Vol 231, The Sweet Spot!

"Something's missing," I noted as I walked into the kitchen.  I had just finished baking four dozen cookies for my Sunday Open and had returned to package them up.  Now I was looking at a nearly empty space where the chocolate chip cookies had previously been cooling on the racks.  Hmmm, there seemed to be a thief  in the house.
I had happily volunteered to dog sit my Sellers' wonderful Australian Shepherd/Golden mix (the world's sweetest dog) and without naming names (Tango!) I had noted his stealth habit of placing his front paws on the counters to check out what might be up there, but hadn't really registered the ramifications. It seems that while I had stepped into the bedroom, Tango had helped himself to dessert!  As a dog owner who has taken her own pet to the emergency room after a gluttonous splurge on blueberry muffins, I was more than a little bit worried.  Forget the cookies, what happens if you kill your client's dog?
Happily, Tango survived the evening with nary a stomach ache.  When I got up the next morning to bake a new batch, Tango plonked himself down in the kitchen, wagged his tail, and licked his chops, as if to say "How great! Do you bake fresh cookies everyday?" (I don't, but I do bake quite often.)   My husband and son like my cookies quite a bit. In fact, they like them quite a lot (we all have a sweet tooth in my family) but they've yet to eat TWO DOZEN in one sitting!  Clearly I had hit the "sweet spot" for our visiting furry friend.
Here in Piedmont, the "sweet spot" seems to be any home between $1,000,000 - $1,700,000.  If you've got a home to sell that offers at least three bedrooms and two bathrooms (four bedrooms are even better) congratulations, you are in good shape as well qualified Buyers flood the marketplace and compete for the few good homes that become available. There truly is too little inventory to meet the pent-up demand, which in turn, is pushing the market ever higher with each successive sale.  Sweeeeet! 
And for homes above $2,000,000, we are seeing REAL traction in the high-end marketplace for the first time in several years as well, with several homes receiving multiple bids in this higher price range. It's not about the money, it's about the "perceived value."  And with interest rates that are still at historical lows, the affordability index has rarely been better. Great opportunity exists NOW for those who qualify.  For Sellers who have been waiting for some sign of recovery before waiting to sell, it's time to consider placing your house on the market.  The recovery is well underway and consumer confidence has definitely returned. Now may be the time to sell.  Sweeet!