Real Estate Recap 2022 - Here’s To An Amazing 2023!
Happy New Year, and Happy House Hunting!
That’s all, folks! As we say our final farewells to 2022, let’s take a quick moment to recap the past year and look forward to the next. This year was a wild ride in real estate, and I hope your personal experience of 2022 was not nearly so chaotic!
The Housing Boom
If you followed my YouTube channel or social media accounts in 2022, you’ll know that the first half of the year felt like riding the peak of a wave. For a while, houses were being bought and sold a mile a minute, with new developments popping up every day and eager buyers waiting in the wings, jumping at every opportunity.
Equity was climbing, and many folks who previously hadn’t really considered selling their home realized they could make significant profits off of doing so. As such, in addition to the wave of buyers both in and out of state, we suddenly had a large number of locals moving around within Central Florida, taking advantage of low interest rates and high equity.
My own family fell into this camp! My family moved just a few neighborhoods away from our old house, an experience which we chronicled on my YouTube channel. My eldest daughter and son-in-law similarly made a move just a hop, skip, and a jump away. As their agent, we managed to leverage the value of their home, selling their old home and buying a larger new construction home on a bigger lot right at the peak of the market, and now their home includes an empty room they’re saving for a nursery….so suffice to say I’m a proud Realtor (and a very pleased Mama)!
Inflation And The Housing Market
What comes up must come down, though. In the latter half of the year, I’m sure you saw no shortage of catchy headlines signaling the crash and burn of the real estate market. It’s true, the market did see a pretty significant shift in the latter half of this past year, and perhaps you, like many other families, were scared away from entering the housing market during that time.
High inflation had a huge impact on the economy, and that in turn had a significant impact on the housing market…and no doubt your wallet, too. In the wake of the boom of the prior months, things might have seemed even more stark as the market seemed to change before our very eyes, with interest rates climbing and the supply and demand rates shifting dramatically.
The silver lining to this slowing of the market is that, here in Central Florida, we have not seen the value of homes going down. On average, property values have continued to appreciate, albeit at a slower rate. Demand is still high, and while supply is not as abundant as it once was, that has translated to some amazing incentives by builders in new construction.
Family Developments In 2022
2022 was a big year for the Kidwell family. It was our first full year in our new home, which we moved into right at the tail end of 2021. It was also a year that saw the marriage of my youngest daughter, new home purchases for my two oldest, and the college hunt for my youngest son. What a year!
We spent just about the entire year building our dream pool, another journey we showcased on my YouTube channel the whole way through. Even as I type this, the process still isn’t 100% complete…we still have the screen to install, but we finally have a pool and an operational hot tub to boot! If you’ve ever wondered what the process looks like when building a home and then pool in Central Florida, I really encourage you to check out this playlist. We did our best to lay out every step in the process, and every dime that went into such a huge purchase.
On the real estate front, 2022 was a great year. In just the past year, I sold over one hundred homes including over twenty listings. That’s more than a hundred families who have bought, sold, and settled into the homes of their dreams, or at least the perfect home for their family at this present moment.
Top Ten Realtors In Central Florida
Right at the close of 2022, I learned that the MLS listed me as one of the Top Ten Realtors in Central Florida. For those who don’t know, the MLS is an acronym–and no, it doesn’t stand for Major League Soccer! At least, not in this particular instance.
MLS in real estate stands for the Multiple Listing Service, and it’s the service all agents use to share information about ongoing listings and sales. While listing information can also be accessed by the general public through certain websites, the MLS is exclusive to agents and brokers seeking to collaborate and get the word out about their listings and the buyers who would be perfect for them.
At the risk of tooting my own horn, I’ve already received some acknowledgement from the real estate community for being the #1 agent in Horizon West and one of the top agents in the larger Central Florida area, but needless to say, being named by the MLS as one of the top Realtors in my area was a pleasant surprise to round out the year!
Now Onward To 2023!
Have a happy new year! Is 2023 your year to buy or sell a home? I’m here for you! If you have any questions about the current market and when is the best time to buy or sell your Central Florida home, shoot me a text to my cell at 407-848-8042.
As one of the top Realtors in my area, I work hard to demystify the entire process for you and your family, so you can focus less on the fine print and more on the amazing new chapter you’re about to embark on. If you’re ready to take the next step in buying or listing your home, let’s get in touch! I’m always eager to help.