BLOGS

CONSUMER GUIDE: WHY AM I BEING ASKED TO SIGN A WRITTEN BUYER AGREEMENT? If you’re a homebuyer working with an agent who is a REALTOR®, it means you are working with a professional ethically obligated to work in your best interest. As of August 17, 2024, you will be asked to sign a written buyer agre

CONSUMER GUIDE: REALTORS’® DUTY TO PUT CLIENT INTERESTS ABOVE THEIR OWN   A REALTOR® is a special kind of real estate agent: one who follows NAR’s strict Code of Ethics, including the first and primary pledge to protect and promote the interests of their clients. This obligation means that a REALTOR

You have 3 key opportunities if you’re looking to move this fall. Inventory is growing, homebuilders are motivated to sell, and mortgage rates have come down from their recent peak. Let’s connect if you want more information.

30YR Fixed 6.40% -0.22% 15YR Fixed 5.89% -0.26%   Rates Plummet as The Market Buys Into The Big Shift The events of this past week serve as an exclamation point in one of the many sentences that tells the story of the big shift away from the generationally high rates seen at the end of 2023.  The st

Why Markets Can’t Count on Inflation Data for Insight and 5 Other Things to Know Today. Traders are still in the dark about when the Federal Reserve might start cutting interest rates. Even two new inflation data points this week may not provide much more clarity. The producer price index is out Tue

30YR Fixed 6.91% +0.00% 15YR Fixed 6.47% +0.00%   Little Change in Mortgage Application Volume, Despite Lower Rates The Mortgage Bankers Association said its Market Composite Index moved lower last week, apparently indifferent to a slight improvement in mortgage interest rates. The Index, which meas

30YR Fixed 6.91% +0.00% 15YR Fixed 6.47% +0.00%   New Home Sales Decline Slightly, Prices Too Sales of newly constructed homes were virtually unchanged in February. The 662,000 seasonally adjusted annual units recorded in during the month was down by 2,000 units or 0.3 percent from the rate in Janua

30YR Fixed 6.62% -0.20% 15YR Fixed 6.15% -0.14%   Rates Plummet to Lowest Levels Since May, 2023 After Fed Announcement Today brought the scheduled Fed policy announcement that we've been waiting for and mortgage rates plummeted as a result.  So does that mean the Fed cut rates?  No...  The Fed kept

30YR Fixed 7.51% -0.18% 15YR Fixed 7.05% -0.05%   From 8% to Under 7.5%, Mortgage Rates Had a Near-Record Week The average top tier 30yr fixed mortgage rate was over 8% as recently as October 19th.  At the start of the present week, things weren't much better at 7.92%.  What a difference a few days

Your Home Equity Can Offset Affordability Challenges Are you thinking about selling your house? If so, today’s mortgage rates may be making you wonder if that’s the right decision. Some homeowners are reluctant to sell and take on a higher mortgage rate on their next home. If you’re worried about th

Are More Homes Coming onto the Market? An important factor shaping today’s market is the number of homes for sale. And, if you’re considering whether or not to list your house, that’s one of the biggest advantages you have right now. When housing inventory is this low, your house will stand out, esp

Why Is Housing Inventory So Low? One question that’s top of mind if you’re thinking about making a move today is: Why is it so hard to find a house to buy? And while it may be tempting to wait it out until you have more options, that’s probably not the best strategy. Here’s why. There aren’t enough

Buyer Traffic Is Still Stronger than the Norm Are you putting off selling your house because you’re worried no one’s buying because of where mortgage rates are? If so, know this: the latest data shows plenty of buyers are still out there, and they’re purchasing homes today. Here’s the data to prove

Where Are People Moving Today and Why? Plenty of people are still moving these days. And if you’re thinking of making a move yourself, you may be considering the inventory and affordability challenges in the housing market and wondering what you can do to help offset those. A new report from Gravy A

Don’t Fall for the Next Shocking Headlines About Home Prices If you’re thinking of buying or selling a home, one of the biggest questions you have right now is probably: what’s happening with home prices? And it’s no surprise you don’t have the clarity you need on that topic. Part of the issue is ho

30YR Fixed 6.96% -0.13% 15YR Fixed 6.38% -0.04%   Home Prices Hit New Peaks Despite Affordability Issues   The Black Knight Mortgage Monitor for May doesn’t even hint at a housing crisis on the horizon. Affordability is again (or maybe still) a concern, but buyers are out there, and home prices refl

Today’s Housing Inventory Is a Sweet Spot for Sellers One of the biggest challenges in the housing market right now is how few homes there are for sale compared to the number of people who want to buy them. To help emphasize just how limited housing inventory still is, let’s take a look at the lates

30YR Fixed 6.91% -0.01% 15YR Fixed 6.32% +0.00%   April Home Prices Bolster Case for Recovery Both the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index and the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA’s) Home Price Index (HPI) show home prices continuing to increase in April although at a muc

Do homes with solar panels sell for more than comparable homes without panels? Caption     Yes, homes with owned solar panels typically sell for more than comparable homes without panels. According to a study by Zillow, homes with solar panels sell for an average of 4.1% more than comparable homes w