Tim McIntyre

Facebook friends, to see the complete post, click here.

It is evident that we are in one of the toughest Real Estate markets in several decades. But, if you really think about it, it's the best time to sell your home. The reality is that home values have fallen significantly over the past 24 months. This creates a tremendous buying opportunity for those that are looking to purchase a new home. If, like most Americans, you are interested in buying up to a larger home, this means you are in the perfect situation. Any mathematician will tell you that the percentage of a larger number is greater than the percentage of a smaller number. This holds true in Real Estate as well.

For example, you may be selling your current 2000 square foot home that would have sold for $250,000 a year ago and buying a 3000 square foot home that would have sold for $500,000 a year ago. According to the April 2009 S&P/Case Shiller home price index, home prices have declined 18.1% nationally vs. a year ago. Based on these numbers, our homeowner would sell his current home for $45,250 less than one year ago and pay $90,500 less for the new home. This is a savings of $45,250 compared to the same upgrade in housing a year ago:

This is why it is a great time to sell. Homes that are currently listed at a price that is realistic for today's market and not "what they could have got a year or two ago", are selling quickly. Too many sellers think they need to net more out of the sale of their home to move on, when actually they don't. We will always see fluctuation in Real Estate values, like any other investment. The good news is that it's all relative if you are selling and buying another home.

So don't sit on the sidelines waiting for the "bottom". Don't let the market or the media dictate when to sell your home. Do it when it's right for you, because after all it's your financial future. Take advantage of the opportunities of a difficult market.

This article was written by one of the Mortgage Bankers I work with: Robert Reilley of Vision Mortgage. He shared it with me and I couldn't help but to get his permission to share it with you. He goes beyond the headlines of a "down market" to show that things are not always what you hear.

Robert has always been known to go the extra mile, taking a look at their entire financial picture to determine which mortgage is best for them.

Robert has been my trusted partner for many years, always having honesty, integrity and getting the job done. To reach him directly, visit Vision Mortgage Capital.

Visit my website at www.timsellshomes.com.

This past Saturday morning I was out on my bike riding on Route 40 in Ellicott City, MD and here comes a puke yellow pickup truck with a flashing yellow light: the tell-tale sign of a state employee. The truck pulls into the large, grassy median, and the driver jumps out of his truck and yanks out two directional signs - the kind builders use to advertise new homes and direct buyers to their model - and throws them into the back of his trunk.

My first thought was to get a picture, and I reached for my cell phone, but I was on my bike, on a busy highway shoulder, and you could imagine how that went. But as I rode, I started to think about what I saw, and what the sign laws are in Howard County. The sign law, as pertaining to Real Estate signs, from the Howard County Sign Code Section 503e states that directional signs permitting open houses, or those that builders typically use to direct to their models are permitted from 4pm Friday until noon the following Monday.

As I was in my car on my way to work, he was still there on Route 40, still hard at work pulling signs. I thought if I saw him again, I'd love to get a photo of this. But I missed:

What really bothered me about this is that I've worked for builders in the past and we always abided by by the sign law. Builders rely heavily on these signs to get prospective buyers to their models. So here's a guy who works for the state and is taking his orders from whoever, on a Saturday, probably getting overtime, on our tax dollars. Our tax dollars that pay for his salary, his uniform, and his puke yellow truck.

Now, my question is, isn't the real estate market tough enough right now without having to deal with this bureaucracy? When I called on Monday, I couldn't find anyone to talk to about it, and that's as far as it went.

I want to know what you think - is just doing your job enough right now?

We've all learned a tough lesson this past year, as so many people took their eyes off the Real Estate ball, and enjoyed the spoils of the market without regard to the long term cost. And now as prices have come down, we are all paying the price. What's done is done, but if there's a lesson to be learned here it's that just as you review your investment, savings and retirement accounts, it's equally important to be informed about the factors that impact your largest investment: your home.

If there's one thing I do, it's to counsel my clients to stay informed about Real Estate in our local area, because what happens in Real Estate affects you. For instance, if there's a new development going up in your area, it may affect you in many ways - some positive, and some negative:

• If you own a business, such as a barbershop, a restaurant, or a coffee shop, a new development is a great source of potential new customers.
• If you have kids, how will the new development affect them and you? Will the development be cause for redistricting schools? And could this affect the way in which your kids get to school?
• What is the effect of this development on home values in the area? Is your home worth more or less than these new homes?
• How will the new development affect traffic in the area?
• What will the development offer that might be interesting to you? Will they have a community pool, open space, a playground or hiking trails?

What happens in your local Real Estate market will impact your life, whether you pay attention or not. So now I ask you: What goes through your mind when you see that sign for a new development in your neighborhood? And do you follow the real estate market in your area?