Understanding the Slow Laguna Niguel Real Estate Market

No matter if you’re buying or selling a home in the Laguna Niguel real estate market, it can be a bumpy road to navigate – especially if you don’t have an experienced realtor by your side to help. Even if you’ve bought or sold a home before, the market changes dramatically from year to year and the process may be quite different the next time you deal with Laguna Niguel real estate.

Just think about it. A few years ago, Southern California was a seller’s dream. You could sell a property in a matter of minutes and usually for well more then it was listed for. But today, the Orange County real estate market is far different. We have gone from a seller’s market to a buyer’s market and understanding what that means is crucial to making the best deal possible on the next Laguna Niguel home you buy or sell.

One of the most important aspects to understand about the buying and selling process is how to effectively negotiate a sales price on a home. A home is listed for sale at one price, but it usually doesn’t sell for that exact amount. In a seller’s market, where demand is super high and supply is low, the listing price is usually just a starting point for negotiation, and the sales price for a home in the Laguna Niguel real estate market can be thousands more then in the end. In a buyer’s market, like the one we are in right now, the list price is usually the price that the sellers is hoping to get, and the sales price usually falls a bit short of that target.

A rookie mistake that buyers often make, especially those in a slower market, is to low-ball a seller on an initial offer for a house. If you’re a seller, chances are you may not know exactly how to deal with such a low offer. A great way to handle it is to have a trusted Laguna Niguel realtor to guide you through the counteroffer process. If however, you’re less then impressed with your realtor’s advice or are just looking for additional input, check out the December issue of my Laguna Niguel Real Estate Update. We have a great article about handling low-ball offers on your Laguna Niguel home in the issue, and it may come in really handy for both buyers and sellers in today’s market.

If you have questions about buying a Laguna Niguel home or about selling a home in the Laguna Niguel real estate market, ask a realtor you trust for advice and guidance. If you need to find a Laguna Niguel realtor you can trust, give me a call at 949-939-0300.