Drop in housing market not as scary as it seems

I knew that when the federal home-buying tax credit expired, home sales would drop. With the credit expiring in April, the drop-off in sales in May was a jaw-dropping 30 percent, the biggest monthly decline in home sales ever.

Sure, that’s a scary number, but I must remind everyone that this remains one of the best times ever to buy a house, even without the tax credit. Prices have adjusted downward and mortgage rates remain extremely low.

Some economists feel that as the jobs market improves, home sales will too. While that remains to be seen, what I know for sure is that for those who keep their financial wits about them, the time to buy a house or property has truly never been better.

With that in mind, RE/MAX Platinum continues to put our money where our mouth is. Sure, it’s easy for companies to say they’re dedicated to helping buyers through these tough times. But here at RE/MAX Platinum, we practice what we preach. We provide a wealth of resources to our customers, in good times as well as bad. With our title and mortgage company and the other services we offer, we are truly a one-stop home-buying organization.

Keep in mind that even though it’s a great time to buy real estate, that doesn’t mean it’s an easy time to close a deal. Today’s market comes with a host of challenges that require technical knowledge and expertise — and that’s where RE/MAX Platinum agents excel.

While most other real estate companies only have listing and selling brokers, RE/MAX Platinum recognizes that no one can possibly be an expert in all areas. So we have an army of in-house experts and agents specializing in a wide range of real estate situations, from short sales to foreclosures. RE/MAX Platinum even has a vacant land expert on board to assist agents in helping their customers. And let’s not forget to mention our state-of-the-art website newly launched with customers and their virtual needs in mind.

The secret to our success isn’t really a secret. We have excellent agents, we train them well, and we support and assist them in every way conceivable, while providing the cutting-edge tools they need. This strategy works, whether the market is good or bad.

RE/MAX Platinum was created in the fall of 2008 when the Michigan Group Realtors (voted the No. 1 real estate firm for eight years in a row by readers of the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus) merged with RE/MAX Platinum (ranked 16th in the “Crain’s Book of Lists” with 2007 revenue of $149 million).

The merger created the most dominant real estate firm in the community, outselling the next three real estate firms combined. The merger meant we were able to greatly increase services to agents and customers at a time when most other firms were cutting back. We even opened a new office in Ann Arbor, giving us a presence in Livingston, Genesee, Oakland and Washtenaw counties. RE/MAX Platinum truly serves all of Southeast Michigan.

Our strategy works. At a time when the real estate market has been spiraling out of control, we have maintained the same number of agents. By providing the right support and services, the average yearly earnings of our agents increased $20,000 from 2008 to 2009, in the midst of a depressed market. We’re doing things right — for our agents and our clients.

Long gone are the days of old, when homeowners ventured to sell their homes on their own by putting “for sale” signs in the yard. Today’s market is the Wild, Wild West, and RE/MAX Platinum remains committed to helping customers sense of it all and prosper in the end.

We’re committed to Michigan, our agents and our customers!