A Fall Market Surprise 😲

The prevailing theme of the first weekend of Fall Market is that things were...wait for it...slow.  Womp womp.

Yep, despite rates being at their lowest point all year, tons of great inventory hitting the market, and everyone being back from their respective summer vacations, sellers and list agents were left wondering where all the buyers were.

I can't stress this enough: if you are a buyer, now is the time to strike.  If you are a seller, it's absolutely critical to prepare well and price right.

The one exception to the prevailing theme that I encountered was at a single-family in Arlington (shocker, I know).  It was an exception primarily because it was priced almost comically low.  I've never had so many random people from various parts of my life respond to an IG story saying "I SAW THAT ONE, TOO!"  So, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that pricing way low is always the correct way to price (that definitely is not the case).  But without naming names, citing addresses, or going into specifics...it may be the right strategy for a house in a primo area that has (disclosed) foundation issues.

So, am I surprised about this sluggish start to fall?  Well, yes, as I closed last week's spiel by predicting a #fire fall market.  But, in retrospect, perhaps I shouldn't have been so optimistic.  People are slow to catch on.  Remember Covid when we thought all the people paying out-the-nose for properties were nuts?  And now we're all incredibly jealous of their 2.5% rates?  Yeah.  Maybe know's the time to catch on...especially if you're a buyer.

And hey, for my not-quite-ready-yet sellers out there, a quick PSA: if you are thinking of selling your home in Spring of 2026 (which pretty much starts in January), now is the time to not just start thinking about it...now is the time to take pictures!  Seriously.  Presentation matters so much, and you definitely will want your home showing off the colors of this season instead of the colors of next.  Always better to be planning ahead than to be playing catch up.