Character Building, Karate, and a little bit of Real Estate

Missed Sunday's Bought Borrowed & Sold radio show? Not to worry - watch it now!

Does the new year bring new buyers to the housing market? Well, not typically. Historically, March & April are when new buyers and sellers are ready to hit the market - in preparation for summer when schools are out and personal and work schedules tend to slow down a bit. And not shockingly, here in the South, the weather and football play a factor in whether people are ready to dedicate their weekends to shopping for homes.

This January is telling a different story for us here at the Gusty Gulas Group. In a typically slower month in real estate, our team of Realtors is looking at putting somewhere around 40 months in January - a strong indicator that the market is heating up!

After peak mortgage rates of around 8% this past year, the mortgage lending environment is beginning to settle and Gusty predicts that the new normal of where we can expect rates to settle is somewhere around 5.5%. Homebuying patterns since Covid-19 have certainly been atypical but those who have “waited out” the rates and patiently waited for the perfect home to hit the market are now ready to make their move.

About Ironclad, our local business spotlight: Ironclad is a family, locally-owned wrestling and martial arts-based gym in Warrior, Alabama just north of Birmingham. Our guest, Matt’s, brother Jake Elkins saw that there was a need for a wrestling program that exclusively put kids first, promoted healthy lifestyles on and off the mat, and chose to lead by example. That belief brought about the birth of Ironclad. Classes for kids are competition-orientated and adult classes are more for hobbyists and fitness enthusiasts. But it’s not all just about the body - martial arts, specifically, focuses on inner strength and weakness - teaching humility, confidence, and building character.