Catching up on reading my day old Wall Street Journal this morning, an article on page 2 caught my eye. It said aspiring homeowners should have the upper hand this spring, but it doesn’t feel like a buyer’s market. Why? The WSJ quoted the CEO of Redfin saying that the mood of buyers was “nasty” because “customers just keep getting outbid on the houses that they want”.

The article mentioned a woman who sold her home in Redondo Beach in a month, but got outbid on four homes at a lower price point in Eagle Rock. Some sold to buyers for all cash. Another buyer, who only has a 3 1/2% down payment with his FHA loan, is at a disadvantage against cash buyers and was quoted as saying “It’s a false buyer’s market. If you think prices are cheap, wait until you start putting offers in”.

Attractive inventory is limited. A lot of it is mundane and pedestrian, requiring imagination and creative juices to meet today’s expectations for style, design and functionality. So when a sharp property comes on the market, multiple offers can come in, and the “highest and best” offer not only will be a higher offer, but will also be one with a big (or all) cash down payment.