I spent my lovely snow day at NMU completing a 6 hour mandatory continuing education class and aside from being inundated with plenty of Real Estate legal news I learned some interesting information about generational selling. I thought it would be interesting to share the break down of the different generations.

GI Generation 1900-1924

Silent Generation 1925-1945

Baby Boomers 1946-1964

Gen X'ers/Baby Busters 1985-1976

Gen Y'ers/Millenials/Echo Boomers  1977-1994

Consider the following statistic from the National Association of REALTORS, between 2001-2005 the number of first time home buyers under the age of 35 increased 64%. I think these numbers show that it  requires REALTORS to become proficient in the different ways each generational group wants to communicate and also what they expect from us in a transaction. It will also be interesting to see if so many people are buying their first homes younger impacts the number of years people spend in a home on average. The current number is about 7 years. I think younger buyers are going to change from their first home faster than previous generations.

On a social note I would like to point out that The Holiday Inn has been hosting a comedy night on Saturday nights at 8 pm. It has made a great winter time diversion. We have gone several times and always enjoyed the laughs!

Well only 10 days into January and I am surprised at how busy we are at Select Realty. I think that the temperate weather coupled with decent interest rates are the reason. Homes that have been stagnant in the market are starting to have multiple showings, now the next step needs to be offers! I believe this early activity bodes well for a strong spring market. I think the consumer is getting tired of being told by the media that the market is so bad and they should wait to buy or sell. For some buyers more balanced market (as opposed to the  double digit increases we were seeing for a few years) is allowing them to buy more home that they thought. For sellers the challenge has been becoming realistic about today's market. But I still believe that a well priced home will sell.

On a local note I am excited by the number of new  restaurants in downtown Marquette. I have visited them all and they each offer a different experience so I encourage people to beat the January blues with a new dining experience. Elizabeth's Chop House feels like you are in downtown Chicago, The Waterfront has a great view and L'Attitude is great to eat or met up with friends.As soon as they have websites up and running I will add them to my www.StephanieSells.com and www.mqtHomes.com web sites. Downtown Marquette is now a vital destination for all types of dining!

Also by request I am bringing back my recipe postcards this year so if you are not on my address list just shoot me an email and I will add your name!

Happy New Year!

I look forward to creating an online source for information and random thoughts both Marquette and Real Estate related. For a little Real Estate info I pulled some 2007 info from our MLS and I found that residential average sold price in our MLS (Marquette County) is 107,501. The  list to sell % is 93.91% which tells me that sellers are taking less for their homes than list price. I think this may be the lowest I have seen this percentage. I think this is also an indicator that pricing your home for the seller and crafting a good opening bid for the buyer are 2 of the most important aspects to a transaction in this market.

Random Marquette thoughts include a big old THANK YOU to Jimmy Johns for saving the cities ball drop on New Years Eve. I think that one of the things that has the ability to make our community stronger is the local corporate community stepping up and taking responsiblity for local events.