Holtz Realty

I had great conversation with a client several days ago about when he and his wife started looking for a new home. Not so much to my surprise, he told me they started looking in February. He went on to say that he and his wife were developing the “itch” to make a change as the days were getting longer and the sun seemed warmer, and they wanted to be in their new home before the beginning of yard work. He felt it would be a better transition to get the interior of their new home the way they wanted it before dealing with the exterior and landscaping. I’ve always called it a form of cabin fever with tenants wanting to have a home of their own. This year especially, is a great time to purchase due to the very low fixed interest rates. The one thing that I caution buyers about is not to allow themselves to be plugged into mortgages that are or nearing the top of their debt to income ratios. I can say without a doubt that there have been so very few buyers that I have sold homes to that lost them due to their inability to afford the payments. It tears at my heart strings to see naïve buyers allowing themselves to be duped into something that will cause them to be strapped financially. I showed a very expensive home several days ago and was again shocked by what appeared to me a seller struggling financially. The furniture was distressed, the appliances were well worn, and the over-all general maintenance showed cheap fix-it repairs. One of my all time favorite home buyers stopped by the office several days ago to show me a photo of another room that he and his girlfriend have completed in the home I sold them. I absolutely love people who do listen to me as far as taking guarded and calculated steps when it comes to improving their home spaces. I just recently sold a home to a gentleman who is going to be yet another person in a win/win situation when and if he ever sells the home he just purchased. If he will ever allow me to see what he’s done to his new home in a year or two, I can assure you all that it will be striking. If this is sounding like a pep talk…well it is. People must teach themselves how to create value. They need to get off their cell phones, roll up their sleeves and do something that will inspire the want to create, change, and better. Too many of us are becoming sedentary in our lives. On the oceans of our lives, we need to throw open the hatches and start experiencing; and above all learning. Let’s not be like what I consider my winter sentinels planted firmly and fast waiting for each season to arrive.