The Riddle of the “Missing Middle” is Key to Understanding What Lies Ahead…
Hans Wydler
Hans Wydler
The Riddle of the “Missing Middle” is Key to Understanding What Lies Ahead…
There are so many questions right now about what lies ahead for real estate. As predicted, rising interest rates have taken some of the froth out of the market, but by any normal comparison, it remains a strong sellers' market and we don’t expect prices to come down anytime soon. But why?
The main reason we think housing will retain its value (if not continue to appreciate) is that inventory continues to be low, and the majority of new homes being built doesn’t necessarily match the demand. In particular, there is a shortage of close-in entry and mid level housing – “the missing middle”. These homes include townhomes, duplexes, cottage housing, and smaller single-family homes. Ironically, while first time home buyers are scouring our market for these kinds of homes, they often find themselves competing with builders/developers looking to "tear down" as well as empty nesters and down-sizers who are looking for the same kind of properties.
This article does a nice job summarizing the complex reasons behind the shortage & mismatch, but suffice it to say that it will take years for supply (particularly the right kind of supply) to catch up, and until then, your home should be a pretty darn good investment. Regardless of your prediction of what will happen to our local real estate market in the weeks/months/years ahead, we believe that the timing of purchase and/or sell decision should be more about your personal situation than about timing the market. As we like to say, "life should dictate the house decisions and not vice versa."
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Real Estate in a Shifting Economy
"Everything changes and nothing remains still; and you cannot step twice into the same stream." - Heraclitus, Greek Philosopher
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Undoubtedly, you’ve been reading about changes in the residential real estate market.
Wydler Brothers have been selling residential real estate for over 20 years in the DC metro area. Along the way, they’ve achieved numerous awards and recognitions, including being recognized as “The Most Innovative Real Estate Agent in America” (Inman, 2014), written several articles for The Washington Post, authored a book, “Inside the Sell”, co-founded a real estate tech company which sold to Move, Inc. in 2013, and built Wydler Brothers into a highly respected boutique brokerage with 70 agents and employees which they sold to Compass in 2019. Currently, Wydler Brothers is among the top 3 teams in the DMV and was the #1 Compass Team in 2022.