There is something brewing in today’s real estate market. It is the sign of hungry sellers who are poised to act. “To sell or not to sell?” is the major question in everybody’s minds. The decision to tell is faced with the uncertainty of the consequences. What we can say, however, is that now is a great time to sell in Fremont. Below we look at some factors that point to this conclusion:

1. As I write this article, 70 homes are active in Fremont. 21 of these homes are condos and townhomes while the rest are single family homes. The market is low on inventory and we need more listings.
2. Prices are up 22% since January 2013 (Evidence: AND Type=DE AND Date Range=01/01/2013-01/31/2014 AND Area=3700 AND Grouping Selector=3; As Of: 1/17/2014)

What it mean to have 70 homes on the market? Out of 214.089 residents, only 70 homes are available for sale. Only .0003% of the homes are available for sale. That seems dismal. Pathetic. We need more sellers to list! What are they waiting for?

Let’s look at the second piece of information: prices are 22% higher than last year. Any seller knowing this seems like a motivating factor to cash out. But why have they not done anything?

Perhaps there is still an apprehension to act since we just finished coming out of the mortgage meltdown. To go through various downturns of price of homes and the stock market is enough to take a few years off of anyone’s life. Making a financial mistake now could resonate in one’s financial wallet for decades to come. That is why people have been holding onto their houses for so long, hesitating to sell.

So what are some of the ways to reduce the uncertainty of selling a house?

1. Consult a Realtor: a Realtor will research your property and tell you how much you can sell your house for.
2. Ask for Seller Net Proceeds: A realtor will consider relevant transaction costs and will present to you your “bottom line”, i.e.: that is, how much will you take home after everything is done?
3. Ask a tax professional: Based on how much you take home, how much capital gains will you be expected to pay? Consult a CPA or legal professional for this.
4. Think about your next investment: What are you doing with the money you earned? Will you reinvest it other property? Will you invest it in tomorrow’s next stock? The decision is yours

Sellers need reassurance. Sellers need explanations and data to justify a decision. Sometimes, sellers even need to see that everybody else is selling their house so that they are comfortable in selling their own home. Whatever it may be, the more you know, the more power you have. With prices climbing and with inventory scarce, the perfect storm is brewing for sellers to make a killing in today’s market.