Housing market mayhem
Buying and selling homes in a ‘ record-breaking ’ market
By Shannon Rabotski & Chad Drury
As the cost of rent continues to rise , people all over the country are making the move to home ownership .
While some are purchasing their first home , others are cashing in on a favorable seller ’ s market .
“ Right now [ homes are ] not staying on the market real long ,” Legacy Realtor Ruthi Rogers said . “ If it ’ s priced right , it ’ s going to sell quickly .”
Katlyn Jone of Legacy Realty noted what a difference prepping a home can make in the length of time it stays on the market .
“ Just getting a fresh coat of paint on the walls makes a huge difference ,” she said . “ It kind of gets rid of all of the dirt and kind of just brightens up the house .”
While a quick sale can take stress off of the seller ’ s back , those looking to buy are needing to be proactive in order to get into a new home .
“ It ’ s one of the biggest problems buyers are seeing , just because the houses that are ready for the market , that have polished that house , that have gotten that new paint on the walls , it sells fast ,” Jones said . “ People are rushing to get in the house to see the house and write offers .”
Josh Evans and his family experienced just that when they moved from his first home to a new one this year .
“ It was pretty crazy ,” he said . “ When we placed a bid on [ our new ] house , it was pretty much accepted right away and then when we put our house on the market , it was pretty
Southern Iowa Living 13