For Sellers
Discover What Buyers Will Pay in Today’s Market It’s easy to look up how much money you have in your savings account or the real-time value of your stock investments. But determining the dollar value of a home is trickier. As a seller, knowing your home’s worth helps you price it correctly when you put…
Homeownership – How long? The National Association of Realtors (NAR) keeps historical data on many aspects of homeownership. One of their data points, which has changed dramatically, is the median tenure of a family in a home, meaning how long a family stays in a home prior to moving. As the graph below shows, over the last twenty years…
Kids’ Opinions Matter Big When Buying a Home A recent survey conducted by Harris Poll and released by SunTrust Mortgage found that “55% of homeowners with a child under the age of 18 at the time when they purchased their home said that the opinion of their offspring played a major role in their home…
Using a Professional to sell your home… When homeowners decide to sell their houses, they obviously want to get the best possible price for their home with the least amount of hassles along the way. However, for the vast majority of sellers, the most important result is actually getting their homes sold. However, in order to…
Homeownership the American Dream… Homeownership is a major part of the American Dream. As evidence of that, 91% of Americans believe that owning a home is either essential (43%) or important (48%) to achieving that “dream.” In a market where some people may be unsure about the benefits and possibilities of buying a home, it…
What truly causes a housing bubble and the inevitable crash? For the best explanation, let’s go to a person who correctly called the last housing bubble – a year before it happened. “A bubble requires both overvaluation based on fundamentals and speculation. It is natural to focus on an asset’s fundamental value, but the real…
As housing prices continue to increase at levels greater than historic norms, some are concerned that we are heading for another crash like the one we experienced ten years ago. We recently explained that the lenient lending standards of the previous decade (which created false demand) no longer exist. But what about prices? Are prices…
In today’s market, with home prices rising and a lack of inventory, some homeowners may consider trying to sell their home on their own, known in the industry as a For Sale by Owner (FSBO). There are several reasons why this might not be a good idea for the vast majority of sellers. Here are…
Net Worth = Rent vs. Buy… Every three years, the Federal Reserve conducts their Survey of Consumer Finances in which they collect net worth data across all economic and social groups. The latest survey data, covering 2013-2016 was released two weeks ago. The study revealed that the 2016 median net worth of homeowners was $231,400 – a 15% increase since…
Thinking of Selling Your Home? That headline might be a little aggressive; however, as August 2017’s housing market data begins to roll in, we can definitely say one thing: If you are considering selling, IT IS TIME TO LIST YOUR HOME TODAY! In a recent article by CBS News, they explained that the number of…
Two Real Estate Markets… Six months ago, we reported that the mismatch between the type of inventory of homes for sale and the demand of buyers in the US was causing the formation of two real estate markets. In the starter and trade-up home categories, there were significantly more buyers than there were homes for…
Selling Your Home? Inventory / your competitors are coming! The number of building permits issued for single-family homes is the best indicator of how many newly built homes will increase inventory over the next few months. According to the latest U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development Residential Sales Report, the…
Get Value for Your Home Every homeowner wants to make sure they maximize their financial reward when selling their home. But how do you guarantee that you receive maximum value for your house? Here are two keys to ensure that you get the highest price possible. 1. Price it a LITTLE LOW This may seem…
Supply and Demand housing inventory… There is no doubt that the largest challenge in today’s housing market is a lack of housing inventory for sale. This challenge has been defined as an “overwhelming lack of supply,” and even a “straight up inventory crisis.” First American just released the results of a survey which sheds light…
Did Your Home Sell? There are some homeowners who are patiently waiting to get the price they hoped for when they originally listed their houses for sale. Something these homeowners might want to take into consideration is the fact that if their homes haven’t sold yet, maybe they’re not priced properly. If your home is…
Down Payment Under 10%… According to Black Knight Financial Service’s Mortgage Monitor Report, 1.5 million Americans have purchased a home with a down payment under than 10% over the last 12 months. This is great news for buyers as this marks a 7-year high. Many mortgage programs offered by agencies like Freddie Mac and Fannie…
What’s Your Home’s Value? The latest edition of CoreLogic’s Home Price Index shows that nationally, home prices have appreciated 6.7% over the last year and 0.9% month-over-month. The release of the report included this headline, “National Home Prices Now 50% Above March 2011 Bottom” The real estate market has come a long way since 2011,…
Housing Shortage… The biggest challenge in today’s real estate market is a lack of housing inventory. How big of a challenge is the housing shortage? Here are what four industry economists are saying on the issue (emphases added): Mark Fleming, First American’s Chief Economist “The underlying fundamental issue is an overwhelming lack of supply… The…
FSBOs don’t actually save the commission… One of the main reasons why For Sale By Owners (FSBOs) don’t use a real estate agent is because they believe they will save the commission an agent charges for getting their house on the market and selling it. A new study by Collateral Analytics, however, reveals that FSBOs…
The Best Possible Price…Use a Real Estate Professional When a homeowner decides to sell their house, they obviously want the best possible price for it with the least amount of hassles along the way, which is why they use a real estate professional. However, for the vast majority of sellers, the most important result is…
To Home Stage…or Not to Home Stage? Some Highlights: The National Association of Realtors surveyed their members & released the findings of their Annual Profile of Home Staging. 50% of staged homes saw a 1-10% increase in dollar value offers from buyers. 77% of buyer’s agents said staging made it easier for buyers to visualize…
Low Home Inventory – Demand is High! First-time home buyers are flocking to the real estate market by the thousands to find their dream homes in order to make their dreams of home ownership a reality. Unfortunately for many, the low inventory of starter and trade-up homes in the US has struggled to keep up…
Millennials, Are You Ready to Sell? Contrary to what many believe, Millennials are not the ‘renter’ generation. Millennials purchased a larger percentage (34%) of homes in the U.S. than any other age group in 2017 and the most recent Census Bureau report shows that the homeownership rate among Millennials is finally on the rise. Many…
Ready for a Change? The National Association of Realtors (NAR) keeps historical data on many aspects of homeownership. One of the data points that has changed dramatically is the median tenure of a family in a home, meaning how long a family stays in a home prior to moving. As the graph below shows, for over twenty…
How much equity? CoreLogic’s latest Equity Report revealed that ninety-one thousand residential properties regained equity in Q1 2017. The outlook for 2017 remains positive as well, as an additional 600 thousand properties will regain equity if home prices rise another 5% this year. The study also revealed that: Roughly 63% of all homeowners have seen their equity increase…