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Today’s homebuyers are faced with a strong sellers’ market, which means there are a lot of active buyers competing for a relatively low number of available homes. As a result, it’s essential to understand how to make a confident and competitive offer on your dream home. Here are five tips for success in this critical stage of the homebuying process. 1. Listen to Your Real Estate Advisor An article from Freddie Mac gives direction on making an offer on a home. From the start, it … [Read more...]
Are There Going to Be More Homes to Buy This Year?
If you’re looking for a home to purchase right now and having trouble finding one, you’re not alone. At a time like this when there are so few houses for sale, it’s normal to wonder if you’ll actually find one to buy. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), across the country, inventory of available homes for sale is at an all-time low – the lowest point recorded since NAR began tracking this metric in 1982. There are, however, more homes expected to hit the market … [Read more...]
Should I Wait for Lower Mortgage Interest Rates?
According to Greg McBride, Chief Financial Analyst for Bankrate: “As vaccines become more widely available and a return to normal starts to come into view, we’ll see mortgage rates bounce off the record lows.” While only a slight increase in mortgage rates is projected for 2021, some experts believe they will start to rise. Over the past week, for example, the average mortgage rate ticked up slightly, reaching 2.79%. This is still incredibly low compared to the trends we’ve seen over time. … [Read more...]
A New Way to Shop for Homes in a Virtual World…
In a year when we’re learning to do so much remotely, homebuying is no exception. From going to work to attending school, grocery shopping, and even seeing our doctors online, digital practices have changed the way we live. This year, rather than delaying their home purchases, buyers – alongside their trusted real estate professionals – turned to the Internet to do more than just a typical home search. In some cases, they bought homes without even stepping foot inside. Jessica Lautz, Vice … [Read more...]
VA Home Loans: Helping Heroes Find a Home…
Today, on Veterans Day, we honor those who have served our country and thank them for their continued dedication to our nation. In the United States, there are many valuable benefits available to Veterans, including VA home loans. For over 75 years, VA home loans have provided millions of Veterans and their families the opportunity to purchase their own homes. As we consider the full impact of VA home loans, it’s important to both understand these great options for Veterans and to share them … [Read more...]
Real Estate Continues to Show Unprecedented Strength This Year…
The 2020 housing market has surpassed all expectations and continues to drive the nation’s economic recovery. The question is, will this positive trend continue throughout the rest of the year, especially given the uncertainty around the current health crisis, the upcoming election, and more? Here’s a look at what several industry-leading experts have to say. Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist, National Association of Realtors “Home sales continue to amaze, and there are plenty of buyers in … [Read more...]
What Are Experts Saying about Home Prices?
Last week, a very well-respected real estate analytics firm surprised many with their home price projection for the next twelve months. CoreLogic, in their latest Home Price Index said: “The economic downturn that started in March 2020 is predicted to cause a 6.6% drop in the HPI by May 2021, which would be the first decrease in annual home prices in over 9 years.” The forecast was surprising as it was strikingly different than any other projection by major analysts. Six of the other eight … [Read more...]
New Index Reveals Impact of COVID-19 on Real Estate…
Earlier this month, realtor.com announced the release of their initial Housing Recovery Index, a weekly guide showing how the pandemic has impacted the residential real estate market. The index leverages a weighted average of four key components of the housing industry, tracking each of the following: Housing Demand – Growth in online search activity Home Price – Growth in asking prices Housing Supply – Growth of new listings Pace of Sales – Difference in time-on-market The … [Read more...]
Homes Are More Affordable Today, Not Less Affordable…
There’s a current narrative that owning a home today is less affordable than it has been in the past. The reason some are making this claim is because house prices have substantially increased over the last several years. It’s not, however, just the price of a home that matters. Homes, in most cases, are purchased with a mortgage. The current mortgage rate is a major component of the affordability equation. Mortgage rates have fallen by over a full percentage point since December 2018. … [Read more...]
Have You Budgeted for Closing Costs?
Saving for a down payment is a key step in the home buying process, and it’s not the only piece you need to include in your budget. Another factor that’s important to plan for is the closing costs required to obtain a mortgage. What Are Closing Costs? According to Trulia, “When you close on a home, a number of fees are due. They typically range from 2% to 5% of the total cost of the home, and can include title insurance, origination fees, underwriting fees, document preparation fees, and … [Read more...]
