There’s no doubt that 2021 is the year of the seller when it comes to the housing market. If you’re a homeowner thinking of moving to better suit your changing needs, now is the perfect time to do so. Low mortgage rates are in your favor when you’re ready to purchase your dream home, and high buyer demand may give you the leverage you need to negotiate the best contract terms on the sale of your house. Here’s a look at what’s driving this sellers’ advantage and why there’s so much opportunity for homeowners who are ready to move this season. 1. Historically Low InventoryThe National Association of Realtors (NAR) explains: “Total housing inventory at the end of March amounted to 1.07 million units, up 3.9% from February’s inventory . . . Unsold inventory sits at a 2.1-month supply at the current sales pace, marginally up from February’s 2.0-month supply and down from the 3.3-month supply recorded in March 2020.” Even with a slight rise in the number of houses for sale this spring, inventory remains near an all-time low (See graph below): High buyer interest is creating a major imbalance between supply and demand, but as the small uptick in inventory shows, sellers are beginning to reenter the market. Selling your house now enables you to take advantage of buyer demand and get the most attention for your house – before more listings come to the market later this year. 2. Frequent Bidding Wars As a result of the supply and demand imbalance, homebuyers are entering bidding wars at an accelerating rate. NAR reports the average number of bids received on the most recently closed sales is 4.8 offers. This number has doubled since the first quarter of 2020 (See graph below): As buyers face increasingly tough competition while searching for homes to purchase, they’re more likely to be flexible and generous in their negotiations. This gives a seller the opportunity to choose the best buyer for their needs and be selective about things like time to close, contingencies, renovations, and more. Working with your trusted agent is the best way to determine how to navigate the negotiation process when selling your house. 3. Days on the Market In today’s market, sellers aren’t waiting very long to find a buyer for their house, either. NAR reports: “Properties typically remained on the market for 18 days in March, down from 20 days in February and from 29 days in March 2020. 83% of the homes sold in March 2021 were on the market for less than a month.” (See graph below): NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun explains:
“The sales for March would have been measurably higher, had there been more inventory…Days-on-market are swift, multiple offers are prevalent, and buyer confidence is rising.” Bottom Line If you’re thinking about moving, these three graphs clearly show that it’s a great time to sell your house. Contact a real estate professional today to learn more about the opportunities in your local area. SOURCE KCM #ForSellers #SellingMyths #SimardRealtyGroup #RealBrokerLLC
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SOURCE KCM #Buyingmyths #Infographics #Buyers #SimardRealtyGroup Owning a home is one of the best ways to build long-term wealth. In fact, year after year, homeowners continue to have far more wealth than renters do. If you’re in a position to buy a home, there’s no doubt it’s one of the best investments you can make. DM me your questions about homeownership so we can get started on the process today.
#networth #firsttimehomebuyer #buildwealth #homeownership #opportunity #housingmarket #locationlocationlocation #newlisting #homeforsale #renovated #starterhome #dreamhome #curbappeal #keepingcurrentmatters Many people are sitting on the fence trying to decide if now’s the time to buy a home. Some are renters who have a strong desire to become homeowners but are unsure if buying right now makes sense. Others may be homeowners who are realizing that their current home no longer fits their changing needs.
To determine if they should buy now or wait another year, they both need to ask two simple questions:
Let’s shed some light on the answers to these questions. Where will home prices be a year from now? If you average the most recent projections from the major industry forecasters, the expectation is home prices will increase by 7.7%. Let’s take a house that’s valued today at $325,000 as an example. If the buyer makes a 10% down payment ($32,500), they’ll end up borrowing $292,500 for their mortgage. Applying the projected rate of home price appreciation, that same house will cost $350,025 next year. With a 10% down payment ($35,003), they’d then have to borrow $315,022. Therefore, as a result of rising home prices alone, a prospective buyer will have to put down an additional $2,503 and borrow an additional $22,523 just for waiting a year to make their move. Where will mortgage rates be a year from now? Today, mortgage rates are hovering around 3%. However, most experts believe they’ll rise as the economy continues to recover. Any increase in the mortgage rate will also increase a purchaser’s cost. Here are the forecasts for the first quarter of 2022 from four major entities:
What does it mean to you if home values and mortgage rates increase? A buyer will pay a lot more in mortgage payments each month if both of these variables increase. Assuming a buyer purchases a $325,000 home this year with a 30-year fixed-rate loan at 3% after making a 10% down payment, their monthly principal and interest payment would be $1,233. That same home one year from now could be $350,025, and the mortgage rate could be 3.6% (based on the industry forecasts mentioned above). That monthly principal and interest payment, after putting down 10%, totals $1,432. The difference in the monthly mortgage payment would be $199. That’s $2,388 more per year and $71,640 over the life of the loan. Add to that the approximately $25,000 a house with a similar value would build in home equity this year as a result of home price appreciation, and the total net worth increase a purchaser could gain by buying this year is nearly $100,000. That’s a small fortune. Bottom Line When asking if they should buy a home, many potential buyers think of the nonfinancial benefits of owning a home. When asking when to buy, the financial benefits make it clear that doing so now is much more advantageous than waiting until next year. SOURCE KCM #DownPayments #Pricing #InterestRates #SimardRealtyGroup #RealBrokerLLC Home prices are forecast to increase for the next five years, and homeowners are poised to build substantial #homeequity as a result. If you’re in a position to buy a home, this is a great time to do so and begin building your net worth. DM me to learn more about the opportunities available in our local market.
#homeprices #equity #expertanswers #homepriceappreciation #affordability #realestate #homevalues #homeownership #homebuying #realestategoals #realestatetips #realestatelife #realestatetipsandadvice #keepingcurrentmatters So far this year, mortgage rates continue to hover around 3%, encouraging many hopeful homebuyers to enter the housing market. However, there’s a good chance rates will increase later this year and going into 2022, ultimately making it more expensive to borrow money for a home loan. Here’s a look at what several experts have to say. Danielle Hale, Chief Economist, realtor.com: “Our long-term view for mortgage rates in 2021 is higher. As the economic outlook strengthens, thanks to progress against coronavirus and vaccines plus a dose of stimulus from the government, this pushes up expectations for economic growth . . . .” Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist, National Association of Realtors (NAR): “In 2021, I think rates will be similar or modestly higher . . . mortgage rates will continue to be historically favorable.” Freddie Mac: “We forecast that mortgage rates will continue to rise through the end of next year. We estimate the 30-year fixed mortgage rate will average 3.4% in the fourth quarter of 2021, rising to 3.8% in the fourth quarter of 2022.” Below are the most recent mortgage rate forecasts from four top authorities – Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), and NAR: Bottom Line
If you’re planning to buy a home, purchasing before mortgage interest rates rise may help you save significantly over the life of your home loan. SOURCE KCM #FirstTimeHomeBuyers #InterestRates #MoveUpBuyers #SimardRealtyGroup The housing market keeps sailing along. The only headwind that could take it off course is the lack of inventory for sale. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reports that there were 410,000 fewer single-family homes for sale this March than in March of 2020. The key to continued success in the residential housing market is for more listings to come on the market. However, many homeowners are concerned that selling their homes could be challenging for several reasons. Recently, Homes.com released the findings of a survey that identified these concerns, as well as what it will take for homeowners to feel comfortable selling their houses. Here are the four major homeowner concerns and a quick explanation of what’s actually happening in the housing market today. 1. Homeowners don’t know if they’ll be able to secure their next home before selling. In negotiations, leverage is the power that one side may have to influence the other side while moving closer to their negotiating position. A party’s leverage is based on the ability to award benefits or eliminate costs on the other side. In today’s market, buyers have compelling reasons to purchase a home now:
These buyer needs give the seller tremendous leverage. Most already realize this leverage enables the homeowner to sell at a good price. However, this leverage may also be used to negotiate time to find their next home. The homeowner could sell their home to the buyer at today’s price, which will enable the purchaser to take advantage of current mortgage rates. In return, the buyer might lease the house back to the seller for a pre-determined length of time while the seller finds a new home or has one built. This gives the buyer what they want while also giving the seller what they need. It’s a true win-win negotiation. 2. Homeowners don’t know if their current home will sell for the asking price or top market price. This is the perfect time to maximize profits while selling a house. NAR just released a study showing that bidding wars are at an all-time high. The study reveals that when comparing the first quarter of last year to the first quarter of this year, the number of offers on homes for sale doubled from an average of 2.4 to 4.8 offers. Whenever there’s a bidding war, the price of the item for sale escalates. Bloomberg recently reported: “For the first time ever, the average U.S. home is selling for above its list price.” If a seller is looking for a top-dollar sale, there’s no better time to sell than right now. 3. Homeowners don’t know if they will get an offer without their home requiring work or updates. Again, leverage is the greatest strength a seller has in this market. Due to the lack of homes for sale, many buyers are more willing to take on home improvement projects themselves in order to get the home they’re after. A recent post on whether or not to renovate before selling notes: “It may be wise to let future homeowners remodel the bathroom or the kitchen to make design decisions that are best for their specific taste and lifestyle. As a seller, your dollars and time might be better spent working on small cosmetic updates, like refreshing some paint and power washing the exterior. Instead of over-investing in your home with upgrades that the buyers may change anyway, work with a real estate professional to determine the key projects that will maximize your listing, without overdoing it.” If a seller is worried about doing work or updates on their home, they must realize that today’s historically low inventory likely renders these projects less critical to the sale of the house. 4. Homeowners don’t know if they can have a quick closing process. When speed is important, there are two points sellers should look at:
In the latest Existing Home Sales Report, NAR explains: “Properties typically remained on the market for 18 days in March, down from 20 days in February and from 29 days in March 2020. Eighty-three percent of the homes sold in March 2021 were on the market for less than a month.” Eighteen days is fast, and it’s a new record. Here are the days the average house is on the market in each state: Regarding the time it will take to close the transaction, all-cash sales accounted for 23% of all home purchase transactions in March. All-cash sales can usually be closed in thirty days.
If a mortgage is necessary, the most recent Origination Insight Report from Ellie Mae shows: “Time to close all loans decreased in March. The average time to close a purchase fell to 51 days, down from 53 the month prior.” If you’re looking for a quick closing process, there’s never been a market in which the two-step process (finding a buyer and closing the deal) has taken less time. Bottom Line Selling your house can be daunting, especially in a fast-paced market. However, the fact that we’re in such a strong sellers’ market clearly eliminates many common concerns. Contact a real estate professional today to learn more about the opportunities for homeowners who are ready to sell. SOURCE KCM #Pricing #SellingMyths #SimardRealtyGroup #joinRealBrokerLLC Buying a home is an investment in your future. With home values expected to appreciate in the years to come, buying a starter home today sets you up to build equity that can help you afford your dream home down the road. DM me to learn more about why homeownership is the favored investment for most Americans.
#planforyourfuture #moveup #firsttimehomebuyer #opportunity #housingmarket #houseshopping #housegoals #investmentproperty #newlisting #homeforsale #starterhome #dreamhome #curbappeal #keepingcurrentmatters Homeownership is a foundational part of the American Dream. As we look back on more than a year of sheltering in our homes, having a place of our own is more important than ever. While financial benefits are always a key aspect of homeownership, today, homeowners rank the nonfinancial and personal benefits with even higher value.
Recently, two national surveys revealed the reasons homeownership is such an important part of life. The top three personal benefits of homeownership noted by respondents in Unison’s 2021 report on The State of the American Homeowner are:
These sentiments were supported by the most recent National Housing Survey from Fannie Mae, which also shows that the top three reasons Americans value homeownership have nothing to do with money. Those surveyed were given a list of feelings and accomplishments that are associated with or impacted by where we live. They were then asked, “To achieve this, are you better off owning or better off renting?” Here are the top three points from the list that respondents said homeownership could help them achieve:
Other nonfinancial advantages of homeownership revealed by the survey include feeling engaged in a community, having flexibility in future decisions, and experiencing less stress. Bottom Line Financial and nonfinancial benefits are a key component to the value of homeownership, but the nonfinancial side is most valued after a year full of pandemic-driven challenges. Contact a real estate professional today if you’re ready to take the first steps toward becoming a homeowner. SOURCE KCM #RentVSBuy #ForBuyers #SimardRealtyGroup #RealBroerLLC |
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