By Julia Boyle
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

While the media pummels us with chants of “It’s a buyer’s market,” real estate professionals say activity is still strong. “If a house is priced correctly for this market, it will sell,” says Francine Craven, a real estate agent for RE/ MAX of New Jersey.

According to Craven, the multiple offer scenario is still  n effect, indicating a better than normal activity level.

Historically high
Home values doubled in the market surges of 2001 and 2005, raising them to a historic high. Part of the media’s hype comes from fluctuations occurring around this trend.

“The present level of home sales is relatively high in historic terms, and we can expect minor movements around this level,” says National Association of Realtors Chief Economist David Lereah. Craven points out that the people who benefit most from the market now, despite minor ups and downs, are those who bought their house long before the boom.

She says older people who want to sell their house right now have already experienced the increase in appreciation from 2001 and 2005.

“And in many cases they’ve experienced 50 years of appreciation, including the go-go market of the 1980s.”

Successful sales
Ruth Phillips, retirement counselor at Seabrook, says the experience of people on their Priority List who have accepted apartments and sold their homes has  eflected

Craven’s and Lereah’s claims. “Even though [the media] are still indicating a slow down with the real estate market, I have been experiencing a number of sales in varying areas that have occurred within a three-month time frame. An important factor with these sales has been the appropriate pricing of the homes and appearance of the property,” she says.

Craven says that may be due to people’s motivation to move to Seabrook. “They are very focused on moving to that lifestyle, so an extra at $1,000 doesn’t matter in the scheme of things,” she says. Consequently, they are more likely to price their house correctly, leading to a quicker sell.