Barney and the Balanced Market
My little brother Lincoln was about three, when he decided he’d outgrown his stuffed, purple-dinosaur Barney. On his own, he gathered his stroller, his little desk, and his Barney, and set up shop in the front yard. Then he sat in his old umbrella stroller and yelled, “Barney for sale! Barney for sale!”
Unfortunately, Lincoln had two things working against him: 
- We lived on a quiet street with little to no traffic.
- No one wanted a Barney stuffed animal. All over America, parents, Lincoln’s target market, had grown to hate even the opening chords of the sickeningly sweet theme song, “I love you. You love me. We’re a happy fa-mi-ly.”
(As a matter of fact, my mother still hates the show so much that she lies to her grandchildren and tells them that on her Netflix, Barney doesn’t work and never will.)
Eventually, I decided to help my little brother and went to a nearby house to try to sell Barney Barney for 50 cents. The kind man who opened the door looked quite serious as Lincoln gave his short sales pitch, then the man said, “Fifty cents? Why that’s far too little money for such an amazing toy! I won’t hear of it. I insist on paying two dollars!” And he did.
The cuteness factor definitely played into the success of that transaction, and, indeed, cuteness can play into the sale of your home — as in “Oh, honey, isn’t that the cutest baby’s room ever?”.
However, in the world of real estate, there is also an economic strategy in play right now. It has to do with supply and demand and what is called a Balanced Market.
Let me explain.
In an average Balanced Market, if no other homes came on the market, the current inventory of houses available for sale would all be gone in six months.
We are not in an average Balanced Market. On the contrary, the current supply of homes is expected to be gone in only 1.8 months!
For buyers, that means a low-ball offer could mean losing the house of your dreams. It also means buyers need to be pre-approved and ready to pounce when they find what they want.
For sellers, that means now is the time to get top dollar for your home. However, it doesn’t mean that you don’t have to put in some serious effort to put your home in top-dollar contention. People live in an HGTV world now, and prospective buyers expect the homes they visit to have stepped up their game. Buyers expect clean, uncluttered, staged, good-smelling homes. (Yes, passing the smell test is huge.)
Insider information: If you are looking for a buildable lot within ten-minutes of downtown Spokane, (but feels as though you are much further out) you are in luck. Amazingly, we have some excellent lots that are not yet on the market. If you are interested, email us or give us call.
Jessica Side
Owner/Designated Broker
EvoReal
[email protected]
(509) 62-HOUSE
Over 750 Homes Sold Since 2013
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