By the end of last week, St. Cloud real estate observers were finding confirmation from across the

nation of what the NAR’s chief economist had just told Forbes. July data reflected buyers who were

“tightening their budgets” and sellers “responding with price reductions.” The seller’s market conditions

that had been ruling the market might have largely vanished, but buyers who “expected to find a bargain”

were likely to be disappointed. Nonetheless, “home shoppers who kept searching saw more available

options.”

All in all, local St. Cloud real estate watchers were left without a clear way to characterize the late-

summer market. Nor were the experts particularly helpful—nowhere were the words ‘buyer’s market’ to

be found. One 38-year real estate veteran in Scottsdale, Arizona, described a market where both home

loan interest rates and listing prices “fluctuate”—adding only the opaque assessment that a “normal”

market would reappear...“eventually.”

For area homeowners poised to list their properties, pegging the market is hardly an abstract

exercise. In any season, personal or professional circumstances can make selling or buying a residence

mandatory. Making such a major commitment when conditions are in flux automatically creates the

possibility that any outcome may seem to have been a mistake in retrospect. That possibility increases the

number of sellers and buyers who decide to remain on the sidelines. Actually, a better description might

be that they don’t really decide at all: they freeze.

It’s hard not to sympathize with their conundrum—but a few weeks back, the business site

fastcompany.com offered their investment-minded readers more than just sympathy. Reading their

commentary—Why timing the real estate market rarely works—should provide a measure of relief for

sellers and buyers frozen in place by the fluctuating U.S. market. Its author provides a variety of reasons

why the housing market “is even more complicated than most real estate investors would like to admit.”

Supply and demand are only a couple of many named factors that influence movement in pricing trends—

patterns “that seem to be influenced by variables you can’t identify.”

One fact that stands out about real estate market fluctuations is how greatly they “are attributable to

local conditions.” That leads to the veteran author’s practical advice: “Instead of perfecting your timing,

work on perfecting your location scouting.” No matter what is taking place in the national arena,

comprehensive knowledge of our local St. Cloud market is an indispensable element in arriving at an

informed decision. That’s where I come in: call anytime!

Providing a superior level of informed, professional real estate services to buyers and sellers throughout Central Minnesota. We have agents specializing in residential, commercial, multifamily, new construction, existing, investment properties, foreclosures/REO, and short sales with offices located in:

Multiple Office Locations To Serve YOU!

Saint Cloud 320-259-4554

Princeton 320-983-3555

Sartell 320-259-4554

Little Falls 320-259-4554

Minneapolis 763-565-2000

Hutchinson 320-455-9127

Litchfield 320-298-1140

Premier Real Estate specializes in MANY areas around Central MN including Saint Cloud, Waite Park, Rice, Royalton, Sartell, Royalton, Little Falls, Cold Spring, Saint Joseph, Elk River, Monticello, Ramsey, Saint Michael, Andover, Ham Lake, Anoka, Champlin, Buffalo, Glencoe, Brownton, Silver Lake, Kandiyohi, Dassel, Minneapolis, Maple Grove, Saint Louis Park, Saint Paul, Robbinsdale, Crystal, New Hope, Brooklyn Center, Brainerd, Nisswa, Aitkin, Albany, Coon Rapids, Sauk Rapids and more!