April showers 💦⛈ bring cold wet days for now, but hopefully May flowers! With spring kicking into full gear, the housing market is exploding with new listings and anxious buyers. All in all, it is still a great time to buy or sell a home! When a potential buyer asks me, is now a good time to buy a home? The answer is, YES! If mortgage rates continue to fall, buyers will come out in swarms which will be challenging with current inventory levels (but you can buy now and refinance the rate later, spending less to refi than you would in a bidding war for a home). If rates rise, you'll wish you had bought now!

 Read below for housing market information, mortgage trends, and the homeowner tip/trend of the month! 

Local Market Reports

The Shelby County

Market

More homes continue to come on the market, which is expected in the springtime and will continue into the summer. However, the strong sellers market is still seeing a shortage of long-term inventory. Most well-priced listings in desirable areas are selling quickly with offers within a few days. Home values continue to hold strong with no apparent sign of a recession, and homes continue to receive close to list price offers, if not over list price. More homes on the market, more homes selling and going off market, and homes staying on the market for less time as the graphic shows all point to a strong seller's market in Shelby County.

The Jefferson County Market

The Jefferson County Market mirrors the Shelby County market, with numbers pointing to seller's holding the high ground. Jefferson County even saw a significant increase in average home price, which was +- $305k about 30 days ago. Although, the large number of homes for sale still gives motivated and prepared buyers plenty of options if they move quickly

Mortgage Rate Information

Mortgage rates dropped slightly from March to April, with the average 30 year fixed rate note decreasing from 6.65% to 6.28%. There are respected number gurus who predict a sharp fall in mortgage rates and inflation over the next 2-3 months, though the international instability and the big changes in international currency may have uncertain effects on the US market. For the full article from Freddiemac, click on the graph, or: Freddie Mac Mortgage Report

Homeowner Tips and Trends

Owning a home can provide major tax breaks to home owners and first-time home buyers. First-time home buyer credits, to mortgage interest write-offs, home office expense, and more! Read more here: All the Money That Your House Can Give You Back on Your Taxes This Year

Have allergies? Trusting your whole-home filter to give you the best air quality? Air purifiers are becoming more common in households. But which one should you buy, and what do the different rating metrics mean? Click to read: BEFORE YOU BUY: 6 NEED-TO-KNOWS ABOUT AIR PURIFIERS

Events to Spotlight

Wow! The past 3 weeks have been incredibly eventful and busy! I am so blessed to have the trust / friendship of these clients, and the opportunities for continuing education and professional certifications! In the last 3 weeks:

• 1 home under contract in Chelsea
• 1 home under contract in Wilsonville
• 1 home sold in Calera
• Two land parcels sold in Montevallo
• I earned my Pricing Strategy Advisor (PSA) Certification
• I earned my Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR) Certification

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Why My Clients Trust Me as Their REALTOR® with  ALL 5 STAR  REVIEWS!

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Popular Home Search Areas

The housing markets in Chelsea and Alabaster continue to boom as buyers strive to be in these safe suburbs with excellent school systems. Interested in living in these areas? Check the links below to see available listings in both areas, and to customize your search options!

I launched a new FREE app for my friends and clients! This app lets you search for homes for sale, get an estimate on the value of your current home, and track your home equity. The best news, my app won't sell your private contact data to vendors, agents, and marketers that pay to get your email and phone number from Realtor.com, Zillow, Google, etc. Browse with privacy and confidence. This is just one of many ways that I am working hard to make your home buying / selling experience the best it can be! Download it today by clicking the image above, or click the link here: Download Shane's Free Real Estate App.

Over the last few weeks, I invested heavily in my real estate career education by attending classes and certification courses to earn the Accredited Buyer's Representative (ABR) and Pricing Strategy Advisor (PSA) designations. These additional trainings will allow me to better represent my clients in their real estate transactions! Learn more about what these designations mean by reading my blog post, Click Here

Are you or someone you know ready to take the next steps towards buying or selling a home? Please contact me today, it would be my pleasure to be your REALTOR.

☔ Have a great month! 🐦