By Jan Landon
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

Now is the time to consider getting that house on the market because spring is when home sales are traditionally most brisk.

“Springtime and fall are clearly the best two seasons,” says Walt Clements, a real estate expert who is president of Greenleaf Properties in Overland Park. “People are getting out of the house and looking for homes.”

And families start shopping so they can move and get settled before school starts in the fall.

But what about reports that the housing market is slumping?

Real estate is local
“All real estate is truly local,” says Clements. “The national media generally  reports that what’s happening across the country is happening in local neighborhoods, and that’s not the case.”

In fact, he says, housing trends differ within the Kansas City metropolitan area—what’s happening in Jackson County on the Missouri side may differ dramatically from what’s going on in Johnson County on the Kansas side.

Selling secrets
What is the secret to selling a home?

“Decorate, decorate, decorate,” Clements says. “People still buy on emotion—and when it looks good and it feels good, they’ll buy the house.”

Personal Move Consultant Judy Baxter is available to help future residents with any  aspect of moving to Tallgrass Creek. For example, Baxter made a home visit to Rose Seifferlein. Seifferlein’s house sold in just one day. The first people who looked at it bought it, she says. She plans on moving to Tallgrass Creek later this month. Her move is being made easier with the help of Baxter, whom she describes as a “darling angel.”

Do your homework
People who are considering selling their houses should do market research. Try the Home Builders Association of Greater Kansas City (www.kchba.com) and the Kansas City Regional Association of Realtors (www.kcrar.info).