The Carpenter Group

It’s our belief that the last quarter of 2008 and the first half of 2009 will be good for the Real Estate market. In the short term, it will appear that we’ve hit the bottom of the market and things will have leveled out. We are seeing the early signs of this “recovery” now. Currently housing inventory levels are about half of what they were a year ago. Buyers and Sellers should take advantage of this BOUNCE.

IMPROVING REAL ESTATE MARKET THRU 1ST HALF 2009 – As mentioned above, I think we’ll have a 6 to 9 month window of strong improving home sales. The last 2 years have shown the best time to sell was in the WINTER! If you are thinking about selling, I would hedge my bet and get my home on the market early winter. I would not wait until SPRING! Inventories are at the lowest level in a long time. It’s all about supply and demand; lower supply of homes increases the opportunity to sell for a reasonable price. The experts are forecasting SPRING of 2009 will bring increasing housing inventory , INCREASING mortgage interest rates and decreased home pricing. In general, a 1% increase in interest equals to a 10% reduction in home price.

If you’re thinking about a move or know someone that is, tell them to act sooner, rather than waiting.

PAINFUL SLOWDOWN – PERSPECTIVE:

Even with high fuel and food cost, banks reluctant to lend money, markets uncertain and houses losing value, the economy is holding up better than it did during the last two recessions in 1991 and 2001. The unemployment rate is still relatively low! The subprime mortgage debacle also must be kept in perspective. Banks have written off $150 billion in bad loans. That’s only 1% of annual GDP. On any typically volatile trading day, U.S. stocks gain or lose $150 billion every hour.

Analysts warn that subprime losses could grow to a projected $400 billion through 2009. By comparison, the saving-and-loan crisis of 1986 through 1995 saw a $700 billion loss. Our vast, resilient economy absorbed the blow, recovered and grew through the 1990’s. Experience tells us the subprime crisis will also pass.

Record Foreclosures: There are currently 10,000,000 homeowners in distress that either are in foreclosure or in default on their mortgages. We can help! Many Real Estate agents are washing their hands of this mess; we have taken the opposite approach. We have become Certified Distressed Properties Expert’s - CDPE. In addition to our focus on the Western Metro area, we’re ALSO focusing on helping homeowners that may be facing foreclosure or upside down on their mortgages and don’t know there’s help available. Over 60% of foreclosed homes were never listed for sale. Please let your friends, neighbors & relatives know foreclosure is not the only option.

PLEASE PASS OUR CONTACT INFORMATION TO THEM

• Great Buyers Market – Lots of inventory available. Chaotic times present opportunities! There are some real bargains in the move up properties. Thinking about investment properties? What a perfect time for that! BANK OWNED & SHORT SALES – We can find these properties for you and also find renters for you. Don’t wait for prices to rise again. Know any 1^st time home buyers? Have them call us!

• Thinking about selling your home? It’s still a great market! We have implemented many new, innovative marketing strategies that are getting homes sold. We sold over 40 homes this year! We are selling over 90% of our listings; the average agent sells less than 50%. The keys to selling are: Staging, Photo’s, Strong Internet presence, Direct Target Marketing & Price. In this market you must:
• Prepare your home for the market! Let us help you determine what you should do.
• Price it right. Let us help you understand the strategies for today’s market.
• Use an Experienced Professional to Market your home.
  
  
• Think it’s a poor time to sell? – Think about this: It’s a great time to buy! The housing market is still correcting and we’re currently at around 2003 pricing levels. This is no different than what the stock market does on a regular basis. Don’t delay plans to upgrade your housing situation because of the “market”. You’ll make up any “paper loss” on the buy side. Remember, housing is a life style that allows tax benefits for home ownership, privacy and free rent. We would be happy to discuss this opportunity with you and show you examples. You shouldn’t be concerned about an artificial LOSS. All things are relative; you would also be buying in a declining market.
  
  
• 1^st time home buyers: Gosh what a deal, there are lots of city, county, state and federal programs available that give FREE MONEY with qualification.. See my website for details www.HennepinProperties.com under “BUYER > FREE MONEY” or just give me a call. Tell the people you know about these programs. They’ll be thankful you did! Interest rates are LOW!
  
  
• We’re Blogging now! Check out http://Blog.HennepinProperties.com - We’ll be adding fresh weekly updates on the state of the Real Estate Market plus other related information.
  
  
• We Sell Home’s that Other Agent’s Weren’t Able to Sell! We’ve learned some important ways to get our listings the exposure to the market they need to attract the right buyer’s. You need to have a well planned and executed marketing strategy that get’s proven RESULTS! The average Realtor does less than 5 transactions a year! (that’s approximately 50% of all realtors) We sell over 40 homes each year. Don’t trust your home marketing to someone that’s inexperienced and desperate for a paycheck! Use a fulltime Real Estate professional who’s successful and focuses on this business full-time. We are #1 in the PLYMOUTH market for 2 years running! See our results at...

http://www.HennepinProperties.com/WeGetResults.asp

• Real Estate Consultations: We are currently scheduling consultation to help “future sellers” prioritize where their time and money could be best utilized to get their homes in “Show Condition”. Please feel free to call us anytime, we’re always happy to help!
  
  
• Referrals are the life blood of our business: Real Estate is the talk everywhere these days. Pass this letter along. My business depends upon your support and referrals. Please don’t keep us a secret. We LOVE referrals. Your friends and co-workers will be glad you did!

The Carpenter Group
Ken Carpenter - Eric Saunders

Breana Berry - Svitlana Pashko
 

Ken :  612-802-9335                                              Eric S. :  952-484-6316

Breana : 612-554-8711                                    Svitlana :  952-220-4252

Re/Max Results - 2605 Campus Drive - Plymouth, Minnesota 55442 

Main Office : 763-591-6016