Wednesday, December 4, 2024 / by Stephanie Deeds
With the holidays right around the corner, homeowners planning to move have a decision to make: sell now or wait? Some may even consider taking their house off the market until next spring. But is that the best choice? Because at this time of year, your home can really stand out.
Here's the thing: there are plenty of buyers out there who want to be in a new home by the holidays, and your house might be just what they’re looking for. As an article from Redfin says:
“. . . there is typically less inventory in the housing market this time of year, allowing your home to easily stand out among the available inventory. And though there are technically fewer buyers overall, the homebuyers that are looking are far more serious about finding a home within a specific timeframe. . . selling your home during the holidays might be your best present this year.”
Here are four key reasons you may not want to wait to sell your house.
1. S. ...
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real estate, buyer tips, buying a home, home buyers, realtor tips
Wednesday, November 27, 2024 / by Stephanie Deeds
Buying a home in today’s market can feel like an uphill battle – especially with home prices and mortgage rates putting pressure on your budget. If you’re feeling stuck, co-buying could be one way to help you get your foot in the door. Freddie Mac says:
“If you are an aspiring homeowner, buying a home with your family or friends could be an option.”
But there are some things you'll want to consider first. Let’s explore why co-buying is gaining popularity right now among some buyers and see if it may make sense for you too.
What Is Co-Buying?
Co-buying means buying a home with someone like a friend, sibling, or even a group of people. And, with today’s high home prices and mortgage rates, it’s an option more people are turning to.
According to a survey done by JW Surety Bonds, nearly 15% of Americans have already co-purchased a home with someone, and another 48% would consider. ...
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real estate, real estate news, buyer tips, buying a home, home buyers
Wednesday, November 27, 2024 / by Stephanie Deeds
Chances are you’re hearing a lot about mortgage rates right now, and all you really want to hear is that they’re coming back down. And if you’ve seen headlines about the early November Federal Funds Rate cut by the Federal Reserve (The Fed), maybe you got hopeful mortgage rates would start to decline right away. Although some media sources may lead you to believe that the Fed’s actions determine mortgage rates, in reality, they don’t.
The truth is, the Fed, the job market, inflation, geopolitical changes, and a whole list of other economic factors influence mortgage rates, too. So, while recent actions from the Fed set the stage for mortgage rates to come down over time — it's going to be a gradual and, likely bumpy, process.
Here’s the best advice anyone can give you right now. While you may be tempted to wait for rates to fall, it’s really hard to try and time the market — there’s just to. ...
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real estate, real estate news, buyer tips, realtor tips, mortgage, interest rates, housing market
Tuesday, November 26, 2024 / by Stephanie Deeds
With rising home prices and volatile mortgage rates, it’s important you know about every resource that could help make buying a home possible. And one thing you’ll want to be aware of is just how much the number of down payment assistance (DPA) programs has grown lately.
Take a look at the graph below to see how many new programs have been added in the last year, according to data from Down Payment Resource:
More Programs, More Opportunities for You
So, what does this increase mean for you? With more programs available, there’s a higher likelihood that one of them could help you reach your homeownership goals.
And these programs aren’t small-scale help either – the benefits can go a long way toward covering a chunk of your costs. As Rob Chrane, Founder and CEO of Down Payment Resource, shares:
“We are pleased to see a growing number of these programs, and think they are becoming a targeted w. ...
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buyer tips, buying a home, home buyers, interest rates
Wednesday, November 20, 2024 / by Stephanie Deeds
Trying to decide between renting or buying a home? One key factor that could help you choose is just how much homeownership can grow your net worth.
Every three years, the Federal Reserve Board shares a report called the Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF). It shows how much wealth homeowners and renters have – and the difference is significant.
On average, a homeowner’s net worth is nearly 40 times higher than a renter’s. Check out the graph below to see the difference for yourself:
Why Homeowner Wealth Is So High
In the previous version of that report, the average homeowner’s net worth was about $255,000, while the average renter’s was just $6,300. That’s still a big gap. But in the most recent update, the spread got even bigger as homeowner wealth grew even more (see graph below):
As the SCF report says:
“. . . the 2019-2022 growth in median net worth was the largest three-year increase over the history; ...
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real estate news, buyer tips, buying a home, realtor tips, real estate agent, renters, renting
