Hope you all had a Happy Valentine's Day!!!  

The start to the spring market is best spelled out in four letters: SNOW. We have definitely started off the season with market distractions; the Super Bowl, Winter Olympics and snow storm after storm.  As a result we are experiencing a slow start to the beginning of this year's market. 

Sellers have been a bit reluctant to have buyers walking through their house in these snow covered conditions, as well as the extra work necessary to keep the properties looking their best, so they are postponing the grand opening. 

Meanwhile buyers are so pent up that venturing out in the storm is, in many cases OK, in order to see that new inventory.  I expect a real pop in activity once the snow clears and as both the sellers and the buyers are better aligned. 

Uncertainty looms about how much new inventory will be coming to market, the early whisper is that we are going to be lean again this season.

We continue to see the deals that are coming together are ending up with multiple offers along with tighter list price to sale price ratios, further enforcing the improvement in prices for the sellers.  I will point out that homes listed without regard to market pricing are being passed over, even in this inventory starved environment.