Monthly Archives: April 2019
What Would Make You Sell Your House?
There are many reasons why a homeowner decides to sell their house and move. The latest Generational Trends Report from the National Association of Realtors asked recent home sellers to share their reason for moving. The younger the respondents, the more likely their top response centered around needing a larger home (ages 29 to 53).... Read More
How Quickly Can You Save Your Down Payment?
Saving for a down payment is often the biggest hurdle for a first-time homebuyer. Depending on where you live, median income, median rents, and home prices all vary. So, we set out to find out how long it would take to save for a down payment in each state. Using data from HUD, Census and... Read More
Existing Home Sales Slow to Start Spring [INFOGRAPHIC]
Some Highlights: Existing Home Sales slowed to an annual pace of 5.21 million home sales in March. Low inventory levels are still impacting home sales! The current month’s supply of homes for sale is 3.9-months. Median home prices were up 3.8% over ... Read More
Renters Paying Substantially More While Owning Costs Less
In a recent Insights Blog, CoreLogic reported that rent prices have skyrocketed since 2005. Meanwhile, the typical mortgage payment has actually decreased. “CoreLogic’s national rent index was up 36% in December 2018 compared with December 2005, while the typical mortgage payment was down 4% over that period.” Why the difference between the costs of renting... Read More
New Study Reveals One Surprising Reason for the Inventory Shortage
There has been a great amount written on millennials and their impact on the housing market. However, the headlines often contradict each other. Some claim this generation is becoming the largest share of first-time home buyers, while others claim millennials don’t want to own a home, blaming them for the dip in homeownership rate. While... Read More
With Inventory Low: Will Your Dream Home Need Some TLC?
According to a new survey from Move.com, the wave of first-time homebuyers hitting the market this summer has resulted in an interesting statistic. Nearly 60% of buyers searching for a home this spring are willing to consider buying a fixer-upper, with 95% believing that the projects needed will increase their new home’s value! Realtor.com’s Chief... Read More
Selling Your House: Here’s Why You Need A Pro In Your Corner!
With home prices on the rise and buyer demand still strong, some sellers may be tempted to try to sell their homes on their own rather than using the services of a real estate professional. Real estate agents are trained and experienced in negotiation while, in most cases, the seller is not. Sellers must realize... Read More
5 Reasons Why Millennials Buy a Home [INFOGRAPHIC]
Some Highlights: “The majority of millennials said they consider owning a home more sensible than renting for both financial and lifestyle reasons — including control of living space, flexibility in future decisions, privacy and security, and living in a nice home.” The top reason millennials choose to buy is to have control over their living space, at 93%. Many millennials who rent a home or apartment prior to buying their own homes dream of the day when they will be able to paint the walls whatever color they'd like or renovate an outdated part of their living space. Read More
Buyer Demand Surging as Spring Market Begins
Last fall, some predicted that the 2019 residential real estate market would be a disaster. There was even belief we might experience a housing crash like the one that occurred during the last decade. However, according to two separate reports*, buyer demand dramatically increased over the last three months, leading into this spring buyers’ market... Read More
Are Low Interest Rates Here to Stay?
Interest rates for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage have been on the decline since November, now reaching lows last seen in January 2018. According to Freddie Mac’s latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey, rates came in at 4.12% last week! This is great news for anyone who is planning on buying a home this spring! Freddie... Read More