By Nancy Brumback, Contributing Writer
Shrewsbury – It's cold outside and there may be snow on the ground, but it's a great time to put your house on the market if you'se planning to sell, said Becky Dalke, a Realtor with Keller Williams who specializes in Shrewsbury and surrounding towns.
The current inventory of houses on the market is low, she noted.
“I's telling people this is definitely the time to list their house. There's not a lot of competition, and buyers who are looking in January and February are motivated to buy. If you wait until April to list a house, there will be a lot more competition,” Dalke said.
Buyers are motivated in part by historically low interest rates and home prices in the area that are down 15 to 20 percent since the 2005 peak.
“I predict that we will have a fairly strong spring market. The interest rates are incredibly low and home prices are very reasonable. There are plenty of buyers in the market. We just need to increase the inventory,” Dalke said.
The market in the greater Shrewsbury area has remained reasonably strong despite national real estate trends, she added, boosted by a good school system, efficiently-run town and the anchoring influence of the University of Massachusetts Medical Center and biotech companies that are related to it.
As evidence of that strength, Dalke noted she had her best year ever in 2011, with 28 sales in a challenging market. About 75 percent of her business is in Shrewsbury, although she works in most of the towns in the greater Metrowest area. Most of her clients come from referrals.
Dalke has been a Realtor with Keller Williams for 11 years. She realized how much she enjoyed sales when she started working in hotel sales after graduating from the University of New Hampshire, and, at the urging of her technology-oriented husband, switched to computer sales.
She took some time off when her daughters were young, then returned to sales in the real estate market, drawing on the contacts she had made volunteering in her community and doing creative consulting such as color and garden design. “I's fortunate that I truly love what I do,” she said.
Dalke takes the time to make sure prospective buyers and sellers understand all aspects of the real estate process.
With buyers, “One of the first things I do is put them in touch with reputable, local lenders to get them pre-approved for a loan. They need to know if they can afford to buy a home and what their price range will be.” She also outlines how buyers can protect their credit rating during the mortgage application process, such as not opening new credit card accounts or co-signing loans.
“We discuss what they are looking for in a house and why their criteria are important to them. We set expectations, educate on the process and help buyers to be realistic,” she said.
On the sellers” side, Dalke's strongest advice is “to be very realistic in pricing. Price your home where the last house similar to yours sold. Overpricing is the kiss of death. If you overprice, it will make other homes that are priced properly look like a better value.”
Sellers should also stage their house well. Dalke advises sellers on how to make their home look its best. She keeps a list of reputable contractors who can improve a home's appearance and make needed repairs. She provides advice on de-cluttering and making a home look spacious and neutral. “Make your home look worth the price you are asking.”
Dalke enjoys the marketing aspect of home sales. “Every home is different and each one requires a unique marketing strategy to bring out the home's best qualities,” she said.
Dalke creates clever marketing descriptions and uses virtual tours, hundreds of websites, social media and open houses to get the message out. All of her home listings can be seen on her website, www.BeckyDalke.com.
At the moment, homes priced between $400,000 and $500,000 in Shrewsbury are selling very quickly, often triggering bidding wars among buyers. The inventory at this price range is very low, she said.
The $500,000 price point is significant, she explained, because buyers often have to put down about 20 percent of the purchase price, leaving them with a $400,000 mortgage, just below the hard-to-get jumbo mortgage rate that begins at $417,000 in Worcester County.
For more information on Dalke and on buying or selling a home, and to view current listings and client testimonials, visit her website, www.BeckyDalke.com, or contact her at [email protected] or 508-864-1047.