It’s been a heavy week around here and I have a few things on my mind. Let’s talk about the fires, the new norm of fire season, and then I have some fresh stats to share.
Fire rampage: It’s been a brutal week in Sacramento. I think so many locals feel deflated as we watch the Caldor Fire rage. As of yesterday 471 homes are reported to have been destroyed and the fire is heading toward South Lake Tahoe too. It’s a gut punch to see local friends displaced and to hear so many stories of loss. Hang in there everyone and let us pray.
Fire season: We are getting used to regular catastrophic fires in California and it’s numbing to recognize that fire season is now a thing. I was just thinking how unfortunate it is to be in touch with Air Quality Index (AQI) numbers to the point where I have conversations about the daily AQI. In terms of real estate, the smoke is something affecting everyone and it’s now on the radar for people making decisions about where to live. While I don’t think smoke is the primary decision for moving out of the market, it’s at least somewhere on the list now for why people might move.
Appraisals after a disaster: I don’t cover the fire territory for work, so I’m NOT fishing for business. I just want to let you know I’ll be available to help answer questions and be a resource. People are definitely going to be dealing with appraisers through the insurance process as they rebuild. Anyway, here is an interview I did about appraisals after a disaster in case it’s helpful. Also, here is a post called “The real estate left behind after a fire” in case you’re wondering what happens to a market after a disaster. Keep in mind not every area is going to react the same exact way though.
Multiple offers: Okay, some quick stats. August sales stats show fewer multiple offers compared to July. On one hand the market slowed down last month, which isn’t surprising because that’s what tends to happen around this time of year. But on the other hand we’re still basically having one of the most competitive markets ever. I find some people tend to focus only on the fact that the market is still nuts while others focus only on the slowing. My advice? Pay attention to both because the market is experiencing both dynamics at once. In other words, don’t ignore one for the sake of the other. The market is both glowing and slowing.
What the market should have done: Here’s one more image. The blue line shows the market we’ve had over the past year and the gray line shows the market we should’ve theoretically had if the trend was normal. In short, the market in 2020 traveled way outside the lines of a normal trend and we’re still not even back to normal levels yet.
A message to the future owner: In lighter news, my family got new flooring this past weekend and here’s a message I left for the future owner under the new planks we installed. By the way, a previous owner clearly didn’t believe in drop cloths because nearly every room looks like this. It’s insane to me that someone would leave the wood flooring looking like this.
Covering wood: And yes, we covered the hardwood. Some people are offended by that, but I’m really happy with the luxury vinyl planks we chose. It was going to be too much work to sand, repair, and add wood to other areas of the house that did not have it. I prefer the look of a wider plank also. Anyway, not that I needed to say this, but I wanted to explain in anticipation of comments. By the way, it’s cool with me if you would’ve done things differently. You do you.
Be blessed.
Questions: How do you think we can help people going through the fires right now? In terms of multiple offers, what are you seeing out there?
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