Hellooooo! Is anybody there?
It has been so quiet over the past week, you can hear a call drop. And it is just so hard to be a blur of activity, a working machine, when the real estate world feels like it is operating under a cone of silence. It must be August.
This happens every year, and I am having to remind myself that a lot of the lethargy we are seeing now may in fact be seasonal and not market-driven. Our market is less than ideal; we have consensus on this point. Buyers are buried under a barrage of reports of the end of the world as we know it, fearful that a purchase today would cause their friends to lob taunts and jeers in their general direction. There are always those motivated few, the few with a sense of urgency, but absent a true “need” to move in August, most people tend to put any buying (and selling) “wants” temporarily on the back burner.
So what does this mean if your home is currently offered for sale? Patience. Every summer-end, I find myself repeating this little speech: From now through January, stuff is going on, stuff outside of real estate. If seasonal trends hold true, showings will be fewer, and open houses will not likely be festive beehives of activity. We all enjoy competing demands this time of year, from the back-to-school daze and the vacations, to the “What am I going to be?” costume decisions and and the social and gift-buying obligations. The people who do look at your home during the next several months, however, probably mean business. And, don’t forget that there are a whole bunch of busy would-be sellers out there who are putting off listing until the relatives leave, so your competition is arguably less.
My father-in-law used to say, “Don’t fight the feeling,” and this is particularly good advice right now. When someone decides to view your home during the next several months, they have probably done so because it is a priority, a higher priority than basting the turkey. Expect fewer showings, but know that the quality of your showings will be greater for awhile. It always is. Veteran agents know the season all too well and use this time to improve systems, attend to those “projects” which have been languishing since last August, and generally mobilize for the next seasonal wave. Sellers would be wise to use this time to enjoy the things their potential buyers are enjoying while they aren’t looking at homes.
Lately it has been all about the market, but sometimes it’s just August.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Kris Berg is Co-Owner and Designated Broker of San Diego Castles Realty. If not-so static web sites are your thing, go here at once where you will find loads of real estate information including homes for sale, market trends, floor plans and more. Kris's hobbies include fencing and spot welding. She likes kittens. 
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Actually it was “Don’t fight the problem.” Either way, though, it applies.
Kris: It took a little wrok, but I found you…. I arrived at office this morning and in my mail slot was an article your wrote (Inman News) title BIG HEAD…print ads survive in the mountains.
I’ve gotta say, you’re a terrific writer, funny and right on about the mountains (at least mine)… I was cracking up at your descriptions about the internet, our MLS not sharing (so to speak) and your cat (not laughing until I read he/she was okay). GLAD he really has/had nine lives.
Anyway, I just had to pass on my comment. Keep writting!
Kris,
Great insight. We had a flurry of activity in July and then our numbers in August haven’t quite been the same. You are right it does happen each year, but it’s nice to be reminded.
The upside, is as you say, that people that we take out this time of year certainly do make it a priority so quality is up which leads to fewer showings to make a transaction happen. Always a nice aspect
Jamey – So, it’s not just me.
Kat – Your mountains are my mountains! We love Arrowhead, by the way. Glad you knew I was (mostly) kidding. Thanks for the nice comment and, yes, the cat is fine. Just like my own diets, she put all of the weight back on plus some once she was able to eat again.
These last 2 weeks of August have been record slow. I own a painting and fencing company in Seattle and the phone has rang maybe 3-4 times a day…so brutal slow. I tell myself that August is like this, but I’m ready for September!