Now’s the time.  If ever before you wanted to buy a home — or you think in the future you might want to buy a home — you will ALWAYS regret not buying in 2009!!  Why?  Well, lots of reasons really — but here we want to point out current interest rates!  They have never been this low.  Well, maybe for yoour great great grandparents or something!  But not in my lifetime — and I’m old!  Why?  Because the government wants them that way…that’s why.  What do I mean?  We are in a recession.  This is the most serious recession since before I was born (and remember I’m OLD!).  If you remember your history or economics, the Keynesian philosophy says we need to spend our way out of recessions.  And the banks and other financial institutions are being careful to keep their money in the bank, so to speak.  So the government, bless their hearts, opened up the printing presses and are sending those same institutions , the ones that make home loans and business loans, lots and lots of money with one order: “LOAN IT OUT TO HOME BUYERS AND BUSINESSES.”  That way, simply put, we will be buying our way out of this recession and we can all heave a collective sigh and go back to normal. 

House prices are wearing “20% off” labels and even more, in many cases, from a couple years ago.  And, when we saw bargains like that in stores, we’d open our checkbooks and buy.  DIfference is:  in housing, you normally NEVER get such a deal!  Then, add to that these teeny weeny fixed rates and it becomes like this imperative thing to do: GET YOURSELF THE HOME OF YOUR DREAMS…NOW!  Before everyone else figures this out.  Otherwise, when you drive down your “dream street” past your “dream house” in two or three years, you will start crying.  Uncle Sam won’t be giving money to those banks to lend at such rates and homeowners who DID jump now, will be smiling as they see their house prices rise and rise!  Want to know what interest rates are?  You know, they change daily.  Go to www.theirvineteam.com or call 636-391-2100 and we’ll give you the most current info.  And, from that website, you can also go “on the web” shopping for listings!  You’ll be pleasantlly (actually, joyfully!) surprised!!

If you are browsing for a new home (and you should be, as there will never be a better time in your lifetime to do it!), you may have noticed something:  houses are all dressed up! I don’t know if it is because people are watching HGTV or what!  I have been in real estate for 25 years and NEVER have I ever seen houses for sale so uniformly “fixed up” to sell. In the “biz”, we call it “staged”.  One after another has been painted, carpeted, granite-countered, steam cleaned, closets cleaned, furniture rearranged, dodads removed … so every home, one after the other, looks just like a display!  It is a treat to show homes nowadays.  And I’m almost jealous that I am not in the market.  Such wonderful goodies to chose from, running at sale prices not seen for decades, with interest rates at unbelievable prices!  The problem may well be there are TOO many choices that look fabulous.  After all, when you see too much that is delectable, it is often hard to pick just one!  OR — maybe you could talk your old neighbor into buying the one YOU don’t choose!  Your Easter Parade this year could be going from house to house, until you find the one that says, “Unpack here.  I’m waiting for you!”

Everyone is thinking it is time to buy … foreclosures!  Big discounts… The newspapers say so!  The television says so.  The internet says so.  It must BE so!  Well, there are foreclosures throughout the country, but the numbers and types vary according to the area of the country and even the community you are looking at!  Very desireable areas may have few or none.  Areas that were already troubled have many more.  But St. Louis real estate is, in many ways, unique.  We have been such a stable real estate market for as long as I have been in real estate (25 years!) that we had few people who overextended as they did in California or Florida!  In addition, foreclosures here are listed in the Multi List system, so, if you are looking for them, you will find them scattered here and there.  And often not exactly where you would like to live!  Every family has a dream house in a dream area and it is sorta hard to put that house in that area — exactly!  What I suggest, as interest ratess are now pushing 4-1/2% and we may never see that again!, is to call us and let us do the hard work for you!  We are specialists in putting together that house in that area at the right price.  Or, if you want to browse on your own, go to our website, www.theirvineteam.com and take a look at the newest and latest listings!  You’ll find it isn’t only foreclosures that will be interesting.  Many many, in fact, most homes have adjusted their prices to compete with those distressed houses!  And they could very well be that perfect house in the perfect area you have been dreaming about your whole life!  Get on board before it is too late!