So far the 2012 real estate market has been a lot more like the chocolaty bliss of Valentines Day then it has the shadowy gloom of the day of the Groundhog! Whether it has been the relatively mild Winter we are experiencing, the upbeat expectations of an election year or just an uptick in the economy, for some reason 2012 is starting off with a bang.
There is always a chance that with a mild Winter comes early real estate business and it will level off by being slower than usual in the Spring. That can happen if eager home hunters get a jump start on the market in late Winter but inevitably that thins the ranks of buyers in March and April. Considering the recent state of the industry I would question whether that is happening. Interest rates have been good for so long and the market has been somewhat slowed for a long enough time to make me wonder if some good January weather would really make a difference.
A likely reason for the strong showing so far in 2012 is that people are getting use to the current financial climate, they are looking on the bright side rather than wallowing in the gloom and doom of economic forecasters, and they are anticipating improvements that usually appear in major election years.
Whatever the reason for the great early turnout of buyers in 2012, it is the best Winter activity we have seen in years and we will gladly take it!
