We’re restarting our annual pumpkin patch event this October 15. 

We’re super excited to announce the return of our annual pumpkin patch event. Meet us on October 15 at Center Grove Orchard. The patch opens at 9 a.m., and we’ll be there to welcome you. 

This event is a big thank you to all our clients, friends, and family. There were a lot of firsts for us this year—we opened a brokerage and so much more. We’re looking forward to spending the day with you and your families. 

Remember, October 15 at 9 a.m. at Center Grove Orchard. We’ll see you there! In the meantime, if you have any questions, feel free to call or email us. We’d love to help.

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Three options for people who need to buy a home before selling.

Selling your current home before buying a new one is the conventional way to move. However, depending on your situation, there will be times when buying before you sell is the better option. Whatever your reason, you should know that buying first comes with additional risks, such as paying two mortgages, if your current home takes a long time to sell.

If you’re in a situation where you must buy first before selling, don’t worry. It’s not completely impossible, but it takes some strategic planning to make it happen. Here are three things you can do to help you buy before you sell:

1. Make an offer with a home-sale contingency. By including a home-sale contingency in your…

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Why our housing market is slowing and how it affects your home.


Is the real estate market slowing? You may hear about this on the news or from your friends, and many of my clients have asked me this question. With the recent interest rate hikes, everyone wants to know if the market is slowing. In short, yes. The market is slowing, but it might not be slowing as much as you think.

 

We’ve seen a dramatic change in our market recently. Inventory increased significantly in April, according to both Zillow and Realtor.com. The chief economist at Realtor.com notes, “If the trends we’re seeing now hold true, we could potentially see year-over-year inventory growth within the next few weeks.” At the same time, buyer demand also decreased. The…

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Installing smart home technologies in your house will increase its value.

Have you ever thought about adding some tech to your home? Installing smart home technology in a four-bedroom, three-bath home costs about $15,000 on average, but it can add anywhere between 5% to 35% to the value of the home. Let me tell you about some of the smart technologies I have in my home.

The Nest Doorbell Camera allows me to see who's at my front door from my smartphone or laptop. The Phillips Adjustable Light Hue Remote lets you adjust the color and brightness of your color-changing lightbulbs. This is especially useful to set the ambiance for holidays, parties, or lazy Saturday nights. Many smart homes also have motion detectors that will turn lights on…

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The latest statistics for our Des Moines real estate market.

What’s happening in the market? Let’s take a look at some housing statistics and find out. 

As a quick note, my son Jonathan (who you can see in the video above), has been working with me over the summer as an intern, and you can’t ask for much more as a parent. He’s still getting his real estate license, but we’re excited to work with him in the years to come. 

In April, 1,331 homes sold in our market, and in May, we sold 1,453. The median sales price in our market increased from $266,860 in April to $275,000 in May. That’s a pretty scary jump, especially if you’re a first-time buyer. 

"If you want to get the most money out of your home, now is the time to sell."


…

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You can qualify for a $15,000 home loan from the City of Des Moines.

Dave Orsinger and I have an exciting announcement to share. Des Moines has implemented a new grant for homebuyers that contains my favorite four-letter word: free! If you’re an employee of the City of Des Moines, you’re eligible for a five-year forgivable loan of up to $15,000. If you are a firefighter, police officer, public worker, or any other city employee, you are eligible for this money. This program started in August 2021, but they recently backdated it to May 2021. If you’ve bought a home from May 2021 until now and you work for the city, you likely qualify for this grant. If you’d like to learn more about how you can qualify for this program, reach out to Dave at…

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We’re excited to introduce you to the Zealty Home Advisors brokerage.

Today we’re excited to officially announce the launch of our Central Iowa brokerage, Zealty Home Advisors. We’ll introduce our team members and get to know a little bit more about them. 

Ryan Rivera is the broker associate and co-owner of Zealty Home Advisors. He was born and raised in Des Moines and attended the University of Northern Iowa. He’s been licensed to sell real estate since 2005, and over his career, he’s owned several other franchises. His current passion and hobby is yoga, and his favorite pose is the crow pose.

Keith Soldwisch is the broker manager and co-owner of Zealty Home Advisors. He’s from northeast Iowa and also attended the University of Northern…

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If you need to sell a home very quickly, we can give you an instant offer.

Today we want to tell you about the instant offer that we’re providing to our clients. We call it the Zealty Now Button.

When we meet with our sellers, we’ll make you an instant offer to buy your home. This option isn’t for everybody. We’ve seen this tool used most successfully when you’re trying to buy a home and the seller isn’t taking offers subject to the sale of your home. We’ll offer to buy your house so you can purchase your next home without any contingencies.

If you’re handling the estate of a loved one and you need someone to buy the home, we’ll offer to buy it from you right then and there. The great thing about this is that there is no appraisal, so we…

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Shaking hands after closing on a new home in Des Moines

Like most cities in the United States, Des Moines is currently experiencing a hot seller’s real estate market. As a home buyer, this can be frustrating. However, there are a few steps you can take to stay ahead of the competition. If you’re currently looking for real estate in Des Moines, these are some tips that can help you find your dream home and successfully close the deal. 

Be Flexible With Your Expectations

One of the reasons a seller’s market happens is that there is less inventory available. With less homes on the market, you may not be able to find what you’re looking for right away. If you need a new home within a certain time period, you may need to adjust your expectations.

It helps to make a list of all the things you absolutely…

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Here’s what home sellers need to know after receiving multiple offers.

Receiving multiple offers as a seller is a great problem to have, but not everyone is equipped to deal with getting 10 offers at once. That’s why today I want to share my best tips for navigating a multiple-offer situation.

In this kind of market, the first thing you should do is work with a reliable Realtor. We typically list homes in the middle of the week, then give buyers the weekend to see the houses and make offers before deciding on one the next week. When you set this type of timeline, buyers will have time to think about their decision instead of making a snap offer. As a result, you’ll receive stronger offers.

“Price isn’t the only factor to consider in an…

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