WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – This has become much of Lorie O’Brien’s life for the past few years, taking houses off the market almost as soon as their put up.
“We put the house on the market Sunday morning, and within a few hours we had some showings scheduled for that afternoon and by that evening we had an offer accepted already, so the houses are just flying off of the market,” said O’Brien.
According to statistics from the Jefferson County Board of Realtors, in Jefferson County from June 2020 to June 2021, a home spent 98 days on the market. That’s down to 69 days currently.
This trend has caused brokers like O’Brien to expand quickly.
“We’ve got so many agents that are looking to get into the real estate business that we have brought them on board with us and we just kind feel like we have outgrown our little spot here in Watertown,” said O’Brien.
O’Brien says they are opening a new office in West Carthage..
Carthage is where Marsha Gibbons runs one of her offices for TLC Real Estate .
She’ll tell you their story is the same wherever you go.
“You have rentals that are up, no rentals available, so people are homeless and looking for homes, and it’s cheaper to buy than to rent,” said Gibbons.
Gibbons says having an inventory of properties is the biggest struggle right now. For example, she says she put up a property up last night and this morning, on Friday, the listing agent already has 5 offers.
Numbers across the tri-county region show that to be true, with the number of single family homes available being down at this point in 2022 compared to where it was in 2021.
“It’s kind of like when we feed a bunch of goldfish and put the food in and everyone just gobbles everything up and other people are still looking for things, it’s crazy right now,” said Gibbons.
Relators advise those looking to buy to have your finances in order, it will help you have a leg up on those looking at the same property.
For those looking to sell, make sure your pricing is competitive and be move out ready within a month or two of putting your home on the market.
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