My Italian salad dressing analogy is still applicable! Experienced agents usually know exactly where things lay in the market. However, the hand of election, the hand of misinformation, the hand of new real estate laws & the hand of the fluctuating inventory have all reached out & given that salad dressing a shake. The real estate trends need some time to settle for a bit for our level of predictability to be able to be where it was in the past.

Hold onto your hats, folks!

Mercer County has skyrocketed to the top of the charts with a jaw-dropping 132% increase in sales prices. It’s the biggest leap we’ve seen, leaving other counties in the dust. But don’t count out Lawrence and Allegheny. They’re also on the rise with impressive gains of 30% and 11%, respectively.

In a surprising twist, Beaver County is bucking the trend with an 18% drop in average sales prices. It’s a stark contrast not only to the booming markets elsewhere but also to what we’re used to seeing in Beaver.

When it comes to the number of properties sold, Lawrence County is the lone star with a modest 7% increase. Meanwhile, Allegheny County has seen a 14% dip in sales, which, believe it or not, is only half the decline experienced by Beaver, Butler, and Mercer Counties.

One thing that’s universally up? Inventory! Whether it’s a 40% increase or a whopping 80%, there’s more on the market all across the board. Options are opening up for buyers & competition for sellers is steadily building. It’s a wild ride in the real estate world right now!

I’m Always Here & Happy to Help!

Katina Hunter
Team Lead for the Katina Hunter Team with Coldwell Banker
724-888-9020
Katina.Hunter@PittsburghMoves.com

I have another radio show & podcast called THE FOLD. You can find it on Spotify. My October 2024 episode included some excerpts from my personal journal. For the full clip, search THE FOLD on Spotify. In the meantime, I wanted to share a sample of what that episode was about.
“Later today, I will see my grandmother’s farm with an unsightly blemish… a ‘for- sale’ sign… in the front yard. I’m the Realtor for the estate, & I will be conducting an open house. Envisioning strangers crawling around and poking their noses into the deepest crevices of the sacred home that was only ever my grandma’s feels like such a gross violation.

How am I to handle the inevitable negative comments?

“Ugh, there’s no AC.”

Well, you get a couple of intrusive & loud box fans, and line them up in the entryway like my grandma did!

When I was taking promotional videos of the house, the scripts seem lame and salesy… Lackluster for the real selling features that I had to suppress. “The fireplace offers a handsome focal point to the light and bright family room.” What I really want to say is, “When I was four, I pushed my cousin Josh, and he cracked his head open on that brick right there.”

Every corner of that house is deeply ingrained in my mind as special and important, you can take a picture of any spot, and I will have a story to tell – complete with smells and sounds – describing the full sensation that takes over me.

THE STAIRS…
… My cousin Josh and I play ‘superman and bunny’ – a game we made up one year circa 1987 that coincided with that year’s Halloween costumes. The game was ridiculous – an ongoing and repetitious skit of a bunny that needed constant rescuing off the stairs. That year, my cousin Tara was a baseball player. I have the iconic picture of the three of us lined up in my grandmother’s living room in front of a record player that spanned the entire wall.

THE KITCHEN…
Sitting with both my grandparents for dinner. This is one of the few clear memories I have of my grandfather who passed just before I turned 7. With the intention of getting some attention, I speak to a little invisible friend that I pretend hides in my shirt. Periodically I whisper into my shirt collar “Not now… ssshhh!… Be quiet!” And I look up apologetically at my grandparents, giving me a puzzled and almost concerning look.

THE LIVING ROOM…
… The Christmas tree placement was never up for debate or experiment. It was and always will be in front of the living room window. Every Christmas, for a far back as I can remember, has the tree tucked in just that position.
Across from it on the other wall is a perpetual location of grandma’s organ. I can ever so clearly hear in my head, the very distinct sound, the soft thud of the knobs & keys as they get flicked on or off… What they did exactly I’m still, to this day, unsure. But I enjoyed flipping them up and down into various positions & combinations & seeing if I could detect how they changed the outgoing sound. I can feel how the black foot pedal pushed back against the bottom of my foot as I maneuvered it.

THE DINING ROOM…
… My grandmother sat at her chair by the eastward window… The one where her birdfeeder stuck out of the ground. We start a birdwatching journal. This dining room table was the surface of countless Phase 10 games, puzzles, plates of homemade holiday fare – rolls with soft butter… small cubes of cheddar cheese and dill pickles cut into shortened spears.

THE UPSTAIRS BATHROOM…
… Bathing with the memorable smell of what I can identify now as caress soap. I remember the bottle of shampoo in my mind – a spring green color with a floral label. If I ever find it in a grocery store, I’ll buy it & forever keep a bottle in my bathroom just to take the occasional whiff.

I can go on and on and on… For some reason, I feel that I need to write down all my memories. Just like you can’t sleep with a growing to-do list building in your mind. The only way to be unburdened is by putting it on paper. Even after all this writing, however, I don’t feel unburdened… I feel like the selling of the farm is selling my memories.

I don’t want it sold… I could buy it myself and keep it forever. But I know… I know… Logically… Owning or not owning the farm won’t change the memories. Owning the setting won’t keep them alive in my mind and heart any more than not owning it.

Maybe keeping the farm would be a detriment to my memories … Like seeing someone in a casket after they died. Once that happens, all of your memories of their face now includes that one disturbing snapshot of them postmortem.
The next day at the farm, I’m walking through the house. I’m not a clumsy person, but I keep dropping things. My keys… my phone… it’s noticeable & distracting. I throw these words out into the universe: “Gramma! Are you trying to tell me something?! Should I keep the house? Am I supposed to buy the farm… Is this a sign? Give me a sign! “
I later told this story to my hairdresser as I was getting my hair done. I told her about constantly & uncharacteristically dropping my phone. She said my grandmother may have been telling me something. The message maybe: “I can’t hold onto everything.”
I can’t hold onto everything.

At the open house, we had 48 groups through… Not four… Not 40… Not 48 people… 48 groups through the house in two hours.

I only cried once when super kind Realtor looked at me square in the eyes and said, “Wow… Selling a family member’s home must be really hard.” Yes… It is… Very hard.

Maybe it’s best that I don’t know who buys the house… Like going to a funeral and not seeing the body one last time. If you do, it’s that version of them that sticks – the one without the laugh lines or the hair done just right. A body without a soul is almost unrecognizable as the person you once so intimately knew.
The house… stripped of the organ… stripped of the dated light that hung in the entryway that reminded me of a bug… stripped of birdfeeder outside of the dining room window… a house carcass stripped to the bones isn’t the one I was meant to see. I’m supposed to remember a different version – the one with the pineapple patterned brown couch and round table with African violets maxing out the surface space and umbrella & wooden cane propped in the corner under the light switch.

I want to… But I can’t hold onto everything… So, at the open house, I talk to the people and answer their questions. I cringe at the one buyer who asked if there are, any township regulations that would prevent him from having his butcher shop business there. “You have to check with the township” is what I said… But I wanted to say is, “No! You can’t behead pigs in a bloody apron in the same room that my grandmother stores her fragile ceramics!”
Time has moved on and now I have to catch up myself. She doesn’t store ceramics there; she stored them there.
Nine offers are submitted with more promised to come in. One offer is selected. I don’t know the buyer, but I find out that she has a horse & plans on getting a pony for her daughter. Maybe it would be a silver pony like my cousin Ashley‘s – creatively named Silver, by the way. Maybe it would be a 13-hand sorrel pony like my first horse, Cierra. It would feel good to see horses in grandma’s pasture again.

Closing is in less than 30 days. I can’t hold onto everything. I can set it down, or it will slip away but either way – I can’t hold on. The new owner may or may not paint the brick… She may or may not use the room to store ceramics… She may or may not oil the squeaky pantry door.
I don’t set it down.
Nor do I let it slip away.
Instead, I give her the keys… and my blessing to make it her own. The pony in the pasture won’t be Silver nor Cierra, but there will be horses in the pasture once again.
It will always be my grandma‘s house, but no longer for sale… No longer an empty carcass of a house, but rather a second life of a home.

EPILOGUE
Two days before my grandmother’s very first heavenly birthday, the final documents were signed removing the family farm legally from my family’s possession.
Meeting the buyer wasn’t like seeing a dead body at a funeral. On the contrary… meeting her was healing. She wore opal earrings – a likely sign of her birthstone. I ask her & confirm that she shares a birthday month with me, my mom & my grandmother.
She looks forward to meeting my family – her new neighbors – & wants to be “the type of neighbor from whom you can borrow a cup of sugar.”
She makes homemade pies & is especially proud of her crust. I tell her that my grandma made really great homemade pies.
She gets my phone number & has since shared pictures of how well her Ollie’s carpet scrubber did getting the ceramics paint out of the upstairs hallway carpet. I’m glad to hear this & show the pictures to my parents.
She also shares pictures of the new living room color – now teal. Although teal is my current favorite color, I’m not so excited to hear this & won’t be sharing those pictures with my mom.
The buyer is open & kind. She wouldn’t mind at all if I asked to sit quietly for a bit in her barn’s hayloft or maybe even recreated the Easter picture on the front porch… her front porch… with my now-grown siblings & cousins.
There will be horses in the pasture AND scents of homemade pie crust wafting from my grandmother’s kitchen once again…

I’m Always Here & Happy to Help!

Katina Hunter
Team Lead for the Katina Hunter Team with Coldwell Banker
724-888-9020

I’ve been using this analogy quite a bit lately. I want you to think of a bottle of Italian salad dressing. I’ve been in the business long enough to be able to predict with some accuracy where we can find water… where you can go in to find oil & where you’re going to pull some spices. Realtors who educate themselves on market trends are good with this, that’s the benefit of using a Realtor who is experienced.
Now, the hand of the market reaches out & gives that bottle a pretty good shake. Then, the hand of the interest rates gives it a jostle as well. We have many other hands grabbing at that salad dressing: the upcoming election, misinformation, new real estate laws, fluctuating inventory… all of these things are just turning that bottle this way & that.
Now, where we’re expecting to find oil – we’re getting water. When we want some spices & go into find those, we’re pulling oil. Everything is all shaken up & the real estate trends need some time to just settle for a bit for our level of predictability to be able to be where it was in the past.
With that in mind, 2 major statistics are jumping out at me as I’m looking at recent numbers. Even though a lot of real estate trends have been wonky lately, these are stats that have been consistent in the last several months:
1. Number of properties sold is down across the board. We’re seeing about a 50% decrease in sales in all of the counties I’m monitoring.
2. Number of months of inventory in each county has skyrocketed:
• Lawrence: 95% increase
• Mercer: 128% increase
• Butler: 166% increase
• Beaver: 202% increase
• Allegheny: 348% increase
Imagine there are a lot of homes for sale, and more are being listed every day. However, people are buying these homes more slowly. Basic supply & demand coming into play right here & now making some shifts in the foundation we’ve been standing on for the last several years.
One thing remains true: you can never underprice a house. I repeat for those of you in the back: YOU CAN NEVER UNDERPRICE A HOUSE! I have a video called “The Advice that I Gave my Own Family” that speaks to this very point. If you text me at 724 888 9020, & request the video I’d be happy to share it with you – I think you’ll find it very very helpful.
I’m Always Here & Happy to Help!

Katina Hunter
Team Lead for the Katina Hunter Team with Coldwell Banker
724-888-9020
Katina.Hunter@PittsburghMoves.com

Despite my many years of blogging, I realized that I’ve always thrown around the word “multi-list” but I’ve never really explained it. No time like the present!
The multi-list is the official database that Realtors use to research listings. It’s how we share information about the status of each property.
There’s not just one multi-list… there are many. Each covers a different geographical area. The West Penn Multi-List primarily services the Western part of PA from about I-80 & south. Properties in the area north of Meadville are input into the Greater Erie Board of Realtors Multi-List, or “GEBOR.”
Again: South of I-80 is serviced by the West Penn Multi-list. North of Meadville is serviced by GEBOR.
If a Realtor works primarily in Pittsburgh, they will belong to the West Penn Multi-list & have access to those houses. A Realtor who buys & sells in Edinboro will belong to GEBOR.
My savvy readers probably noticed that there is a little gap between I-80 & Meadville. To ensure that I’m covering my clients, I’m one of the rare Realtors who belongs to both of these multi-lists. To work in Western PA, you have to have access to all the information that interests your clients.
Always ask to which multi-list your Realtor belongs & ensure that it’s the predominant system used in that area.
I’m Always Here & Happy to Help!

Katina Hunter
Team Lead for the Katina Hunter Team with Coldwell Banker
724-888-9020
Katina.Hunter@PittsburghMoves.com

There have been some recent legal changes in how we, as Realtors, are to work. A lot of this information is explained in an animated video I created. It’s on my website (HereAndHappyToHelp.com), but please remember that I’m a Realtor… NOT an artist.
BEFORE:
In the olden days… like last month… it was presumed that the sellers would pay for the buyer’s agent representation. However, it wasn’t really clear how the buyer’s agent is getting paid. The buyer takes out a larger mortgage to pay for the house so that the seller has enough to cover the compensation to their agent who then cuts off a chunk to the buyer’s broker who pays the buyer’s agent. Sooooo…. Yeah, no more of that!
NOW:
The buyer & the seller each pays their own Realtor directly. Just like a listing agent negotiates their compensation with the sellers, now a buyer’s agent will directly negotiate their compensation upfront with their buyers.
MORE MONEY?!:
Won’t this mean that the buyers have to come up with more money for closing?
Maaaaybe…
Just like a seller offers incentives like a pre-inspection or a home warranty when they list their home, they can also offer to contribute to the buyer’s broker compensation.
As new homes come on the market, the sellers will need to decide if they would like to contribute to the buyer’s compensation, & if so – how much.
Before our team shows our buyers any homes, our clients will know how much, if any, the seller is offering. We hate surprise costs & are clear on the financials of your transaction from the start.
An experienced Realtor will help their buyers to decide if they’d like to build the additional compensation as part of their offer or if they’re okay with the difference being added to their closings costs.
EXAMPLE:

As per the law requires, let’s say that Mike is working with first-time home buyers, & he has to negotiate his compensation with his new clients – Buttercup & Wesley. (Nod to my fellow fans of The Princess Bride.)
The buyers decide that Mike’s experience & service is worth 3%. They sign a contract stating that they agree that this is what Coldwell Banker Realty will be compensated upon a successful closing.
They select 3 houses – a red house, a blue house & a yellow house – to tour. (Yes, for this example they are all conveniently different colors & are all listed at exactly $200,000.)
Mike starts researching these properties, & finds out that:
– The owners of the red house aren’t offering any buyer compensation.
– The owners of the blue house are offering 2% compensation towards the buyer’s broker.
– The owners of the yellow house are offering 3%.
Mike then goes to Wesley & Buttercup.
“Hi, guys… if you look at the red house & love it, just so you know, the sellers aren’t offering anything towards my compensation. Per our agreement, if we write a full-price offer on this property ($200,000), the professional fee that we agreed-upon up front of $6,000 will be part of your closing costs at closing, or we can try to negotiate it into the offer.
The blue house is offering to contribute 2% to my professional fee. So if we write a full-price offer, $4,000 will come from the sellers to offset this cost, & you’d only be responsible for $2,000.
The sellers of the yellow house are offering a 3% buyer-agency contribution. So they are taking this cost completely off of your plate for you. Would you still like to see each of the homes?”
Buttercup suggests that they put the red house on hold & just look at the blue & yellow house first since they are financially more appealing. Wesley agrees. “As you wish.” Mike makes the appointments for just the blue & yellow houses.
THE BEST REALTORS ALREADY PRACTICING THIS WAY:
Let’s say that Wesley & Buttercup end up not liking either the blue or yellow houses. They notice, however, that there’s a new black house that just hit the market that looks PERFECT! They asked Mike to see if the sellers are offering any buyer-agency compensation so that they can run some numbers with their lender.
This is where, my friends, an experienced & diligent Realtor can make or break you. Just as an excellent agent can get you more money for your house, a disengaged Realtor can definitely cost you your sale.
Each of my team members have carved out a lot of time in our schedules & have attended several of the same trainings so that we’re well-versed about the new laws, the new documents & the best practices. It’s vital that Realtors are confident in how they are helping our buyers & sellers to navigate this new market.
… but this is definitely not the case with most Realtors.
When we present or request the documents to many other agents that are now legally required, we’re met with blank stares or a lot of questions. These agents not going to the trainings. They’re not educating themselves. They’re not doing what it takes to remain current in these fast-moving waters. This is playing out in very real ways.
Back to the house that Wesley & Buttercup want to see. Mike reaches out to the listing Realtor of the black house.
“Hey, Realtor Buster, I have clients who have an appointment to see your new listing tomorrow – the black house for $200,000. Can you please send over the document officially telling me how much, if any, buyer-agency compensation is being offered by your sellers?”
Crickets.
Realtor Buster doesn’t know what document Mike is referring to because his brokerage only offered one training which he never attended. He never replies to Mike & ignores Mike’s follow up text, email & additional voicemail. He’s too embarrassed or lazy to find out what Mike’s talking about. This sounds extreme, but it’s unfortunately all-too common.
Mike tells Buttercup & Wesley that the agent never got back to him, & so it’s probably best to assume the worse-case scenario: the sellers aren’t offering any buyer-agency compensation. The buyers decide to cancel their appointment to focus on properties where they would have a little more financial flexibility.
Maybe the sellers of the black house were planning on offering 3%, but Realtor Buster ruined that chance for them by not communicating it upfront.
ADVICE FOR SELLERS:
First & foremost, hire a listing agent who:
• Has been attending trainings (plural)
• Can explain the new laws & what that means for the transaction.
• Is responsive
• Is cooperative
• Is an excellent communicator
Then, decide if you want to offer any buyer-agency compensation with your listing. Ask yourself: “Am I hurting my chances of the house getting shown if I don’t offer any buyer-agency compensation?” This is just one additional item on the list of incentives that you can offer to attract buyers & bring as much attention to your property as possible?
There’s no right or wrong answer. That’s for you to discuss with your responsive, educated & experienced Realtor.
ADVICE FOR BUYERS:
First & foremost, hire a buyer’s agent who:
• Has been attending trainings (plural)
• Can explain the new laws & what that means for the transaction.
• Is responsive
• Is cooperative
• Is an excellent communicator
Then, run numbers with your lender & Realtor to ensure that you’re budgeting in your buyers-agent compensation. Be prepared & get a good grip on understanding your closing costs. Be honest with your Realtor as to which scenarios would put you in a financial pinch.
There’s no right or wrong answer. That’s for you to discuss with your responsive, educated & experienced Realtor.
ADVICE FOR REALTORS:
First & foremost, be an agent who:
• Attends trainings (plural)
• Can explain the new laws & what that means for your client’s transaction.
• Is responsive
• Is cooperative
• Is an excellent communicator
WORKING THE RIGHT WAY
I know that if a Realtor isn’t this type of Realtor right now, this push isn’t going to get them there. There were ALWAYS documents to be presented to buyers before showing homes, this is not new.
The best Realtors were already in the practice of working this way. Since 2007, my team has ALWAYS presented the Consumer Notice & Broker Agency Agreement to our buyers before showing homes. We’ve never shied away from paperwork or being upfront about how we get paid. We’ve been working this way almost 20 years before it was even required.
An excellent Realtor is one that will work the right way even when the law doesn’t force them to.
I’m Always Here & Happy to Help!

Katina Hunter
Team Lead for the Katina Hunter Team with Coldwell Banker
724-888-9020
Katina.Hunter@PittsburghMoves.com

Autumn is a season of transformation, & the real estate market is full of changes as well! So much so, that identifying trends at this very moment is extremely difficult.
The average sales price is up in half the counties & down in the other half.
The median list price is up in Beaver & Mercer Counties, down in Lawrence & Butler & steady in Allegheny County at the moment.
Think of a bottle of Italian salad dressing which represents our current real estate market. It’s all shaken up! It’s been shaken up by interest rates… it’s been shaken up by the new real estate laws… it’s been shaken up by misguided & uneducated Realtors… it’s been shaken up by buyers & sellers focusing on national real estate advice instead of local & immediate trends.
Normally, you can predict that the oil is on the surface & the herbs & spices can be found at the bottom. All of these different things are still in the same bottle, but the location is key.
With all the recent agitation, we’re getting a LOT of the unexpected.
Houses that I’m expecting to get multiple offers on are sitting on the market longer than we’d want. Some homes that I think are going to take quite a bit of effort to sell, end up being more popular than the latest Trump meme.
With that said, the only consistent trend I’m getting & have been seeing for months & months now is inventory. You’ve heard me say this for at LEAST 6 months now that the seller’s market is over. Housing inventory has been steadily & aggressively trending up – meaning – more houses on the market & therefore more choices for buyers.
I’m Always Here & Happy to Help!

Katina Hunter
Team Lead for the Katina Hunter Team with Coldwell Banker
724-888-9020
Katina.Hunter@PittsburghMoves.com

I should write my own real estate dictionary. There are so many words thrown around that so many people – buyers… sellers… (even Realtors!) misuse. The Hunter Dictionary of Real Estate would likely start off with how properties are categorized in the Multi-List.
Think of a timeline. You have the word “active” on the far left, then the “sold” designation would be on the far right. “Active” is the beginning, & “sold” is the end-game. We’ll talk about both of those & every stage in between.

ACTIVE:
“Active” is a buyer’s favorite word & probably the least favorite word of sellers. This is the first step in the home-selling process. When a property is “active,” it is available to be shown, & the seller is accepting offers. The home is being actively marketed with open houses, social media campaigns, the works.
CONTINGENT:
The next step is a house being “contingent.” You’re not likely to see this word on some of the public house-hunting sites. Zillow, for example, uses the status of “pending.” “Pending” isn’t an official term, but one that’s widely used on public sites.
The general idea for “pending” or “contingent” is that an offer has been received & accepted. However, on the Multi-List, the “contingent” designation means that even though an offer has been accepted, the property can still be shown to other interested buyers. If the buyer likes it, they can still submit an offer but it would be second in line to the offer that’s already been accepted. If something falls through with the first offer, the back-up offer can then slip right in.
I personally keep a house in the “contingent” status until their inspections, appraisal & mortgage commitment have been satisfied. Once we have successfully maneuvered through all of those contingencies, we’re just waiting for the paperwork to be done for closing. At that point, I change the property from “contingent” & mark it as “under contract.”
UNDER CONTRACT:
Moving another step along our timeline here, if a property is “under contract” then we’re pretty darn confident that we’ll be hitting the closing table within the next week or two. At this point, we’re just waiting on the paperwork.
Some Realtors don’t put their properties as “contingent” at all & instead jump right to the “under contract” status. Either way, an offer has been accepted, & a buyer likely has to move on from this house & look for another that is 100% available.
Sometimes, I see that a property has gone back into the “active” status after it’s been “under contract.” Nine times out of ten, this means that something fell through with the buyer’s financing. For example, sometimes:
• A credit check reveals that the buyer has slipped below the acceptable credit score for their loan
• The buyer may have lost their job
OR
• (As happened twice in my career) a buyer purchases a new vehicle right before closing which throws their debt-to-income ratios off & disqualifies them for a mortgage.
SOLD:
Coming to the end of our timeline, the “sold” status is the end of the road. It’s the seller’s (& Realtor’s) favorite word. The property is no longer in the possession of the seller & has been successfully & legally transferred into the names of the buyers. The deal is done! Mission accomplished! In the bag! It’s a wrap! Finito!
In an ideal transaction, a property goes from “active” to “contingent” to “under contract” to “sold” all within a couple of months. There are, however, a few other designations that we Realtors use that aren’t published on the public sites: Withdrawn & Expired.
WITHDRAWN:
When a home is “withdrawn” it means that it’s not currently being marketed, & the sellers are not allowing showings at the moment. This could be due to the fact that they’ve decided to take a temporary pause or have even decided not to sell at all.
I recently had a seller who had an accident & didn’t want her home shown while she was recovering & unable to easily get out of her house. Some sellers decide to pull their home off the market over the holidays while their kids are home on break, & it’s too difficult to accommodate showings.
A seller can change their mind about selling their property for any number of reasons. I’ve had divorcing couples originally decide to sell their house & split the proceeds only to later come to an agreement about one of the parties keeping the property. There are some sellers that get frustrated with the market or lack of interest on the home. Instead of selling, decide to remodel or put on an addition to make it better fit their long-term needs.
The “withdrawn” & “expired” statuses are similar because they both mean that the home is not actively being marketed. The difference, however, comes down to if they are still under contract with a Realtor.
EXPIRED:
If a home is “expired,” the contract between the seller & broker is no longer valid. The seller is free to market that property with another Realtor or even to try to sell it themselves without ties to the previous agent.
Now that you have a little better understanding of what these terms mean, you have the advantage of knowing just how close a prospective home is to being officially “sold.”
If you’re a serious buyer, a dedicated Realtor will be getting as many active homes in front of your eyes as possible before they go contingent & slip out of your reach.
I’m Always Here & Happy to Help!

Katina Hunter
Team Lead for the Katina Hunter Team with Coldwell Banker
724-888-9020
Katina.Hunter@pittsburghmoves.com

Covid was a crazy time for us all, but especially for those working in real estate. There was an extended period that Realtors weren’t allowed to leave their house for anything work-related. This obviously included showing homes.

When we were finally able to show properties again, we were under very strict rules:

• Buyers had to sign a COVID waiver stating that Realtors can’t guarantee that the homes we’re showing are COVID-free.
• We could only let 2 people in a house with us at a time (I kind of liked this rule. Uncle Norm wasn’t allowed to attending showings & negate all my advice because he sold one house in 1985.)
• Everyone had to wear masks & shoe coverings.
• I had to wear gloves.
• The buyers weren’t allowed to touch anything. I had to open all doors, cupboards & closets.
• After a showing was done & the buyers left the property, I had to go through the house & sterilize everything that I had touched with Lysol or Clorox wipes.

It was during this time that I was showing a house to brand new buyers. I had only spoken to the wife on the phone, & this was the first time I was meeting her & her husband in person. The husband was anxious to get in the house & was less than thrilled when I had to go through my COVID rigamarole. I presented the necessary paperwork & asked them each to sign the COVID waiver. The husband wasn’t haphazardly scribbled an “X” on his signature line.

“Did you each bring your masks & shoe coverings per my email?” I asked. They each had a mask, but no booties. Great. PPE (personal protective equipment) was in short supply, so booties couldn’t be found anywhere. The anticipated delivery date for my Amazon order was over a month out!

Ever the rule-follower, I had back-ups: a massive mound of plastic shopping bags that were stuffed into my trunk. I offered the buyers each a pair of make-shift shoe coverings – the Walmart variety. The husband let out a massive sigh paired with an eye roll that was enhanced by the fact that his eyes were the only feature of his face I could see above his mask. I was NOT winning him over, & to be honest – I was a little intimidated by him.

As we toured the house, he didn’t say one word to me & only let out the occasional grunt to his wife. As we were heading upstairs, I got a whiff of alcohol. It was pretty strong, especially considering the fact that I had smelled it through my mask. I kept an eye on him & noticed him stumbling as we moved from room to room. “Oh geesh! This guy is trashed!”

After the showing, I stripped off my classy footwear, threw my mask & gloves on the passenger seat along with my oversized can of Lysol. During my drive home… I kept smelling the alcohol scent wafting off of my new buyer. I smelled my shirt… nothing. My gloves? Nope… I opened my windows to air out my car getting more & more frustrated at the thought that my buyer may have been more cooperative & friendly if he hadn’t been sloshed.

I was halfway home when I realized that the smell was coming from the Lysol can I had that I had tucked under my arm throughout the tour. I realized that wearing Walmart bags loosely tied over clunky work boots would trip anyone up.

Shame on me. How easily it was for me to feed into the drunk-client narrative. COVID was a time that the world definitely needed a drink, but my client wasn’t drunk… he was just rude.

I’m Always Here & Happy to Help!

Katina Hunter
Team Lead for the Katina Hunter Team with Coldwell Banker
724-888-9020

Our team operates across more than just one Multi-List. We analyze several distinct statistical markers across five different counties spanning Western PA: Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Lawrence & Mercer.
As I’m looking at the recent reports, I see that Beaver County is holding steady with their median list price. In every other area, however, these prices have consistently increased. Although the median list prices have increased, the number of properties sold have been down across the board.
Buyers are not afraid of paying a little more to get exactly what they’re looking for in their new homes. With less competition, serious buyers now have the luxury to take a little more time to make these decisions. Everything that I’m seeing indicates that the insane seller’s market is over.
The factor that’s throwing around the most weight is inventory. As I’ve been reporting, inventory has been positively trending now for the last 6 months. With less homes being sold; inventory is building up. Let’s look at each county individually here:
• Lawrence County: up 58%
• Allegheny County: up 85%
• Butler County: up 158%
• Beaver County: up 178%
• Mercer County: up 246%
Buyers – you have more options & can take a bit of time to find what you’re looking for. Gone are the days of seeing a home for 10 minutes & having to put in a quick offer grossly above asking price & competing against a slew of other buyers. With that said… there are some homes that are still getting multiple offers but that’s happening for our savvy sellers who are pricing their homes very competitively.
Sellers – let’s talk a bit about how this plays into a pricing strategy. It comes down to good old-fashioned supply & demand. Supply is increasing, so you need to react accordingly! You no longer have the upper hand!
It’s emotionally difficult to fight against the outdated mindset. When sellers underestimate the competition, they overprice their homes. This is what’s attributing to the longer time on the market & more frequent price reductions needed to get to the closing table.
To get ahead of the curve, let’s keep the “Rule of 10” in mind. If your home has been on the market for 10 days OR you’ve had 10 showings & you haven’t received an offer… your home is not priced appropriately. Pivot quickly!
I’m Always Here & Happy to Help!

Katina Hunter
Team Lead for the Katina Hunter Team with Coldwell Banker
724-888-9020
Katina.Hunter@PittsburghMoves.com

Let’s say that you’re taking your family – young kids & all – shopping in a store called “Super Expensive Fragile Glass Figurine Mart.” (Key words are expensive & fragile.)

As your youngest, most clumsy child is trailing you down the aisle, they see a sparkly, stunning (insert their favorite animal here) glittering in the window. The price tag is $500. They run over & grab it & start excitedly screaming – begging for you to buy it. What would you immediately tell them to do?

Right. “PUT. IT. THE. HECK. DOWN!!!”

Now, I know that your children would never do that because you raise them right. However, I wish more parents would have yelled at their kids 20 years ago & remind them that if it’s not theirs – they shouldn’t touch.

People need to know that a “for sale” sign in a yard is NOT an invitation to go onto someone’s property. It’s NOT an invitation to knock on the door & ask questions. It’s NOT an invitation to peek into windows. Even if the house is vacant – it’s not yours – DON’T TOUCH!

I’m seeing this more & more, we’re treading onto some dangerous territory here, so I want to spell out what IS & what IS NOT appropriate when you’re looking at a home. Some of these examples may seem ridiculous, but these are all scenarios are from my personal experiences.

If you…

Because…
1. The home-owner has hired a Realtor so that they can take a back-seat to the home-selling process. They’re paying someone to be bothered for them. They’re paying someone to answer questions & orchestrate showings. They don’t want to talk to the buyers.