This election has been fascinating in so many ways, but l wanted to take a moment this morning to discuss where it leaves us in the real estate world.  The DOW will continue to be a roller coaster, the world will continue to be in turmoil, energy discussions will continue until we're all blue in the face...but what about those of us wishing to build, purchase, or sell homes?  Are we doomed?

Let's review some fundamentals.  First and foremost, there are still well over 6 billion people in this world, and the tally grows daily.  And at least speaking for America, we have been a society where we don't cram 2-4 families into a home or apartment, and I don't see this trend shifting anytime soon so we're going to need housing.  Second, we were guilty of having markets in areas with a ton of blue sky in the prices of the homes, which simply isn't healthy for any type of market, and that had to correct.  Third, during this time of escalating prices, it was easy to get credit and easy to move into what we "wanted" vs. what we "needed", so again another correction that needed to take place.  And the fourth fundamental I'll touch on is the blatant disregard of the second and third fundamental points by developers, builders, and their lending institutions that caused the supply of new homes to get totally out of control.  And I think we all now know what happens to an economy with such a huge workforce affected by the housing industry hitting the brakes (or the brick wall in some cases); yet another painful correction that didn't require rocket science to see coming...

So this leads us to today.  The first bit of refreshing news is that in my small world of reviewing listing traffic on various web sites, there is a remarkable jump in activity this week and even in the week leading up to the election.  This is a great sign!  While not a scientific poll, it does suggest that every day Americans do realize that regardless of elections and regardless of the news, the world is still spinning.  And more great news is that people have made a painful shift to considering needs over wants, so its really like a new starting point for our housing market.  It goes without saying that we'll probably never witness a better time in our lifetimes to buy a home; and as long as people are pricing homes for sale at the true current market value, homes are selling.  Taking a hit on what you're selling will be outweighed by the price advantage on what you're buying, so take the hit with a thankful heart and enjoy the discounted upgrade.  In the end you'll have greatly improved your leverage.

And if you're in the Kansas City area, you can check out all the values and inform yourself at www.TheHungryAgent.com.  May God bless you richly as you take advantage of this incredible opportunity in real estate.

Eric Hopkins, Broker-Owner