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."
Stay up to date on the latest real estate trends.
35 years is not as long as you think.
After over 20 years of being real estate agents, we've realized that the quantity and quality of our networks is part of our "secret sauce".
Two reasons. First, our hours are equally bad and unpredictable. Second, hiring an average or even good doctor/Realtor is fine If everything is normal, but when you ar… Read more
A common question we get from homeowners who are outgrowing their current home is, “Does it make more sense to renovate/expand or buy a larger home”?
Inflation and rising interest rates are certainly impacting the number of homes being sold, but we expect homes to be a relatively excellent store of wealth in the mon… Read more
Steve’s Rim to Rim Takeaways
It's no surprise that the last several months have seen massive change in the real estate market, driven primarily by dramatically rising interest rates. What does tha… Read more
Call us today and ask us, “Is now a good/bad time to buy/sell?” and you’ll get a lot of questions in return before you get an answer from our team.
Yep. Everything you’re hearing is true. Rates are up, inventory is starting to grow, and some buyers are moving to the sidelines as “affordability” has skyrocketed.
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.