For Buyers
Building Wealth: First Rung on the Ladder is Housing
How Housing Matters is a joint project of the Urban Land Institute and the MacArthur Foundation. It is “an online resource for the most rigorous research and practical information on how a quality, stable, affordable home in a vibrant community contributes to individual and community success”.
Rent or Buy: Either Way You’re Paying A Mortgage
There are some renters that have not yet purchased a home because they are uncomfortable taking on the obligation of a mortgage. Everyone should realize that, unless you are living with your parents rent free, you are paying a mortgage – either your mortgage or your landlord’s.
2016 Home Sales Doing Just Fine!!
Some of the housing headlines are causing concern for some consumers who are in the process of either buying or selling a home. Pundits are concerned over the lack of new construction or the month-over-month sales numbers. Let’s set the record straight; 2015 was a good year for residential real estate in the United States and 2016 is starting out stronger.
Past, Present & Future Home Values
In CoreLogic’s latest Home Price Index, they revealed home appreciation in three categories: percentage appreciation over the last year, over the last month, and projected appreciation over the next twelve months.
Sales Contracts Hit Highest Level in Months
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) just announced that the February Pending Home Sales Index reached its highest reading since July 2015.
Home Sales Up Year-Over-Year
Some Highlights
- This is the 48th consecutive month with year-over-year price gains.
- Lawrence Yun, NAR’s Chief Economist says that, “The main issue continues to be a supply & affordability problem. Finding the right property at an affordable price is burdening many potential buyers.”
- Inventory is still below historic normals at a 4.4 month supply.
Further Proof This Isn’t a Housing Bubble
Two weeks ago, we posted a blog which explained that current increases in home prices were the result of the well-known concept of supply & demand and should not lead to conversations of a new housing bubble. Today, we want to look at home prices as compared to current incomes.
91.5% of Homes in the US Have Positive Equity
CoreLogic’s The Importance of Using an Agent To Sell Your House
When a homeowner decides to sell their house, they obviously want the best possible price with the least amount of hassles. However, for the vast majority of sellers, the most important result is to actually get the home sold.
The Mortgage Process: What You Need To Know [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.
What If I Wait Until Next Year To Buy A Home?
As a seller, you will be most concerned about ‘short term price’ – where home values are headed over the next six months. As either a first-time or repeat buyer, you must not be concerned only about price but also about the ‘long term cost’ of the home.
Yes, Home Prices Are Rising. No, a New Housing Bubble is NOT Forming
We recently reported that home prices are continuing to rise across most of the nation. This has created concern in some pundits that a housing bubble, like we saw ten years ago, is forming again. We want to explain why these concerns are unfounded.