"Buyers are coming in very educated on these markets, they are going to websites like Zillow and Trulia and certainly Houlihan Lawrence to educate themselves on the market," said Brian Murray, Chappaqua's branch manager at Houlihan Lawrence Real Estate.
This readily available information is especially useful for first-time buyers, who make up a large portion of the real estate market. According to Murray, most first-time buyers in Chappaqua are coming from outside the town, and have little to no familiarity with the community.
"What we do is provide our buyers with additional analytics to help them make a knowledgeable decision," said Murray.
Even with all the information available, it's hard for buyers to know exactly what's the right property for them.
"When first-time buyers come in, we have to explain the value of the property but also help them understand the lifestyle they will live here in Chappaqua," said Murray. "That's where the agents really come into play. Their knowledge goes well beyond the value of the property, they have the inside knowledge of the community and do any amazing job of explaining what life in Chappaqua is all about.”
"We provide our homebuyers and sellers with the market information they need to be competitive in our market," said Murray.
2016 was another year of steady growth for Houlihan Lawrence, as Chappaqua sales increased by 55 percent in the fourth quarter. While the younger generation is starting to move into their first homes, established homeowners are starting to move up as well.
"There were a lot of people trading up in the marketplace and we haven't seen that happen as much as we used to," said Murray. "2016 never stopped, we kept going to the finish line and we stayed busy till the very end of the fourth quarter."
"With all this information at homebuyers and sellers disposal, they have the ability to compete in markets," said Murray.
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