Homeownership Cycle and Inventory
An interesting homeownership cycle begins with a starter home and progresses to larger and smaller homes throughout a person’s lifetime. Within a few years after purchasing their initial home, they might move up to a little larger house. The reasons could be that they simply want a larger home and can afford it, or their increased family size may be motivating the move. While the children are small, they can probably get by with less space but as they grow and behave more like adults, even though they may not be, the need for more room becomes more pressing. Depending on the size of...
Read MoreMortgage Forbearance
Some homeowners who could not afford to make their mortgage payments this past year have been relieved to find out that their mortgage servicer or lender allowed them to pause or possibly, reduce their payments for a limited period. While it does relieve the financial pressure, it is a temporary remedy. About 2/3 of the people who entered forbearance during the pandemic have exited the program. There are only a little over two million homeowners remaining in forbearance. It is important for owners who find that they cannot make the payments on their mortgage to contact their lender and...
Read MoreSelecting the Right Agent in a Seller’s Market
Even in the current, low inventory housing market, sellers are resisting the urge to sell it themselves and still seeking the help of a real estate professional. It may be more important than ever and there is too much at stake to risk going it alone. The number of people attempting to sell on their own has been in steady decline since 2003 from 14% to 8% in the latest Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers produced by the National Association of REALTORS®. The most frequently mentioned difficulties that owners who decided to sell it without the benefit of an agent included preparing the...
Read MoreA Sad Story Relived Over and Over
Ask any real estate agent and they will tell you a similar sad story. The seller, whose home just hit the market, received an offer which was less than the list price, but felt secure their home would sell quickly and countered for more. For whatever reason, the buyer did not continue to negotiate and moved on. After a week or two and no other offers, the seller instructed the listing agent to contact the buyer’s agent and say that the seller had reconsidered and would now accept their original offer. However, the initial enthusiasm the buyer had was gone and they were looking...
Read MoreThe Dynamics of Home Equity
For many people, their home is their largest asset and their best performing investment. The equity in a home is the difference in what it is worth and what is owed. Two dynamics, appreciation and unpaid balance, work in concert to make homeowner’s equity grow. It can be said that you appreciate the fact that your home is your best financial investment. It is also ironic that the appreciation, the increase in value, is what causes it to be your best financial investment. In a one-year period, the increase in value divided by the beginning value will determine the rate of appreciation...
Read MoreDoing Nothing is Costing Something
It has been said that more money has been lost due to indecisions than ever was due to making the wrong decisions. Many times, the larger the decision, the more likely procrastination comes into play and doing nothing will cost something. Buying a home is certainly one of the biggest decisions people make. Careful consideration and planning are necessary steps leading to a prudent decision. Considering today’s market that includes a global pandemic, financial volatility, and rapidly rising home prices, it is understandable that many people thinking about a home purchase are in a wait...
Read More