Gladwin County Year in Review 2016
When I look back upon 2016 a few words come to mind. Those words are transition, balance, gratefulness and confidence. Those four words reflect on my personal life, but ironically they actually encompass the real estate market in 2016 as well. 2016 was a transitional year for my family as we saw our only son graduate with honors from high school. In the fall we moved him into the dorms of Saginaw Valley State University to study Mechanical Engineering. We couldn't be more proud of the man we have raised and he continues to remain close to us and bring endless joy and laughter into our lives. It was a transitional year in real estate too as the market became more competitive with less listings available, more sales and the average listing and sale prices rising. Sellers received a higher percent of their asking price this year as well!
Last year I vowed to lead a more balanced lifestyle as I felt burnout creeping in on me. No one can work endless hours away from their family and passions without feeling that. I was able to create some boundaries and carve out some additional personal time. This left me feeling more energetic (than normal), happier and more content. The balance in my life played a huge part in my state of mind and led me to my best sales year of my 14 year career!! I sold $7,400,000 in real estate this year and I am extremely grateful to each and every buyer and seller who placed their trust in me and allowed me to help them accomplish their real estate goals. A real estate transaction is unlike any other business you will do as the professional helps you with one of the most intimate parts of your life. Choosing where to enjoy summers or weekends at the lake or where you will retire to is a very private, personal choice and I enjoy showing off the lifestyle of lake living and why Gladwin County is such a wonderful place to call home. Relating the word balance to our market shows in the lower number of listings. Since 2014 we have seen the amount of listings dropping and I can attribute that to a reduction in foreclosure inventory. That makes many of us grateful because a more balanced market typically means that families are doing better, there are more jobs and better income.
You might think confidence is an odd word to reflect on my year but I have to say that as I have entered my 40's I have never felt more confident in who I am, what I do, what I want to achieve and what I need to feel happy and fulfilled. My 40's saw me run in my first 5k and I am now proud to say that I have a wall full of medals and I plan to continue "down that path". My new passion is yoga and I hope that you all make sure to take time for yourself and do things that you love. All of us should have confidence in the real estate market as you have reviewed 2016 with me. It was a robust year in Gladwin County as evidenced by the stats in the below grid. Real estate has proven to be a great vehicle for investing in and creating wealth and that is definitely a confidence booster!
2015 2016
Number of Listings 1583 1356
Average List Price $111,755 $117,885
Average Sold Price $89,652 $92,351
Number of Sold Listings 854 871
Average Days on Market (for solds) 215 223
% of Asking Price Received 92.7% 93.4%
Behind every successful person are people in the shadows or behind the scenes and for me that is my assistant and social media manager, Sherri Breault. Sherri works very hard keeping our blog posts drafted, facebook pages full of useful content, syndicating my listings and countless other duties that would leave me lost without her and buried beneath of pile of never ending work. Thank you Sherri! I also want to thank Chad and Mandy Brown who had the foresight to start the Homewaters brand in 2006 and who continue to grow and adapt the company and the technology it uses to keep us way ahead of our competitors! It is at the end of every day that I get to spend time with my husband Jason. Seriously the man spoils me rotten and without him helping me cook we would probably never eat! He is truly my life partner and I've found that being an empty nester isn't so bad, it turns out I really do love my husband! As you can hopefully tell I love humor and need to laugh and smile each day. I can promise you that I am the consummate professional but each transaction will be interjected with just enough humor to keep us both sane and to hopefully keep it enjoyable. Please consider using my services when you are ready to buy or sell any lake property in Gladwin County, including Wixom Lake, Secord Lake and Lake Lancer and Lake Lancelot in Sugar Springs.
Here's to a incredible 2017. Peace is the word I've chosen for this year. I am hoping that choosing the word with the new year will allow me to shape, mold and create a peaceful year in all aspects of my life.
