Mid-West Real Estate

2010-05-19T11:23:00.001-07:00

The time to buy hasn't faded. Most properties in the Des Moines have seen price reductions now that the first time buyer tax credit has gone away.

2010-04-29T05:14:00.001-07:00

The real estate market has not slowed down just yet. We have one more day before contracts need to be written. Gitty up!

2010-04-19T18:15:00.001-07:00

Watch the pending home sales go through the roof on the next report. We have seen a wave rush through the market.

2010-04-14T19:08:00.001-07:00

In Ankeny we have 233 homes for sale under $200k & 112 pending. Looking good Ankeny. If you don't understand, comment.

2010-04-14T19:05:00.001-07:00

In Altoona we have 58 single fam homes active for sale under $200,000 & 28 homes pending. Great numbers for Altoona!!!

2010-04-13T09:21:00.001-07:00

More and more homes are selling. Homes sales up 34% from last March. Good news for all!!! Your Des Moines REALTOR Tim Scheib!

2010-04-10T14:05:00.001-07:00

Real estate is a great business. When a buyer finds that right home you can see their eyes light up!

Winding down winter!

2009-02-28T04:31:00.000-08:00

I write this posting "winding down winter" as half the state has had winter storm warnings for the last week. I can say I hope that this is the last go around of harsh winter weather. Real estate has been goofy for about 2-3 years now. Unpredictable and stressful to say the least. September through January were by far the slowest months I have ever seen in the business & like a flip of the switch Febuary was back to normal. More sales and new listing followed by calls and emails from new clients and past clients have filled my life! This being a good thing of course! I am going to try and put some statistics together here soon to give y'all an idea of what our market truly looks like.

If you are thinking about refinancing your home or buying a new one but you are waiting to see what rates and the economy is going to do, I don't blame you! Here is what I see, the economy is in a little bit of grey area (charcole), interest rates are no different. Neither one can be predicted. The only thing we can do is live in the now which is reality. If rates are less than 5.5% you are crazy to be shooting for better. When rates were 6.25% everybody in there right mind was saying rates are great! Buy today and take advantage of these great rates! Okay, that being said they have been down to 5% and I still hear individuals saying "I'm going to hold out until they hit 4%". Personally, I wouldn't miss out on a great deal in hopes that it gets better. That is like taking a hit when the dealer is showing a hard 14. It's crazy! Think about it, 5% is unbelievable! Okay I'm done with my ranting and raving! It is Saturday and I am going to enjoy my kiddos and relax! Have a great weekend!

March Madness!

2009-02-26T03:21:00.000-08:00

We are days away from March Madness. No I don't mean NCAA tourney time. I am thinking this may just be the busiest March in real estate that I have seen. Febuary turned out pretty good for my office we turned in around 80 sales or more and I myself had 5 which was great. With prices as good as they are and buyers more ready than ever I am anticipating more and more transactions. I am seeing an abundance of activity at open houses and on my website (www.centraliowalistings.com).
The $8,000 tax credit for first time homebuyers is great! In addition to that, I have a lender who has dollars to grant first time buyers in addition to the $8,000. Of course you have to call me for the details ;). Anyway, I am lacing up my shoes tight so I don't miss step in the busy days ahead!

Des Moines Metro housing update!

2008-10-15T06:10:00.000-07:00

So I put together this little study about todays market and whay it looks like. What I found is that the majority of the area is becoming very balanced and starting to favor sellers. The industry considers a 6 month supply of homes as a balanced market. So if there is a 10 month supply of homes we have a buyers market. Many people thing that it is a buyers market RIGHT now! Here is the thing. In the majority of the the Des Moines metro market there is a 5 month supply to a 7 month supply. Catch you by surprise??? Here are some reasons as to why...

1. Building permits around the area are way down from a year or 2 years ago. This means less new homes.
2. Many of the good deals have been gobbled up and the great deals have started to go away (there still is great deals and I anticipate them being here until consumer confidence comes back to normal.)
3. Many people that wanted more for their homes and decided to take them off the market.

Those 3 factors are going to help those in need of selling. There are still buyers today and with the inventory shrinking it puts all those who own a home (and own it right) in a great position. Here is a graph for you to read and study if you are interested in you particular area.

Fall is Here!

2008-09-28T06:02:00.000-07:00

Football seaseon! Good times but you will find me in an open house with a little tv and a make shift antenna. Real Estate picked up then slowed down and picked up but that is just the way it has been for a while. Right now is the #1 time to buy a home in the last 20 or more years. Reason being, Interest rates are under 5% for a 30 year fixed loan, inventory is still up and prices are down. It is also a great time to build. Lot prices have taken a dramatic drop in the last year. Your typical flat lot was anywhere from 45-50 thousand dollars and today you can get lots all over the place for 30-40 thousand. That gives you a $10,000 reduction right off the top. It truly is a great time to invest in real estate. Well Have fun and come see me at my open house!

Summer is winding down!

2008-08-19T13:19:00.000-07:00

My daughter started Kindergarten! WOW! My first kid in school and it is amazing how proud one can be! I look forward to hearing how her day goes each day and she is such a superstar! As a parent you really want your kids to be in the best school district for them. It was a little more difficult to understand why some of my clients were so persistent about being in the boundaries of one school compared to the next and as a parent of little ones I just figured that they were kids and teachers are teachers and they would all be OK. Well... Let me tell you! JK My daughters teacher is a class mate of mine and really she is amazing. It takes a special person to be on the ball all the time with 5 year olds! Anyway, her teacher was highly spoke of and we see why. I won't judge anyone on why they want one school over another anymore!

With this topic. I can do a little public education. As a REALTOR we can not give specific information on any schools or neighborhoods. This is very tough for us because some buyers think we aren't being honest if we tell them that they can call the school district or they can drive through a neighborhood but we can't share the information ourselves. It is a law and we could be fined or loose our license because the Real Estate Commission could rule it as steering. Steering is guiding a buyer to a certain location or school district based off opinion. So next time a REALTOR tells you they can't answer a question about a school or neighborhood, believe them and don't take it personal. Well check back for the next tid bit ;)

Dawg Days of Summer???

2008-07-29T14:31:00.000-07:00

They say that July is a tough month in real estate because of vacations, sports and the weather. The only thing making things difficult is the weather. Seriously, record rainfalls this year??? That pretty much slows everything down! But really, the market is very tough right now and for a qualified buyer it is hard pickens. There are so many houses out there right now that I don't know if I could make a decision! It does seem like buyers are taking more time now and looking at more houses today than ever before. With rates coming down a little recently hopefully agents educate their buyers (if they need to be) as to the importance of a good interest rate. A drop in of even a .25% could be better than a $5,000 or $10,000 price reduction (depending on the price of the home and the term of the loan). If you have a question about that call me! 515-313-7103. :) I have still been very busy and I don't plan on that changing anytime soon. I am excited to sprint through this ever changing economy!!!

On another note. We have an agent in our office, whom is very important to Coldwell Banker and many many other people out there, who has recently been faced with the ultimate challenge. One week she delivers her 3rd child and the next she faces death! Scary! I can't wait till the next time I see her cause anytime their is a serious turn of events we all count our blessings and we learn to appreciate what things we do have and those people we have in our lives and she helped me appreciate my loved ones a lot more. Can't wait to thank her! Could you imagine being a single dad with 2 young children and a 10 day old baby!?!?!?! Well, Katie Bloom recently had some bleeding around her brain (thought at one time to be an aneurysm)and was as close to death as it comes. She has experienced some brain damage that the family feels confident that she will fight through. I encourage you to throw a prayer out for Katie and David Bloom. You can read her whole story and I think you all should at www.katiebloomprogress.blogspot.com. She is amazing and so is her family! Bloom family we are praying for you every day (sometimes more than once ;)

Wackey Market!

2008-06-30T12:33:00.000-07:00

If I could explain what is going on in our real estate market I would be a genius!!! There are so many good deals out there right now it is hard to believe that they aren't being gobbled up. Don't get me wrong, houses are selling but which ones and why. I am trying to figure that one out. Things have been good for me and I hope to see them continue to go well. It helps for me to have a great family behind me and motivating me to stay pro-active.

On to family. I recently listened to the "Last Lecture" written by Randy Pausch and his words were eye opening. The stuff that he talks about is stuff that we all know and that we all think about but he encourages you to take to the next step. I know that I enjoy my children and my dreams but do I actually sit down and spend time in those moments? He mentioned a bit about remembering the looks that his kids make and the crazy little quarks about them. I see them with my family and yes it makes me smile but do I spend time in those moments? By spending time in those moments I mean, do I really enjoy them or do I pass them off with a smile. Every minute with your 1 year old goes by quicker and quicker, then they are 5 or even 10. The one thing that I know, is that my kids are getting older and looking at my youngest and last child I know that my kids are all able to walk now and without some major tragedy they will always be walking. I look at them and think to myself "man, I will never have an infant again." It is kind of depressing but I am happy that I have 3 wonderful kids but it is eye opening. With that, I am starting to spend more time in the moment with them. We all are tired at the end of the day, so I say, buck up and enjoy what time you have with you children and family cause it could all go away. Randy did a great job enlightening me to that but he did it in a positive way! You can read it or go to youtube and watch it and I highly recommend it. Anyway, my time is limited and I am going to go enjoy my family! :)
To all a good day!

April News

2008-04-17T04:53:00.000-07:00

After experiencing a difficult winter in real estate, things are really heating up. In our office we are seeing sales grow by the numbers week after week. April has turned into a break out month to the real estate slump of 2007-2008! I don't think that this is going to change anytime soon! I have seen many sellers, as of late, getting to choose from offers.

As an agent we are required by law to present any and all offers from the day a seller lists their home to the day it closes. If an offer has been accepted verbally or in writing we are still required to present the offer to the seller even if they are already bound to a previous offer. I wrote one a few weeks ago and the seller accepted another offer without countering our original offer. That was frustrating but they have that right. It worked out for the best because that extra day allowed us to find a house that suit them better than the last. I guess it is true, all things happen for a reason! My point being, the market has began to blast off. More and more weak offers are going to be turned down as the inventory goes down.

I look forward to this coming summer and helping many clients get settled in a great home. Don't think that you are going to wait much longer and get the same deal or better than you can right now. In 2009 my gut feeling is that many people are going to wish they pulled the trigger sooner!

Spring is Coming!

2008-04-02T05:51:00.000-07:00

Wow! Is this weather a bummer or what?!?!?! Real estate has been picking up quite a bit since the first of the year (at least in central Iowa). What I am seeing is that there are many homes selling under 200,000 and there aren't as many new homes going up. Most buyers today have a house or a town home to sell and that has been a struggle because in today and yesterdays market, it is easier to buy new for about the same price but less payment. Building permits for the last year have been less and less. With less permits issued that means less new homes are being built. There are still a good number of people out there purchasing homes. While people are buying and builders are reducing speculative homes, inventory will go down and down! The market will see a turn around real soon if this trend continues. Supply and Demand! The resale homes across the country have seen an increase in activity! Here is my thought, if you are thinking about selling your home in this market you should take advantage of the situation sooner than later. Theoretically, if you sell your home for 5-10K less than you wanted but you are purchasing a larger or more expensive home. The odds of you being able to purchase your next home for 10-15K less than it would have sold in a up market are good. That means that you have made up the difference and now your mortgage is less than it would be in that up market. If you are down sizing this idea wouldn't be to your advantage! Just something to think about. Talk to you soon!

Feb. 2008

2008-02-18T13:36:00.000-08:00

Today is a different day in a different market! Real estate has it's ups and downs right now but overall we are still in an active market. Thank goodness we live in a conservative market and the home prices don't fluctuate like the coasts. Rates dropped a few weeks back and the market became extremely active and what I am finding is there are plenty of buyers but they are overly cautious. Rightfully so! If rates drop again in the coming weeks then I have a feeling that people will come out of the wood work again. Can't wait because this is how I feed my family :)! If sellers are thinking of selling their homes, it is a good time to market the property because those 2 week periods when rates surprises us or people come out to buy, sellers stand a good chance at winning the battle and selling their home. Stay tuned for a roller coaster ride!

2008

2008-01-20T21:10:00.000-08:00

Wow 2008 is already hear and it is off to a great start! Who says real estate is bad??? As far as I know the mid-west is on fire. With rates continuing to drop off the charts buyers are beginning to take purchase agreements serious. My family is greatful :) I am not sure as to the future of the economy and I am not going to begin to act like I know but I do know that there is still activity in the central Iowa real estate nation. On a side note, what's with all the snow and ice?

WELCOME

2007-08-14T06:49:00.000-07:00

This is new to me but here is my first official Blog. I want to use this site to just talk about Residential Real Estate in the Mid-West. More specifically Central Iowa. I am a Realtor with Coldwell Banker MAG Realtors. and I have been with them for a little over a year. It is funny in the Real Estate profession Realtors seem to move around quite a bit. I plan on blogging about the different things that I see going on. Anything from what agents are doing to what buyers and sellers are doing. Stay tuned.