Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors Celebrates a Strong 2024

Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors celebrated 2024 at their annual awards event on January 31st. Chris Beason, President, and Caroline Ruhl, CEO, honored 184 award winners for their 2024 achievements. Over 300 agents, staff, and affiliated business partners cheered on their co-workers during the celebration. “2024 presented challenges across the real estate industry, yet our agents and staff rose to the occasion and delivered exceptional results," said Chris Beason, President of Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors, at the company’s annual awards event. "Your dedication, professionalism, and unwavering commitment to our clients and communities set us apart. At Ruhl&Ruhl, success has always been about more than transactions—it’s about building relationships, earning trust, and ensuring that no one is ever on their own. These principles have guided us for generations, and they will continue to drive our success, no matter the market.” 

Top awards in the Clinton Office were presented to:


● Kris Whalen was honored with the Excellence in Service Award for receiving the highest client service rating in the Clinton Office. Kris also received the Top Lister Award, Top Sales Award, and Top Referral Associate Award in the Clinton Office.



● Sandy Jo Huizenga received the Top Ruhl Mortgage Award for the Clinton Office.



● Lindsay Morhardt received the Community Involvement Award and Top Nelson Brothers Award for the Clinton Office.

There is a complete list of all award winners on Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors’ website at www.RuhlHomes.com/News.

Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors 2024 Results Caroline Ruhl shared with her team the company’s results in 2024, and
1. Residential Sales Volume: Ruhl&Ruhl’s sales volume in 2024 was $993,537,221, down 0.8% from 2023. Ruhl&Ruhl pended $1,103,153,979 in sales volume, some of which will close in 2025.
2. Number of Properties Sold: Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors sold 4,231 properties, as either listing agent or selling agent. This was 3.6% fewer transactions than in 2023.
3. Revenue: Revenue in a real estate company is primarily gross commission income (GCI). Ruhl’s 2024 GCI was $29,145,576, down 1.2% from 2023.
4. New Listings Taken: Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors listed 2,494 properties for sale in 2024, 3.3% fewer than 2023.
5. Nationally Ranked per Agent Productivity: On average our agents closed 15.3 transactions in 2024, up from 14 sides per agent in 2023.
6. Great Agents and Staff: Ruhl&Ruhl ended 2024 with 277 residential agents. In addition, 59 employees work for the company. Midwest Referral, an affiliated company, has 94 agents who refer business to Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors.
7. Ruhl Property Management: Ruhl Property Management manages 286 properties (403 units) and 2 HOAs (79 units). They acquired 206 new properties in 2024: 152 for property management and 54 for tenant placement. They executed 103 lease agreements and received 50 agent referrals for owners or tenants.
8. Ruhl Mortgage: Ruhl Mortgage closed $160,718,967 in loan volume, which was generated by 643 loans. 90% were purchase loans and 10% were refinances. Ruhl Mortgage employs 20 staff members including 4 loan officers, 2 loan officer assistants, 2 in house underwriters, and 2 processors, plus other management and staff.
9. Insurance Referrals Sold: Ruhl&Ruhl agents referred clients resulting in 505 policies being sold by the Nelson Brothers Agency, Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors’ affiliated insurance company. Nelson Brothers Agency has 20 agent producers and 23 support staff.
10. Commercial Sales Volume: NAI Ruhl Commercial Company, a joint venture with Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors, sold $95 million in commercial real estate in 2024. They have 14 commercial agents and 17 staff members.

NAI Ruhl Commercial Property Management manages 1.330 million square feet of space, and 427 HOA units. They also have a full-service Maintenance Division. Regional Real Estate Forecast for 2025

1. Homes Will Continue to Appreciate in Our Region Homes appreciated between2.94% - 6.58% in our markets over the past year. Economists predict appreciation will be in the 2%-3% range in 2025.

2. Mortgage Rates Are Staying Higher for Longer The average 30-year U.S. mortgage rate rose to 6.9% in January 2025. Rates are likely to fluctuate between 6%-7% all year. Buyers have begun to acclimate to higher mortgage rates. “Mortgage rates have averaged above 6% for the past 24 months. Buyers are no longer waiting for or expecting mortgage rates to fall substantially.” - Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist, NAR.

As of January 30 mortgage rates with no points were as follows:
• 15-Year Conventional Fixed................. 6.125%
• 30-Year Conventional Fixed................. 6.500%
• FHA 30-Year Fixed............................... 6.625%
• VA 30-Year Fixed.................................. 6.625%
• USDA/Rural Development.................... 6.750%
• 30-Year Jumbo..................................... 6.750%

3. Lock-in Effect Remains a Headwind 85% of homeowners with loans currently have mortgages at less than 6.0%. Many of these prospective sellers are unwilling to give up their low interest rates.

4. Mix of Transactions is Trending Up to More Higher Priced Properties 38.5% of homeowners do not have a mortgage and can purchase their next home with cash. 23.2% of Ruhl&Ruhl’s 2024 buyers paid with cash, up from 21.7% in 2023 and 20.9% in 2022. First-time buyers are struggling more than move-up buyers, resulting in the mix of deals trending to more higher-priced sales.

About Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors A family-owned company since 1862, Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors has grown to 277 sales Associates, 59 employees, and 10 offices, selling more than 5,200 homes in eastern Iowa, northwest Illinois, and southwest Wisconsin. The company has residential sales offices in Bettendorf, Burlington, Cedar Rapids, Clinton, Davenport, DeWitt, Dubuque, Iowa City, and Muscatine Iowa; and in Moline, Illinois. For more information on Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors, visit their website at www.RuhlHomes.com.