Katie got into real estate in 2013, starting on the title and escrow side, where she learned how deals actually come together, the fine print, the timelines, and the small things that can make or break a transaction.

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Here’s something almost nobody thinks to do, and I only learned it myself about eight months ago. If you’re thinking about selling your house sometime next year, I want to put you on a home search. Not for a house you’re buying, for your own neighborhood. I know it sounds backwards. It’s also one of the most useful things you can do before you sell.

Where the idea came from. A buyer would tell me they were ready in about a year. I’d say that’s great, no rush, but let’s get you on a search right now anyway. I wanted them to watch the market.

After a few weeks, they’d start to genuinely understand what was going on out there. More often than you’d expect, the right house would show up far earlier than they planned. Eventually, it occurred to me that sellers need the same thing, just pointed at their own street.

Watch your own neighborhood. Almost nobody’s doing this. If you think you’ll sell in a year, I’ll set you up on a search for your own neighborhood. Every time a home near you sells or changes price, you get notified. You’re watching your own market the same way I watch it when I put together a market update for Eugene.

“If they hadn't been on that search, they'd have found out about their dream home when it was already gone.”

Most sellers walk into the listing appointment with a number in their head from what a neighbor supposedly got three years ago, so reality arrives all at once. The seller who’s watched their own street for six months already knows better. They know how fast homes are moving and what their price point is genuinely worth, because they watched it happen. That seller prices correctly, lists confidently, and sells.

The buyer story that proves it. I had a buyer who told me they were about a year out, no rush. I got them on a search anyway. Two months later, their dream home appeared. Two months, not twelve. Because they’d been watching, they recognized it immediately. Within two weeks, we had an offer in, contingent on their house. We got their home listed and sold it all simultaneously. They closed nine months before they ever expected to move. Here’s the part worth sitting with: if they hadn’t been on that search, they’d have found out about their dream home when it was already gone.

What the market teaches you. Watching teaches you something either way. Say you watch for months and almost nothing comes up. That tells you inventory is tight, so you move fast when the right one appears.

Say, listings are popping up constantly instead. Now you know you’ve got options, you’re not in a rush, and you can afford to be patient. Either way, you’re deciding on what’s actually happening rather than on a headline or a hunch. That takes the guessing out of the biggest financial decision most people ever make.

How to get started. Whether you’re thinking about buying or selling in Eugene, even if you think you’re a year out, let me get you on a search now. If you’re buying, we’ll watch what’s coming available in your range. If you’re selling, we’ll watch your own neighborhood, so you know exactly what your market is doing before you ever list. It’s free, and it takes me five minutes to set up. Worst case, you learn your market for a year. Best case, your dream home shows up nine months early, and you’re ready for it.

Call or text me at 503-621-6832, email me at katie@movewithdewitt.com, or visit movewithdewitt.com. Tell me the neighborhood you’re watching, and I’ll get you set up today, and you can spend the next year knowing your market instead of guessing at it.