Welcome to Idaho Windermere Real Estate, your premier source for Real Estate in Boise, Eagle, Meridian, Nampa, Garden Valley and other areas throughout Idaho. Whether you are looking to find a statewide Idaho Realtor, or a local Boise Realtor, we have the knowledge and resources to help you find, buy, or sell a home throughout Idaho with the West’s Best Real Estate Agency. Our Real Estate agents can help you select a home from Idaho MLS, Boise MLS, and other MLS lists throughout Ada County and Canyon County.

The Windermere Community Service Day is Friday, June 15th 2012. The Community Service Day is an annual event that all Windermere Agents in the Windermere family participate in. This is always done on the 3rd Friday of June. Our Boise office will be working at the Idaho Food bank from 1-3 pm. Our Caldwell office will be working at the Caldwell Salvation Army. We are very excited to participate in this annual event.

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February’s much anticipated numbers are in and they were the best I have seen in probably 5 years! There is lots to talk about this month and almost all of it is good for once. I still believe we are bouncing along the bottom but February was one of the good bounces. And while there may continue to be setbacks to the market’s long term recovery, there are lots of positive indicators that indicate that we have laid a strong foundation for stable to modestly rising home values in 2012.

But even with all the good news to talk about the word that is on everyone’s mind is “inventory”, specifically the lack of it in the sweet spot of the market–below $150,000 and in certain neighborhoods. Currently, there is 3.3 month supply of homes priced under $150K, which is just over half of the 6 months that experts consider “normal”. Granted it is a nice problem to have because it means things are selling and it seems odd to add “lack of inventory” to the list of things stifling recovery but I believe it is true. There are ready willing and able buyers out there who want to buy in that price range who are having trouble finding a suitable home. Multiple offers, bidding wars, and selling prices above asking price, all eerily reminiscent of 2005, have become fairly common but almost exclusively in that price range. Jump to the $150-200K range and inventory jumps up to 4.7 months. Over $200K there is 6 months of inventory, still considered a healthy number. Total inventory for all prices stood at 4.4 months a 38.5% decrease from last year’s 7.4 months. Similarly the average days on market dropped 27.5% to 103 days.

Inventory has been falling for a long time, everyone knows that. But what is interesting is that for as long as inventory has been falling, it continues to drop at a very steep rate while sales and particularly pending sales continue to surge. There were 2201 homes (single family, townhome, condo) for sale in Ada County last month, a drop of 32.7% from 2011, while sales for the month, at 482, rose 9.5% and pended sales, at 687, rose 36.3%. I do acknowledge that we had an extra day this February, but feel these numbers are still indicative. Sales normally pick up heading into summer as do inventories. It will be interesting this year to see if there is enough new inventory to cover the seasonal sales spike.

Now to the good part of this month’s report—prices. As I have been known to say, one month does not a recovery make, but we have seen prices stabilize and even had a few tiny increases in the last several months. Then along comes February! The average sales price in February was $177,000 which was not only a 6.6% increase from 2011 but also from January 2012. The 3 month average of sold prices (12/11-2/12) increased 2.4%. After 5 years of drops those are pretty impressive. Similarly, the average price per square foot at $90 was 10.5% above 2011 and the 3 month average was up 4.3%. Sellers averaged 95% of their asking price in February up from 90% (+5.6%) from last year.

So are the increases we saw in February across the board? No there were definitely differences in the results if you look at different types of properties. Here is a simple table to illustrate what I mean:

Percent changes are vs February 2011

Property Type
# Sold
% Change
Avg $/sf
% Change
3 Month Avg
Avg Sold Price
% Change
3 Month Avg

All homes
482
+9.5
90
+10.5
+4.3
177,000
+6.6
+2.4

New Construction
86
+72.0
105
+2.4
-0.8
222,000
-0.4
+1.3

REO/Bank Owned
109
-33.9
75
+12.8
+4.5
134,000
+3.9
+0.8

Short Sale
104
+7.2
76
-3.5
-2.4
149,000
-10.2
-11.3

Non Distressed
269
+51.1
100
+4.9
-1.3
206,000
+3.0
-2.4

All under $150K
237
+0.4
73
+10.8
+4.5
NA
NA
NA

New Construction—After sitting on the sidelines for the last several years, new construction seems to be returning to a place at the big kids table. With 86 sold in February versus 50 a year ago, it could soon overtake REO properties in terms of number of sales. Not only were closed sales up 72% but pended sales were up 93.1% (+68.9% for the three month average). However, prices, while higher on average than for existing homes, are not rising as quickly as the market as a whole. I would imagine part of this reflects builders adjusting their product mix more towards the hot segment of the market—under $200K. Continued high materials prices have probably kept the trend towards lower price points in new construction from being as noticeable as it would be if margins weren’t already pretty well squeezed. Nationally housing starts, particularly of multi-family, are being fueled by the strong rental market, which also exists here in Boise.

REO/Bank Owned – Supply is dwindling in a big way from a couple years ago when it seemed REOs dominated the market. In February there were only 73 (-80.6% from 2011) available while 109 sold (-33.9%) and 119 were pending (-39%). That represents .7 of one month of inventory, the lowest since June and the 12th straight month of 2 months or less inventory. As a result it is performing strongly as a category on price and the banks have responded with higher asking prices. At this time last year the average sold price was actually above the average list price. And while sold prices were up 3.9% in February, the average REO asking price shot up 28.2% from 2011.

Short Sales— Overall distressed sales of REO’s and Short Sales still represented 45% of all the closed sales in Ada County. While the supply of short sale properties has also been declining steadily over the last year, in step with the overall market, the number sold has remained somewhat steady, and there is still a far greater supply than of REOs. There were only 73 REO’s available and 109 sales in February, while there were 641 short sales available and 104 sales. This is somewhat misleading as the majority of the 641 were actually “contingent short sale” awaiting 3rd party lender approval. All those “contingent short sale” properties drive the average days on market way up on short sales due the banks continued inability to deal with these properties expeditiously. Short sale days on market averaged 165 days (after being above 200 for a long period) as compared to non distressed properties at 96 days and REOs at 60.

Price Breakdown—As mentioned the so called Sweet Spot of the market has been around $125K, and the overwhelming majority of all market activity is in the lower price point in general.

Sold percentages are of the total number sold in February of 482 and of the total of 687 pending properties

Price Range
% of Total Sold
% of Total Pending

Under $125K
34.2
34.6

Under $200K
69.2
72.1

Over $300K
11.2
8.5

You may have seen the recent press putting Boise in the top 10 real estate recovery markets, and while the numbers I have presented above do suggest stabilization and recovery I think there is as usual, some hype involved in those media reports. Idaho still is ranked number 7 in the country in terms of negative equity—the percentage of properties either under water or within 5% of being there. And unemployment and difficult access to credit continue to prevent or discourage buying. One national study I saw recently suggested that banks have begun loosening lending standards somewhat to encourage borrowing but there are a lot of “soiled dove” buyers out there bearing the credit scars of a recent foreclosure or short sale that still won’t qualify for a home loan anytime soon. So while we still have many challenges ahead, it has certainly been refreshing to have some good news to talk about. I believe strongly in the power of positive thinking and building momentum and the latest stats provide some of both. I will also repeat what I suggested in a previous report in the last month or so: If you were waiting for the bottom of the market to buy residential property you better get out your check book because you may have missed it.

I apologize for this report being longer than usual, and my sincere thanks if you stuck with it this far. The graphs for the total Ada County numbers are below.

As always I welcome your questions and comments and of course, most of all, your referrals. I am also more than happy to customize the graphs below to your particular interests. Just let me know.

Here’s to a strong March!

Cam Johnson

Realtor®

Windermere Access Realty

1412 W Idaho St.

Suite 120

Boise, ID 83702

208-258-2222 Office

208-283-3664 Cell

208-258-2230 Fax

camjohnson@windermere.com

Check out my listings here: http://www.camjohnsonhomes.com

Facts and Trends
TM

Published March 2012*

Location:
ADA COUNTY

Price Range:
$0 - No Limit

SQFT Range:
0 - No Limit

Property Types:
Single Family, Single Family w/ Acr, Condo, Townhouse - All Properties - All Properties

Bedrooms:
0 - No Limit

Bathrooms:
0 - No Limit

Year Built:
0 - No Limit

Prepared for you by: Cam Johnson

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Friends,
January’s numbers show a continuation of the trends that have taken shape over the last several months in Ada County: stabilizing prices and sharply reduced inventory. 413 single family residential sales closed in January, a 4.8% increase from last year. Sales dropped 22.7% from December, but that is fairly typical as January is generally the slowest month of the year for closings. Pending sales, a good indicator of future market activity, were up 19.7% from 2011 while inventory continued it’s free fall to the lowest levels in years and was off over 30% with only 2201 homes available versus 3150 last year. There is speculation that the $25 billion settlement with the Big 5 banks this past week may unlock the shadow inventory that many feel the banks have been holding back until they knew where they stood. There may indeed be a resurgence in foreclosures although some provisions of the settlement were clearly intended to keep that from happening including the possibility that some “underwater” homeowners will actually be allowed to refinance rather than default. Personally I think the shadow inventory fears are overblown, at least here in Ada County. I think it may be a bigger issue in neighboring Canyon County though.
Prices continue to stabilize but show no real signs of a significant increase despite the tight inventory and continued near record low interest rates. Distressed properties continue to steer prices while persistent high unemployment and difficult access to credit keeps the size of the buyer pool in check. Many potential buyers still lack confidence in the market and their personal financial situation and are content to rent for now. Also recently it has been trendy in the media to disparage the dream of homeownership and sing the praises of renting vs owning. The rental market continues to be brisk in all segments to say the least. So while the average sold price per square foot at $84 was the lowest since March, it was actually unchanged from a year ago. Just as the number of homes sold varies seasonally there is also a seasonal component to prices. Prices the last several months have held true to those “normal” fluctuations. We should start to see prices tick up again in April. The average sales price at $167,000 has generally followed the same path, but was down 2.3% from a year ago. In general I continue to believe we are bouncing around the bottom and both a long way away from any serious recovery and still vulnerable to external market forces.
I’m trying to keep it brief this month so won’t dig into the details about distressed sales and days on market/months of inventory other than to say that there were no significant developments in either of those areas but I will continue to look at them and provide updates as needed.
Please feel free to share this report and keep those referrals coming. The full data is available in the graphs below. As always, your questions and comments are appreciated.
Cam Johnson
Realtor®
Windermere Access Realty
1412 W Idaho St.
Suite 120
Boise, ID 83702
208-258-2222 Office
208-283-3664 Cell
208-258-2230 Fax

camjohnson@windermere.com
Check out my listings here: http://www.camjohnsonhomes.com

P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.
Facts and Trends TM
Published February 2012*
Location: ADA COUNTY
Price Range: $0 - No Limit
SQFT Range: 0 - No Limit
Property Types: Single Family, Single Family w/ Acr, Condo, Townhouse - All Properties - All Properties
Bedrooms: 0 - No Limit
Bathrooms: 0 - No Limit
Year Built: 0 - No Limit

Prepared for you by: Cam Johnson
Number of Homes For Sale vs. Sold vs. Pended (Nov. 2010 - Jan. 2012)

Curnt vs. Prev Month Curnt vs. Same Month 1 Yr Ago Curnt vs. Same Qtr 1 Yr Ago
Jan. 12 Dec. 11 % Change Jan. 12 Jan. 11 % Change Nov. 11 to Jan. 12 Nov. 10 to Jan. 11 % Change
For Sale 2201 2262 -2.7% 2201 3150 -30.1% 2290 3350 -31.6%
Sold 413 534 -22.7% 413 394 4.8% 495 493 0.4%
Pended 625 447 39.8% 625 522 19.7% 520 478 8.8%

Average Price per SQFT (Nov. 2010 - Jan. 2012)

Curnt vs. Prev Month Curnt vs. Same Month 1 Yr Ago Curnt vs. Same Qtr 1 Yr Ago
Jan. 12 Dec. 11 % Change Jan. 12 Jan. 11 % Change Nov. 11 to Jan. 12 Nov. 10 to Jan. 11 % Change
Avg. Sq. Ft. Price 84 86 -2.8% 84 84 0.3% 86 85 1.2%

Avg CDOM & SP/Orig LP % (Nov. 2010 - Jan. 2012)

Curnt vs. Prev Month Curnt vs. Same Month 1 Yr Ago Curnt vs. Same Qtr 1 Yr Ago
Jan. 12 Dec. 11 % Change Jan. 12 Jan. 11 % Change Nov. 11 to Jan. 12 Nov. 10 to Jan. 11 % Change
Avg CDOM 115 101 13.9% 115 134 -14.2% 104 128 -18.7%
Sold/Orig LP Diff. % 94 94 0% 94 90 4.4% 94 90 4.4%

Average Price of For Sale and Sold (Nov. 2010 - Jan. 2012)

Curnt vs. Prev Month Curnt vs. Same Month 1 Yr Ago Curnt vs. Same Qtr 1 Yr Ago
Jan. 12 Dec. 11 % Change Jan. 12 Jan. 11 % Change Nov. 11 to Jan. 12 Nov. 10 to Jan. 11 % Change
Avg. Active Price 242 245 -1.2% 242 210 15.2% 244 216 13%
Avg. Sold Price 167 174 -4% 167 171 -2.3% 172 174 -1.1%

Months of Inventory Based on Closed Sales (Nov. 2010 - Jan. 2012)

Curnt vs. Prev Month Curnt vs. Same Month 1 Yr Ago Curnt vs. Same Qtr 1 Yr Ago
Jan. 12 Dec. 11 % Change Jan. 12 Jan. 11 % Change Nov. 11 to Jan. 12 Nov. 10 to Jan. 11 % Change
Months of Inventory (Closed Sales) 5.3 4.2 25.8% 5.3 8 -33.3% 4.6 6.8 -31.9%

If your email program is not displaying the chart graphs properly, please click on the following link which will take you to a web page that contains the graphs: Show Chart
*All reports are published February 2012, based on data available at the end of January 2012. All reports presented are based on data supplied by the Intermountain MLS. Intermountain MLS does not guarantee or is not in anyway responsible for its accuracy. Data maintained by the Intermountain MLS may not reflect all real estate activities in the market. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

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Friends,

December was another somewhat encouraging month for Real Estate in Boise. Inventory continues to evaporate and at 2262 properties was 31.5% below a year ago. Based on the current rate of sales there is 4.4 months of inventory compared to 8 months in January 2011. Inventory has been 5 or below since March and is well below the 6 month figure that most experts consider a “normal” market. Days on Market at 101 has fallen 24.6% from a year ago while sellers are getting an average of 94% of their listed price, up from 90% last year. All signs of a robust market!

There are fewer choices for buyers and that is finally starting to be reflected in prices of certain types of property. The average price per square foot was $86 in December a 2.5% increase from 2010. While the number dropped slightly from November, the price per sq foot has been hovering between $85 and $90 since April. Similarly, the average sold price has been virtually unchanged for 4 months and in December was $174,000 up 1.8% from 2010. Still too early to declare a recovery is under way, but for you fence-sitters waiting for the market to bottom out, you better keep your checkbooks handy. The bounce along the bottom may have some bumps in it but it looks like we may finally be there. The single biggest factor working against a stabilization/recovery in prices has always been high unemployment and even those numbers are starting to improve. Granted there are still other factors suppressing growth in our housing market. “Distressed” sales still represent almost 50% of all closed sales in Ada County (46% in December). New lending guidelines and the large number of people who have already lost homes in the current crisis further limits the size of the buyer pool.

A closer look at distressed vs traditional sales reveal some interesting (and very surprising) trends:

Transaction Type # Closed 12-2011 % +/- vs 2010 Avg $/SF % +/- vs 2010 Avg Sold Price % +/- vs 2010 Days on Market % +/- vs 2010 % of list price % of list price 2010 Months Inventory
Traditional 279 +20.3 96 -4.3 202,000 -3.3 100 -30.6 95 90 5.3
REO/Bank 117 -50.1 73 +3.3 134,000 +2.3 51 -45.6 96 93 1.0
Short Sale 120 +29.2 73 -4.0 147,000 -15.5 151 -24.5 91 86 5.5
Total 516 -11.8 86 +2.5 174,000 +1.8 101 -24.6 94 90 4.4

The biggest surprise is that based on the figures above, the REO/Bank Owned properties are leading the charge to stabilize prices. The common perception is that banks are unloading their properties and driving the market down, and yes, the average sold price of those properties would support that. But buyers are flocking to them and actually driving prices up, in many cases above asking price. In fact without REO’s prices would still be trending down significantly. As a result there is only a one month inventory for REO’s versus over 5 months for both traditional and short sale properties. The other thing that jumps out at me is that there aren’t many REO properties available—a drop of 50.1 percent from a year ago as far as closings go, while short sales seem to be picking up the slack and are consequently dropping in price. This could be banks willing to take less in a short sale than before rather than foreclose and have to sell the properties themselves, although they got 91% of their asking price in 2011 up from 86% in 2010. Another trend is that short sales are getting easier and somewhat quicker although they are still much slower and more uncertain than any other type of transaction. Average days on market for short sales dropped to 151, the lowest in years, but REO’s were only 51.

I remain cautiously optimistic of what 2012 will bring to the Boise market, although a recovery based on REO’s is not what I had in mind. If inventory stays low and unemployment drops in a significant way we should see a more broad based improvement in the market. The complete graphs are below for those that are interested.

As always I welcome your comments and questions and above all, your referrals!

Cam Johnson
Realtor®
Windermere Access Realty
1412 W Idaho St.
Suite 120
Boise, ID 83702
208-258-2222 Office
208-283-3664 Cell
208-258-2230 Fax

camjohnson@windermere.com
Check out my listings here: http://www.camjohnsonhomes.com

 Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.

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Friends,

December was another somewhat encouraging month for Real Estate in Boise. Inventory continues to evaporate and at 2262 properties was 31.5% below a year ago. Based on the current rate of sales there is 4.4 months of inventory compared to 8 months in January 2011. Inventory has been 5 or below since March and is well below the 6 month figure that most experts consider a “normal” market. Days on Market at 101 has fallen 24.6% from a year ago while sellers are getting an average of 94% of their listed price, up from 90% last year. All signs of a robust market!

There are fewer choices for buyers and that is finally starting to be reflected in prices of certain types of property. The average price per square foot was $86 in December a 2.5% increase from 2010. While the number dropped slightly from November, the price per sq foot has been hovering between $85 and $90 since April. Similarly, the average sold price has been virtually unchanged for 4 months and in December was $174,000 up 1.8% from 2010. Still too early to declare a recovery is under way, but for you fence-sitters waiting for the market to bottom out, you better keep your checkbooks handy. The bounce along the bottom may have some bumps in it but it looks like we may finally be there. The single biggest factor working against a stabilization/recovery in prices has always been high unemployment and even those numbers are starting to improve. Granted there are still other factors suppressing growth in our housing market. “Distressed” sales still represent almost 50% of all closed sales in Ada County (46% in December). New lending guidelines and the large number of people who have already lost homes in the current crisis further limits the size of the buyer pool.

A closer look at distressed vs traditional sales reveal some interesting (and very surprising) trends:

Transaction Type
# Closed 12-2011
% +/- vs 2010
Avg $/SF
% +/- vs 2010
Avg Sold Price
% +/- vs 2010
Days on Market
% +/- vs 2010
% of list price
% of list price 2010
Months Inventory

Traditional
279
+20.3
96
-4.3
202,000
-3.3
100
-30.6
95
90
5.3

REO/Bank
117
-50.1
73
+3.3
134,000
+2.3
51
-45.6
96
93
1.0

Short Sale
120
+29.2
73
-4.0
147,000
-15.5
151
-24.5
91
86
5.5

Total
516
-11.8
86
+2.5
174,000
+1.8
101
-24.6
94
90
4.4

The biggest surprise is that based on the figures above, the REO/Bank Owned properties are leading the charge to stabilize prices. The common perception is that banks are unloading their properties and driving the market down, and yes, the average sold price of those properties would support that. But buyers are flocking to them and actually driving prices up, in many cases above asking price. In fact without REO’s prices would still be trending down significantly. As a result there is only a one month inventory for REO’s versus over 5 months for both traditional and short sale properties. The other thing that jumps out at me is that there aren’t many REO properties available—a drop of 50.1 percent from a year ago as far as closings go, while short sales seem to be picking up the slack and are consequently dropping in price. This could be banks willing to take less in a short sale than before rather than foreclose and have to sell the properties themselves, although they got 91% of their asking price in 2011 up from 86% in 2010. Another trend is that short sales are getting easier and somewhat quicker although they are still much slower and more uncertain than any other type of transaction. Average days on market for short sales dropped to 151, the lowest in years, but REO’s were only 51.

I remain cautiously optimistic of what 2012 will bring to the Boise market, although a recovery based on REO’s is not what I had in mind. If inventory stays low and unemployment drops in a significant way we should see a more broad based improvement in the market. The complete graphs are below for those that are interested.

As always I welcome your comments and questions and above all, your referrals!

Cam Johnson

Realtor®

Windermere Access Realty

1412 W Idaho St.

Suite 120

Boise, ID 83702

208-258-2222 Office

208-283-3664 Cell

208-258-2230 Fax

camjohnson@windermere.com

Check out my listings here: http://www.camjohnsonhomes.com

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Friends,

My enthusiasm in the October report, while somewhat tempered, remains alive with the November numbers I have just received. For the second straight month I believe the stats suggest we may finally be bouncing on the bottom of the downturn that has been going on for all of 5 years now. Barring some unpredicted national/international event I am hopeful that the current trends will continue and possibly even improve a bit. Recent unemployment figures have been slightly better both on a national and local scale. Consumer spending and confidence have also ticked up. All of these things do affect our real estate market just as events in Europe and the 2012 elections also may.

519 Homes sold in Ada County in November, a 4% increase from 2010. Pended sales were also up a healthy 9.7% while inventory continues its trend of most of the year and plunged 33.1%. There are literally one third fewer homes on the market than at this time last year and I have seen the effects of that first hand with the buyers I am currently working with. There seem to be few quality choices and in the sweet spot of the market ($100-150K) there is pretty intense competition between buyers. Distressed sales continue to be a dominant force but the trend seems to be swinging away from Bank Owned properties and back towards Short Sales. So while the Days on Market for non-distressed sales in that price range is 81 (24.3% below last year), for distressed sales, particularly short sales, it is 162 days. This indicates that banks still haven’t mastered dealing with short sales in a timely manner and that there is strong demand for non-distressed sales in that price range. Days on market for all price ranges has dropped 15.7% to 97 days since 2010 reflecting that more buyers are out there but don’t have as many choices as they used to. Months of inventory is currently at 4.6 versus 7.2 last year. You may recall that most analysts feel 6 or below represents a stable to robust market and we have been 5 or below since March.

The big news in October was that for the first time in over 4 years prices actually inched up a tiny bit (.6%!). I was holding my breath for the November numbers to see if that was a fluke or perhaps the beginning of a trend. The answer so far lies somewhere in between as the average price per square foot dropped by $1 from October 2011 to $88 but was unchanged from November 2010. The average sales price was $175,000 which was a 3.3% drop from November 2010 but was unchanged from this October. The 3.3% drop may be slightly misleading as there was an inexplicable one month spike in the average sales price last November. I think the most encouraging thing I gather from both the average $/SF and the average sales price numbers is that they have been remarkably steady since June. After 4+ years of drops that is pretty good news. So while I certainly don’t foresee any dramatic price increases it is beginning to look more and more like things have steadied. High unemployment, tougher lending standards, consumer caution, and the growing number of people with good income who are unable to buy homes because they have already lost or short sold one will continue to keep a lid on prices. But the blood-letting may be mostly over, although people who bought at the peak and have to sell are going to continue to feel pain for years to come.

As always your questions, comments, and especially your referrals are always welcome. For those of you interested in more details please scroll down to the graphs below.

Best wishes to all of you this Holiday Season!

Cam Johnson
Realtor®
Windermere Access Realty
1412 W Idaho St.
Suite 120
Boise, ID 83702
208-258-2222 Office
208-283-3664 Cell
208-258-2230 Fax

camjohnson@windermere.com
Check out my listings here: http://www.camjohnsonhomes.com
Boise (Ada County) Real Estate Report for November 2011

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Windermere Access Realty has officially opened its 2nd location at 1412 W.  Idaho Street!   We are enjoying our new working environment and welcome all our clients and real estate agents to stop by and visit us in our new space. 

  Cindy and Josh

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Trying to sell your home during the holidays is not easy!  We tend to get busier, more stressed, and the last thing we need is strangers examining our home, right?  Well, this year you may want to do a little less decorating but a little higher quality of the decorating you do!  Professionals say holiday decoration can brighten our moods and make a home look warm and cozy and welcoming.  There are a few rules to holiday staging so keep these in mind:

Acccording to June Lizotte with June Lizotte Real Estate in Milwaukie, OR, the key is to use high quality and color coordinated décor.

1. Don’t overdo the holiday cheer. Joanne O’Donnell of Chic Homes Interiors says, “If it is cute, it stays packed. Cute is not a universal concept and the surest way to avoid trouble is to keep it simple and elegant.” Don’t overwhelm the space with clutter. It is recommended by real estate pro Tony Lynn Wallitsch with Alliance Real Estate and Ross Designs LLC in Omaha, Nebraska, that for every holiday decor that is put on display something that is usually out should be temporarily put away to avoid over-decorating. Remember that you want buyers to see a home and picture themselves living in it with their things - make it easier for them to do that by keeping rooms as clutter-free as possible.

2. Add holiday colors. Psychology research has shown us all that warm colors can increase excitement and energy so bring on the red even if in a few throw pillows or a blanket. Greenery from the yard can be used on mantels or in natural centerpieces, O’Donnell says, and she likes bows and ribbons on candles, wreaths, and basket handles. Use similar color palettes from room to room.

3. Alert the senses. O’Donnell recommends putting mulling spices or cider in a pot for great holiday scents and Betty Cunningham, with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Schaumburg, Ill., likes seasonal candles, oils, potpourri in pine or fresh-baked cookie scents. She also gives CDs to her clients for showings - mostly instrumental and soft holiday music. A 2005 study by Eric R. Spangenberg, Bianca Grohmann and David E. Sprott, Journal of Business Research (Vol. 58, Issue 11) showed the presence of Christmas scent with non-Christmas music lowered buyers’ perceptions but Christmas music and Christmas scent had a favorable buying response.

4. Keep the tree simple, yet elegant. Wallitsch suggests if your tree is larger than six feet, remove a piece or two of furniture to eliminate a crowded feeling. Keep the very personal ornaments toward the back of the tree or packed up for next year. If possible, hang ornaments of one basic color palette and show pieces mixed in both on tips of branches as well as inside tree.

5. Give the right holiday impression with curb appeal. White lights, preferably non-blinking, are favorites among stagers and realtors. Because your home is usually shown in the day, use tasteful decorations that work well day and night. A wreath on the front door makes a huge impression - keep it clean and in good shape. You may want to take a photo of the home at night to use for marketing purposes!

6. Remove all décor immediately after Christmas! We all have bad impressions when we see homes with lights still hanging in July! Those decorations you pack away by New Year’s Eve (yes!) will hopefully be in a new home with you next Christmas!

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Most have heard about Spring Cleaning buthow about Winter Organizing? Extensive home cleaning and reorganization doesn’t have to take place only once per year, in fact everything will stay organized and well kept longer if you spread your home organization projects to twice per year. We end up spending a lot more time indoors in the winter and what better time to tackle a bit of home clean up then when the cold weather has your trapped inside. Throw a pot of apple cider on the stove to give your a house that holiday home feel and tackle your clutter with these easy tips!

• Add To Your Storage Collection- You can really never have too many storage solutions. Take advantage of pre holiday sales and pick up some totes and clear plastic containers. These will come in handy for storing clutter that has accumulated during the weather change and doing so in an organized way.
• Take On One Room At  A Time, One Rainy Day At A Time- Stuck inside and looking for something to do? Spread out your cleaning, reorganizing and decluttering. Tackle one room at a time to not feel overwhelmed. Start with living areas that you will be sharing with others during the holidays, then attack room by room.
• Don’t Wait For Garage Sale Season, Donate Donate Donate- Sure your could set aside all the items you no longer need in a tote for garage sale season to come around again but you could take this opportunity to get rid of items now and donate them to your local Salvation Army or Thrift Shop and make someone elses day!
• Make Indoor Family Activities Readily Available- Have boardgames, cards, arts and craft projects, and puzzles readily available. No quicker can a mess be made then someone climbing to the top of a closet pulling down everything in their way of the Monopoly Board. Make designated space in your living area so everyone knows where to find their favorite rainy day activity and where to put it back when they are finished.
• Make Room For That Winter Gear- Get ready for jackets, scarves, wet boots and rosey cheeks! Even if you don’t have a mudroom large enough for all your storage needs you can still keep your winter gear organized and cleaned up even in small spaces. Invest in a shoe rack, some hooks for coats, scarves and gloves, and designate spaces to keep order. Multiple people in the family? Get a stackable drawer organizer and give each person their own drawer for their gear.

Get to organizing for the best home enjoyment this winter!

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