2018 has been crazy. We have seen more snow than we have seen in the past few years, and yet more houses are selling than in 2017, which was itself a record breaking year. Here are some interesting numbers to note as of February 28th, 2018 in the Des Moines real estate market:

For all properties on the Des Moines Multiple Listing Services (MLS) it is still a Seller’s Market – Currently there is 2.7 months of inventory

For resale properties it is even a stronger Seller’s Market – Currently there is 1.8 months of inventory

New Construction is an entirely different market, a Buyer’s Market – Currently there is 6.7 months of inventory

Months of inventory is a way of looking at a market that is based on average sales over the last year. Let’s say that in the last year, in a particular area there were 120 houses that sold. That means that on average 10 houses sell per month. If there are currently 25 houses for sale, you have 2.5 months of inventory. Because if 10 houses sell per month, 25 houses should sell in 2.5 months. Up to 4 months is a Seller’s Market. 4-6 months is a Balanced Market. 6+ months is a Buyer’s Market.

Looking at that explanation, Resale Properties right now are really low at 1.8 months. If you have a property that is in an established neighborhood, there is extremely high demand for you to sell right now. On the other side, if you are a builder and building brand new homes you have more competition right now and your buyers are much more picky.

What does this mean to you? If you own your own home and have been thinking about selling, you can beat the crowd by getting it on the market now. With warmer weather, more and more people will be putting their houses on the market. Don’t wait and have more competition for your buyers. Get your house on the market now to take advantage of very advantageous market conditions.

Give me a call. I am highly trained and can position your house to sell, instead of just putting it on the market for sale. You can reach me at 515.639.0047 or RyanLynch@KW.com.

~Ryan Lynch

Right now in the Des Moines and surrounding area real estate market there are some amazing trends that make it a great time to put your house on the market.

Number one, inventories are still incredibly low. As of this writing there are only 3085 houses for sale in the entire Des Moines Area Association of Realtors’ Multiple Listing Service. Houses going under contract are creeping up. Currently there are 1771 houses under contract. (Under contract means that the houses have found a buyer and they have an agreed upon price and closing date.) As of December 31st, 2017 that number was at 1,531 houses pending under contract. That is a whopping 15.6% jump in houses going under contract in just one and a half months!

Number two, the historically low inventory levels are pushing sales prices up for houses that are selling. According to CoreLogic’s Home Pricing Index, home prices rose 6.9% nationally from December 2016 to December 2017. That means that if you bought a home for $200,000 in December 2016, by December 2017 it would be worth $213,800.

Buyers are out and ready to go. Even with the harsh weather of the past couple of weeks we are seeing very motivated buyers looking for their next home.

What this means to you as a home seller is that you can get your house on the market now before you have more competition (housing inventory goes up) and while prices are continuing to go up at historically high speeds.

Call me today at 515.639.0047 or email me at RyanLynch@KW.com. I am very happy to run numbers and tell you what your home is worth for free and with no commitment to sell now. Call me today.

~Ryan Lynch

We need houses to sell. According to Trulia, last quarter experienced the biggest year-over-year decrease in home inventories since 2013. For anecdotal evidence, yesterday I was looking for a buyer in a $50,000 price range in one of Des Moines’s suburbs, there was one home for sale in that price range. ONE HOME FOR SALE!

What does this mean for you? If you are a seller, buyers are already starving for homes to buy. If you are thinking about waiting until Spring to get your house on the market, you are waiting for when there is far more competition for the buyers that are frantically searching now.

If you are a buyer, you need a responsive agent who will watch the market for you and get you into houses quickly. You need to be fully prepared. And I can guarantee that as 2018 goes on, this is just the beginning.

I am the agent who can put you in the best position if you are looking to sell or buy. Call me today and let’s get you where you want to be. You can reach me at 515.639.0047 or RyanLynch@KW.com.

~Ryan Lynch

I finally have numbers for 2017 to report on how I did versus the rest of the market. The Des Moines Area Association of Realtors average days on market for 2017 was 77. My average days on market was 25. That means that I beat the market on average by 67.6% in 2017!!! That is up from beating the market by 60.8% in 2016, which was up from beating the market by 58.8% in 2015.

I have poured much of my time and money into becoming the best agent I can be for you. This shows in my consistent results.

I want to make sure that you know that I am not just about the numbers. I love my clients and I love finding ways to make myself better for them. With that in mind, I thought I would share my very favorite review of 2017, from J.K.:

There are some ways in which Ryan is a well-above-average realtor: his knowledge and constant study of the marketplace; his network of connections including lenders, inspectors, and contractors; his instinct for thinking long-term; and his patience, diligence, and thoroughness in every aspect of the buying or selling process. That’s an abridged list, to be sure, but it will suffice to convey how dedicated Ryan is to the mastery of his real estate craft. He is someone committed to his own professional growth, and he measures that growth in the satisfaction and contentment of his clients.

Then there are the ways in which Ryan is an exceptional realtor. These are mostly intangible, which is to say, they are the most critical. Ryan is a great communicator, mostly by dint of being a talented listener. He listens intently, and he asks thoughtful questions that help his clients focus their thought process. Ryan can read a room; he is as tactful as he is forthcoming. He conducts himself with poise and brings a steady hand and level head to a frequently anxiety-inducing process. Ryan is somehow both unflaggingly positive and steadfastly realistic, which would seem a contradiction but is just an aspect of Ryan’s ability to turn a mountain into a mole hill.

The upshot? Ryan is a great realtor by way of being a great person. Let him sell your house. Or let him find you a house to buy. The only thing you have to lose is the time it takes to write a 5-star review for a truly special realtor.

Thank you Jay! If you want a realtor who consistently beats the market while staying “unflaggingly positive and steadfastly realistic”, call me today! You can reach me at 515.639.0047 or RyanLynch@KW.com.

~Ryan Lynch

2017 is over and the real estate market in Des Moines and Central Iowa has completed another insane year! If you thought 2016 was crazy for home sales, we actually sold even more in 2017. Here is the breakdown.

Total Houses Sold – 14,603

Houses Sold Growth Over 2016 – 4%

So what does this mean for 2018? As of December 31st, there were 3,213 houses available for sale. That is up 7.9% from 2016. While pending sales are about even with 2016 at 1,531 houses pending as of December 31st. That means that the demand is at the same levels as it was at the beginning of 2017 (even though it is colder now than it was then), and we have more inventory available. I am getting a lot of questions about when to sell or buy for 2018, and right now I am telling people that this is likely to be the point of the year where you will have the lowest competition for both.

If the market follows the 4% growth number, then that means we will sell over 15,000 houses in 2018. Are you thinking about buying or selling in 2018? Reach out to me and get prepared for a market that keeps getting stronger. I will have 2017 numbers for Days On Market soon. I beat the market by 60% in 2016 and 2015. You can reach me at 515.639.0047 or RyanLynch@KW.com.

~Ryan Lynch

There are a couple of things that are happening in the market right now that make it an ideal time to sell your house and/or to look for your new home.

#1 is that in the past 12 months (according to Core Logic) houses nationally have appreciated at 7%. That means that if you bought a house one year ago for $100,000, today it would (on average) be worth $107,000.

#2 is that today (December 13th, 2017) the Federal Reserve raised interest rates for the third time this year. They are expected to raise rates 3 times again next year as well. Interest rates are projected to only go up.

What this means to you as a buyer: money to buy houses is projected to only get more expensive. The house you could have afforded yesterday might have just been pushed out of your price range. You can get more money cheaper if you are looking to buy a house than you are projected to at any point in the next year.

What this means to you as a seller: your home is growing in value at ridiculous rates. The normal growth is 3% per year, and we are at more than double that. You have the chance to sell your house at a market high, while still getting historically low interest rates for the houses that you can buy.

If you have been thinking about downsizing, upsizing, or any sizing at all, I would recommend getting me to tell you what your house is worth in this market (for free and with no commitment), and what is available for you. You can reach me at 515.639.0047 or RyanLynch@KW.com.

~Ryan Lynch