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

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