by Buz Wolfe
I still read the newspaper every day. A recent national survey indicated less than 13% of Americans still read the newspaper – – but I do. It is the very best way to keep up on local news.
While I am not a voracious reader by any stretch, I also read business and trade publications religiously. Everything that I read lately, by all sorts of so called “experts”, is really just what I would refer to as a “mixed bag”.
We read statistics that the housing market has declined again, we read that the housing market is improving. We read that the economy is finally on solid ground and emerging from a six or seven year recession. We read that 2015 will likely drag the United States into a global recession. Experts and opinions – – everyone has one! As I have mentioned many times before, real estate is exactly like politics inasmuch as it is ALL LOCAL.
We continue to have a very solid 2014. As mentioned in a previous blog, it is far and away our best year since 2006. We are having a very solid 4th quarter and I am optimistic about a continued improvement in the market and the prospects of likely having a good 4th quarter and 1st quarter of 2015.
It remains, however, very difficult. A recent editorial by Barry Ritholtz from the Bloomberg News details his own personal struggle with a recent mortgage application. His conclusion, which is exactly the same as I have expressed in the past, is that the mortgage market simply went from being way too easy to way too difficult. He attributes this to changes in credit standards, automated underwriting and incompetent documentation. I could not agree more.
The bottom line is this. You must engage a real estate professional who is capable of MANAGING YOUR TRANSACTION. Inexperienced or lazy agents have very little chance of carrying the ball over the goal line. It is just that simple.
For the most experienced real estate service available in South Central Pennsylvania, call me or call any of my associates. EXPERIENCE MATTERS!
*Ray L. “Buz” Wolfe, Jr. is a licensed Real Estate Broker in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He is not an attorney and is not licensed to practice law. No comments made within the confines of his blog should be construed as legal advice.
**All information believed to be accurate but not guaranteed.