Spring at last, spring at last, it’s finally spring AT LAST. Or at least it feels like spring time here on the plains. If you do a little Google search on the first official day of Spring it’s actually March 20th, but I say ‘close enough’ to that minor detail and bring out the sandy beaches and good times; although we’re always having a good time here at Crawford Willis Group. On top of the weather changing, you’ve also got the annual “spring cleaning” fever and “honey-do” lists both being in full force at the moment. To add fuel to the fire, just look at the amount of pollen that’s already collecting on top of your cars! Honestly, I think each year with pollen just gets worse, at least that’s what my itchy eyes are telling me.
So what exactly does springtime mean for everyone in the Auburn/Opelika community and what does that mean for the housing market? Living close to a major university does have its perks (hellooo Lake Martin and tailgating season) but that also means that our housing market typically follows the patterns of the changing semesters. We usually start to see an increase in clients around mid February/early March.
Being in the profession of real estate, you work with a variety of phrases and acronyms so if you don’t familiarize yourself with the vocabulary you can get a little lost. However, everyone knows the term ‘hot market’, it means strike while the iron is hot essentially. With our season about to kick off in full swing here, our community is in a hot market right now. It’s shifting more towards an “even market” for both buyers and sellers. Basically, in previous marketing years the market has been more favorable towards the seller but since its shifting towards a more even market, that means that the prices are starting to level out. It’s going to be interesting to see what the influx of new construction is going to do for the market’s pattern in the future. Stay tuned for more on that! The market itself moves in a circular pattern with overlapping points on intersections. Any Lion King fans out there? I’ve the “The Circle of Life” screaming inside my head as I typed that particular part of this blog. Since the housing market is shifting towards a more favorable environment for both buyers and sellers, there’s never been a more better time to either list or buy. Just like of your good friends at Crawford Willis Group at Keller Williams Realty when you’re thinking about putting your house up!
From the housing market to the community, the Auburn/Opelika area has so much to offer its residences during this time of year (really anytime of the year, we’re just that great of a place). Some of my most favorite things to do in early spring would be to take my dog on early morning or late evening walks and enjoy that nice warm sun, there’s nothing like a little peace and quiet with man’s-or woman’s-we did just have International Women’s Day here recently, best friend to either start your day off right or end it on a good note. Another thing is that since it’s Auburn Universities spring break, the campus is pretty much accessible to all who aren’t current students, I like to take a walk around campus and down memory lane. It’s so peaceful and I enjoy the quietness of the campus, as well as get a little nostalgic while I enjoy one of two of my favorite treats from downtown…I’m talking about a nice cup of Toomer’s Corner famous lemonade or a fruit popsicle from Steel City Pops!
College vibes not really your thing? Come on down to downtown Opelika area, where it appeals more towards your sophisticated side. Not that Auburn isn’t sophisticated, they’ve got everything from gourmet restaurants to quiet little bars like Avondale where you can enjoy a good glass of wine or an old fashion. But Opelika saw a need for more of those types of places and jumped right on board with it and their community development. From a quaint little speakeasies inspired place called Sneak and Dawdle, to a unique twist on a wine bar called Ampersand, Opelika has lots of fun places to hangout with your closes group of friends. The Red Clay Brewery is even pet friendly so you can bring your furry companion out on the town with you as well!
Regardless of what you like to do in those first beautiful moments of springtime here on the plains, the Auburn/Opelika community has something for everyone. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard the story “We came here for college and just never wanted to leave”. It’s a beautiful place to start a family, start your career, or even retire..like I said, we have something for everyone!