Now Is a Good Time to Put Your Home on the Market
Spring is the season of new beginnings. As the winter chill recedes and temperatures rise, you may be wondering if the traditional peak of the spring real estate market still rings true. Certainly, the past two years have been anything but typical. The pandemic
has shifted many patterns around the globe, but the real estate market remains stable. Spring is still an excellent time to put your house on the market.
Why now? Hope springs eternal, and the real estate market is no exception. Bright sunshine and fresh air bring people outdoors to tour homes, and the beauty of nature enhances the curb appeal of every home. Families often think of moving in spring so that summer can be leveraged to maximize the time to move before a new school year begins. With an increase in demand can come a rise in the numBer of offers and their dollar amounts. “Many of the elements that have made spring an excellent time to sell a home are still holding fast. There are several favorable factors contributing to the continued increase in demand: an uptick in savings, student loans in forbearance, and a huge
wave of millennials entering their prime homebuying years,” said Rainy Hake Austin, Chair of the MLSListings Board of Directors.
The rise in remote work has also made its mark in the demand for a new home. And, although the “great resignation” is still making headlines, many people have kept their jobs and are eyeing stock market gains which translates to an increase in resources available to purchase a home.
Now is the time to get ready to list your home. Is
something holding you back? Check in with yourself to see what might be keeping you from putting your house on the market. Is it a fresh coat of paint? Addressing curb appeal? Make a list and start tackling those items. You’ll enjoy the feeling of getting it done
and you’ll be ready for an open house in no time.
Local realtors have their finger on the pulse of your community. With uncertainty around interest rates given inflation and the outBreak of war, now more than ever it’s vital to tap into their knowledge, expertise and insights to make the most of your valuable real estate asset. As Buds Begin to form and flowers start to bloom, take the time to think about buying or selling a home, with your Realtor® as your guiding star. Armed with MLSListings data, your Realtor® can help you navigate the real estate market to make the most of springtime.
an independent inspector general at the transit agency. A Glazer bill led to creation of an education data system to track student performance and effectiveness of programs.
Glazer's current pending bills would expand data collection on infectious-disease spread and broaden public disclosure of the information; track spending and outcomes in mental health programs; and close a loophole that has allowed school districts, unlike other local public agencies, to avoid reporting salaries to the state controller for public dissemination.
One of his biggest accomplishments was passage of 2016 legislation requiring California State University campuses to provide incentives for students to enroll full-time so they can graduate in four years. It helped boost the four-year graduation rate from 19% in 2015 to 31% in 2020.
The faster students complete their degrees, the less debt they assume, and the more quickly the university can free space to accommodate other students. The bill demonstrates the sort of eye on efficient use of public resources that would be an asset in the state Controller's Office.
Glazer recognizes that, as controller, he won't be able to legislate. But he'll be able to use the office's auditing function and bully pulpit to press lawmakers for smart changes in areas such as housing, schools and climate change to ensure tax money is spent more wisely.
As controller, he would also be a policymaker on scores of boards and commissions, including those for the California State Teachers Retirement System and the California Public Employees' Retirement System, the nation's largest pension plan.
The two retirement system boards are dominated by members beholden to the state and local public employee labor unions. Glazer would bring a refreshing independent voice and an understanding of the intricacies of retirement system accounting.
Other candidates
That contrasts with Malia Cohen,
a former San Francisco supervisor who now sits on the state Board of Equalization and who, despite sitting on the board of the city's public employee system, was unable to answer key questions about retirement funding. Cohen, a Democrat, sees herself and her role as controller as being a “social justice warrior.” That's not the independent analyst state residents need to head the office.
While candidate Ron Galperin, the elected city controller of Los Angeles, has the same title as the state post he's seeking, the duties are not nearly as broad at the city level. But Galperin, also a Democrat, does serve the auditor function there, and he well-understands the need for it to be independent. However, Galperin has been criticized for not being direct enough, something we saw in his audit of the city's retirement system.
Lanhee Chen, the only Republican in the race, faces a steep uphill climb. No GOP candidate has won statewide office since 2006. That said, with Democrats likely to split the vote of their party members, Chen will probably make the runoff and will be worth watching.
Chen holds four degrees from Harvard — a bachelor's degree in government, master's and doctoral degrees in political science, and a law degree. He served in the George W. Bush administration and was chief policy adviser to Romney during the senator's unsuccessful 2012 presidential bid.
Today, Chen is a public policy fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution. He is quick to distance himself from those who have turned the GOP from what he calls a party of principles and ideals into a party of personalities. What he doesn't have is much background in California government nor any elective office experience.
The other two candidates are Democrat Yvonne Yiu, who declined to answer our questions, and Laura Wells, a member of the Green Party who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2010 and for controller in 2002, 2006 and 2014.
It's a large field of candidates, but only one brings the combination of state experience, integrity, political courage and independence. That's Glazer. Vote for him in the upcoming primary.