April showers do bring May flowers. But will April showings turn into May buyers? I hope so! Showing activity was good in April, but not great. I think the real estate market is still working through some recent changes in the mortgage market. The elimination of 100% financing has forced some buyers to plan more (i.e. save more for a down payment) or delay purchases. It also forces some buyers to consider less expensive homes or not move up at all. Web traffic on my website was up 32% from March to April. Return visitors accounted for 28% of all visitors up from 22% in March. These numbers combined lead me to believe that there are more active buyers in the market. If you have not already checked it out, the Omaha MLS map feature is definitely a cool tool to use when looking for a home. Just a quick reminder to home sellers, don't miss the best selling time -- April, May, June and July. Preparing your home for sale is so important these days, but don't hold off too long. As I have said previously, homes will continue to sell, but the ones selling in a timely manner are those that have been updated, are in good condition, and priced competitively.
New feature! I am continually modifying and adding new features to my website. Recently, I added video tours of my listings on Realtor.com and personal domain names to market my listings. Check out http://www.908portroyaldrive.info/. Or http://www.westmonthome.info/
Statistics show everyone knows of 3 - 6 people who will buy or sell a home each year. I would really appreciate your referral if you know anyone that will be buying or selling a home in the future. Please forward them my contact information, website or this newsletter.
Finally, check out my Blog called http://www.omaharealtyblog.com/ for recent posts and statistics on the Omaha real estate market.
Trivia Challenge Question:
Thanks to everyone that submitted guesses last month and congratulations to Bill D. for submitting the correct answer. He emailed the correct answer "Jack Black (Barry in the movie, High Fidelity".
Name that movie?
Recently, I watched this western movie again. I was surprised to see Louis, who was a main character in "Revenge of the Nerds", when he was a child. What's the name of the western movie?
Thanks again for taking a few minutes out of your day to read my real estate newsletter. I appreciate it and welcome any suggestions!
Steve