Actually, this will encompass two weeks and as you will see, nothing much happened over the Thanksgiving weekend. Things are slowing down, houses are being taken off the market for the winter, people are settling in for the holiday season.
HOWEVER! I still have buyers looking for homes, and as I've told them, people who put their houses on the market in the winter know that only those truly looking, not thinking about looking but really ready to buy, go out in the winter cold. It's a great time to list - fewer homes for competition, real buyers, and if your home has that cozy, warm feel it can be easily demonstrated. So list, please, so my buyers can buy!
Currently there are 120 active listings in the Skaneateles area of the multiple listing service. That's only 120 - the numbers are down. Of these, 35 are in the village and 31 are on the water. Six are new. One is a foreclosure, and a waterfront foreclosure at that but priced to sell around $300,000. Another is a very sweet little village home priced just under that, while one in the country, a to-be-built, came on in the mid-$300,000. Then there's a waterfront re-list of a home previously priced much higher and now in the mid-$400,000 range. And let's not forget another re-list priced in the low $100,000 and located in the town.
And then.....drum roll, please! There's the gorgeous village listing of over four acres right down to the water with the most beautiful of boathouses. The price is over 4 million. This would make it the highest priced property sold in the Skaneateles area through the multiple listing service. What "would"! "Will"make it the highest priced......
One house was marked contingent over the two week period - a just listed home in the country with acreage and character - and listed for over $400,000.
Two homes closed, bringing the total of closed properties to 63 for the year. One was a lovely old home again with character that started close to $700,000 and closed in the low $300,000s. It is just difficult to attract buyers who are concerned about the cost of maintenance and heat, as well as the cost of upgrading an old home, even if it oozes with charm. The other home was smaller, in the town as well, and closed for about 15% under its list price in the mid-$100,000.
There are currently 19 properties under contract - let's get some more closed before the end of the year! I doubt we'll do as well as last year because we are 14 under as of December 1st. At least we are ahead of the 56 in 2008...nowhere near the 93 in 2007. As several recent sales have indicated, there are deals out there that won't come again once the economy turns around. And it will!
