Well, 2025 is shaping up to be very interesting already. As of today, the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) has already sold 2,179 houses/condos/townhomes. There are currently 3,353 houses/condos/townhomes for sale that you could buy right now. People are calling me left and right to buy and sell, and houses are moving quickly.

2024 saw more houses sell than 2023. And 2025 is ahead of that. I think people were in wait and see mode, and now everyone who has been waiting is tired of waiting.

What does this mean for you?

If you are looking to sell, the craziest time of the year is the Spring market, and it doesn’t really slow down until it starts to get cold at the end of the year. So putting your house on the market is extremely beneficial, because there is a lot of pent up demand out there. I can help you position yourself to get sold quickly, for good money, and do so with as little liability as possible.

If you are looking to buy, things are moving quickly, and they will only continue to speed up for the foreseeable future. I can help you position yourself to get the house you want without over paying for it.

In other words, give me a call. As always, I love doing what I do. I love looking at the market, and I love building relationships with the people I get to help. Let me know how I can help you. Call me today. You can reach me at 515.724.3163 or RyanLynch@KW.com. I am good at what I do, and I want to help you.

~Ryan Lynch

I hope the year is ending well for you. Real estate is seeing a rise in inventory for the first time in a long time. As of this writing, there are 3,727 houses for sale on the Des Moines Multiple Listing Service. It has been over a decade since we have seen numbers like this. And really, houses keep selling as well.

As of right now, 12,709 houses have sold this year within the Des Moines MLS. That is off our high of 2021 where we sold 16,671 houses by this time in the year. And it is just barely higher than the 12,434 houses sold by this time last year.

What does all this mean? Interest rates have slowed things down. Really though, it has just stopped the people who were buying/selling because the interest rates were so insanely low. Everyone else just needs to buy and sell houses when they need to buy and sell houses.

If you are looking to buy, I will help you. You have more power now because everyone is not in an insane “This money is basically free!” frenzy. You can take your time, and think about what you want. And I can help you think more clearly and get what you want.

If you are selling, you need to be prepared for a bit more push back from buyers. As you can see though, houses are still selling. So I can help you decide where to push, and where not to. While still protecting you legally, financially, and (let’s be honest) mentally.

As always, I love doing what I do. I love looking at the market, and I love building relationships with the people I get to help. Let me know how I can help you. Call me today. You can reach me at 515.724.3163 or RyanLynch@KW.com. I am good at what I do, and I want to help you.

~Ryan Lynch

The question I always get now is, “So, how’s the market?” Here is the raw data as of the end of October:

Total Active Listings: 3,937

Total Pending Listings: 1,826

Sold Month to Date for October: 1,102

Sold Year to Date: 11,162

Avg List Price $367,723

There is a lot I can pull out of this. Houses are still selling! 11,162 houses have sold in 2024, and there are still two months left. Actually, the market has picked up. Year to date, by the end of October last year, we were only at 10,660.

Also, more people are trying to sell. Up until about late 2022, the Des Moines MLS (Multiple Listing Service) had rarely had more than 2,500 houses available at one time. And right now, we are sitting on 3,937 listings (as of the end of October).

And finally, the average list price in central Iowa is $367,723. Prices have just been going up and up. And frankly, once interest rates really start to go down again, they are only going to go higher.

What does this mean for you? If you are selling, you have more competition, and there are still a ton of buyers out there. If you are buying, you have more to choose from, and the best time to buy has consistently been yesterday. So don’t let too many tomorrows get in your way before you buy.

I am here to help. I have been doing this for over a decade now, and I know what I am doing. I know what to expect. And I know how to help you through the process. Call me.

As always, I love doing what I do. I love looking at the market, and I love building relationships with the people I get to help. Let me know how I can help you. Call me today. You can reach me at 515.724.3163 or RyanLynch@KW.com. I am good at what I do, and I want to help you.

~Ryan Lynch

So I thought I would drop a line to give you my thoughts on all the new laws coming into fruition over July and August nationwide.

First, a little backstory. Down in Missouri there was a class action lawsuit where apparently realtors were steering their clients towards houses where they would get paid more. This went to a national lawsuit and because of it, realtors can no longer put on the Multiple Listing System what their listings will pay a buyer’s realtor.

A few of my thoughts. I have no idea how realtors were able to do this. It has been my experience that my clients choose the houses they want to go look at. I give them my thoughts, expertise and advice. And then the client chooses which house they want to buy. And I help them buy it legally, safely, and with eyes wide open. Me telling my clients which house to buy doesn’t seem like something that happens.

Second, this really feels like it takes away rights from sellers. If I am selling my house, and I want to pay the buyer’s realtor (because then I have a much bigger pool of buyers), I am no longer allowed to say that on the MLS.

Third, I can say it literally everywhere else. I can put it on my own website. I can put it on a sign in my yard. I can put it everywhere, except where people are looking for listings. Doesn’t that seem a bit ridiculous?

And the grand takeaway is that this won’t really change much. I now need to call the listing agent for them to tell me what the seller is wanting to pay. And I now need to fill out more paperwork. And (exactly like before this law came into existence), everything is negotiable. Always has been.

The second law that is happening is that now, if you want to go see any house, you have to have a contract with your realtor. Before, you could just call me and say I want to see 123 Main Street, and then we would go see it. Now, you have to sign a contract with me before that will happen. Again, more paperwork and just general work for me. Not much of a change for you.

You can probably see my opinion of these changes. I am not a huge fan, and I generally think they take away from the consumer. Just like changes to the closing statements a few years ago (which also seemed to take away from the consumer), people will still buy and sell houses. Having a Realtor will still be greatly to your benefit. And I am not going anywhere. I want to help.

As always, I love doing what I do. I love looking at the market, and I love building relationships with the people I get to help. Let me know how I can help you. Call me today. You can reach me at 515.724.3163 or RyanLynch@KW.com. I am good at what I do, and I want to help you.

~Ryan Lynch

I keep having the same question raised: how is this real estate market here in Des Moines, IA?

I will tell you right now, it is weird. We are actually ahead of 2023, and have been (barely) all year. Year to date through May 25th, 4634 houses have sold. The same time last year, 4619 houses sold. However, we are nowhere near the heights of previous years. For reference, in 2022 we sold 5934 houses at this time. So we are not in the raging market of previous years, and we are not doing terrible.

What is really happening is rates are affecting both sides of the transaction. Many sellers are looking at their near 3% interest rate and wondering why they would ever sell. While most buyers are looking at current rates and being more picky because their mortgage is more expensive.

In short, are houses still selling? Absolutely. Has the process gotten trickier? Also, yes.

I have actually talked a few people out of selling this year based off the information I gave them. I am sad to lose the deal. I am in this for the long run though, and so being straight with people is the way I am choosing to go.

If you are looking to buy or sell, I want to help. I will give you all the information I can and help you to decide what works best for you. Give me a call.

As always, I love doing what I do. I love looking at the market, and I love building relationships with the people I get to help. Let me know how I can help you. Call me today. You can reach me at 515.639.0047 or RyanLynch@KW.com. I am good at what I do, and I want to help you.

~Ryan Lynch

I am just reaching out to let you know I was on a podcast recently. I got to talk about being a Realtor, what I am doing with HowToBeHappier.blog, and some talks about AI and a few quick questions as well. This was super fun, only lasts about 25 minutes, and I thought it would be nice to share. Here are the links:

• Spotify
• YouTube

I hope you enjoy. Let me know if you need anything at all. Have a great day!

As always, I love doing what I do. I love looking at the market, and I love building relationships with the people I get to help. Let me know how I can help you. Call me today. You can reach me at 515.639.0047 or RyanLynch@KW.com. I am good at what I do, and I want to help you.

~Ryan Lynch