MARCH 2022 ISSUE
Is March The Start Of Real Estate Madness?
We've all seen the articles and news stories over the past two years about how the real estate market has performed. Many factors, including the pandemic, rising rents, low interest rates and more, have played into the recent boom. On the residential side, some homes are selling for tens of thousands of dollars above asking price, in cash. Some sellers are receiving dozens of offers, and many of those offers having waived home inspections. And don't forget the refinancing that has been keeping lenders and bank attorneys busier than ever.

So in the spirit of the college basketball madness currently taking over our television screens, let's examine the current state of real estate and what some of the experts are saying.

Recently, the Federal Reserve announced an increase to interest rates in order to slow down rising inflation. The economy has been on an extremely fast pace in the recovery period from the pandemic. Many predict the Fed's increase will help cool the demand for housing, as this can not only affect potential buyers with higher monthly mortgage payments, but also sellers as the demand goes down. An article from Jeff Ostrowski of Bankrate from March 22 goes into further detail about the recent rate hike and the effects on real estate: https://www.bankrate.com/real-estate/how-fed-rate-hike-affects-housing/

One analyst sees a 25% drop in home sales by the end of summer. That may seem far fetched given the low inventory and the seemingly high demand from potential buyers. But a rise in mortgage rates coupled with the high cost of building supplies and home furnishings could factor in to this prediction. You can read more from MarketWatch here: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-housing-market-is-in-the-early-stages-of-a-substantial-downshift-home-sales-may-drop-25-by-the-end-of-summer-according-to-this-analyst-11647884229?reflink=mw_share_email

But some see the real estate market continuing on its hot trend. In a recent nationwide Realtor survey, there were an average of five offers per home sold in February, with some states reporting even more. Can this continue? One economist sees competition potentially increasing in 2022 before waning in 2023. Read here in Realtor Magazine for more on this opinion.

So what do you think - will we see some bracket busters this spring? Maybe a Cinderella Story from the WNY housing market? We will be sure to report back later this year on all this real estate madness...
MEET JESSICA PALMIERI !!
Search Coordinator
Buffalo Office
The Buffalo office of Chicago Title welcomed Jessica Palmieri to the Search team in mid March as a Search Coordinator. Jessica grew up, and currently resides in, Hamburg with her husband Matt, son Dominic, and step children Carter and Sunny. She graduated from Hamburg High School and continued her education at the University at Buffalo, graduating with a Bachelors in Business Management.

Jessica most recently worked as a paralegal in the Real Estate Department at Lippes Mathias LLP.

As part of our strategic plan for the future, Jessica will be working very closely with our Search Supervisors, Maryeileen Kennedy and Jessica Pagano. Jessica will be instrumental in assisting the Search Department to process order requests pre and post closing. Having Jessica as part of our team will further Chicago Title's continued success.

In her free time, Jessica likes to travel, cook, golf and spend time with her family. Please join us in welcoming Jessica to Chicago Title! She can be reached directly at jessica.palmieri@ctt.com or 716.200.5858.
WE'RE HIRING FOR SEVERAL CAREER OPPORTUNITIES!

Do you know someone seeking an exciting career in the Real Estate and Title Industry? Chicago Title's Buffalo office is expanding its operation and looking to fill the following positions:

Real Estate Title Searchers

Typists

Chicago Title offers a competitive salary, benefits, 401k plan, employee stock purchase plan and much more. Interested candidates should forward a resume and cover letter to Carmen Polito, Branch Manager, at politoc@ctt.com Inquiries will be kept confidential.
Being a part of the Chicago Title family has its benefits, among them the EC Purchasing Program! If you and your team are not already taking advantage of the huge discounts on mobile phone service plans, car rentals, shipping services and more, now is time to register.

There is no fee to join and no minimum purchases to receive your discounts. EC Purchasing was created to leverage the spending of our more than 40,000 employees nationwide, and as a Chicago Title customer, you too can enjoy these savings!

You can download the flyer here or visit the EC Purchasing website here: https://ecpurchasing.com/
Using any internet connection potentially exposes the user to bad actors. Turning off the internet would be ideal, but with today's world it would be impossible to accomplish one's job. However, by using good judgment a user can mitigate searching the internet to a minimal risk. If you must search the web, be extra cautious and be aware of the risks described below.

Have you ever purchased an electronic and then misplaced or lost the user manual? For instance, you just purchased a new big screen TV, a Samsung, model number QN55Q60RAFXZA and need to figure out how to hook up your surround sound. 
Not having the paper manual can be problematic for trouble shooting problems. Thankfully, a quick search on the internet for "Samsung QN55Q60RAFXZA manual" yields the following:

To continue reading, click here:
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