Real estate demand skyrocketing in Lawrence County in March 2017

In fact, some homes are being seen as many as 18 times in the first 10 days they're on the market. The key is to have the type of home buyers want, said Greg Taylor, managing broker of Keach & Grove Real Estate, and to list it at a fair market price.

"It's a really exciting time to be a real estate professional," Taylor said.

According to data from the Indiana Association of Realtors, the market update for Lawrence County in March showed increases in new listings and closed sales. In fact, sales were up 65.5 percent from March 2016. The problem is that inventory is down 17.2 percent from this time last year.

"We actually have our agents knocking on doors, looking for inventory because we have a whole stack of buyers who are pre-approved and ready to go, but no houses to put them in," Taylor said.

It's not just a problem in Lawrence County, Taylor said. It's a trend Realtors across the country are seeing.

"What's interesting now, that I haven't seen in the past, and I've been doing this 18 years, is that sellers will put their home on the market, get an offer quickly and then when they get out there to buy a house and don't find anything, they want to back out," Taylor said. "It's a really unusual environment right now."

Debbie Suddarth of Suddarth & Co. Real Estate is president of the Bedford Board of Realtors. Leading buyers to look at homes Wednesday afternoon, Suddarth said now is the time to list a home.

"If you have a median-income home with three bedrooms and two baths, I can tell you it probably won't stay on the market very long," Suddarth said. "Our inventory is low, so the buyers are there and ready to jump. If you have a home you want to sell, now's the time to get it listed."

A lot of factors drive housing demand, but Realtors admit most of their buyers are looking to "move up" and seek three-bedroom, two-bathroom homes that sit on 1 or 2 acres, but the price must be right.

"If it's priced fairly, you'll have two or three offers almost immediately, but if it's a little high, then they don't move very quickly," Taylor said. "The average days on the market is still about 56 days. ... The only thing we like to caution people on is the HGTV trend. It's important to remember that what's happening in California is not necessarily what's happening in Lawrence County, Indiana."

Although the Federal Reserve has approved two interest rate increases so far this year, interest rates remain low for home buyers.

"What we're seeing is the market is stable, and that has been good for real estate," said Brandi Woods, a broker associate with RE/MAX in Bedford. "It's a seller's market, and I'm telling people this is a good time to sell, if they're considering it. We know anything can happen at any time. Interest rates could go up quickly, you just don't know. So I say, 'Let's not wait on this. Let's try to put our best foot forward, so we can get an offer quickly.'"

And there are still plenty of government financing programs available for home buyers seeking 100 percent financing, Taylor said.

"It's the prime time to sell a home, with a lot of good things going on in the market," he said. "If people are even thinking about selling their house, this is the time to do it because we really don't know what's going to happen next. We encourage people to get ahold of their local real estate professional because a good real estate professional will guide you through a difficult process, market the home for you and get it sold.

"The one thing we're learning these days that's extremely important is that we must have good pictures of the home. Eighty-four percent of our leads are coming from online. It's no longer about the sign in the yard. Technology is really beginning to drive this business, putting homes in front of the right buyers."

Now, more than ever, the importance of mortgage pre-approval comes into play, said Susan Wykoff, managing broker of Williams Carpenter Realtors in Bedford.

"Buyers are learning that there is no time to 'sleep on it.' If they like it, they need to act fast," Wykoff said. "It is important for buyers to get pre-approved before they even look at houses so that they know what type of loan they will be using, if seller concessions are needed and what price range to look in."

The homes being sold don't have to be expensive, either, Woods said. Buyers are looking for nice homes in a good neighborhoods.

"When there is something that a lot of people are looking for, it's not unusual to get several showings in the first few days and multiple offers," Woods said. "If it's a good home, they aren't going to last. I had a buyer who went in and looked at this home on the first night it was listed. We wrote an offer, and already, there were multiple offers. Luckily, we won, so that was fun.

"It's been awhile since we've seen this much activity in the real estate market. It's neat to be a part of it."