Housing Market

13

Sep

Housing Market

How Buying or Selling a Home Benefits Your Community

When you think about buying or selling a home, your focus is often on the personal benefits, finding the perfect place to live, or getting a good return on your investment. However, these transactions do more than just impact your life; they also have a positive effect on the entire community. Here’s how buying or selling a home can benefit your local area. 1. Boosting the Local Economy Real estate transactions are a significant driver of economic activity. When you buy or sell a home, a whole host of local businesses benefit, from real estate agents and home inspectors to…

23

Feb

By Lori Blank

Real Estate

Understanding Short Sales: What They Are and Why You Might Want One

In the world of real estate, the term "short sale" often surfaces in conversations, but its meaning and implications might not be immediately clear to everyone. As a real estate agent, it's important to not only understand what a short sale is but also to effectively communicate its potential benefits to your clients. Let's delve into the intricacies of short sales and explore why they might be advantageous for certain buyers. What is a Short Sale? A short sale occurs when a homeowner sells their property for less than the outstanding mortgage balance. In essence, the proceeds from the sale…

23

Oct

By Lori Blank

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Financial Reports

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – October 23, 2023

This week featured the usual retail sales report which shows consumer demand and as well as an indicator of the velocity of money, not only for consumers but business to business as well. An increase would show an increase in national and local increase in economic activity, which is important as we move into Q4 of the year; where the holiday season is expected to see an increase in consumer activity. Retail Sales Retail sales have exceeded expectations this month showing month-to-month increases across the board: Retail sales are up 0.7% from the previous month with an expected increase of…

05

Sep

By lizlaurenb

Financial Reports

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – September 5, 2023

Last week’s economic reporting included readings on inflation, consumer sentiment, and weekly readings on mortgage rates and jobless claims. Inflation Rates Are Similar in August Month-to-month, the inflation rate holds relatively steady at 3.18 percent. This is slightly up when compared to 2.97 percent last month; however, it is significantly lower than the rate of 8.52 percent last year. When compared to the long-term average, inflation is trending in the right direction, as the long-term average is 3.2 percent. Inflation rose at a pace of 0.20 percent in July and met analysts’ expectations. There was no change in the…

29

Jun

By lizlaurenb

Financial Reports

S&P Case-Shiller Housing Market Indices: Short Supply of Homes for Sale Pushes Prices Up

April readings for S&P Case-Shiller’s Housing Market Indices showed gains in home prices throughout the U.S. Rising prices were caused by shortages of previously-owned homes for sale and increasing buyer demand as the average 30-year mortgage rate exceeded six percent. The southeastern region lost its top spot on S&P Case-Shiller’s 20-City Home Price Index as Chicago, Illinois, Atlanta, Georgia, and Tampa, Florida held the top three year-over-year home price growth rates for April. Chicago, Illinois Breaks Southeast’s Lead on April Home Price Growth The top three cities with the highest home price growth rates as reported in April’s S&P Case-Shiller’s…

09

Aug

By Lori Blank

Home Buyer Tips

Feeling Squeezed by Higher Rents? It Might Be Time to Consider Buying Your First Home

With the cost of rent going up across the board and becoming even less affordable in metropolitan centers, it's never been a better time to seriously consider home ownership. While the price of a home and all the associated costs can certainly seem like a tight squeeze after years of renting, here are some reasons you may want to consider giving up your rental and springing for a home instead. It's An Automatic Savings It's a sure bet that the money you spend on rent is going down the drain as soon as the month is over, but investing your…

01

Aug

By Lori Blank

Financial Reports

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – August 1, 2022

Last week’s economic news included readings on home price growth, new and pending home sales, and inflation. Weekly reports on mortgage rates and jobless claims were also released. S&P Case-Shiller: Home Price Growth Slows in May Home prices rose at a slower pace in May according to the S&P Case-Shiller National Home Price Index. Year-over-year home prices rose by 19.70 percent in May as compared to April’s year-over-year reading of 20.60 percent in home price appreciation. Tampa, Florida led S&P Case-Shiller’s 20-City Home Price Index with 36.10 percent year-over-year home price growth. Miami, Florida followed with 34.00 percent home price…

07

Jul

By Lori Blank

Homebuyer Tips

Buying A Home That’s Not For Sale

You’re ready to purchase a home, but you’ve looked at everything on the market and can’t find the perfect place. You’ve researched the school districts, neighborhoods and nearby amenities, and you know exactly in which area you want to live. However, anything that comes on the market in that part of town gets snapped up immediately. It’s time to get creative when it comes to buying a home. Start looking at places that are not currently for sale. You might have driven past your dream home, but you never thought of going the unconventional buying route. Well, take a look…

06

Jul

By Lori Blank

Real Estate

Maximize Your Investment: When To Sell Your House

Your house is an investment, and it is important for you to treat it as such. Therefore, when is the best time to sell your house? You need to figure out how you can get the most money for your home while also lining up the sale of your house with the timeline of your life. What do you need to know? Sell Your Home When The Market Is Hot First, you should sell your home when the market is hot. This means that there are more people looking for houses than there are houses on the market. This is…

01

Jul

By Lori Blank

Financial Reports

Case-Shiller: Home Price Growth Slows in April

U.S. home price growth continued but slowed in April according to the S&P Case-Shiller Home Price Indices. The national home price index posted year-over-year home price growth of 20.4 percent in April as compared to the corresponding home price growth rate of 20.6 percent in March. Analysts said that diminishing affordability was slowing rapid gains in home prices seen during the pandemic. 20-City Home Price Index: Florida and Arizona Report Top Home Price Growth Rates The top three cities for year-over-year home price growth in April’s 20-City Home Price Index were Tampa, Florida with a reading of 35.8 percent; Miami,…