What’s The Tea with 4D? 🍵

I hope everyone has been having a wonderful week! Beautiful sunny days, things a-bloomin’, birds chirping…ahhhh. As I have been wandering in my garden pondering life, there is a word that has been on my mind this week that also starts with a T…that word is TRUST. So much of what I do in real estate (and life too, of course) comes down to trustworthiness. And I don’t take that lightly.

I have been having some challenging conversations with clients recently. Some have been related to their timelines around buying and selling. Some have been related to steps in the purchase process. And others have just been venting sessions where clients need to express their frustration with some aspect of the buying and selling experience. Real estate can get emotional.

When someone decides to make a move and they reach out to me, they don’t always foresee the twists and turns that come with the process. How could they? That is what I am here for! Many, many transactions and eight years (and counting) in this business have helped me to anticipate what may happen next. As a client, it is very important to have an expert whom they can lean on, rely upon, and most importantly, TRUST to offer accurate information, market updates, and straightforward, wise advice.

Honestly, for me as an agent, trust between me and the people involved in any given transaction is crucial. I need to be able to trust the information that I receive and the information that I share. That is not to say that information is always perfectly accurate. There can be bobbles which I try to mitigate. But for the most part, trusting that we are all on the same team trying to get to the closing table and building trust along the way is what makes real estate go ‘round.

I have built a team of people based on trust, reliability, communication, and work ethic. Anyone whom I personally recommend after having worked with meets very high criteria for these qualities, with the foundation of all of them being trust.

This is Donna, signing off from 4D, putting the capital ‘T’ in trust. Enjoy the rest of your week!

Let's strategize over coffee! We'll delve into your current plans, address any questions you have about our local market, and your first drink will be on me! ☕️

Click below to lock in your spot and choose a date and time that suits your schedule. Once booked, I'll personally reach out to confirm the location and we’ll go from there. Don’t wait—reserve your spot now and let’s get your real estate journey started on the right foot. 🙂

Discover the Top Two Benefits of New Construction Homes

When you’re planning a move, it’s normal to wonder where you’ll end up and what your future home is going to look like. Maybe you’ve got a specific picture of that house in your mind. But unless you came into this process knowing you want to buy a newly built home, you may not have pictured new home construction.

A trusted real estate agent can help walk you through these two reasons you may want to reconsider that.

1. Adding Newly Built Homes Gives You More Options

There are two types of homes on the market: new and existing. A newly built home refers to a house that was just built or is under construction. An existing home is one a previous homeowner has already lived in. Right now, the inventory of existing homes is tight. But there may be options for you on the new home side of things.

Data from the Census and the National Association of Realtors (NAR) shows that newly built homes are a bigger part of today’s housing inventory than the norm (see graph below):

From 1983 to 2019 (the last normal year in the market), newly built homes made up only 13% of the total inventory of homes for sale. But today that number has climbed to over 33%.

Rest assured, after over a decade of underbuilding, builders aren’t overdoing it today. Even with an increase in new construction today, there’s still a significant housing shortage overall. But for you, the uptick in new builds can be a game changer because it gives you more options for your search.

2. Newly Built Homes May Be More Affordable Than You Think

You may still be wondering if a new build could really be an option for you. If you’ve previously written them off because you thought they would be out of your budget, consider this. The price gap between a newly built home and an existing house is shrinking. Here's why.

Builders are going to build what’s in demand. And they know people need more options right now, especially ones that are smaller and potentially more affordable. So, they’re focusing on building smaller homes at lower price points. The graph below shows the price difference between new and existing homes is shrinking as that happens:

As LendingTree explains:

And an article from CNBC says:

Not to mention, some builders are even offering price cuts and mortgage rate buy-downs right now to sweeten the deal. Today there are many reasons new builds may be worth considering. Other buyers sure seem to think so. As Freddie Mac says:

Just know that buying a newly built home isn’t the same as buying an existing one. Builder contracts have different fine print. So, partner with a local agent who knows the market, builder reputations, and what to look for in those contracts so you have an expert on your side to help you explore this option.

If you want to find out what builders are doing in our area, let’s connect and check it out together. And if you’re willing to cast a wider net to open up your options even more, we can talk about broadening your search to include other towns nearby as well!