By Katie Pocras Halperin, Nebraska Home Sales Realtor

A common question these days is what’s going on with the residential real estate market? Are things getting better? Are the glory days back? I can point to many articles, statistics that claim good times are just around the corner. But I can also find supporting information to support the converse. So what’s a home buyer or seller to believe?

Here’s my opinion. It’s not backed up with any statistics. Just my intuition based on what I see. And I suppose, for every gut feeling there’s a “Yeah, but…”

If you’re a home seller, and bought your home in the recent peak years, you’re not done with your pain. For example, let’s take the seller that bought a new home in 2005 and paid $215,000 for a 3 bedroom, 2 bath ranch. Today, in a comparable area, I can find newer homes, more bedrooms, more bathrooms for under $200,000. There’s not anything the matter with our seller’s home. It’s very nice, in fact, but the buyers are headed to better values. Our seller is left with a tough choice. Drop the price and move on or keep the home.

What if you’re a buyer? Is the world your oyster? It is a buyer’s market after all. Buyers are a savvy group. If a buyer thinks a home is overpriced, often they just pass on making an offer. Why? Buyers feel that if the seller has mispriced their home, why would the seller be receptive to a lower offer? Yet the buyer that asks for everything may wind up without a deal. I know, everyone wants the best deal possible. If the buyer is asking for a realistic price (yup, the seller may need to gulp a few times), and also ask for the washer, dryer and the kitchen sink, the seller could balk. You need to give the seller a reason to say ‘YES”.

Realism, with a touch of grace, goes a long way in today’s market.