Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors celebrated 2021 at their annual awards event on Jan. 28, as president Chris Beason and CEO Caroline Ruhl honored 218 award winners for their 2021 achievements.
Over 300 agents, staff and affiliated business partners cheered on their co-workers during the celebration.
“Eight years ago, Caroline set the goal to hit $1 billion in sales volume. Achieving this goal is an incredible milestone and certainly something we can be very proud of accomplishing,” Beason said in a Tuesday release. “But the significance behind the number is even more important.
“You guide clients through some of the most significant decisions they will ever make,” he told his team. “And the work you are doing behind the numbers is what matters most — the level of care that was given to each and every customer, and the value you all delivered throughout those 5,833 transactions.
“Our passion for positively impacting the lives of others and going above and beyond to serve our clients has been a key differentiator of our company for years, and I believe it will continue to take us to new heights in the years to come,” Beason said.
Top awards were given to:
- Top Excellence in Service Award: TJ Duncan, Burlington Office
- Top Associate of the Year: Kurt Johnson, Bettendorf Office
- Top Team of the Year: The Healey Group, Dubuque Office
- New Associate of the Year: Sandy Jo Huizenga, Clinton Office
- Top Associate of the Year, Farm & Land: Dennis Stolk, Davenport Office
- Top Ruhl Mortgage Associate of the Year: Ray McDevitt, Bettendorf Office
- Top Nelson Brothers Associate of the Year: Peg Hopkins, Bettendorf Office
- Top Community Involvement of the Year: The Eckhardt Team, Davenport Office
- Top Referral Staff Member: Kim Foderberg, Property Management, Corporate Office
- Employee of the Year: Theresa DeVine, Accounting, Corporate Office
There is a complete list of all award winners on Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors’ website at www.RuhlHomes.com/News.
Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors 2021 Results
Caroline Ruhl shared with her team the company’s results in 2021:
Regional Real Estate Forecast for 2022
Appreciation and price increases will continue
In the company’s region, homes appreciated from 9.04% to 12.83% last year, depending on the market and price range of the homes. Over the past five years, homes in our markets have appreciated 20.50% to 26.59%. Economists predict that homes will appreciate from 2%-7% in 2022, depending on the location and price range of the home.
- Mortgage rates will increase
Projections from experts all forecast 30 year fixed rates will increase gradually in 2022. With mortgage rates increasing and the price of homes also going up, that means a buyer’s monthly payment will continue to increase into the foreseeable future. The sooner a buyer purchases a property, the more home they will be able to afford and the lower their monthly payment will be.
As of Jan. 21st, rates with no points were still great:
- 15-year Conventional Fixed: 2.625%
- 30-year Conventional Fixed: 3.375%
- FHA/VA 30-year Fixed: 3.375%
Since rates have remained under 5% for the last decade, borrowers may not fully realize the opportunity they have now, the Ruhl release said. Here are the average interest rates over the last few decades:
- 1970’s – 8.86%
- 1980’s – 12.70%
- 1990’s – 8.12%
- 2000’s – 6.29%
It’s still a great time to buy or refinance to lock in some of the lowest rates in history, the company release said.
Best time ever to sell a home.
Homes have appreciated and created a lot of equity for sellers. And the number of properties on the market is at an all time low. For sellers, this means:
- Less competition from other properties for sale
- More buyers + fewer properties for sale = higher prices for sellers
Inventory will grow
There is considerable pent-up seller demand to sell their properties and make a move. Sellers have been waiting patiently for COVID to subside and for life to normalize so they can move to their next stage of life and housing, the company said.
“We expect many sellers to move forward in the coming months and take advantage of their increased equity and low mortgage interest rates if they plan to purchase a new property,” the release said.
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