Real Estate mogul, Sean Conlon, host of The Deed: Chicago on CNBC, was recently asked the question, should you buy? Or should you rent a house?Conlon responded:“I am a true believer that you save every penny and you buy your first house… and that is still the fastest path to wealth in this country.”Conlon went on to suggest that first-time buyers put down 10-20% “if they can make it work,” and to remain in their home at least 4-5 years to see a return on their investment.Who is Sean … [Read more...]
3 Charts That Shout, ‘List Your Home Today!’
In school, we all learned the theory of supply and demand. When the demand for an item is greater than the supply of that item, the price will surely rise.SUPPLYThe National Association of Realtors (NAR) recently reported that the inventory of homes for sale stands at a 3.8-month supply. This is considerably lower than the 6-month supply necessary for a normal market.DEMANDEvery month NAR reports on the number of buyers out in the market looking for homes, which is also known as buyer traffic. … [Read more...]
How Fast Can You Save for a Down Payment?
Saving for a down payment is often the biggest hurdle for a first-time homebuyer. Depending on where you live, median income, median rents, and home prices all vary. So, we set out to find out how long would it take you to save for a down payment in each state?Using data from the United States Census Bureau and Zillow, we determined how long it would take, nationwide, for a first-time buyer to save enough money for a down payment on their dream home. There is a long-standing ‘rule’ that a household … [Read more...]
Slaying Home Buying Myths [INFOGRAPHIC]
Some Highlights:Interest rates are still below historic numbers.88% of property managers raised their rent in the last 12 months!The credit score requirements for mortgage approval continue to fall. … [Read more...]
Tax Return Depressing? Owning a Home Could Help
Many Americans got some depressing news last week; either their tax return was not as large as they had hoped or, in some cases, they were told they owed additional money to either the Federal or State government or both. One way to save on taxes is to own your own home.According to the Tax Policy Center’s Briefing Book -“A citizen's guide to the fascinating (though often complex) elements of the federal Tax System” - there are several tax advantages to homeownership.Here are four items, and a … [Read more...]
Measuring Your Ability to Achieve the American Dream
Forbes.com recently released the results of their new American Dream Index, in which they measure “the prosperity of the middle class, and…examine which states best support the American Dream.”The monthly index measures several different economic factors, including goods-producing employment, personal and commercial bankruptcies, building permits, startup activity, unemployment insurance claims, labor force participation, and layoffs.The national index score was rounded out to 100 in January and … [Read more...]
US Housing Market Continues the Move into ‘Buy Territory’!
According to the Beracha, Hardin & Johnson Buy vs. Rent (BH&J) Index, the U.S. housing market has continued to move deeper into buy territory, supporting the belief that housing markets across the country remain a sound investment.The BH&J Index is a quarterly report that attempts to answer the question:In today’s housing market, is it better to rent or buy a home?The index examines the entire US housing market and then isolates 23 major cities for comparison. The … [Read more...]
Thinking of Selling? Now Is the Time to Act
If you thought about selling your house this year, now may be the time to do it. The inventory of homes for sale is well below historic norms and buyer demand is skyrocketing. We were still in high school when we learned the concept of supply and demand: the best time to sell something is when supply of that item is low and demand for that item is high. That defines today’s real estate market.Jonathan Smoke, Chief Economist at realtor.com, revealed in a recent article that:“The biggest … [Read more...]
Is Your First Home Within Your Grasp? [INFOGRAPHIC]
Some Highlights:‘Millennials’ are defined as 18-36 year olds according to the US Census Bureau.According to NAR’s latest Profile of Home Buyers & Sellers, the median age of all first-time home buyers is 31 years old.More and more ‘Old Millennials’ (25-36 year olds) are realizing that homeownership is within their reach now! … [Read more...]
Home Mortgages: Rates Up, Requirements Easing
The media has extensively covered the rise in mortgage interest rates since last fall (from 3.42% last September to the current 4.1% according to Freddie Mac). However, a less covered aspect of the mortgage market is that requirements to get a mortgage have eased while rates have risen.The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) quantifies the availability of mortgage credit each month with their Mortgage Credit Availability Index (MCAI). According to the MBA, the MCAI is:“A summary measure which indicates the … [Read more...]
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