Some Highlights: After a surge in March, existing home sales and new home sales slowed due to a drop in inventory available for sale in the start-up and trade-up categories. Median existing home prices surged for the 62nd straight month, up 6.0% over last year to $244,800. New home prices slowed as builders have started to turn their focus toward single family, smaller homes. … [Read more...]
More Americans Chose to Own a Home Than Rent in Q1
According to the latest report from the US Census Bureau, more Americans chose purchasing a home over signing a lease to rent in the first quarter of 2017. This marks the first time since 2006 that the number of new homeowner households outpaced the number of new renter households. Of the 1.22 million new households that were formed in the first quarter, 854,000 were new-owner households making the jump straight to homeownership rather than renting first. That means that the homeownership rate amongst new … [Read more...]
Is Now a Good Time to Rent?
People often ask if now is a good time to buy a home, but nobody ever asks when a good time to rent is. Regardless, we want to make certain that everyone understands that today is NOT a good time to rent. The Census Bureau recently released their 2017 first quarter median rent numbers. Here is a graph showing rent increases from 1988 until today: As you can see, rents have steadily increased and are showing no signs of slowing down. If you are faced with making the decision of whether or not you … [Read more...]
5 Reasons to Hire a Real Estate Professional When Buying or Selling!
Whether you are buying or selling a home it can be quite an adventurous journey, which is why you need an experienced real estate professional to guide you on the path to your ultimate goal. In this world of instant gratification and internet searches, many sellers think that they can For Sale by Owner or FSBO. The 5 reasons you NEED a real estate professional in your corner haven’t changed, but have rather been strengthened by the projections of higher mortgage interest rates & home prices as the market … [Read more...]
#1 Answer to the Housing Shortage: New Construction
The biggest challenge to today’s housing market is the shortage of housing inventory for sale. A normal market would see a six-month supply of homes for sale. Currently, that number is below four months. This is the major reason home prices have continued to appreciate at higher levels than historic averages.The good news is that builders are now starting to build more homes in lower price ranges.Builder Confidence is UpThe Housing Market Index from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) reveals … [Read more...]
4 Tips for Effectively Making an Offer
So, you’ve been searching for that perfect house to call a ‘home,’ and you finally found one! The price is right, and in such a competitive market, you want to make sure that you make a good offer so that you can guarantee that your dream of making this house yours comes true!Freddie Mac covered “4 Tips for Making an Offer” in their latest Executive Perspective. Here are the 4 tips they covered along with some additional information for your consideration:1. Understand … [Read more...]
Do You Know the Cost of NOT Owning Your Home?
Owning a home has great financial benefits, yet many continue renting! Today, let’s look at the financial reasons why owning a home of your own has been a part of the American Dream for as long as America has existed.Zillow recently reported that:“With Rents continuing to climb and interest rates staying low, many renters find themselves gazing over the homeownership fence and wondering if the grass really is greener. Leaving aside, for the moment, the difficulties of saving for a down payment, … [Read more...]
What You Need to Know About Qualifying for a Mortgage [INFOGRAPHIC]
Some Highlights:Many buyers are purchasing a home with a down payment as little as 3%.You may already qualify for a loan, even if you don't have perfect credit.Take advantage of the knowledge of your local professionals who are there to help you determine how much you can afford. … [Read more...]
3 Reasons the Housing Market is NOT in a Bubble
With housing prices appreciating at levels that far exceed historical norms, some are fearful that the market is heading for another bubble. To alleviate that fear, we just need to look back at the reasons that caused the bubble ten years ago.Last decade, demand for housing was artificially propped up because mortgage lending standards were way too lenient. People that were not qualified to purchase were able to attain a mortgage anyway. Prices began to skyrocket. This increase in demand caused homebuilders in many … [Read more...]
Gallup: Real Estate is Best Long-Term Investment 4 Years Running
Every year, Gallup surveys Americans to determine their choice for the best long-term investment. Respondents are given a choice between real estate, stocks/mutual funds, gold, savings accounts/CDs, or bonds.For the fourth year in a row, Real Estate has come out on top as the best long-term investment! This year’s results showed that 34% of Americans chose real estate, followed by stocks at 26%. The full results are shown in the chart below.The study makes it a point to draw attention to the contrast of the … [Read more...]
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