Hello Folks!

 We are still in the middle of winter, but never fear Spring is near! Grab a hot beverage and curl up to read this month's Real Estate Zen Letter!

   Here's what's happening in our market now. In Lane county our average sale price has increased 7.5% since January 2014 (median percent change has increased 6.6%) Folks, this is huge. In general we see home prices increase by about 3% every year, 5% is considered really good but 7%!? This is terrific for people who are wondering if now is a good time to sell...YES!! Pending sales have increased almost 20% from December. With 330 accepted offers that's the best January since 2007. Closed sales increased 20% from this time last year but are down a little from December. Good news for you buyers, new listings have increased 99%! We had only 211 new listings in December and January saw 420 new listings. Our inventory is still low over all but we are seeing more new homes coming onto the market. Our average market time is steady at 84 days. 

  Let me know if you would like to know what the market looks like in a different county or if you would like to know what is happening is a specific part of Lane county, such as River Road, South Eugene or Springfield. 

​  In the month of February I've really been focusing on "falling in love". Aside from noticing the love I experience from my relationships I've been trying to take account of the little things I love in life. One big one has been to pay attention to the clothes I love in my closet and donate the un-loved items. Currently I'm loving the view of the sun breaking through the clouds as I sit at my desk. Loving the bright green moss on that roof that needs to replaced for your appraisal to go through. It's all about perspective right? I want to help you, your friends and family members be in love with Real Estate. Who do you know that I can help make their Real Estate dreams come true? I would be honored to assist them with their dreams and play Real Estate match maker.

  Speaking of love, let's take a moment to talk about the love organ. The heart. Heart health is so important to overall health. I wanted to share with you this short article on a few activities that you can do to improve your heart health or keep it healthy. Don't be discouraged just 20 minutes of activity makes a huge difference. What are your favorite ways to keep your heart pumping strong?

   I hope you all have enjoyed this month's Zen letter. That's all for now! Have a great rest of your month!

​Hello Folks!

   Happy sun shiny day to you all! If you are on an automatic search with me the odds are you already know that our Real Estate Market is heating up! With the Holidays behind us folks are moving forward with their 2016 Real Estate Goals! What are your Real Estate Goals for 2016? How can I help?

  How about I start with the statistics from the latest Market Action? While I mentioned that things are heating up it doesn't seem like they slowed down too much. In December alone Lane County had 394 closed sales. 394! That's up 36% from December 2014 and made this December the strongest for closings in the RMLS record. Pending sales also increased over 20% from December 2014. However, new listings decreased by almost 4%. Our inventory too is down to only 2 months. Too bad because my number of buyers increased! 
   For the whole year, pending sales are up 28%, closed sales 27% and new listings 10%. It's easy to see why our inventory is so low, people are buying all the houses and we need more sellers to list. The good news for sellers, besides the low inventory, is the average sale price has increased 3.4% and the median sale price has increased 3.8%. And that's with plenty of rehab and bank owned properties coming onto the market adding to the number of lower sale prices. Every time I meet with a new buyer I've been explaining to them, inventory is low, market time is short and prices are going up. This means, be prepared to act. 

   If you would like to know what the market looks like for a specific area, just let me know! I can show you the statistics for South Eugene, Springfield, even Florence and areas outside of Lane County. 

   In other news, have you guys heard that Oregon is the number one state that people are moving too? I've felt it for sure. I have actually helped two clients move from out of state this year and have a handful of clients from out of state still looking for properties in Eugene and the surrounding areas. I have three friends that have moved from the midwest to Oregon as well! Looks like the secret is getting out.

   Shall I ask how everyone is doing with their 2016 resolutions? I'm doing okay with them, each day is an opportunity to try again! One thing that I am doing well with so far is recognizing and allowing myself to feel joy. I truly have so much to be grateful for and I want to remind myself to take "long drinks" of my life's blessings more often. This great article was shared with me and I thought I would share it with you too, 7 Things Remarkably Happy People Do.

   That's all for this month's Zen Letter. I hope you have found it to be insightful and entertaining. I'm looking forward to serving you and your friends and family achieve their Real Estate Goals and Dreams this year!

Greetings!

   Happy Fall days to you all! Are you ready for this month's Real Estate market update? I know I was! As the weather turns cooler (or usually turns cooler) the Real Estate market usually cools a little too and I'm always curious to see by how much. I was especially curious because I know that this past summer was a tough one for buyers. There were many instances when a house went pending in the blink of an eye or had multiple offers and well...there can be only one to actually buy the house. I knew that there were probably still people really itching to buy and take advantage of these lower interest rates and so I thought September would be a busier month than last year. I'm pleased to announce that I was correct! Here are the stats.
   
   First let's look at the year overall. Comparing 2015 up-to the end of September to the first nine months of 2014 we're seeing really great improvement. Pending sales are up 30%, closed sales are up almost 29% and we have 10% more listing that we did at this point in 2014. Also, the average sale price has risen 3.5% up to $243,400 from $235,200 and the median has risen almost 5% from $210k to $220k. This is great growth, not to fast and not to slow. 
   Now looking at just September's numbers we're seeing that there were 31% more pending sales this year than September 2014. That's just 10% less than pending sales in August (see lots of people still buying!) Closed sales is high as well, 27% compared to last September and is down a mere 2% compared to August. New listings is lower than August by 21% but still an increase of 11.5% from September 2014. We only have 3 months of inventory on the market right now. This is low, even for September. The low inventory is why buyers are needing to act quickly when they see a home that meets their needs come onto the market. Also, surprisingly total market time has dropped again! August's average market time was 79 days. September's average lowered to 71!

   Send me an email if you would like to see September's Market Action or to receive the numbers for a specific part of Eugene, Springfield or another area.

   If you have been considering selling your house or another property now might be a great time! Are you curious what your property might be worth? I've created a page for you to fill out some basic information for me to put together a quick market analysis for you. It's completely free and can give you a rough idea of where you are at if you are thinking of selling or even refinancing.Check it out!
   
   Don't worry buyers, I've been thinking of you too. I also created a page for you to get an automatic home search started. Are you thinking of buying in a few months or a year? You might just start watching the market now and get a feel for what's available in your price range. Who knows, maybe your dream home is for sale now! Fill out the form on this page to start an automatic home search that will be emailed to you whenever new properties come up that match your criteria. 

   As some of you might remember my daughter, Lumin, turned one last Friday. We had a pizza party for her and she was smiling from ear to ear the whole time. She also started taking her first steps last week! It's so fun to watch her take her tiny careful steps. Willie and I are looking forward to taking her to the pumpkin patch soon. I really love fall activities. A couple weeks ago we went for a hike along Brice Creek trail. It was beautiful and the timing was perfect. The leaves had changed colors but they were still in the trees. Are you looking for fun Halloween and Fall events to enjoy? There is so much going on it's hard to make time to enjoy it all! If you need ideas I have found this websiteto be very helpful.

  This past weekend I made some Pumpkin Bran Muffins for an easy breakfast. Many of you shared with me as part of last month's give-away that your favorite thing this time of year is all of the different pumpkin spiced foods and drinks. These bran muffins turned out pretty tasty and I thought you all would enjoy it so here's the link to the recipe. Enjoy!

   Speaking of last month's give-away the winner is, Kammi! Congratulations! Send me an email and we can make arrangements for your prize. That's all for now. I hope you have found this month's installment to be informative. Till next time, breathe, smile & buy real estate!

Uniquely Yours,
~ Christiana Dancer

Hello Folks,

   Let's get this blog up and running again shall we? For starters, here is September's Zen Letter. Be on the look out for October's, should be posted in about a week!

Hello Folks,

  Happy Autumnal Equinox! What a beautiful Fall day here in Eugene. I absolutely love Summer but I think Fall is pretty great too with the leaves changing color, drinking warm teas and wearing my favorite sweaters and sweatshirts. I also like to take time around the Equinox to think about all that I "planted" earlier this year and consider how my "harvest" is going. 
   With that in mind let's jump into the Real Estate portion of this month's Zen letter and consider the Real Estate harvest. August showed cooling numbers from July but from last August we have more pending (+21%), closed (+25%) and active (+7%) listings. Our inventory has increased slightly to 3.2 months from July's 2.7 months and market time has decreased to just 79 days. Awesome! When comparing sale prices for the past twelve months we see that the average sale price is up 4.3% ($240,900) and the median sale price is up 5.3% ($219,00). These numbers are showing strong growth for Lane county. I've been noticing that a lot of people are looking for homes just under $200k and they are being scooped up pretty quickly. In fact according to the latest market action, in Springfield where the average sale price is $178,400 the average total days on the market is only 38 days!  Overall I think Lane county is doing pretty good in the Real Estate market. If you would like more details from the August report just let me know.
   If you are considering selling your home, call me today! It may be worth more than you think. Even if selling might be months or a year down the road it's a good idea to know where you are and what you'll want to do in order to get your home ready for market. I can help you come up with a plan of action. 
  For my buyers out there, let's put on our jackets and go check out these properties before you miss the boat! Loan rates are still low but these prices are creeping up. Keep in mind that with some of the new changes to the home loan procedure it is now going to take at least 60 days to close from the time you open a sale contract. If we start looking now we might be able to get you into your new home for the holidays. Doesn't that sound lovely?
   
  I would like to take a moment here to tell you about a new listing I have for land in Mapelton. It's a beautiful little piece of Oregon paradise on Duncan slough off of the Siuslaw River. Almost 7 acres surrounded by the Siuslaw National Forest and being right on the water makes this a great spot for enjoying the outdoors. The land is not zoned for a dwelling and there are no utilities but it is all ready for camping or RV-ing. Follow this link to learn more! 

  On a more personal note, Willie and I are waiting with bated breath for Lumin to take her first steps. She is standing pretty good though most of the time she does use something for support. Her favorite activities include climbing the stairs and holding our hands and walking around. I'm really looking forward to enjoying fall activities with her. Yesterday I harvested what looks like will be my 2nd to last round of Isis Candy tomatoes. I made a fresh creamy tomato soup to have with grilled cheese. It was delicious! Lumin absolutely loves tomatoes, I used some of the soup to get her to eat her spinach and squash baby food. She thought it was great. It was a perfect early Fall meal. 
   For this Zen letter I thought I would do something a little extra to celebrate the Equinox and the Fall harvest. Let's have a giveaway! Simply respond to this email with your favorite Fall activity or dish and you will be entered to win a gift certificate to a local restaurant. Good luck readers!

  I look forward to helping you find and keep your Real Estate Zen!
   
Uniquely Yours,

~ Christiana Dancer

Greetings!

   I'm going to jump right in because I'm so excited! Eugene has such an interesting housing market right now. Like a bear waking up from it's long hibernation, there is stirrings, movement and the growling of a hungry belly. Eugene is hungry for homes! According to our Multiple Listing Service statistics March closed home sales have gone up 30% since March of last year and just over 65% from February! Pending sales have increased by roughly 28% from both last year and last month. Also, new listings have risen, almost 23% since February and 10% over March 2014. The average length of time on the market has lowered to just 106 days! See what I mean? Huuuuungry!

   If you or someone you know are considering selling your house or an income property now is really a great time. With all of those closed sales our inventory has lowered to about 3.5 months worth. This means that if no new homes came on the market we would be out of houses to sell in less than 4 months. With a property priced right you can have your listing sold in as little as 3 months. Not to mention the average and median sale price of homes in Lane county have increased 4%. Call me today for a free Comparative Market Analysis to find out what the current market value of your property could be. An excellent resource if you are considering selling, refinancing or are just very curious. 

   For those folks that are considering buying don't worry, there is still opportunity. Yes prices have increased since last year but mortgage rates are staying low. Additionally, there are still great loan programs to help you purchase a home without needing your own down payment, giving you money for repairs or loan programs for people with low credit scores. With me, your trusty Realtor, at your side I'll help you find a lender that will get you a good loan for a property you love and can afford. 

   If you would like additional information on our Lane County Real Estate Market don't hesitate to contact me. I love talking real estate!

  Now that you are updated on the real estate world here's a little personal update and some links to articles I hope you will find interesting and beneficial. 

   Lumin will be 6 months old this Thursday. Can you believe it?! Currently she is practicing rocking on her hands and knees, blowing raspberries, and putting anything she can in her mouth. The other day we were playing in the back yard. I was showing her the apple blossoms on our neighbor's tree which she found to be hysterical! (Email me for a picture!) At the end of this month Willie and I will be celebrating 3 years of marriage and a total of 10 years together. We'll be going on a short road trip to the Redwoods to celebrate. Besides working hard in the land of Real Estate and Yoga I finally was able to convince Willie to build me some raised garden beds. I'm so excited to spend time with Lumin outside tending to our plants and growing some food. I'm reminded of when my mom and I picked out some plants to grow in our little garden at our lake house in Okoboji. I picked out a watermelon plant that never grew a watermelon but the flowers I picked out took off. 

   For this month's helpful links I've chosen:

Home: Rodale's Organic Life April Gardener's Almanac for the Pacific Northwest. 
  Rodale's whole website has been especially helpful as I begin my gardening adventure. I hope you find this month's suggestion of to-dos to be a good place to start. What are you doing in your home or garden this month?

Recipe: Whole Grain Raspberry Bars
   Making my own breakfast bars has been a great way for me to get a healthy breakfast in with a baby who wakes up thinking that the morning is the best time to play. Let me know what you think of this recipe!

Spirit: An Article on Living in the Present
   I'm constantly reminded by other parents to enjoy these days with Lumin as they will pass so quickly. Believe me...I know! My tiny baby has passed 10lbs before she was a week old and has already more than doubled her birth weight. Still, I do find it easy to get distracted and am constantly reminding myself to be present with her, my partner and not fretting over the past or worrying about the future. A good reminder for us all! Let me know how you remind yourself to be in the present. 

   To close I will leave you with this quote from Leo Tolstoy, "Spring is the time of plans and projects."

  What are your real estate plans and projects? I'll let you know how I can help!

   Thank you for taking the time to read my Real Estate Zen Letter. I hope you have found it fun & informative. Please feel free to forward it along to your friends and family and thank you for your referral!

Have a great April!

Uniquely Yours,

~ Christiana Dancer