Make Sure to Check These Home Maintenance Tasks off Your To-Do List Before Winter Hits
Lighter Side of RE (Inner Circle) • October 28, 2021
Fall is in full swing! While fall is best known for amazing weather, foliage, and fun autumn-themed activities (think apple picking and pumpkin patches), it’s also the perfect time to get your home ready for winter.
But which tasks do you need to knock off your home maintenance to-do list in the fall to make sure your property is ready for the winter?
A recent article from realtor.com outlined key maintenance tasks homeowners should plan to tackle during the fall season, including:
- Check your home’s insulation. Without proper insulation, heat can escape your home—and as temperatures drop in fall and winter, your home’s heating system will have to work harder to keep your home nice and warm, which can drive up costs. Before it gets too chilly outside, make sure to get your home’s insulation checked out—and, if necessary, replace or upgrade the insulation to ensure your home is properly insulated come winter.
- Trim the trees. Trimming your trees is a chore—but if you don’t do it before winter (and winter winds, snow, and storms hit), those dead branches can cause damage to your home and property. Before winter winds and storms hit, make sure to trim your trees; if the branches are low enough, you can DIY the trimming—but if you have tall trees that need trimming, definitely consider calling in a professional to help.
- Prepare for power outages. Power outages are never fun—but they’re especially not fun in the dead of winter. If you live in an area that’s prone to winter storms, you may want to consider investing in a back-up generator; that way, you can ensure you’ll have power when you need it—even when challenging winter weather takes down the power lines.
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Thought the Market Passed You By? Think Again. If you stepped back from your home search over the past few years, you’re not alone – and you’re definitely not out of options. In fact, now might be the ideal time to take another look. With more homes to choose from, prices leveling off in many areas, and mortgage rates easing, today’s market is offering something you haven’t had in a while: options. Experts agree, buyers are in a better spot right now than they’ve been in quite a long time. Here’s what they have to say. Affordability Is Finally Improving Lisa Sturtevant, Chief Economist at Bright MLS, says affordability is finally starting to turn the corner: “Slower price growth coupled with a slight drop in mortgage rates will improve affordability and create a window for some buyers to get into the market.” Mortgage rates have eased from their recent highs, price growth has slowed, and that one-two combo is making homes more affordable than they’ve been in months. There Are More Homes on The Market And a big reason prices are easing is because there are more homes on the market. According to the latest from Realtor.com, there are 17% more homes for sale today than there were at this time last year. That means more options, less competition with other buyers, and a chance to find the space that actually works for you. Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist at the National Association of Realtors (NAR), shares : “Homebuyers are in the best position in more than five years to find the right home and negotiate for a better price. Current inventory is at its highest since May 2020, during the COVID lockdown.” Take a look at the numbers. As Yun notes, inventory is up everywhere. Compared to this time last year, every region of the country has more homes on the market than at this time last year (see graph below): That translates to more homes to choose from, whether you’re looking for a bigger backyard, a shorter commute, or finally ditching your rental. But not all markets are the same… When you compare current inventory growth to pre-pandemic norms (2017–2019), the picture changes a bit, depending on where you are (see graph below): The green bars show where inventory has fully recovered (and even grown above pre-pandemic levels) in the South and the West. Supply, however, is still tighter in the Northeast and Midwest, as shown in the red bars, where inventory is still below normal. And here’s why that’s still a win everywhere. When you step back and look at the bigger picture, with inventory up in every region, that means more choices everywhere, even if some areas have more homes for sale than others. And with fewer buyers in the market and more homes for sale, sellers are willing to negotiate to get a deal done. All of that adds up to a win for today’s buyers. And it’s also why working with a local expert really makes a difference. What’s happening in your zip code or neighborhood might look different than the national or regional trend. But the overall takeaway is clear: with more homes on the market, buyers have more leverage than they did a year or more ago. So, if you stepped away from your search because things felt too competitive, too pricey, you were worried about finding a home, or it was all just too much to process, this could be your moment to take another look. And if you’re not quite ready to go all in, that’s okay too. You can start by planning ahead. That means working with a trusted agent who can help you break down your budget, narrow your search, and make sure you're prepped and ready when the right home hits the market. Bottom Line Want to know what’s happening in our area? Let’s have a conversation so you can get a custom overview of what’s available right now and learn how to be ready when the timing is right for you. Because this isn’t 2021. This isn’t even 2023 or 2024. This is a new market – and you might be surprised by what you find.
Are Builders Overbuilding Again? Let’s Look at the Facts. If it feels like you’re seeing new construction signs pop up everywhere, you’re not wrong. Builders have been busy. And it’s left some people wondering: Are we overbuilding like we did right before the 2008 housing crash ? No matter what you may hear in the news, there’s no reason for alarm. In reality, data shows builders aren’t racing ahead, they’re actually starting to tap the brakes. Builders Are Pulling Back, Not Piling On Permits (applications to start building new homes) are one of the best early indicators for what's next for home construction. And right now, building permits are trending down, not up . Here’s why that’s so important. In the years before the housing crash of 2008, builders really ramped up their production of single-family homes (the red arrow in the graph below). And unfortunately, they built far more homes than the market actually needed. That oversupply led to falling home prices. That’s what so many people remember, and what they worry will happen again. But while construction has been picking back up since roughly 2012, we’re not headed for a repeat of the same mistakes. The latest data available shows builders are actually starting construction on fewer homes right now (the green arrow in the graph below): New data from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) confirms that trend. It shows that single-family building permits have fallen for eight straight months . The Slowdown Isn’t Random, It’s Intentional Basically, builders are watching and reacting to today’s economic conditions and buyer demand in real time. And they’re pumping the brakes on their pipelines to avoid getting caught with too much unsold inventory. As Ali Wolf, Chief Economist at Zonda, says : “. . . builders are still working through their backlog of inventory but are more cautious with new starts.” That’s a big contrast to what happened before the housing crash, when overconfidence led to record-breaking levels of new home construction – even as demand was dropping. Today’s builders aren’t overconfident. They’re listening to the market and adjusting before things get out of balance. The Regional Picture Tells the Same Story And while inventory is going to vary a lot based on where you live, if you zoom out and look at regional data, the pattern holds almost everywhere (see graph below): NAHB reports single-family permits are down in nearly every part of the country, with just one region showing a slight uptick. And even there, the growth is so small, it’s practically flat. Why This Isn’t 2008 All Over Again In the lead up to the crash, builders kept building long after demand had disappeared. This time, they’re slowing down early, and that’s a good thing. The market actually needs more homes after years of underbuilding. But builders are making sure they don’t have to overcorrect. They're being intentional about how many homes they’re building right now. So yes, you’re seeing more new homes for sale today, but that doesn’t mean we’re oversupplied nationally. It means buyers finally have more options, and builders are pacing themselves to keep things in check. They’re not going to flood the market. And that’s a really good thing for housing overall. Bottom Line Seeing more new homes for sale doesn’t mean builders are overdoing it. Since building permits have been declining for eight straight months, it’s clear this isn’t an out-of-control boom. It’s a measured recovery. If you want to know more about what builders are doing in our area, let’s connect.
The Housing Market Is Turning a Corner Going into 2026 After several years of high mortgage rates and hesitation from buyers, momentum is quietly building beneath the surface of the housing market. Sellers are reappearing. Buyers are re-engaging. And for the first time in what feels like forever, there’s movement happening again. No, it’s not a surge. But it is a shift – and it’s one that could set the stage for a stronger year in 2026. So, what’s driving the comeback? Here are three big trends that are slowly breathing life back into the housing market right now. 1. Mortgage Rates Have Been Coming Down Mortgage rates are always going to have their ups and downs – that's just how rates work. Especially with the general economic uncertainty right now, some volatility is to be expected. But, if you zoom out, it’s the larger trend that really matters most. And overall, rates have been trending down for most of this year (see graph below): And in just the last few months, we’ve seen the best rates of 2025. According to Sam Khater, Chief Economist at Freddie Mac: “On a median-priced home, this could allow a homebuyer to save thousands annually compared to earlier this year, showing that affordability is slowly improving. ” Here's why that matters for you. This shift changes what you can actually afford. It means lower borrowing costs and more buying power. Take this as an example. Data from Redfin shows a buyer with a $3,000 monthly budget can now afford roughly $25,000 more home than they could one year ago. That’s a big deal. And it’s just one of the reasons why activity is picking up. 2. More Homeowners Are Ready To Sell For a while, many homeowners stayed put because they didn’t want to give up their low mortgage rate. That “lock-in effect” kept inventory tight. And while plenty of homeowners are still staying where they are today, the number of rate-locked homeowners is starting to ease as rates come down. Life changes are becoming a bigger part of what’s driving more people to move, and that’s opening up more inventory. Data from Realtor.com shows just how much the number of homes for sale has grown. And the really interesting part is that the market is approaching levels that haven’t been seen for the past six years (see the blue on the graph below): That return to more normal inventory levels is a really good thing. It gives buyers more options than they’ve had in years. And it’s helping to bring the market closer to balance. 3. More Buyers Are Re-Entering the Market And it’s not just sellers making moves. With more options and slightly better affordability, buyers are getting back in the game, too. The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reports purchase applications are up compared to last year, a clear signal that demand is building again (see graph below): And experts think this momentum will continue. Economists from Fannie Mae , the Mortgage Bankers Association ( MBA ), and the National Association of Realtors (NAR) all forecast moderate sales growth going into 2026. Now, this recovery won’t happen overnight. It’s not a flood of activity. But it is the start of steady improvement going into 2026. And that's something a lot of people have been waiting for. Bottom Line After several slower-than-normal years, the market is finally starting to turn a corner. Declining mortgage rates, more listings, and growing buyer activity all point to a market gaining real traction. Let’s connect to talk about what’s happening in our local market and how you can make the most of it in 2026.
