2010 Year in Review

Just when we thought the Real Estate market was revving up, the engine stalled again. Buyers continue with their indecision. Should I buy a home? What if prices drop further? Is my job safe? Again, low consumer confidence.
The only good news about the 2010 housing market is affordability reached an all time high. The combination of lower home prices and low interest rates, made purchasing a home the most affordable since World War II.

Billionaire Warren Buffett said the U.S. will recover from the residential real estate slump soon, as demand for houses catches up with the supply that accumulated during the bubble.
"Within a year or so, residential housing problems should largely be behind us," Buffett wrote in his annual letter to the shareholders of his Berkshire Hathaway. "Prices will remain far below 'bubble' levels, of course, but for every seller or lender hurt by this, there will be a buyer who benefits. Indeed, many families that couldn't afford to buy an appropriate home a few years ago now find it well within their means."

Cathy & I continue to enjoy our Family and our 3 year old grandson Tyler. It is so much fun watching him grow! We were also told by our daughter that we have another baby Boy on the way, due in April! We were able to have a reunion of 4 generations of Family this year, as Cathy’s Dad visited us from Florida.

While over 20% of the licensed Realtors left the business over the past few years, we adapted to this market by investing in new technologies that will give our sellers a definite advantage in this slow market. Picture slide shows, Virtual tours & now Video tours are helping our listings sell faster. We invested in Mobile marketing, where potential buyers can look up our listings via their smart phones and get not only detailed property information, but multiple photos of the home right in their phones. In this slow housing market, we are doing everything possible to ensure that our listings are readily available to the few buyers who are currently looking for homes.

Although the buyers are indecisive right now, the real estate market should improve in the very near future. People want to have a home of their own where they can raise their family, share with their friends and retreat from the world to feel safe and secure. The emotional reasons for owning a home have never changed. We live in one of the few countries of the world who values homeownership so much that we have supported it in our laws.

Keep in mind that half of our business is in Indiana now. We have several offices in NW Indiana for your convenience. Plus, we have that Illinois Connection!

In our 26th Year of providing Real estate sales & service to the community, we want to thank you for your business, kind words & your referrals.

We wish you and your Family only the Best for 2011 !

Cathy & Jim Higgins