Home sales in April reached a seasonally adjusted rate of 5.04 million, an increase of 6.1% from April 2014.

Home sales in 2015 are expected to reach their highest level in two years.

The total housing inventory at the end of April increased by 10%, resulting in 2.21 million existing homes available for sale.

Existing home sales are 82% back to normal.

New construction starts are 53% back to normal, up from 46% a year ago.

In the next 12 months, 40% of Americans say that the homes in their neighborhood will be worth more, 37% say they’ll remain the same, 15% aren’t sure and 8% say they’ll be worth less.

63% of Americans say they would buy if

they were going to move today.63% of Americans

say that now is a good time to buy; 46% say that it’s a good time to sell.

Northeast: Existing home sales declined 3.1% to an annual rate of 620,000.

Midwest: Existing home sales increased 1.7% to an annual rate of 1.22 million.

South: Existing home sales declined 6.8% to an annual rate of 2.04 million.

West: Existing home sales increased 1.7% in to an annual rate of 1.16 million.

1. Texas 2. Florida 3. California 4. North Carolina

5. Georgia 6. Colorado 7. Washington 8. Arizona

9. Virginia 10. South Carolina

SOURCES: NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF HOME BUILDERS, TRULIA, BUILDER MAGAZINE, FANNIE MAE

INDUSTRY FACTS

Brian Buffini’s Real Estate Report PAGE 1

MEDIAN DAYS ON THE MARKET:

EXISTING HOME SALES BY REGION:

39 Days in April 2015

48 Days in April 2014

46% of homes sold in April were

on the market for less than a month.

The home ownership rate is 64.3%.

7

3

8

6

15

2

1049Low interest rates and the stability of the job market are

moving buyers off the fence.

TOP 10 STATES FOR NEW HOMES SALES IN 2014

vs.

MORTGAGE STATS

Brian Buffini’s Real Estate Report PAGE 2

12% of buyers thought that saving for a

down payment was difficult.

95% of first-time buyers

financed their home

purchase, while 84% of repeat

buyers did the same.

Buyers typically financed 90% of their home purchase.

92% of borrowers chose a

fixed-rate mortgage.

48% Student loans.

44% Credit card debt.

36% Car loans.

26% of buyers say that the

mortgage application

and approval process were somewhat

more difficult than expected.

SOURCES: NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®, FANNIE MAE, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF HOME BUILDERS

52% of Americans say that mortgage rates

will go up in the next 12 months.

52% of Americans say that it

would be difficult to get

a mortgage today, while 46% say it would be easy.

44% of Millennials think it will be

difficult to qualify for a mortgage.

88% of buyers financed

their home purchase,

including 97% of Gen Y.

TYPE OF LOANS BUYERS CHOSE:

61% Conventional

22% FHA

12% VA

AMONG FIRST-TIME BUYERS:

AMONG REPEAT BUYERS:

69% Conventional

15% FHA

13% VA

48% Conventional

35% FHA

9% VA

Top 3 Sources of Down Payments1. Savings2. Sale of a primary residence3. Gift from family/friend

COMMON SAVINGS OBSTACLES:

SOURCE: NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®, THINK WITH GOOGLE

TODAY’S BUYER

Brian Buffini’s Real Estate Report PAGE 4

GENERATIONAL TRENDS:

32% of buyers are Gen Y. 27% Gen X.

31% Baby Boomers. 10% Silent

Generation.

All generations looked online for properties first before contacting a real estate agent; however, the younger the buyer, the more likely they were to look online.

Younger buyers are more likely to purchase an older or previously owned home, while Baby Boomers are more likely to buy a new home.

Half of buyers begin their formal home search 6 to 12 months before buying; 3/4 start a year ahead.

92% of buyers used the Internet in some

way during their home search, with 50% of buyers using a mobile website or application.

The median household income of buyers was $84,500. Among first-time buyers, it

was $68,300. Among repeat buyers, it

was $95,000.

24% of home buyers bought due to a desire to own a home.

9% purchased a home due to a job-related relocation.

8% purchased a home to be in a better area or due to a change in their family situation.

Buyers expect to live in their homes for 12 years.

Younger buyers prefer an agent to communicate via email and text, whereas older buyers prefer a phone call.

The typical buyer searched for 10 weeks and viewed 10 homes during their search.

31% of Gen Y and 26% of Gen X buyers

found the home they purchased through their mobile device.

SOURCES: NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®, ZILLOW

FIRST-TIME HOME BUYER FACTS

Brian Buffini’s Real Estate Report PAGE 5

The median age of first-time buyers in 2013 was 31.

85% of experts predict, the median age of first-time home buyers will rise to 32 or older in the next decade.

68% of Gen Y are first-time home buyers.

41% Northeast

36% Midwest

30% of buyers in March 2015 were first-time buyers.

54% of first-time buyers were married.

18% were single females.

11% were single males.

15% were unmarried couples.

75% rented an apartment or house before buying a home.

19% lived with parents, relatives or friends.

FIRST-TIME HOME BUYERS (BY REGION):

30% South

32% West

Brian Buffini’s Real Estate Report PAGE 10Brian Buffini’s Real Estate Report PAGE 8

BUYERS AND THE INTERNET

Google searches for real estate listings peak in July. This year, they reached their highest point since 2008.

People who search for real estate listings are 5 times more likely to search about planning for retirement and 4 times more likely to search about finding child care.

18-34 year olds were twice as likely as 35-54 year olds to say that they’re planning to buy a home in the next year.

83% of 18-34 year olds said that they would start their

formal home search more than 6 months in advance, compared to 73% of people older than 35.

Half of all Millennials visited real estate websites in July, 36% visited real estate websites or apps on mobile devices.

Millennials are twice as likely as the average person to look at real estate information on a mobile device.

House hunters used their mobile device most to search for listings and find directions while out looking for a home.

One-quarter of Google searches for mortgages have been on mobile devices, with “mortgage calculator” making up half of the searches.

SOURCE: THINK WITH GOOGLE

PEOPLE USE THEIR MOBILE DEVICE TO:

Search for listings.

Find directions to a home.

Look for more information on a listing.

Call or email an agent directly.

Watch video tours while out looking for a home.

TODAY’S REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONAL

Brian Buffini’s Real Estate Report PAGE 9

WHAT DO BUYERS WANT MOST FROM THEIR AGENTS?

53% Find the right home to purchase.

12% Negotiate the terms of sale.

11% Handle the price negotiations.

8% Determine what comparable homes were selling for.

6% Handle the paperwork.

WHAT DO SELLERS WANT MOST FROM THEIR AGENTS?

23% Market home to potential buyers.

20% Sell the home within specific time frame.

19% Price home competitively.

14% Find a buyer for home.

13% Find ways to fix up home to sell it for more.

THE MEDIAN NUMBER OF TRANSACTIONS BY EXPERIENCE:

2 years or less: 3 transactions.3 to 5 years: 10 transactions.6 to 15 years: 12 transactions.16 years or more: 13 transactions.

SOURCES: NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®, BUFFINI & COMPANY, RISMEDIA

The average real estate professional has 12 years of experience.

65% of agents use social media or a professional

networking website.

84% of real estate professionals are “very certain” they’ll be

active in real estate in the next two years.

65% of agents have a website.

12% of agents have a real estate blog. Current Clients Past Clients Potential Clients

93% Email 67% Email 63% Email

91% Telephone 57% Telephone 57% Telephone

85% Text messaging 42% Text messaging 41% Postal mail

AGENTS’ PREFERRED METHOD OF COMMUNICATION WITH:

AVERAGE TIME ON MARKET:

SOURCES: NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

WHY I WORK BY REFERRAL

Brian Buffini’s Real Estate Report PAGE 10

“There is no lead more powerful than one referred from someone you know—someone who knows you, trusts you and will put their name to you.”

—Brian Buffini

88% of buyers would use their agent

again or refer them to others.

Studies show that 82% of real estate sales are the result of agent contacts from previous clients, referrals, friends, family and personal clients.

RELATIONSHIPS ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN TRANSACTIONS.

You may have noticed that many real estate agents take a transactional approach to sales—identifying clients, closing the deal, and then moving on to the next one. I choose not to work that way because I believe you deserve more from the professional you decide to work with. That’s why I work by referral.

Since my primary source of new business is referrals from people who know and trust me, I don’t have to spend time prospecting and promoting myself. I can dedicate myself fully to the activities that benefit you most and always deliver truly exceptional service.

Working by referral is all about trust. And, let’s face it, when we’re seeking a service, we look for someone we can trust – someone proven, who comes highly recommended and is already on our side.

YOU CONTROL MY BUSINESS.

I know that I must earn your future referrals, so I aim to exceed your expectations. I have a vested interest in making sure that you are completely satisfied at the end of our transaction together. I want you to be so “fired-up” that you can’t wait to tell your friends and family about me and the fantastic service you received!

When you come across an opportunity, I’d appreciate you referring me to great people like yourself, who would benefit from the excellent service and personal attention I provide.

SERVICE THAT CONTINUES AFTER THE SALE.

I devote myself to serving the needs of my clients before, during and after each sale. Instead of disappearing after the closing, you can expect me to keep in touch. I will send you valuable information each month, and will also call from time to time just to check in and see if you need anything.