Well, let me tell you about the local real estate market in the Des Moines area. It is currently trying to figure itself out, and quite odd to look at.

Year to date, we have sold 12,518 houses on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). That is up 499 units from this time last year. That is up almost exactly 4%. And yet, median home prices are down 3.5% on average. We are up 2.5% for new listings in the month of November from 2024, and down 2.4% for new sales in the same month over last year. And this week, 468 houses lowered their prices, while 19 houses raised theirs.

What I am seeing anecdotally is seemingly completely random. Houses that are basically the same, right next to each other, and listed near the same price are not even conforming. One will sell instantly, and the other will sit on the market for months.

Basically, right now, each house is unique. Having me on your side, giving you as much information as I can is pretty essential at this point. You can have all my experience, and I want to help. Whether you are buying or selling, I want to help. Just 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

Well, we are in weird times my friends. Look at the titles of two different headlines from this week I received:

New Home Sales Surge by 20.5%

And a NAR (National Association of Realtors) email that stated that Housing Inventory Up 12% Giving Buyers Options.

The secret between these two is that the Summer market was rough, to say the least. And things seemed to take a pretty big turn starting in August. So that 20.5% surge comes from things bouncing back from a very slow July. And inventory is up because more and more people are putting their houses on the market, while things are still a bit slower.

Locally, our numbers paint that picture as well. So far, in September, we have sold or put under contract 1,801 houses. In August, we were at 1,915. And in July we were at 1,417.

There are a couple of things to take away from all this. The market is wildly shifting from month to month. However, we are still regularly selling close to 2,000 houses a month. Even a bad month was over 1,400 houses sold.

So, is the market down? Yes, absolutely. Are houses still selling? Definitely.

I would say the biggest reason to work with me in this market is I will tell you what is going on, and be honest with where you need to be to sell. I will also help you navigate negotiating on the buy side. There is a lot going on, and many sellers who are not being given the full picture when they list. I will make sure you make it to the closing table whether you are buying or selling, or both. 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

Right now, the market is extremely segmented. There are areas where houses are selling instantly still. There are spots where nothing has sold in the last month. And everything in between. Honestly, many of these conditions are sitting right next to each other.

If you are a buyer, this is about the strongest you have been in a long time. Probably over a decade at this point. There is a ton of inventory. Currently there are 4,117 properties listed on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). And houses are still selling. As of this writing, there are 1,882 houses under contract, and 1,194 houses have closed in the last 30 days on the MLS.

So, that means that with over 4,000 houses for sale, that over 3,000 houses have sold in the last month. Again, houses are selling. They are just taking a little longer, and the buyers have a bit more power in getting what they want.

What all this means is you need a professional helping you. This market is bipolar. Some spots you need to negotiate hard, while others you need to know the limits of your power whether you are buying of selling. I would love to help you, and I will be straight with you no matter what I need to tell you.

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

This is my most commonly asked question. The answer is almost always, it depends. Here are some basic numbers. As of this writing, there are 3,976 houses for sale in the Des Moines Multiple Listing Service (MLS). In the past month 2,608 houses have either gone under contract or closed. That means, if numbers stayed constant, and no other houses were added to the market, 65% of the houses now available would be sold or under contract one month from now.

Then, you need to take into account, that on average, those 3,976 houses have been on the market for 92 days. So, it is taking more than three months for the average house to sell.

There is one more number to take into account for this analysis, though. Those 2,608 houses, they sold, on average, in 54 days.

What do all these numbers mean? It means there are a good chunk of houses on the market where the sellers are just sitting on their price, and hoping a buyer is willing to pay it. Because, if the average is 92 days on market, half of the houses have been on the market longer. Now, new construction absolutely skews these numbers. A lot of new construction homes get put on the market before the first shovel of dirt has been dug. They will say they have been on the market for 200 days, even though the house was only finished last week.

In fact, of those 3,976 active houses, 1,397 were built in 2023 or later. Their average days on market is at 139. So you can see what I am talking about. All the rest of the housing stock? They have an average days on market of 66. That is still over two months to get the average house sold.

All this is to say, you need someone on your team who understands the numbers. Someone who can look at your micro-market and see how aggressive you need to be within your own neighborhood, let alone city.

Most importantly, you need someone who is willing to tell you all this. Either you are pricing to compete in the market, or you are are hoping to sell. Which strategy sounds better to you?

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 usually write about the market. This time out I thought I would spend some time writing about what you get if you choose to work with me.

There are so many agents out there, why choose Ryan Lynch to help you buy or sell a home? I have several reasons to give you.

1. I am going to tell you exactly what I think. 2024 was a slow year for me. It was slow because I told a whole bunch of people what I really thought about their situation. And in many instances, that meant I did not sell their house, or help them buy a house. I helped them see that what they were thinking didn’t fit with the reality of what they wanted. That turned into a slower year for me, while it meant I was telling my clients they matter more to me than getting a deal together.

2. My favorite part of this job is you. I have had clients who I have shown literally more than a hundred houses to. And I love it! Because I get to see them. A tough part of this job for me is when I do it, I stop getting to hang out with my clients. I will be there for you, giving you all my skills and abilities to help you get what you want. And then, I will happily wait several years to get to do it again.

3. I have some serious skills. I train other realtors how to price, sell, and negotiate better for their clients. I actually train people to become realtors. If you want to get your license, there is a good chance I am one of the people who helps you get it. On top of that, my average days on market for my listings has beat the Des Moines Area Association of Realtors average by at least 60% for the past 8 years in a row. On the buy side, I have had a buyer not get the house, then because I spoke with the listing agent, they talked with the sellers and got them to drop the deal they already had in order to give it to my clients. Trust story!

I love this job. I will be here for a long time to come. I hope at some point I will get to help you.

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 am checking in to let you know we are in what is typically the most explosive time of the year. After making it through those beautiful Iowa winters, everyone is getting antsy and ready to move. This means more houses on the market, and more buyers out looking for them.

Right now, there are 3,405 houses active on the market. In the last 30 days, 2,216 houses have sold. Think about that for a moment. The last 30 days included incredibly cold temps, blizzards, and Spring Break. And we still sold the equivalent of sixty-five percent of the houses on the market at this very moment. And typically it only heats up from here.

So, if you are a seller, call me. I will help you position your house to get the maximum foot traffic and put you in the strongest state for negotiations. I can keep you safe, and help you every step of the way, so you can know you are making informed decisions and doing what you need to do to get your house sold.

If you are a buyer, I can make sure you are protected, and help you craft the strongest offer possible for the house you want. I can protect you as well, and make sure you are moving smoothly towards your new house.

Call me. 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