Omaha Mid-Year Market Review

Looking to improve your real estate career? I'm here to help you make a smart decision when it comes to growing your business, improving your bottom line, and choosing a place to work in real estate sales. If you'd like to learn more about working with DEEB Realty, contact me at (402) 491-0100 or email andy@godeeb.com. 

Halfway through 2014, the MLS stats for Omaha are looking great. We have already exceeded the highs in the market that preceded the 2008 downturn. Last year proved to be a historic year for home sales and pending sales in Omaha, and it looks like our market is only improving. Here are some of the numbers for the first half of this year as compared to the same period in 2013:

• The number of closed homes is 5,995, up from 5,904.
• Average list price is up $7,000.
• New construction average price has risen to $340,000 from $282,000.

These numbers are good news - it appears that people have been moving up to larger homes. If you would like more information on current market conditions, or have any questions about Omaha real estate, give me a call or shoot me an email. I'd love to assist you.

Technology is Changing Real Estate Sales- How Are You Keeping Up?

Looking to improve your real estate career? I'm here to help you make a smart decision when it comes to growing your business, improving your bottom line, and choosing a place to work in real estate sales. If you'd like to learn more about working with DEEB Realty, contact me at (402) 491-0100 or email andy@godeeb.com. 

Sometimes it feels impossible to keep up with the perpetual advancements in technology. As futile as it may seem at times, it's important to keep up as much as possible in order to prepare for ways in which new technology may shape your industry. Here are a few things you may not have heard of that you should keep in mind:

• It's no longer good enough to have a website or blog. Almost everyone uses social media of some sort. This is a blessing and a curse. For one, it makes it easier to reach out directly to potential customers. On the other hand, it's a bit more work to update your Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn consistently.
• How consumers bank may be changing. There has been talk about the possibility of banking with companies not typically associated with that industry - such as Apple, Paypal, or Amazon. The implications of such a change aren't clear, but it's clearly a palatable option for younger consumers. 
• Alternative currency, while still in its infancy, has made waves in the media in the last year. We even heard a story that a seller was accepting the digital currency Bitcoin as payment for his multi-million dollar home. Whether or not this ever achieves mainstream use can only be speculated on, but it's important to keep this interesting development in mind.
• Push notifications via Bluetooth could appear on smart phones of people walking or driving by your listed property. It could include basic information about the home and provide a link to get more information.

As we all know, technology is a fickle thing. For all we know, some of these trends will never catch on and will soon be forgotten. However, we do know that technological advances will have some sort of impact on our industry, so there is no harm in being aware of what's out there and thinking of how it may be useful. If you would like to chat about these or any other developments you find interesting, give us a call or send us an email. It would be great to hear from you!