Chuck Barberini Real Estate

  If you've been thinking about selling, you've probably seen plenty of headlines suggesting buyers have just about disappeared. But there's a big difference between a slow market and a stalled one. Yes, mortgage rates are still higher than most people would like. Homes aren’t selling as fast as they were. And every week seems to bring another headline about buyers sitting on the sidelines. But here's what you haven't heard. Despite everything going on, buyer demand has been remarkably resilient. In fact, more sellers are getting to put up the “pending sale” sign now than during the last two years. What's even more surprising is that they're doing it at a time of year when activity usually starts to slow down. And if you're thinking about selling, that's a trend worth paying attention to. Buyers Are More Active Than You Think One of the best ways to measure buyer demand is by looking at pending home sales. Those are homes that have gone under contrac...

  “Just Thinking" Well, I watched the US soccer team and was caught up in the hype, sitting by myself chanting USA, USA until the goal keep left the goal and kicked the ground instead of the ball giving Belgium a cheapie 3 rd goal. I confess that I really don’t understand the game but am really impressed by the stamina and athleticism of the players. Now that the United Sates is out of the tournament, I am relieved that I don’t need to watch another match for 4 more years.   Well, I watched the U.S. soccer team and, like millions of other Americans, got caught up in the hype. There I was, sitting by myself in front of the TV, enthusiastically chanting, "USA! USA!" Then came the moment when the goalkeeper left the net, took a swing at the ball, and kicked the ground rather than the ball itself, gifting Belgium a cheap third goal. At that point, even a soccer novice like me knew that couldn't be good. I'll confess that I still don't fully understand the game. ...

  Check Out This Weeks Newsletter Realtor.com's 2026 midyear forecast shows home price growth slowing to 1.2% while mortgage rates hold steady and affordability improves for buyers. Realtor.com’s Mid-Year Forecast downgrades its home price growth projection to 1.2% for 2026, one full percent down from the original 2.2% projection.  The revised figure puts price growth even further below the 3.4% projected inflation rate, further reducing the share of household income going to monthly housing costs even as other costs rise to squeeze homebuyer budgets.  Read on for key data points you’ll want to include in your conversations with clients.  Home Price Growth Is Cooling Faster Than Expected Realtor.com downgraded its price growth forecast for the year, and it’s not keeping pace with inflation. Price growth forecast: 1.2% for 2026, down from the original 2.2% projection Year to date price growth: 1.0% over last year Projected inflation for 2026: 3.4% Sellers are respondi...

  Check Out This Weeks Newsletter Bank of America’s 2026 Homebuyer Insights Report shows that 53% of consumers now favor buying, and confidence in homeownership is up across every attitude the survey measured. Affordability is still the number one barrier, and it’s gotten worse since last year. But fewer buyers are waiting for perfect conditions.  Here’s what the data shows.  90% Say a Home Is a Valuable Investment (Up 11 Points YoY) Based on 2026 survey responses, homeownership sentiment went up across every measured attitude compared to the 2025 survey:  90% say a home is a valuable investment, up from 79% in 2025 94% say homeownership provides stability, up from 83% in 2025 87% say owning a home feels like a milestone, up from 78% in 2025 86% say owning a home brings emotional fulfillment, up from 75% in 2025 32% say they’re more confident in their ability to buy this year, up from 27% in 2025 This is essential data for both buyer agents and listing agents. Your b...

“Just Thinking" Tomorrow, we celebrate our nation's independence, a monumental day every year, but even more meaningful this year as we celebrate America's 250th birthday. Having lived through our nation's Bicentennial in 1976, I feel truly blessed to be here to celebrate another monumental anniversary, with the freedoms and opportunities that make this country so special. "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction." — Ronald Reagan Every year, Tracy and I make our way downtown to watch the Martinez 4 th of July parade. It's a fun tradition, a wonderful display of patriotism, community spirit, and small-town America that feels like it came straight from a Norman Rockwell painting. This year, however, there is a little twist with a little more excitement, rather than merely watching from the sidelines, I'll be participating in this year’s parade. I have decorations for my truck, I couple of flag poles, one with Old Glory and one w...

You've probably heard that home prices are cooling off. And that's true – nationally. But zoom in on individual markets across the country, and the picture looks completely different depending on where you are. Some areas are still seeing solid price growth. Others have gone flat. A few have actually dipped slightly negative. So, what's causing all of that variation?   It All Comes Down to Inventory Here's the simple version: When there are more homes for sale, buyers have options. More options, means less competition. Less competition means sellers can't push prices as high. On the flip side, when inventory is tight, buyers are competing over a small pool of homes, and that pushes prices up. That dynamic is playing out right now in a really visible way across the country.  Markets where inventory has climbed back to, or above, normal pre-pandemic levels are seeing prices flatten or fall slightly. Markets where inventory is still well below those 2019 benchmarks are...