Today, we’re going to address a problem we’re seeing here on the Wasatch Front. Many empty nesters - couples whose kids have moved from the house and are looking to make a move - have been hesitant to sell their homes in the last 6 months. The reasoning behind this is they are waiting for the market to rebound so they can get top dollar for their home. However, many of these empty nesters don’t realize that the market has changed and their property values have likely gone up.
Recently, our buyer team has put together a coat drive to collect jackets and coats for the Road Home Shelter here in Salt Lake City. The goal is to collect as many coats as possible for those less fortunate than ourselves. It’s going to be a cold winter, and we don’t want anyone to be without the proper protection.
We’ve had the privilege of working with so many great people over that last few years, and today we want to say thanks for all the support. We are grateful you, your families, and your friends have chosen us to represent you during your real estate transactions, so we want to show you how much we appreciate it.
With summer coming to an end, many buyers who wanted to find a home before school starts have left the market. Because of this, sellers have a tendency to leave the market as well - they feel it’s better to wait until the spring selling season.
We came across a CNN Money article the other day in which an expert described the real estate market as a “crapshoot.” He explained that there is no guarantee that home prices will continue to rise, so investing in real estate is essentially a gamble. In a sense, he’s right - market conditions are ultimately unpredictable. But the fact that there are no guarantees in real estate doesn’t mean you can’t make a safe bet.
"Josh takes care of everything! He is so hardworking and honest. Josh is probably the best Realtor we’ve ever worked with so I’d highly recommend him!"
"Josh takes care of everything! He is so hardworking and honest. Josh is probably the best Realtor we’ve ever worked with so I’d highly recommend him!"
- Kristen
"He followed through with absolutely everything he said he would do and he helped us with all the legal stuff and paperwork to make sure we were protected."
"He followed through with absolutely everything he said he would do and he helped us with all the legal stuff and paperwork to make sure we were protected."
- Matt
"The Joshua Stern Team was incredible to work with. They were on the ball and always had the information we needed. Any of our concerns were resolved right away which was much appreciated. They have a really great understanding of the market and they know what needs to happ...
"The Joshua Stern Team was incredible to work with. They were on the ball and always had the information we needed. Any of our concerns were resolved right away which was much appreciated. They have a really great understanding of the market and they know what needs to happen to get things done. I would absolutely recommend them!"
- Doug
"My experience with Joshua was amazing. He was so professional and timely that it made selling my mother’s house so much easier. My mother had passed away and Joshua showed up and had a market analysis done for us. He really bent over backwards to make it happen and he did ...
"My experience with Joshua was amazing. He was so professional and timely that it made selling my mother’s house so much easier. My mother had passed away and Joshua showed up and had a market analysis done for us. He really bent over backwards to make it happen and he did an amazing job!"
- Paige
"When we planned to move to Portland to be closer to family, we knew we were going to talk to Joshua right from the start because we’d heard about him on the news. He came out and did a market survey and told us that he could sell our home. Lo and behold, the very first per...
"When we planned to move to Portland to be closer to family, we knew we were going to talk to Joshua right from the start because we’d heard about him on the news. He came out and did a market survey and told us that he could sell our home. Lo and behold, the very first person that walked through the door bought it. It was so quick and Joshua helped us through every step of the way. It was a pleasant situation and he did everything he said he was going to!"
- Paul
"We had phenomenal results! The pictures went up on a Tuesday night, we had an open house on Saturday and then we got 4 offers! He absolutely lived up to his reputation. It as a quick transaction, he was professional, and he always followed up. Every step of the process, he...
"We had phenomenal results! The pictures went up on a Tuesday night, we had an open house on Saturday and then we got 4 offers! He absolutely lived up to his reputation. It as a quick transaction, he was professional, and he always followed up. Every step of the process, he’d send me a video saying here’s where we’re at in the process and here’s what’s going to happen. For me, that was above and beyond, I’ve never heard of an agent doing that and taking that kind of time."
- Phil
"He was very quick, efficient, and professional to our desire. On a Sunday while he was out of town on vacation, he sent us over an offer that we had received which we thought was pretty cool. We requested that we not having any showings or anything on Saturdays and he was ...
"He was very quick, efficient, and professional to our desire. On a Sunday while he was out of town on vacation, he sent us over an offer that we had received which we thought was pretty cool. We requested that we not having any showings or anything on Saturdays and he was able to make sure that happened. He just did a really nice job for us. "
- Alex
"I thought they were very good and professional. He really did a good job and kept us posted on what was going. Initially when he came over for the first visit, he spent several hours with us and went over all the details. We felt like things were going to go well after he ...
"I thought they were very good and professional. He really did a good job and kept us posted on what was going. Initially when he came over for the first visit, he spent several hours with us and went over all the details. We felt like things were going to go well after he left and they did!"
- Bruce
"I had an offer and when they did the inspection the buyer wanted me to throw in an extra $1,6000. There was no way I was doing that so Josh took that back to them and handled it very well. They accepted it because of his great negotiation skills. They were fantastic, absol...
"I had an offer and when they did the inspection the buyer wanted me to throw in an extra $1,6000. There was no way I was doing that so Josh took that back to them and handled it very well. They accepted it because of his great negotiation skills. They were fantastic, absolutely fantastic."
- Michael
"They were great. Before we switched to them, the house was on the market for six and a half months. There were some offers, but they all fell through. Josh just had techniques and outlets that our previous Realtor did not have. We sold the house in seven weeks with Josh. T...
"They were great. Before we switched to them, the house was on the market for six and a half months. There were some offers, but they all fell through. Josh just had techniques and outlets that our previous Realtor did not have. We sold the house in seven weeks with Josh. They got back to me, and his whole team just did such a good job. I would recommend him to anybody."
- Laurel
"We had very good results. There was a closure failure that happened over the weekend, and Lee was out of town so Josh helped us navigate through the whole thing. The closure failure happened on a Friday, and by Saturday, they had gotten us another offer!"
"We had very good results. There was a closure failure that happened over the weekend, and Lee was out of town so Josh helped us navigate through the whole thing. The closure failure happened on a Friday, and by Saturday, they had gotten us another offer!"
- Roger
"My son had died unexpectedly, leaving a property in Salt Lake City. I’m in Virginia, but we found Josh after going through my son’s paperwork. Josh had sold him the home in Salt Lake back in 2006. We went to Salt Lake City, and Josh gave us a very straightforward presentat...
"My son had died unexpectedly, leaving a property in Salt Lake City. I’m in Virginia, but we found Josh after going through my son’s paperwork. Josh had sold him the home in Salt Lake back in 2006. We went to Salt Lake City, and Josh gave us a very straightforward presentation. Josh first gave us different ways for us to sell the house to my friend’s kids, and when that didn’t work out, he put the house on the market. I went back to Virginia, and Josh worked with some of my friends in Salt Lake City to sell the house. He kept me updated throughout, and the whole process was so easy, even though it was long distance!"
- Una
"We got great results! The house sold, and it was fast. He was very professional. Our initial meeting with him was fantastic. He prepared an analysis of different homes that have been sold in our area. I’ve never seen that from another Realtor before, and I thought that was...
"We got great results! The house sold, and it was fast. He was very professional. Our initial meeting with him was fantastic. He prepared an analysis of different homes that have been sold in our area. I’ve never seen that from another Realtor before, and I thought that was really above and beyond!"
- Jill
"They have friendly customer service, and an extremely quick response time. He was very professional. The first time we worked with him, we just randomly called Keller Williams because we needed an agent. We needed to fly in 24 hours later, buy a house in 24 hours, and fly ...
"They have friendly customer service, and an extremely quick response time. He was very professional. The first time we worked with him, we just randomly called Keller Williams because we needed an agent. We needed to fly in 24 hours later, buy a house in 24 hours, and fly back. He was very accommodating. He really got us acclimated to Salt Lake City, so he was more than just somebody who showed us through houses!"
- Kimberly
"I’ve been very pleased. Initially, we went with another real estate firm. We had twelve showings in seven months with them. My wife did some research, and Josh came in. He’s on the ball. He’s sharp. He has a plan, and the passion and energy to execute that plan. He sold th...
"I’ve been very pleased. Initially, we went with another real estate firm. We had twelve showings in seven months with them. My wife did some research, and Josh came in. He’s on the ball. He’s sharp. He has a plan, and the passion and energy to execute that plan. He sold the house in three weeks. Any time I brought up some kind of issue, it always impressed me that he had a plan. He just goes right into problem-solving mode."
- Gary
"Everything was outstanding! The marketing of the home was exceptional. We’ve owned several homes, and it was by far the best marketing plan for selling a home that we’ve ever seen. We were just thrilled with the results!"
"Everything was outstanding! The marketing of the home was exceptional. We’ve owned several homes, and it was by far the best marketing plan for selling a home that we’ve ever seen. We were just thrilled with the results!"
- Lee
"Josh was very honest and thorough. He had a lot of experience and he was very well-informed. We listed our house, and it sold within a few days! We had a different agent before, and the biggest problem with them was we never knew where we stood. Josh had great communicatio...
"Josh was very honest and thorough. He had a lot of experience and he was very well-informed. We listed our house, and it sold within a few days! We had a different agent before, and the biggest problem with them was we never knew where we stood. Josh had great communication skills, and I really appreciated that!"
- Cheryl
"They were good. Jacquie followed through on everything!"
"They were good. Jacquie followed through on everything!"
- Ralph
"Immediately, I got a large number of listings that were specifically targeted to me. I had a wide-ranging list of criteria; I was looking in the city and semi-rural areas. My agent, Jacquie Reagh, was very accommodating and gave me a huge variety to look at within my first...
"Immediately, I got a large number of listings that were specifically targeted to me. I had a wide-ranging list of criteria; I was looking in the city and semi-rural areas. My agent, Jacquie Reagh, was very accommodating and gave me a huge variety to look at within my first price point. She was there, looking at the houses with me, offering her opinions and I felt very well supported during that process. When I found a place, I upped my ante and we got the offer going. She worked through a lot of intricacies and negotiating, down to adding bar stools, the surround sound system and the built-in home theater. It was a little bit of a tough negotiation, but everything went really well. At closing, my out-of-pocket costs were about the same because the home was appraised for less. So, that was a good deal for me, but I paid more in closing costs, and she offered to pay the difference herself."
- Scott
"We sold the house so that's always good, I was impressed with their teamwork, they each had their individual jobs to do. Their follow up with exceptionally good. Appreciate what they did. We ended up selling the house. It's always a good day when you sell your house. No co...
"We sold the house so that's always good, I was impressed with their teamwork, they each had their individual jobs to do. Their follow up with exceptionally good. Appreciate what they did. We ended up selling the house. It's always a good day when you sell your house. No complaints what so ever!"
- Alma
"He is very easy to meet with. He responded quickly to any questions I had. It was good working with him. I got good results, I feel. One of the things that happened to us was with our home. People put in an offer that ended up being higher than what the value of the home w...
"He is very easy to meet with. He responded quickly to any questions I had. It was good working with him. I got good results, I feel. One of the things that happened to us was with our home. People put in an offer that ended up being higher than what the value of the home was. And we were almost having to back out of the deal because we needed that down payment for our next house. But they ended up taking a cut in their commission so we could go ahead. We were very thankful and it is not something you see everybody do. "
- Tanja
"Excellent. Jacquie was very responsive and very fast. We had to do several changes because of financial changes. We had to do a lot of contract mods. I imagine she doesn't have to do those very often. We had to do a lot of addendums to the contract and she was super fast o...
"Excellent. Jacquie was very responsive and very fast. We had to do several changes because of financial changes. We had to do a lot of contract mods. I imagine she doesn't have to do those very often. We had to do a lot of addendums to the contract and she was super fast on all of that. She really kept me in the loop and made sure I knew what I needed to do, so I think she did really good. I think if she hadn't have been so responsive and helpful, our sale would have fallen through. I think she saved it for us"
- Randall
"I actually knew Brett previously. He was very accommodating. I called him very last minute, that's initially how my start of looking to buy a home started. He pretty much dropped everything and was able to come and help me!"
"I actually knew Brett previously. He was very accommodating. I called him very last minute, that's initially how my start of looking to buy a home started. He pretty much dropped everything and was able to come and help me!"
- Danae
"The Stern Team actually came recommended by a friend of ours. Michael just happened to be a bonus. We didn't know a specific agent or anything, just that The Stern Team has a good reputation. So, I asked Mike, in particular, why should I choose The Stern Team versus ano...
"The Stern Team actually came recommended by a friend of ours. Michael just happened to be a bonus. We didn't know a specific agent or anything, just that The Stern Team has a good reputation. So, I asked Mike, in particular, why should I choose The Stern Team versus another realty firm. Confidently, but not over-confidently, he told the story of The Stern Team and each process, each person responsible and accountable for each step of the selling process. He made a believer out of me enough that I put four houses up for sale in his hands. He kept his word, everything he said would happen, happened. We were actually out of our house three weeks sooner than we had planned because of the selling approach."
- Eva
