I wanted to take this opportunity to wish all of you a happy new year. 2007 was a challenging year nationally for real estate; however, Chicago has weathered the storm pretty well. In fact, many neighborhoods in Chicago saw double digit price increases in 2007. Increased inventory and decreasing sales volume have led to higher market times in many neighborhoods, but these are challenges a seller can overcome by pricing a property correctly and marketing it well. For buyers, there hasn’t been this much great, reasonably priced inventory in a long time, and financing is back to the incredibly attractive levels of 2004.

The Matt Garrison Group was ranked 7th in the United States out of ALL real estate agents in November, a huge testament not only to our aggressive marketing and team concept but to all of our clients as well. We expect to be the top Coldwell Banker team in Chicago and in the top three nationally when the 2007 rankings are announced in the next few months.

While these accolades are nice, I realize it all comes down to your individual situation and the job that we do for you personally. We pride ourselves on bringing a savvy, investment banking style approach to real estate. On that note, I was recently featured on Bloomberg News discussing the state of the Chicago Housing market, the National housing market and the Fed rate cuts and economic stimulus package and its effect on the housing market. You can view the clip here. I hope you will take the time to watch it.

Thanks again for your business, and I hope we can help you accomplish your real estate goals in 2008.

Until next time,

Matt Garrison
Managing Director
Coldwell Banker/Matt Garrison Group