SACRAMENTO, Calif. — March isn’t just the beginning of a new season, it’s also the beginning of a new market for home buying.
ABC10 reached out to real estate expert Franco Garcia to get his predictions this home-buying season. Garcia has more than 50 years of experience in real estate. He is also the former president of the Sacramento Association of Realtors.
ABC10: What are your predictions this home-buying season?
Garcia: The market right now has an upswing to it, just because we're coming towards the spring. The spring always brings out the buyers, more interest and more offers. We’ve had a very rough winter with the rain. A lot of days that we couldn’t do anything, open houses showing homes. And now that the market is coming back. [It's a] spring revival, we are going to see more buyers.
Some say the market skyrocketed because of so many transplants moving into the city. Are we still in that place?
Garcia: I think we’ve seen a leveling off. I think we’ve seen a plateau. There is a little bit more of an increase to be had, but the reality is that we have seen this plateau.
Why is that?
Garcia: That is just because I think the saturation in the market. A lot of people who are locals think that Sacramento is very high, but if you bring the Bay Area people in they think it’s such a great deal. So, there is that dichotomy between...the two areas that create that buffer.
Any trends emerging in the housing market we should know about?
Garcia: I don’t think so. I think it’s just the issue of neighborhoods becoming more desirable. Like I said, the neighborhoods of Mid Town, Downtown area, East Sacramento, Land Park, Curtis Park have held their value. And those are areas people like to see, like to feel, and like to be a part of.
Any Advice for sellers/buyers?
Garcia: For sellers put your house in the market on the condition you would want to see a house on the market as a buyer. Make sure that it is clean and that it looks nice and is presentable. On the buying side, the buyer must understand that there are certain areas that demand a certain price point. Not everything will be the same.
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