Bobbie O’Reilly
Broker/Owner, Weichert, Realtors-McKee Real Estate
Do you think homebuyer confidence will increase, decrease or stay the same? Homebuyer confidence will probably stay the same. I firmly believe that until the election of November 2012 occurs, confidence in the market will be depressed.
Do you expect home values to increase, decrease or stay the same next year? I think that home values cannot be generalized. I think that lower priced homes could begin to have increases because the inventory is getting so low, but higher priced homes around $1 million could continue to decline because inventory remains high.
What should every agent be doing next year? How can agents prepare for the market? Every agent should be getting training in how to navigate in this market and how to use every technology to its fullest. They should also be getting back to basics – contacting their sphere of influence, doing open houses and follow up, follow up, follow up.
What indicators are you watching to keep up with the market and its changes as we move into next year? I trust MRED statistics to actually see where the market has been and is heading.
Do you think more brokerages will choose to expand and open new offices in 2012? Of course some brokerages will expand in 2012, but I think most will sit tight a little longer because the past few years have been so damaging.
Will there be more or less people choosing to join the real estate industry next year? There are fewer people joining the real estate industry, in large part because of the economy, but also because the requirements are higher, which makes getting a license more time-consuming and more expensive.
What are your goals for Weichert, Realtors-McKee next year? My goal for 2012 is to grow by increasing productivity of existing agents and add agents who want to grow with us.