“Should I buy or sell a home right now” might seem trivial in the face of all that we are experiencing, and I’d argue that for that person or that family making those decisions to buy, sell, stay, go, it’s not a trivial question or debate at all.
Q: “Real question – what does a war with Iran change about selling a house? “
A: Honestly, I think people will want shelter more.
The above text exchange with a client happened a few days after America went to war against Iran.
Two arguments about war and the Charlottesville real estate market
Not an “argument” per se, but positions — both of which are right.
1. I am (reasonably) scared to make such a huge financial and life decision; I’m going to stay where I am.
2. I am (reasonably) scared and want to secure a home for me and for my family and want to buy a house.
Both are valid. Both are reasonable, and I have already heard both from my clients – those are not direct quotes obviously, but those are part of what they were saying.
We are all nervous. All on edge. Maybe worried and concerned, and even powerless.
We can control what we can control.
If you need to sell to move closer to your parents, grandkids, friends, or the mountains, selling might be right.
If you need to buy for the same or other reasons, buying might be right.
Mortgage rates fluctuate. So does the market.
Seeking stability in an ever more uncertain world, housing and the right representation and guidance are more important than ever.
Closing thoughts:
- I’m writing a bit more about this in the March Note.
- Maybe choose to ride a bike, walk to that thing, or take the bus
- The photo above was taken early this week on my morning bike ride; I was thinking how lucky I am that we are not being bombed, and the rain we experience is not filled with oil and toxins.
We can’t control the few who are choosing this war, but we can control our actions; Seth Godin’s Times a Million post resonates even more today. In part:
Notice the lack of “times a million” math.
If we figure that the average driver in the US does 20,000 miles a year, I’m going to use about 400 gallons of gas. A car getting 20 mpg is going to use closer to a thousand gallons. Figure that there are about 100 million actively driven cars in the US, which means that the net difference if “everybody did it” has the potential to save 60 billion gallons (600 times 100 million) of gas. A year.
No, this isn’t a pitch to switch. It’s a pitch to describe how amazingly difficult it is to market that story.
The guy above who’s not going to switch from his Explorer to an Edge because it will only save him $300 a year is clearly not going to be interested (never mind moved) in the thought experiment above. It’s too distant. Too far away.