up, which means that monthly payment for any house is going to keep getting more and more expensive over time. If you're ready to sell, you need to do so with today's market in mind. People who try to sell with the Spring in mind or what their coworker did with their West Madison house in mind, those are the people that are going to have trouble. Yes, it is still a great time to be a home seller, but you need to have realistic expectations on what's going to happen based on the market right now. If you prepare your house appropriately, and your agent markets it effectively and you price it wisely, you're going to do great. If you cut corners or miss one of those steps, you're going to run into some problems. For more tips, tricks and resources make sure you follow us on social media. As always, if you have questions about this or your unique situation, give our team a call. We love helping our Oregon neighbors.

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National Housing Market Update - May 2022 Rising interest rates, inflation concerns and supply-demand issues have people talking crash, bubble and recession, but is it time to be concerned? Spoiler alert, the answer is no. So let's take a look at why this market might not be as scary as the media is telling you, in this month's national market update. I got into this business just as we were coming out of the last market crash, and I can tell you that over the last decade, we've seen a ton of changing market conditions, but nothing that exists today should have us concerned about the word "crash". In fact, some of the factors that are in play and have people talking about that right now have already occurred over the last 10 years and both buyers and sellers in those markets have done just fine. For starters, interest rates have been a huge topic of conversation this year and rightfully so. According to Freddie Mac, we started this year with interest rates on a 30-year fix at around 3.1%. We jumped up to 4.7% through March and during the course of April locally, we've certainly seen rates hit 5.25% or more. Right now, many experts are actually predicting that rates could jump as high as 6 or 6.5% over the course of the summer, depending on how the market reacts to inflation numbers. Considering a 1% rise in interest rates is roughly a 10% reduction in purchase power, this can be a huge factor for how our market is going to perform for the rest of the year. Let's look at a sample scenario. If we had a home buyer that was ready to buy a $400,000.00 home and they started their process in the winter when interest rates were about 3.25% give or take, that house with 20% down in January would have cost them about $1,390.00 a month in principle and interest. Yet if rates hit 6.25%, that same exact $400,000.00 house is going to cost them almost $1,970.00 a month at principal and interest. That is a roughly $600.00 price increase on their monthly payment only for interest. They're not getting any more house or any extra benefits of it. Now let's reverse that and take a look at it the other way. If somebody was pre-approved for a debt of $1,390.00 a month to get to that $400,000.00 purchase price, if rates get up to 6.25%, that $1,390.00 a month is only going to buy you $280,000.00. From January into the summer, that could cost this theoretical buyer $120,000.00 in purchase power. That's huge, and the impact that we're going to see is that there's going to be a number of home buyers that are simply going to get priced out of the market because rising interest rates are not allowing them to purchase the house that would make it either worth it for them to move or purchase in the first place. In other words, we can start to see buyer demand shrink as some buyers will simply be priced out of the market, and quite frankly, that's probably healthy for the current state of the market. But we can't expect the bottom to fall out. We've had 4+% interest rates, 5% interest rates over the last decade, and people still bought and sold houses. There was still good market dynamics for a lot of people, and I expect to see much of the same around here, even if rates continue to rise. Let's take a quick look back in time to see how rising rates have affected home prices. We can look at previous years where rates jumped quickly over 1% and we generally see a common thread. See, prices will still go up, but sales will drop as a result of buyers getting priced out of the market. We see this here in Dane County, it could actually be a good thing. Our market has been severely stressed with low supply and this could create some more balance. So if rates are going to take some home buyers out of the market and prices are going to continue to rise, is that setting up the stage for a bubble bursting or a crash? Not exactly. No data out there really supports the idea of a crash in this market. In fact, Altos Research says, "We keep watching for it, but there's absolutely no signs of market slowdown anywhere in the data. If anything we're seeing the market continue to heat up."  Inflation has also been a big topic this year, but when it comes to housing, home ownership can really be a hedge or safety net against the effects of inflation. In most decades, home price appreciation has outperformed inflation. So in other words, your home is more likely to appreciate faster than inflation, leading to increased wealth. When you own a home, your monthly mortgage payment typically stays stable and predictable, despite how the economy is performing. Rising rates, higher prices, inflation, is it a bad time to buy a home? Well this is kind of a loaded question. Generally speaking, I believe that you shouldn't buy a home just because the market says you should buy a home. You should buy a home because your lifestyle dictates it. Maybe you're settled in a location and you're not going to be moving out of the area or your family dynamics changed either in growth or with people moving out and it's time to downsize. Maybe you have too much space or not enough space. Maybe you need more space. Maybe you need a yard for your dog or to garden in. Whatever your lifestyle dictates, if that's the best move for you, then there's no point in waiting for a better market to come around. Rates are not expected to drop into the threes anytime soon. Prices are not going to decrease anytime soon. So, every month that you wait to buy a home is costing you more money out of your monthly budget. For a longer range visual, we can take a look at this graph, showing projected appreciation over the next five years on a home purchased today at $360,000.00. This buyer is expected to have almost $100,000.00 in equity from this investment by 2027. Meanwhile, if they're waiting in a rental for the market to shift, that equity would be non-existent. If you have any questions or comments about anything I shared in this post, leave us a comment; I'd love to hear from you and know what you're thinking. And as always, if you have any questions about your unique situation and how today's market dynamics could affect your goals, reach out to my team, I promise we will take great care of you along the way. Let's connect soon.

Seven Questions to Ask When Relocating If your current employer asked you to relocate or you were offered a job in another city, would you have to think about it first or would you jump at the opportunity? Why is starting over or doing something new exciting for some but nearly heart stopping for others? Would you know what to consider before making the decision? I have seven questions that you should ask yourself when considering relocation. 1. Can I afford it? It may sound obvious, but a big move can be a major hit to your finances. You need to account for last minute expenses that may pop up during the process. Also, you want to make sure that you have more than you think you'll need. No one needs a stress like a flat tire on the way to your new city when you've already spent your last few pennies on movers. 2. Are there friends or family near the new location? Relocating can be very isolating and a lonely experience at first. If the thought of leaving your closest friends and family make your stomach queasy, right now may not be the best time to move. 3.  What is the job market like there? Do your research first and make sure that you have a job lined up or that you have savings that you could use. Knowing community culture and job opportunity should definitely affect where you choose to move. 4. Is it worth relocating for my job?  The cost of living varies from state to state and even specific areas within the state. Be sure to research salary expectations for comparable positions wherever you're thinking about moving. Knowing information such as how much local groceries are, average rent and mortgage, gas, taxes can help you negotiate the right salary to have the same or better living standard that you're moving from. 5. What is the best time of year to move? This may be a silly thing to consider, but in different cities and housing markets, rent can actually fluctuate based on the time of the year. Another consideration is weather, where are you moving from and where are you moving to? Heat sounds great but can you handle Phoenix in July? Likewise, a white Christmas sounds magical, but can you handle Minneapolis when it's negative 30 degrees? 6. What is the real estate market like in the new location? What you can afford now might not be what you can get after the move. You definitely want to know that up front. Consider finding a realtor in the new area to connect with. Better yet, let us connect you with someone awesome from our network. They can help direct you to whatever you're looking for and make the transition so much smoother. 7. Is the culture of the city a good fit for you and can you be happy there? Just as you want to walk into your new home and feel like it's home, you want to make sure that the city feels like home as well. Different cities have different vibes and you want to make sure that the city fits you and your personality. If you're looking to relocate, reach out to myself or our team, I promise we'll make sure that process is as smooth as possible.     

L Looking for a Realtor Referral to Help with your Relocation?   I used to be a huge planner. I mean, I still am; I still kid myself that I have control over my life and what happens. But I used to be a lot worse. I had everything planned out. I knew I was going to be a head football coach and athletic director in a small school and be one of those people that's in the position for 50 years. I was going to be Joe Paterno of some small school without all the scandalous stuff. I knew what parenthood was going to be like. I knew how I was going to be as a husband. I had every avenue of my life planned out and I really thought I knew it all. But see, the thing is, time and time again, I've been reminded that I don't have as much control as I think I do. See, we're all thrown curve balls in life, or opportunities that are presented as roadblocks or obstacles; often it's these curve balls or opportunities or roadblocks that lead us to uprooting and moving to a new home or a new city or maybe even a new state, and that can be really intimidating. The stress of your life change is taxing enough but when you add the burden of a relocation in the mix, that can be really overwhelming. I want you to know that I hear you, I see you, I understand you, I get you, I've been you and don't worry, I've got your back. We know the questions that are going through your head: How do you make sure that you land in the right area? What neighborhood should you get to? If you have kids, what school district should you be looking to put them in? What don't you know that you should know about the community that you're moving to? Is it a right cultural fit for your lifestyle? And who can help you get settled in your new location? These are legit questions and concerns and I want to let you know that I can help. I am personally connected with amazing realtors from Jersey to LA and everywhere in between. I want you to know that I would love to be part of your new adventure by connecting you with one of these amazing agents who will take great care of you wherever you're going, just like our team would for you right here at home. If life has you on the move, let's connect and talk through your goals. I'm confident that I can connect you with an amazing realtor wherever you're planning to go. Moving can be stressful but we are here to remove those burdens from your life, whether you're moving across the street or across the country. You can connect with me at theminterteam.com/contact or message us on social. To stay up to date with the latest tips, tricks and real estate news make sure you follow us on all our social media channels. Let's connect soon.

Tips for a Successful Relocation So, you sold your house in your old neighborhood. You found a new house in the new perfect neighborhood, closed on it, unpacked everything, switched the kids' schools, changed over the utilities. You're all set in your new neighborhood, right? In a new town it can be difficult finding new friends, finding new doctors, finding where to shop and finding what gym to go to.  Whether this is your first relocation or you've relocated several times into a new community, here's a list of a few things that can help you feel more comfortable with your new move. What about throwing a housewarming party and letting your new neighbors join you, get to know everybody? Joining a group or finding a group to volunteer with is a good way to meet people. If you have kids in school, you could join the PTA or you could sign your kids up for sports or other activities to help them make new friends. You could check out the city parks and recreation programs. Another great way to get familiar with a new area is to find local Facebook groups and join in on discussions. You can introduce yourself on these groups and you may just find some new friends. Social media comes in handy and can easily be done from home and at a safe distance. Settling in to a new community doesn't have to be stressful. Make a list with your favorite things to do, and then Google them with your new city name. If you put yourself out there and learn a little bit about the city you're living in, it'll make it much easier and a lot more fun. If you need help finding your way in Dane County, our team is always willing to help. Just give us a call.  

Oregon, WI Homes for Sale | 176 Luebke Ln Oregon, WI Beautiful open floor concept, move in ready! Enjoy the finished basement for extra living and entertaining space. Perfect location for a quick drive to the belt line, downtown Madison & Epic. Beautiful custom Hunter Douglas window treatments, Oversized Pantry & Mudroom are just a few of the great features of this home. More details can be found here-https://theminterteam.com/176-luebke-ln For the newest listings, follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/theminterteam

McFarland Homes For Sale | 4505 Red Barn Run Welcome home to Secret Places...this 4 bedroom beauty offers all the advantages of suburban neighborhood living while maintaining the benefits of easy access to Madison amenities. Located in the McFarland School District, 4505 Red Barn Run is built for entertainment. The open living room kitchen space provides plenty of room to enjoy time with guests or cuddle up next to a cozy fire. Head outside to the private backyard bordering green space to enjoy a grillout on the large deck or fire pit on the patio. To stay on top of the latest new listings, follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/theminterteam

Eight Tips for Relocation No matter where you're moving, the whole process of uprooting your life and taking it to a new location can be extremely overwhelming and stressful. But relocating to a new state, or any long distance location, can add a whole extra layer of complications to the process. We've all dreamed about moving to that beach town down south or running away and buying a cabin in the mountains. But no matter where you think you might be going, you want to make sure you have all your ducks in a row, to make the process as easy as possible. In my experience, I've seen all the stress that comes with moving your house and that's why we've put together this list of eight tips to make your move a smoother and more enjoyable process. One: Visit your new town ahead of time and spend some quality time there to learn the layout and the culture, in order to make sure that it's a place that you're going to want to live full time. We all have locations we enjoy vacationing in, but that doesn't mean that they're a good place for us to call home. Make sure that your new location is going to fit your lifestyle and your budget and be a place that you can find joy year round. Two: When looking for a new home, make sure you have your list of must-haves and top priorities. This could include a short commute, access to great schools, location to medical facilities, or other amenities that affect your lifestyle and how you like to spend your time. Make sure your agent knows exactly what's important to you so they can help point you in the right direction. Three: Make moving in and moving out easier by starting to purge and get rid of all the items that you don't plan on taking with you. We all have stuff in our house that we really don't need anymore. Now's a great time to donate or sell the items that you don't plan on keeping long term. Four: Carefully label your moving boxes. You might want to label them on multiple sides of the box or use color coded tapes or stickers to identify which room in the house they belong to. Five: Pack a necessities box for each person in your household, plus the kitchen, bathroom, cleaning supplies, basic tools, and any electronic needs that you have. Pack these items up last and make sure they're the first thing to come off so you have access to them immediately when you get to your new place. These should be the items that you don't want to go digging for the second you get to your new home. Six: If you're using movers, plan ahead and shop around. Two key things here are: don't wait until the last minute to try to hire somebody or they might not be able to fit your timeline and availability based on where you're going and don't shop on price alone. If one company can do it at half price of the other, there's probably something they're not doing, that you'll wish you would've paid for in the first place. Seven: Don't forget to cancel your delivery service, Amazon Prime, talk to the post office, and transfer your utilities. I can't count the number of times that we've had closings and a new package shows up at the old house. Make sure you adjust all your accounts and make sure that your electric and water is set up at the new place when you move in. Eight: Whether you're moving for job relocation or just a change of scenery, you're going to want a way to start to get connected to community. Get to know your new coworkers. Sign your kids up for activities. Join a club, volunteer, find a church, whatever it is that fits your lifestyle, so you can start to meet people and learn a lot more about your new community. When life decides that it's time for a change of scenery for you, give my team a call. I will make sure that we take great care of you. Not only can we serve you here, but I have a network of agents across the country, from New York to California, and everywhere in between. We would love to connect you with any of these agents to make sure that you have a great experience with your new location. And to stay up to date with tips, tricks and new listings, make sure you follow us on social. Let's talk soon.  

April 2022 Housing Market - Oregon, WI Hey there, Oregon. Jeff Minter here, team lead for the Minter Team at Realty Executives Cooper Spransy and fellow Oregonian, Oregonite; I should really know that. Anyway, let's get diving into the numbers and see what's going on in our local real estate market. I've been doing this in town for 10 years now. And quite frankly, this market has been about as wild as we have seen. And I could have said that last year or the year before, and maybe even the year before that. I know it sounds like a broken record, but we really, truly are at a unique spot in our market's history. To see what's going on, let's take a look at some of the numbers that we've hit so far this year. While numbers are still trickling in, here's where we're sitting today. Through March in Oregon, we've only seen 33 houses come on the market. That is the lowest number we've had in at least the last five years and it is a 30% decrease from last year's low of 47. This has been our biggest issue driving today's market trends - there's simply not a large enough supply of homes available. On the opposite side (demand), we've had 41 houses sell so far this year. That's a 24% increase and the highest total over the last five years.  So when we look at this year, we are at our lowest point with new houses coming on the market, and our highest point with houses going off the market over the last five years. As of today (when filming this), we currently only have eight houses available on the market without accepted offers - only two of those are under $400,000. So with this madness, how do you win in today's market? The reality is, buyers can still win with a long term vision in mind. Remember, mortgages stay steady and predictable, unlike the rental market. And that long term stability can be beneficial. I hear a lot of people concerned about entering the market as buyers, because of the competition and the concern that there's going to be a crash. The reality is, most home buyers today are not getting in with low down payment amounts or risky loans, which is very, very different than what happened prior to the last crash. Today, buyers are winning with more money down - higher down payments - which means more built-in equity. We will need to see a drop in home values unlike anything we have ever seen around here for most people to end up underwater, or owing more on their house than what it's worth, like we did in the last crash. Buyers competing need to be aggressive, fast and prepared. You need to make sure you have a realtor on board with you to get you moving right away, and your lending has to be totally locked up with a local reputable lender. Make sure you're working with both a realtor and a lender that other people want to work with. That name on the offer and that name on the preapproval can be the difference between you getting the house or losing out to another home buyer. It's a huge deal. And buyers should not be negotiating like their parents did 30 or 40 years ago. That's never going to fly. Instead, focus on the big picture. You've fallen in love with this house. Think about what it is that you're willing to do to make it happen. Remember, the asking price is just that, it's an ask, it is not the value of the home. So don't be afraid to stretch a little bit, and go over if that's what it's going to take to get you to where you want to be. Your alternative is simple, continue paying rent, and five years from now, end up with no more equity or built in value than you have today. I expect to see home prices continue to rise for the next few years. Our largest generation of home buyers are just entering the stage where they're going to be buying houses. Our demand's not going to change. So as we continue to see prices go up, waiting for next year, or the following year, or the following year, is just going to increase your monthly payment. Sellers, huge information for you right here. Listen, Oregon operates differently. We are not Madison. Yes, like the rest of Dane County, Oregon is in a seller's market. And yes, a properly priced home should get a lot of traffic and competitive offers. But your best bet as a home seller is to still hire somebody to help you sell your home that understands the local market and the little nuances that affect things around you. When I look at the agents who live in town and have the biggest impact on our local real estate market, versus the rest of the agents out there, I find some really interesting information. Oregon agents sell houses twice as fast, Oregon agents are more likely to get you competitive offers, and Oregon agents sell houses for twice as much over asking price as the rest of the agents combined. In other words, using somebody who's dialed into the Oregon market, who understands the differences in our neighborhoods and our local trends, and isn't trying to compare it to what's going on on the west side of Madison, because they know it's different, those agents are going to help you sell faster, with more competition and for more money. Our team would love to help you. We think we'd do a great job, but I want to acknowledge the fact that we have some great people in town that do great work, and we're all operating differently, which means no matter what you're looking for in a realtor, there's somebody local who understands the market, who's going to be able to do a bang up job for you and fit your goals, your needs, your personality, and everything else you're looking for. Shop local. Remember local agents are spending that money in Oregon all the time. We're supporting our local businesses, supporting our local nonprofits, supporting kids activities. So not only is a local agent going to help you sell faster and for more money, but a local agent is going to do better for the community, because of that.  The other thing sellers really need to know is: don't let the market do the work. The sellers that are really hitting the jackpot and taking advantage of today's market dynamics are making sure that they are putting in the work - their house looks fantastic and their realtor is marketing it the way it deserves to be marketed, to get the most eyes on the property. They're not just putting it on the MLS so that it trickles out to Zillow to be stumbled upon; they are putting it out there so people can find it beforehand, before it even hits the market, and getting thousands of views on your house.  Thanks for checking in! To stay on top of other local trends, make sure you follow us on Facebook. If you have questions about your journey, my team would love to help. I will make sure you're taken care of. Let's talk soon.  

  April 2022 - National Housing Market Update When I think back over the last decade, I think of a lot of people who were concerned about rising home prices, and whether or not they should purchase a house with prices going the direction that they were going. Let's face it, that's a legitimate concern, especially when a decade ago, the recession was fresh, and we were just coming out of it. The reality is if you bought your house two, three, four years ago, for a lot of people even one year ago, chances are you have built up a significant amount of equity and have done very, very well for yourself. In fact, I actually have a client who bought a house last year, 2021, realized that it wasn't the location that they wanted to be in and turned around and sold it this year for a really nice profit. My point being that your equity is probably a lot better than what you think it is. Let's take a look at some of the things influencing our national housing market. First let's talk about prices. Price is going up, and that's scaring everybody; that's creating that bubble or that crash idea. The reality is the data really doesn't support that idea. Let's look into this and see what's really going on. Here we have a graph from CoreLogic, and it shows the appreciation year over year by month, going back to January 2021, when we saw 10%. If we take a look at this graph, what we see is that appreciation is continuing to rise. I think one of the first things that we need to look at, if we're talking about the idea of a bubble or a crash, is we need to see it change or shift in that trend of what's happening with appreciation. If appreciation is continuing to rise, we're continuing to gain more and more equity. For things to crash or burst like it did the last time, we'd need to end up with people underwater. So until appreciation shifts, even though it may change market dynamics, I think some of those concerns are a little bit off the table.  Despite stats like this, realtor.com states that 77% of people still believe we're in a housing bubble. Let's look at three variants that are much different from the last time. 1. Lending.  Lending restrictions have become much tighter since 15 years ago when there were really low or no down payment loans, adjustable rate mortgages with huge swings in the interest rate, or people qualifying for loans that quite frankly should not have been qualifying for mortgages in the first place. With all those things happening,  people got into houses that they could not afford or could no longer afford because they shouldn't have been able to pay for them in the first place. And when prices changed and shifted, they were underwater because they didn't have enough built-in equity. Today, lending restrictions are tighter and buyers are more qualified. In fact, credit scores for the typical buyer is 42 points higher than it was in 2000-2010.  2. Equity. Buyers today have much more equity in their house. In fact, according to Forbes, the average home homeowner has $150,000 of equity in their house - the highest number ever. I think the bigger change with equity is that, in today's competitive market, it's really difficult to get in with a low down payment. Most of the home buyers that are winning in today's competition have 20% down or at least 10%. They're getting in with built-in equity, which means if the market were to shift, prices were to stagnate or prices were to even drop a little bit, we'd have to have people losing 10 to 20% in value in order to get underwater with their mortgage. And while that's happened in other parts of our country, that hasn't been something that's happened here in Madison. 3. Supply and demand. This is the most basic, simplistic piece of any economics and market discussion. Until we close the gap on the amount of available houses meeting the demand of houses that are needed, it's going to be really difficult to see a shift. What's happened over the last 15 years is, number one, building has not caught up to the pace of pre-2008 levels, which means we don't have that influx of new construction, spec homes and starter home styles. It exists in a sense, but not at the same level it was 15-20 years ago.  The price of materials and the price of land have played into that impact. And quite frankly, a lot of builders are just building higher end homes. Likewise, the sale of existing homes continues to remain at all time lows. Until we start getting new construction that's a little bit more affordable, or we start getting more existing homes on the market to increase that supply, we're going to have a shortage. And when you have a shortage, what do you have? You have rising prices. We have to close that gap before we start talking about a bubble bursting. With all the uncertainty out there, news stories and trolls and experts on the internet, it can be really hard to decipher what's actually happening.  That's one of the reasons why I absolutely love my team. For those of you that don't know who I am, I used to be a teacher and that heart of a teacher is something that's woven through our team and our philosophy, and it affects all of our conversations with our clients. If you're trying to decipher what's going on and what's really happening in the market and what's the right decision for you, and you want to hear it straight up with your best interest in mind, give my team a call. We would love to serve you along your journey. You can get in touch with us at theminterteam.com/contact or message us social. And for more real estate tips, tricks, market updates, and new listings, make sure you follow us on social media. Let's connect soon.  

Five Things to Avoid When Purchasing a Home Hey, congratulations. You have an accepted offer on your new home, and that is no small feat in today's market. But let's keep in mind that that wasn't the main goal when you started this process. Our number one goal here is to get you moved in and closed on this new home. There are a number of things that can come up between an accepted offer and closing. Today, we're going to look at five things you should avoid doing if you want to make sure you successfully close on your new house. First of all, with each of these five items, keep in mind that you should always check with your mortgage lender first before making any of these decisions. You may find that you're okay and you're able to get away with some of these, but you don't want to end up with any surprises. 1. Do not change jobs, quit your job or become self-employed. There's going to be a verification of employment prior to closing, and you don't want to sabotage the deal at the last second. 2. Do not buy a car, van, truck or boat. You might end up living in it. 3. Don't abuse your credit cards, rack up additional debt, let your accounts fall behind or spend money that you have set aside for closing. Take care of your finances. 4. Do not co-sign on a loan for anybody else. This could affect your debt-to-income ratio and your credit score. 5. Don't make any large withdrawals or deposits into your bank account. This could include gift money for the purchase of your home. Again, if any of these scenarios pop up, check with your lender before pulling the trigger. It's better to be safe than sorry in this situation. To stay up to date with other real estate tips and new listings, make sure you follow us on social or subscribe on YouTube. To get started on your home-buying journey, get in touch with my team at theminterteam.com\contact; we would love to serve you along the way.