Washington County Weekend Post

2 • WASHINGTON COUNTY POST • SUNDAY, JANUARY 2, 2022 GMTODAY.COM By Karen Stokes Special to Conley Media WEST BEND — The pan- demic has been harmful for most businesses, but didn't seem to affect the real estate business. "It's been busier than ever but we had to do things differently like wearing masks," said Realtor Brenda Keene. "Once I had to look through a window of a condo with a customer instead of going in." While showing a buyer some home options, Keene had no idea that she was going to meet her new employer. "I ran into Kathy Wolf and Sons when I was show- ing a buyer one of their lot home packages. They were very kind, down to earth, good people and it seemed like a really good fit," said Keene. Kathy Wolf and Sons Realty, 215 North Main Street in West Bend, is a communi- ty-oriented Real Estate Bro- kerage dedicated to help make buying or selling needs easy. "They also have T&J Homes, named after Kathy's sons Trevor and Jonathan. They build custom homes in the area," said Keene. For those who ever won- dered when the best time to sell their home is, certain times may be busier than other times. The market fluc- tuates with supply and demand rather than the time of the year. "Up until a month or so, it's definitely been a sellers market and we're seeing multiple buyers and multi- ple offers sometimes going $20, $30 to $40K over the ask- ing price and not getting their offer accepted whereas now, things have normalized a little bit where it's better for the buyers than it had been earlier this year," said Keene. Keene also said that the houses are sitting a bit longer and buyers aren't making as many offers over asking. Sellers are now becoming more realistic by pricing more accordingly. For those selling their home, Keene has tips on preparing a home for show- ings: 1. Curb appeal is very important as buyers approach your house. If the homeowner has to pay a little extra to replace the storm door, it's worth it; 2. De-personalize, take down personal photos because buyers want to envi- sion themselves in the house; 3. Buyers like to see cleanliness. Clean area rugs to eliminate pet smells. Have the house as clean as possible. "The market is still very strong and the interest rates are still low," said Keene. "There are a lot of first time buyers that are able to get into houses now because of the interest rates." Those who are looking for a realtor or have ques- tions concerning real estate can contact Brenda Keene at 262-893-6613 or email at Brenda@KWSRealty.com Despite pandemic, housing market continues to be strong Corned Beef Dip 1.5 cups of sour cream 1.5 cups of mayonnaise (I always use Hellman's) two 2 oz packages of Buddig Corned Beef (cut into small pieces) 2 tablespoons of dried parsley 1 tablespoon of dried dill 1 tablespoon of dried, minced onions Mix together, chill for a couple of hours to let the minced onions soften and the herbs to flavor. Serve with Egg Bagels cut into squares. Enjoy! Courtesy of Brenda Keene Real estate agent Brenda Keene, of Kathy Wolf and Sons Realty, stat- ed that the real estate market is still strong.

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