It’s really hard to do a market update when the market seems to be so unpredictable. I (Valerie) was all set to sit down and provide a market update for the Oshkosh Wisconsin area and I started reading articles about the Federal Reserves hike in interest rates.  Now this increase doesn’t automatically mean a rise in mortgage interest rates but it’s certainly a factor in the unpredictability we are seeing in the Northeast Wisconsin Housing market. What have we been seeing? Since mid April, agents across the country and within Wisconsin felt something change within the housing market. More homes went on the market (Spring Sellers) Buyers with interest rate sensitivity stepped back from their searches creating less buyer competition Homes that went on the market sat a little longer or those that were in desired price ranges saw less bidders in the multiple offer situations Homes sitting longer brought us seeing more price reductions/changes coming across our hot sheets on the MLS. May data for Oshkosh, Wisconsin: 70 residential homes closed in May 2022                 51 still over asking (ranging from $2000 to $66,000) In June from June 1 to June 14:                 25 residential homes have closed                 18 of them have been over asking ($2000 to $30,000) How on earth does that signal a change you ask since such a high percentage of homes are still selling at over asking price? The information that we have access to for Sold properties is LAGGING information.  Offer/bidding wars and the date that those homes listed on the market took place six (6) weeks ago.  We can only get the information after it’s all taken place. It’s never really current.  We can see trends and patterns in how many other offers are we competing with when we make offers for our buyers or we can see price changes on the daily hot sheet, we can dig deeper to see how long it takes a home to get to accepted offer. The next few days will be telling about the housing market’s reaction.  As agents we have been told that interest rates have mostly flattened since April, that mortgage rates already accounted for the FED rate hike predictions (meaning we won’t see a drastic impact as it’s already “in there”), and that housing is generally recession proof, especially since the housing market we have right now is vastly different than any other recession period (the low inventory factor.)  We are also being told that every housing specialist or economist is still predicting that homes will RISE in value --- they just don’t all agree on how much.  Homes will not lose value in the scenarios. We’ll keep monitoring what we are seeing.  Please reach out to our team if you are trying to figure out how to navigate this stuff.  You can still reach your 2022 homebuyer or homeseller goals. We just need to be mindful every step of the way.   Check out my video overview of this update also: Freedom Team Real Estate Agents serving Appleton, Neenah, Oshkosh, Fond du lac and surrounding areas in Wisconsin.   Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: https://www.facebook.com/joinfreedomteam https://www.facebook.com/valeriecohn.gehrke/ https://www.facebook.com/kyle.meyer.965 https://www.facebook.com/lauren.nobbe.3 https://www.instagram.com/joinfreedom https://www.instagram.com/vcohngehrke/

HOUSING MARKET UPDATE - April 6, 2022 - THIS MARKET IS CRAZY! We get that comment a lot. We are hoping to answer some of those burning questions we get over and over again with a simple video update on what we are TRULY seeing in the market each week. Here is a quick update for March 29-April 5. Data for Oshkosh, Neenah, and Appleton - Number sold that were over list price and the median amount of the overages. Come back each week as we try to address the questions that we get from our clients and family and friends about this market. Our plan is to arm you with real time information as we gather it. WHAT'S YOUR QUESTION FOR NEXT WEEK?  Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: https://www.facebook.com/joinfreedomteam https://www.facebook.com/valeriecohn.gehrke/ https://www.facebook.com/kyle.meyer.965 https://www.facebook.com/lauren.nobbe.3 https://www.instagram.com/joinfreedom... https://www.instagram.com/vcohngehrke/

Here is this week's Northeast Wisconsin Housing Market Update (January 31 - February 6, 2022). Buyers and Sellers need to be aware that the 2022 Housing Market remains strong and active. We did see an increase in homes that entered the market in the week of Jan 31 and the 30 yr fixed rate remained stable after a crazy January. Potential buyers especially need to be aware right now that they should be doing all of the necessary things to prepare for buying vs waiting to start a search and then prepare. We often hear that buyers have concerns about credit or down payments. We have resources to assist with working through that, but waiting to act will hurt buyers in the long run. See our Lender Talk playlists for more info or better yet - contact us!  2022 Housing Market Playlist Lender Talk Freedom Team Real Estate Agents serving Appleton, Neenah, Oshkosh, Fond du lac and surrounding areas in Wisconsin.  Check us out at www.joinfreedomteam.com or by calling us at 920-410-7230 today.

Grumpy "Not So Old" Men - Oshkosh style What the heck is there to do in Oshkosh, Wisconsin in winter? The Freedom Team decided to have a little fun one afternoon to highlight all of the fun outdoor things you can do when you live in this part of the country (or any part of Northeast Wisconsin!) Lake Winnebago and the surrounding communities afford us many fun outdoor opportunities. Find one that works for you. Return to our channel as we continue to add more local content. We won't always do it "tongue and cheek" like this one, but we do like to have fun, so subscribe, because you might never know when we decide to have a little fun one day. For more fun, check out Kyle's "Realtor Rap."    Freedom Team Real Estate Agents serving Appleton, Neenah, Oshkosh, Fond du lac and surrounding areas in Wisconsin.  Check us out at www.joinfreedomteam.com or by calling us at 920-410-7230 today.

The Northeast Wisconsin housing market continued to be tough during the week of January 24. As many houses closed off the market as came on the market new.   30% of the homes in Winnebago, Outagamie, and Fond du lac counties are under contract within that same few days of going on the market.   Interest rates leveled off this week with no change according to Freddie Mac. Lenders are sharing that they are just as surprised at the quick ascent of interest rates in 2022. Homes remain affordable, but it's important to understand your buying power when rates move quickly like this.   Buyers are getting fatigue early in 2022 as they try to compete for so few homes. It's important to understand week to week what is truly happening in the market as you try to compete.     #northeastwisconsinrealestate #wisconsinrealestate #wisconsinrealtor #appletonrealestate #oshkoshrealestate #joinfreedomteam #RealBrokerLLC   Watch our video update here:   Freedom Team Real Estate Agents serving Appleton, Neenah, Oshkosh, Fond du lac and surrounding areas in Wisconsin.  Check us out at www.joinfreedomteam.com or by calling us at 920-410-7230 today.

For those of us in the Oshkosh, Appleton and Fond du Lac area, here is a quick snapshot of some of the Wisconsin housing market activity for the last two weeks of 2021.  As you can see 1/3 of the homes that went on the market between December 20 and December 31, 2021 went under contract in that same two week period. This continues to indicate that we are in a strong seller's market and buyer demand is high and ACTIVE. Over the last few weeks we've been sharing some short form videos about what is being predicted for 2022 in the housing market. The links to those videos are below. We've also touched on inflation and the impact to renters.  The graphic below shows the predictions for the 2022 US Housing Market.   Will the housing market crash?  Not likely! None of us has a crystal ball, but the housing market is typically very resilient to changes in the economy. Will home prices drop in 2022?  Also not likely.  Homes rarely depreciate.  The rate of appreciation due to the low inventory (driving up demand) will likely slow down in 2022, but home will not go down in value.   Market projections are never 100 percent accurate, but the experts in real estate studying this information have mostly agreed on what to expect.  Northeast Wisconsin is much more conservative than many other parts of the country, but we do typically follow the same trends. Let us know how our team can help you make sense of the predictions for your personal situation in 2022! Our Buyer & Seller Playlists on Youtube: Freedom Team Buyers Series Playlist Freedom Team Sellers Series Playlist Freedom Team Real Estate Agents serving Appleton, Neenah, Oshkosh, Fond du lac and surrounding areas in Wisconsin.  Check us out at www.joinfreedomteam.com or by calling us at 920-410-7230 today.

Are you thinking of selling your home? There are several simple things that you can do to maximize your home sale to prepare your home to sell quickly and for the most money. When we are walking through houses one of the most common things that we see is clutter. This is also one of the easiest fixes. If you're planning on selling, you're going to eventually be packing up your things to move, so why not pack them now and set your home up for a successful sale? This could be knick-knacks, framed photos, clothes that aren't being used---anything that you can pack away until the move is complete. You may want to rent a storage unit until you've moved in.  When you have your realtor take photos for online pictures, clutter stands out and is a major deterrent to buyers that are seeing your home mostly online for the first impression. Another thing to do is determine if there are any fixtures or appliances that will not stay. This could be light fixtures, appliances, tv wall mounts, or anything else that is attached to the house that you plan on keeping.  If so, remove or replace those items now and make sure that you disclose any that may not be in good working order. You could also make any minor home repairs that your home needs.  This could be adding a fresh coat of paint (using a neutral color)or replacing broken faucets. Fix damaged flooring or patch up any holes in the wall. Look for electrical outlet and switch plate covers.  Touch up with paint where necessary. Also remember that most buyers will come through your front entrance, so anything that you can do to spruce that up add curb appeal make your entrance look inviting is helpful. Lastly, CLEAN. Buyers notice when a seller chooses not to do a deep cleaning.  If you don't enjoy cleaning, this may mean hiring that out just before you're ready to list your home, and then maintaining that through showings. And remember you're moving on so you will have to do some packing and cleaning anyway.  If you take the time to do it right before you put your home on the market, your home will sell more quickly and for more money. Checkout Lauren’s VIDEO as she walks through these tips: How to prepare your house for sale & a Home Selling Tips Checklist Also feel free to print out our helpful HOME SELLING TIPS CHECKLIST.   Freedom Team Real Estate Agents serving Appleton, Neenah, Oshkosh, Fond du lac and surrounding areas in Wisconsin.  Check us out at www.joinfreedomteam.com or by calling us at 920-410-7230 today.  

It's time to plant a seed for Wisconsin homeowners. Is now the time for homeowners to consider putting their home on the market? The average homeowner in Wisconsin has recognized about $28,000 based on the 2021 housing market. While that number is not as high as what it is for the national average ($56,700), that is record-breaking equity growth for homeowners.  That means that selling your home now means quite a bit of recognized appreciation in a hot sellers market. Realtor.com is also predicting that sellers that had originally said they were going to listing April, May and June of 2022 will now be doing that listing in January, February, or March.  We are also seeing through the app that realtors use to schedule showings, ShowingTime, that showings are creeping up which means that buyers are out there and will continue to come in to the market earlier in the year. Buyers are also completely aware of rising interest rates which will drive them into the market. Current market rates (December 2021) are around 3.1% (30 year fixed per Freddie Mac).  This rate is expected to go up to 3.5% or 4% (varies by prediction) by Q3 or Q4 of 2022.  Buyers will want to buy earlier in 2022 as housing affordability is intricately effected by that rise in interest rates. Don’t wait if you are contemplating selling your home. Check out our video below and subscribe to our Youtube channel.  We will be adding content several times in the next few weeks. Wisconsin Housing Market 2022 Selling Predictions