The Discounts in Today's Southwest Florida real estate market are not advertised...they are found!
Trying to decide whether it makes more sense to buy a home now or wait? There’s a lot to consider, from what’s happening in the market to your changing needs. But generally speaking, aiming to time the market isn’t a good strategy – there are too many factors at play for that to even be possible.
That’s why experts usually say time in the market is better than timing the market.
In other words, if you want to buy a home and you’re able to make the numbers work, doing it sooner rather than later is usually worth it. Scott Meadows explains why:
“ buying now in Southwest Florida means you can negotiate a better price for a more desirable home or condo while inventory is stronger than it has been over the past several years".
Here’s some data to break this down so you can really see the benefit of buying now versus later – if you’re able to. Each quarter, Fannie Mae releases the Home Price Expectations Survey. It asks over one hundred economists, real estate experts, and investment and market strategists what they forecast for home prices over the next five years. In the latest release, experts are projecting home prices will continue to rise through at least 2029 – just at a slower, more normal pace than they did over the past few years (see the graph below):
But what does that really mean for you? To give these numbers context, the graph below uses a typical home value to show how it could appreciate over the next few years using those HPES projections (see graph below). This is what you could start to earn in equity if you buy a home in early 2025.
In this example, let’s say you go ahead and buy a $400,000 home this January. Based on the expert forecasts from the HPES, you could gain more than $83,000 in household wealth over the next five years, not to mention the deals and money savings that can be had in a seller competitive market. That’s not a small number, I recently saved a client $650,000 on a home listed for $2,500,000.00. With approximately $350K in updates and improvements this home will be worth $3,900,000.00, this year 2025, the transaction closed December 2024. This deal wasn't advertised, it was found.
There's no better time than now!
This is just one example, no matter the price range of home or condo that you are interested, there's no better time than now to find the home you're looking for!
Southwest Florida has had a pent up buyer demand since 2021. If you're looking to buy a home in Southwest Florida, working with a seasoned Buyers agent that has served real estate clients for over 30 years is number one. Scott Meadows explains why:
“ Warren Buffets investment philosophy is that the profit is made in the purchase". This has been proven by me, time and time again. Every negotiation that I pursue is presented with this philosophy in mind, you can negotiate a better price for a more desirable home or condo while inventory is stronger than it has been for the past several years".
You could wait. But if you’re just waiting it out to perfectly time the market, you’re missing out on current buyer opportunity. The more seller's competing means a better deal to the buyer, if you know where to look, I find the motivated sellers.
Bottom Line
If you’re torn between buying now or waiting, don’t forget that it’s time in the market, not timing the market that truly matters. Get the home or condo of your dreams at a better price today while inventory is better than it was. We are predicting a robust buyers market in Southwest Florida for 2025. Scott Meadows - Broker Associate - 239.220.1157