The National Association of Realtors (NAR) released their latest Quarterly Metro Home Price report earlier this month. The report revealed that home prices are not only continuing to rise but that the increases are accelerating. Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist at NAR, discussed the impact of low inventory on buyers in the report: "Without a significant ramp-up in new home construction and more homeowners listing their homes for sale, buyers are likely to see little relief in the form of slowing price growth in the … [Read more...]
Future Home Values: Where Do The Experts Think They Are Headed?
Today, many real estate conversations center on housing prices and where they may be headed. That is why we like the Home Price Expectation Survey. Every quarter, Pulsenomics surveys a nationwide panel of over one hundred economists, real estate experts and investment & market strategists about where they believe prices are headed over the next five years. They then average the projections of all 100+ experts into a single number. The results of their latest survey: Home values will appreciate by 3.7% over the … [Read more...]
Play Chess… Not Checkers
Checkers is a simple game with a simple objective; eliminate the other player’s pieces. Even the process of doing so is simple, jump the other player’s pieces and start a collection. There is very little thought as to a defensive strategy and it is often more reactive than strategic. Even though the objective of Chess is simply laid out — obtain the other player’s King — the process in which to obtain this goal is much more strategic. Chess requires a greater understanding of the … [Read more...]
How Do You Know If You’ve Found Your ‘Perfect Match’? [INFOGRAPHIC]
Some Highlights: Every agent brings a different set of skills & specialties to their clients. It is important to find an agent who you can trust to guide you through the entire process step-by-step. Having a conversation about your goals & expectations will not only save you unneeded frustration, but will also make the transaction as smooth as possible. … [Read more...]
Final 2015 Housing Numbers Now In
Many have questioned the stability of certain sectors of the U.S. Economy, one section in particular is the housing market. Today we would like to share how the experts feel about how we ended 2015 and where they think we are headed in 2016. How did we do in 2015? The National Association of Realtors “Overall, a resilient U.S. economy and very solid job growth in recent years made 2015 a great rebound year for the housing market. Existing-home sales were at the highest pace (5.26 million) since 2006 (6.48 … [Read more...]
Do You Know How Much Equity You Have In Your Home? You May Be Surprised!
CoreLogic’s latest Equity Report revealed that 256,000 properties regained equity in the third quarter of 2015. This is great news for the country, as 92% of all mortgaged properties are now in a positive equity situation. Price Appreciation = Good News For Homeowners Frank Nothaft, CoreLogic’s Chief Economist, explains: “Home price growth continued to lift borrower equity positions and increase the number of borrowers with sufficient equity to participate in the mortgage market. In the last … [Read more...]
What You Don’t Need To Hear From Your Listing Agent
You’ve decided to sell your house. You begin to interview potential real estate agents to help you through the process. You need someone you trust enough to: Set the market value on possibly the largest asset your family owns (your home) Set the time schedule for the successful liquidation of that asset Set the fee for the services required to liquidate that asset An agent must be concerned first and foremost about you and your family in order to garner that degree of trust. Make sure this is the case. Be … [Read more...]
Homes Selling Quickly Across The Country
According to the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) Existing Home Sales Report, homes were on market for an average of 58 days in December. This was slightly longer than the 54 days in November, but still better than the 66 days experienced in December 2014. 32% of homes across the country were on the market for less than a month! Colorado, Utah and Delaware led all states as home are selling in 30 days or less on average. The map below was created using results from NAR’s Monthly Realtor … [Read more...]
Will Appraisals Continue to be a Challenge in 2016?
First American Title issues a quarterly report, the Real Estate Sentiment Index (RESI), which “measures title agent sentiment on a variety of key market metrics and industry issues”. Their 2015 4th Quarter Edition revealed some interesting information regarding possible challenges with appraisal values as we head into 2016. “The fourth quarter RESI found that title agents continue to believe that property valuation issues will be the most likely cause of title order cancellation over the coming … [Read more...]
No Matter Which Groundhog You Listen To, You Should Sell Before Spring!
Is spring closer than we think? Depending on which Groundhog you witnessed today, you may have less time than you think to get your home on the market before the busy spring season. Many sellers feel that the spring is the best time to place their home on the market as buyer demand traditionally increases at that time of year. However, the next six weeks before spring hits also have their own advantages. Here are five reasons to sell now. 1. Demand is Strong Foot traffic refers to the number of people out actually … [Read more...]
