Memphis Area Association of REALTORS® President Tim O’Hare and CEO Amanda Creel were guests on “Better Memphis,” a WMC Action News 5 program that aired live on March 4.
Creel and O’Hare sat down with WMC anchor Joe Birch to discuss the coming spring buying season and the services that MAAR provides members and consumers.
“Traditionally, we see a spike of listings in the last week of March and the first week of April,” O’Hare said. “And then it goes on from there.”
O’Hare stopped short of calling it a buyer’s market, but said the market is trending that way with more than four months of supply.
The role of MAAR, Creel shared, is to continually provide educational opportunities and train and equip REALTORS® so they can best serve consumers.
“We advocate on behalf of past, present and future homeowners,” Creel said.
To that end, on March 10, MAAR is hosting a program for REALTORS® on down payment assistance and will include speakers from city, county, and state down payment assistance programs. Click here to register.
Lastly, Birch asked for the best advice O’Hare had for sellers whose homes need some updates within a budget.
“Look for the things that you as a seller see right away,” O’Hare said. “So, any rotting wood, any paint, any small holes in the wall. You’re going to want to take care of those first. I would stay away from full kitchen upgrades or bathroom upgrades because generally you’re only going to get back 20, 30, maybe 40 percent, of that money.”
And the easiest, most bang for your buck, update of all?
“Paint your front door,” O’Hare said.