We've been experiencing higher than normal volume on our website lately. I know that's a message that you are used to hearing when you call in for customer service almost anywhere, but here it means something different. It means that we can tell, from the analytics provided to us by our web provider and our Search Engine Management provider, that the usual uptick in site visits and searches began right after the holidays this year. Usually we would see that rise begin in February or so, and that would translate into more traffic at open houses and more showings by the end of March.
This year, all indications are that the spring market has already started. And this despite all the snow! While you might think (as I did) that bad weather and dark, cold nights would have people rushing to their computers to search for property, we can tell that the visits are coming during the day, and during the week, more than on the bitterly cold and messy weekends we've been having. That would suggest that the traffic is normal, but early, as opposed to caused by boredom.
Our agents are reporting that showings are surprisingly robust for this time of year, and that open houses were strong, even on the traditionally slow Super Bowl Sunday (I've never understood why it takes all day, if you're not hosting a party, to get ready to watch a football game, but that's another blog topic...). Inventory is down, and buyers are clearly eager to see new listings. Many of the listings that have been on the market for a long time have been judged by buyers to be overpriced, or compromised in some way, so new offerings are highly prized. Sellers take note!
