Market Trends

Buyer Tips & Information, First Time Home Buyer, Market Trends

The Truths Young Homebuyers Need To Hear

For many young or first-time homebuyers, purchasing a home can feel intimidating. A recent survey shows some homebuyers ages 25 to 40 may be unsure about the homebuying process and what they can afford. It found: “1 in 4 underestimated their buying potential by $150k or more” “1 in 4 underestimated the increase in value by $100k […]
Buyer Tips & Information, Market Trends, Seller Tips & Information

Selling Your House? Make Sure You Price It Right.

There’s no denying we’re in a sellers’ market. With low inventory and high buyer demand, homes today are selling above the asking price at a record rate. According to the latest Realtors Confidence Index Survey from the National Association of Realtors (NAR): Homes typically sell within 17 days (compared to 26 days one year ago). The average home sold has five offers to pick […]
Buyer Tips & Information, Market Trends, Seller Tips & Information

4 Big Incentives for Homeowners to Sell Now

The housing market keeps sailing along. The only headwind that could take it off course is the lack of inventory for sale. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reports that there were 410,000 fewer single-family homes for sale this March than in March of 2020. The key to continued success in the residential housing market is for more listings […]
Buyer Tips & Information, Market Trends, Seller Tips & Information

Americans See Major Home Equity Gains [INFOGRAPHIC]

Some Highlights Today’s home price appreciation is driving equity higher throughout the country. If your needs are changing and you’re ready for a new home, your equity may be a great asset to power your next move. Now is a great time to put your equity toward a down payment on the home of your dreams.

Buyer Tips & Information The Truths Young Homebuyers Need To Hear For many young or first-time homebuyers, purchasing a home can feel intimidating. A recent survey shows some homebuyers ages 25 to 40 may be unsure about the homebuying process and what they can afford. It found: “1 in 4 underestimated their buying potential by $150k or more” “1 in 4 underestimated the increase in value by $100k […]

Buyer Tips & Information Selling Your House? Make Sure You Price It Right. There’s no denying we’re in a sellers’ market. With low inventory and high buyer demand, homes today are selling above the asking price at a record rate. According to the latest Realtors Confidence Index Survey from the National Association of Realtors (NAR): Homes typically sell within 17 days (compared to 26 days one year ago). The average home sold has five offers to pick […]

Buyer Tips & Information 4 Big Incentives for Homeowners to Sell Now The housing market keeps sailing along. The only headwind that could take it off course is the lack of inventory for sale. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reports that there were 410,000 fewer single-family homes for sale this March than in March of 2020. The key to continued success in the residential housing market is for more listings […]

Buyer Tips & Information Americans See Major Home Equity Gains [INFOGRAPHIC] Some Highlights Today’s home price appreciation is driving equity higher throughout the country. If your needs are changing and you’re ready for a new home, your equity may be a great asset to power your next move. Now is a great time to put your equity toward a down payment on the home of your dreams.

Market Trends What Credit Score Do You Need for a Mortgage? According to data from the most recent Origination Insight Report by Ellie Mae, the average FICO® score on closed loans reached 753 in February. As lending standards have tightened recently, many are concerned over whether or not their credit score is strong enough to qualify for a mortgage. While stricter lending standards could be a challenge for some, many buyers may be […]

Market Trends Should We Fear the Surge in Cash-Out Refinances? Freddie Mac recently released their Quarterly Refinance Statistics report which covers refinances through 2020. The report explains that the dollar amount of cash-out refinances was greater in 2020 than in recent years. A cash-out refinance, as defined by Investopia, is: “a mortgage refinancing option in which an old mortgage is replaced for a new one with a larger amount than owed on […]

Buyer Tips & Information Buyer & Seller Perks in Today’s Housing Market Right now, the housing market is full of outstanding opportunities for both buyers and sellers. Whether you’re thinking of buying your first home, moving up to a bigger one, or selling so you can downsize this spring, there are perks today that are powering big moves for people across the country. Here are the top two to […]

Buyer Tips & Information What Happens When Homeowners Leave Their Forbearance Plans? According to the latest report from Black Knight, Inc., a well-respected provider of data and analytics for mortgage companies, 6.48 million households have entered a forbearance plan as a result of financial concerns brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Here’s where these homeowners stand right now: 2,543,000 (39%) are current on their payments and have left the program […]

Buyer Tips & Information Want to Build Wealth? Buy a Home This Year Every year, households across the country make the decision to rent for another year or take the leap into homeownership. They look at their earnings and savings and then decide what makes the most financial sense. That equation will most likely take into consideration monthly housing costs, tax advantages, and other incremental expenses. Using these […]

Buyer Tips & Information With Home Values Surging, Is it Still Affordable to Buy Right Now? Housing inventory is at an all-time low. Realtor.com just reported that there are 39% fewer homes for sale today than there were last year. At the same time, buyer demand remains strong. In a recent newsletter, research analyst Ivy Zelman explained: “Although the headwind of severe supply constraints in most markets has contributed to slight moderation in seasonally-adjusted and year-over-year new […]

Buyer Tips & Information 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 – […]

Buyer Tips & Information Buyer Interest Is Growing among Younger Generations The demand for homes this year is extraordinary as record-breaking numbers of hopeful buyers continue to shop for homes. In a normal year, the peak homebuying season comes to a close by early fall. However, 2020 is anything but a normal year, and the housing market is no exception. Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist for the National Association of […]

Buyer Tips & Information Housing Market on Track to Beat Last Year’s Success Back in March, as the nation’s economy was shut down because of the coronavirus, many were predicting the real estate market would face a major collapse. Some forecasts called for a 15-20% decline in transactions. However, six months later, it seems as though the housing market has fully recovered. Mark Fleming, Chief Economist at First American, announced last week: “Since […]

Buyer Tips & Information Builders & Realtors Agree: Real Estate Is Back When shelter-in-place orders brought the economy to a screeching halt earlier this year, many believed the residential housing market would follow suit. Countless analysts predicted buyer demand would disappear and home values would depreciate for the first time in almost a decade. That, however, didn’t happen. It appears the opposite is taking place. After the […]

Investor Tips & Information Americans Rank Real Estate Best Investment for 7 Years Running [INFOGRAPHIC] Some Highlights Real estate has outranked stocks, savings accounts, and gold as the best long-term investment among Americans for the past 7 years. The belief in the stability of housing as a long-term investment remains strong, despite the many challenges our economy faces today. Of the four listed, real estate is also the only investment you can also […]

Buyer Tips & Information Mortgage Rates Hit Record Lows for Three Consecutive Weeks Over the past several weeks, Freddie Mac has reported the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate dropping to record lows, all the way down to 3.03%. Last week’s reported rate reached the lowest point in the history of the survey, which dates back to 1971 (See graph below): What does this mean for buyers? This is huge for homebuyers. Those […]

Buyer Tips & Information 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 […]

Buyer Tips & Information Thinking of Selling Your House? Now May be the Right Time Inventory is arguably the biggest challenge for buyers in today’s housing market. There are simply more buyers actively looking for homes to purchase than there are sellers selling them, so the scale is tipped in favor of the sellers. According to the latest Existing Home Sales Report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), total housing inventory is down […]

Buyer Tips & Information Home Sales Hit a Record-Setting Rebound With a worldwide health crisis that drove a pause in the economy this year, the housing market was greatly impacted. Many have been eagerly awaiting some bright signs of a recovery. Based on the latest Existing Home Sales Report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), June hit a much-anticipated record-setting rebound to ignite that spark. According to NAR, home sales […]

Buyer Tips & Information Three of the Latest Reports Show Housing Market Is Strong The residential real estate market is remaining resilient as the country still struggles to beat the COVID-19 pandemic. Three separate reports recently revealed how the housing market is still showing growth. Here’s a look at each one. 1. Ivy Zelman’s Real Estate Broker Survey The survey explains that purchaser demand remains strong: “This month’s overall homebuyer […]