John Goede
All the snow has been good for those who remove snow from driveways of homes across the state, but it’s not as good for those trying to sell homes.
Iowa Association of Realtors president John Goede says you can definitely tell the difference when the weather is cold and snowy.
“I am looking at the five-year listings and it’s like clockwork — you can see the first quarter there’s not as many listings, not as many closings, etcetera. There is a seasonality to the business,” Goede says.
He says there are some parallels to Iowa’s ag industry.
“In terms of July and August, it’s equivalent of harvest time. December, January and February, not as much,” according to Goede. “All we do is consistent prospecting actually. We’re doing really fine, but we’re doing consistent prospecting at an office level,” he says.
That prospecting in the winter months means home sales don’t stop completely. Goede says there’s one key to being successful in showing a home and getting the sale in this weather.
“Get good overshoes,” he says.
Goede runs a real estate business in Spencer. He says realtors are optimistic about the year ahead after a couple of consistent years in 2017 and 2018.