Chuck Barberini Real Estate

  “Just Thinking" Age has a way of revealing life’s harder truths, its struggles, losses, and disappointments. The road we travel is paved with lose; friends, family, heroes, and missed opportunities. These are the tests we begin learning early in life. Over the past few months, I’ve watched my grandson take his first steps, and in his small journey, I have witnessed life’s biggest lessons. At first, he propped himself up, let go, wobbled in place, then reached out to steady himself to keep from falling. Soon, those shaky moments turned into a few unsure steps before a tumble, then a few more steps before another fall. Gradually, there were more steps than falls. Each time he went down, he got back up and walking on, stronger and more confident. Life is much the same, we all stumble, we all face setbacks. the choice that we make when we fall defines us, stay down, or get up and keep moving forward. As Lou Holtz once said, show me someone who has done something worthwhile, and I’ll...

  Check Out This Weeks Newsletter Most buyers don’t walk away from a home purchase remembering your pre-approval timelines or market absorption rates.  What sticks with them is the moment you showed up when the process got quiet.  The follow-up that landed just as they started to second-guess everything. The check-in that made them feel like they weren’t doing this alone. According to Cotality’s from House to Home report, that kind of timing is what separates agents that buyers trust from the ones they don’t call back. Buyers Say Guidance Matters, But Only When It’s Timed Right Nearly 75% of recent buyers said their agent provided helpful guidance. But what they remembered wasn’t the pitch. It was the presence. What mattered most: A short, clear reminder about next steps when things got overwhelming A plain-language explanation of legal or financial documents A check-in timed around an offer, appraisal, or moment of doubt A heads-up about closing costs or insurance before...

  “Just Thinking" The other day, I was talking to a friend of mine, we were discussing the current housing market, interest rates and buyer hesitancy. The opinions of the different generations with regards to home ownership and how their opinions affect the housing market. Mike said that he went back and check out the interest rates and what there effect was on the market. I thought that it would be interesting to see the excuses for not buying and the results of the market subsequently. First of all, an overview of the generations, their opinions on homeownership and the market effects. Baby Boomers consider homeownership as an essential and tend to hold on to homes, thereby limiting inventory. GenX tend to see homes as a combination of investment and lifestyle they are the largest group of move up buyers. Millennials still desire homeownership but face multiple barriers: student debt, high prices, tight inventory. They have delayed home buying but are now largest segment of firs...

  Check Out This Weeks Newsletter! Is Housing Part of the Fed’s Plan? Powell’s Latest Press Conference Explained As expected (by most), the Federal Reserve kept the rates steady, though for the first time since 1993, two of the Committee members voted against the chair for a 25-basis-point cut. Housing was mentioned exactly zero times in the press release and only once in Chair Powell’s opening statement. Two reporters brought it up, though, during the FOMC press conference, with one of them asking Powell how he justified keeping the rates in the range of 4.25% to 4.5% when it meant mortgage rates remained elevated, keeping potential homebuyers stuck on the sidelines. Put differently, is this hesitation part of some master plan that will somehow benefit homebuyers in the longer run? Or is housing just not part of Powell’s calculus? The Fed chairman argued, again, that the best thing the Committee can do to “contribute to housing” is to get to 2.0% inflation. And since some tariff-i...

  “Just Thinking" This week’s “Just Thinking” is based on a line from two of my favorites, Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper who were heard saying “well, hell just froze over” after Justin Verlander won his first game of the year and his first win as a Giant. Having gone winless in his first 16 starts and boasting a 0-8 record, he was not as bad as his record would have you believe, up until his last two starts, runs were hard to come by. His start against the A’s before the All Star break and the Blue Jays coming out of the break had me questioning weather or not he could come back, even in his 17 start, against the Braves he had a rough first inning, throwing 40 pitches and loading the bases, he was able to get out of it and settle down to chalk up the win. Up until this point Verlander’s greatest Giants moments were giving up 2 of Pablo Sandoval’s 3 home runs in game 1 of the 2012 World Series. I don’t mean to diminish the accomplishments of Verlander, he has been a beast over the c...

  Check Out This Weeks Newsletter   If you were holding out hope for a major housing market rebound this year, you might want to recalibrate. According to the Realtor.com® 2025 Forecast Update, home sales are now projected to drop below 2024’s already low levels. And affordability remains one of the biggest roadblocks for buyers and sellers alike. Despite more inventory and signs of a more balanced market, buyer demand has not returned to pre-pandemic form. High mortgage rates, stubbornly elevated prices, and a spike in delistings are stalling the momentum many hoped to see by midyear. Read on for the big takeaways. #1: Inventory is Up, But Buyers Aren’t Jumping The housing market is shifting slowly toward balance. Nationwide, the months’ supply of homes for sale has hit 4.6 months, the highest level since 2016. Inventory has also jumped nearly 17% year-over-year, offering more options for buyers who have been on the sidelines. But more homes on the market haven’t translated i...