The results are in – Karen Cannon, Realtors is an Atlanta Board of Realtors Top Ten Team for 2015. We want to thank all of our friends and clients for helping us achieve such great success! The Northside Neighbor has a featured article announcing the achievement. Keep an eye out for more announcements and news.
Thinking about buying a home? Since it’s likely the single biggest investment you will ever make, being prepared will help you make a smarter purchase decision. Don’t make an offer until you read and understand these real estate insider tips.
Know your buying power
What is buying power? It is the combination of how much you can realistically pay for a home and your credit-worthiness. You’ll need money saved for the down payment — which is typically between 10% – 20% of the price — as well as cash for closing costs, such as transfer tax, PMI, title insurance, and legal fees. For ongoing mortgage and maintenance, your monthly obligation shouldn’t be more than 36% of your monthly gross income.
A good credit score is usually 720 or above. A loan professional can help you figure out your buying power and give you a clearer idea of if your score is in the ‘good’ range. Have them check your score for you so that you don’t inadvertently lower your score by checking it yourself. You want to clean up your credit as soon as you can, and definitely before you get a mortgage pre-approval.
Don’t try to time the market
Even within a city’s limits, there can be micro markets that are increasing or decreasing in value. A knowledgeable buyer’s agent can provide you with a buyer’s market analysis report, outlining which neighborhoods are still up and coming — with potential for increased property value — versus those that have peaked with inflated home prices.
There’s never a perfect time to buy a home, even if you’re in a hot market. It can take a while to know what you like, and you may need to see 10 or more houses before you decide. Another good reason to be patient: you might find a better deal. Look for expired listings, which may offer more price flexibility and accept a lower-than-list offer. Don’t bother with FSBO (for sale by owner) listings though — since they’re not represented by a professional, they are often overpriced.
Be ready to make a stand-out offer
If you love it, make the offer. Otherwise, that dream home may disappear faster than you think, and especially if you’re buying in a hot market. Have your buying agent contact the listing agent before you submit an offer so that they can decide what’s important to include in the offer. If you’re serious about putting in an offer, you want to increase the chances that it’s accepted.
Show that you’re serious about the purchase by creating a buyer’s offer packet. It should include your lender’s preapproval letter, a screenshot of your down payment money in your bank account, and comps that support the rationalization of the offer you are presenting.
Once you’re in the negotiation process, have the inspection conducted before it’s too late to back out of a deal. If there are any major structural issues, you may be able to make the seller repair them as a contingency to your offer. Minor issues that you can repair on your own may be points for negotiating a lower offer.
Work with a professional for insider exclusives
If you’re thinking about buying a home soon, or even in the near future, let me know the details. I may have just what you’re looking for in an exclusive listing not available to the general public – so get in touch today!
Existing-Home Sales and Prices Climb
As we head into the busy spring home-selling season, home buyers will be happy to know that mortgage rates are back on the decline. The same can’t be said of home prices, though, which continue to rise.
Freddie Mac’s just-released weekly survey of lenders shows little change in the following average rates for the most popular home loan terms:
Get Expert Answers to Your Mortgage Questions
Get personalized help from an unbiased mortgage broker. Understand your options and find the best rates.
Compare Mortgage Rates for Free
See personalized mortgage rates in seconds using our comprehensive mortgage tool.
“Since the beginning of 2016, 30-year rates have fallen almost 40 basis points, helping housing markets sustain their momentum into this year. ” Sean Becketti, chief economist for Freddie Mac, said in a release.
In the meantime, rising home prices put a damper on home loan activity, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association weekly report. Overall, mortgage loan applications dropped 4.3% from one week earlier, with an 8% slip in refis in contrast to previous weeks of gains.
Purchase applications were down 4%, but are still 27% higher than the same week one year ago.
Existing-home sales, home prices climb
A shortage of housing inventory is pushing home prices and sales to new heights, but the upward climb isn’t necessarily a good thing for homebuyers.
According to the National Association of Realtors, existing-home sales in January climbed slightly — 0.4% — to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.47 million. That’s the highest annual rate since July 2015. While that’s good news for the market, homebuyers are feeling the pressure of inventory shortages, which helped push the median existing-home price up to $213,800, an 8.2% increase over January 2015.
Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, says that the housing market is off to a strong start this year, but a slowdown in new-home construction, as well as a lack of existing homes for sale in many markets, has the potential to keep pushing prices higher.
“The spring buying season is right around the corner, and current supply levels aren’t even close to what’s needed to accommodate the subsequent growth in housing demand,” Yun said in a release. “Home prices ascending near or above double-digit appreciation aren’t healthy — especially considering the fact that household income and wages are barely rising.”
To complicate things a bit more, new-home sales fell 9.2% in January to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 494,000, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. A 32.1% drop in new sales in the West (where homes are typically more expensive) was the driving force behind the plunge, followed closely by losses in the Midwest.
With a stall in new housing starts during these cold winter months, homebuyers might find it difficult to get into a newly built home or resale without some fierce competition. And despite mortgage rates staying below 4%, more homebuyers might be priced out of the market as housing prices continue to rise.
More from NerdWallet:
How Much Home Can You Afford?
Compare Mortgage Rates
Mortgage Payment Calculator
This article originally appeared on NerdWallet.
How Weather and the Time of Year Affect Housing!
Weather and the time of year have a big impact housing activity, and in every housing market there are times of the year when fewer homes sell. For most, that time of year coincides with the winter months, and in much of the U.S., that’s the case right now.
But no matter where you live, it’s important to know how seasonality affects the housing market. So let’s look at the current housing numbers, how seasonality affects them, and what it means for you if you’re looking to buy or sell.
With few homes available, sellers are in pole position
Last year, limited inventory dominated the headlines for the real estate industry, and that trend looks to continue this year. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), inventory dropped 12.3 percent from November to December, falling to 3.8 percent lower than December 2014. That equated to just a 3.9-month supply of homes.
Generally speaking, a 6-month supply of homes (meaning it would take six months at the current sales pace to sell all the homes on the market) represents a balanced market, one in which there are enough homes to meet demand. For much of 2015, inventory remained well below a 6-month supply, and will likely remain so for 2016.
Why is inventory so constrained? Part of the sharp drop in December is due to the seasonal slow down in many states. Cold weather and holidays keep many buyers out of the market and many sellers waiting for demand to pick back up. Additionally, new home construction came to a standstill when the housing market crashed, so there are fewer new homes available. Existing home inventory is low as well. A combination of factors, such as locked-in low interest rates and a sense that home prices will continue to increase, are keeping current homeowners from listing their homes.
If you’re thinking of selling, this market is very much a seller’s market. When inventory is scarce, buyers are forced to compete over the few homes for sale. Homes are selling faster, and in many markets bidding wars drive home prices up well above asking. At the very least, you’ll be in a strong negotiating position.
Economic Conditions and Home Affordability Continue to Sideline Buyers
For buyers, the market is tough, and the low number of first-time buyers illustrates just how tough it is. In a separate study conducted by NAR, first-time homebuyers in 2015 made up the lowest share of the market in nearly three decades.
Many factors are keeping first-time home buyers sidelined. Despite a strengthening economy and job growth, wages have remained relatively stagnant. At the same time, rent prices have skyrocketed and continue to rise. Combined, these factors are preventing millennials from saving enough for a significant down payment.
At the same time, home affordability continues to suffer. Home prices have risen quickly over the last three and half years, again outpacing wage and job growth. Prices are expected to rise more modestly this year, somewhere around 4 to 5 percent.
These factors combined with limited inventory are making it difficult for buyers to find the home they want at a price they can afford. However, if you’re thinking of buying, it is important to start looking sooner rather than later…
Mortgage Rates & Increasing Finance Accessibility
In February, mortgage rates remain near record lows. According to Freddie Mac’s Mortgage Survey, the average mortgage rate for a 30-yr FRM was just 3.65%. Despite tough market conditions, these rates present an excellent opportunity if you’re thinking of buying.
In a piece of good news for buyers, it should be easier to get financing in 2016. Fannie Mae’s fourth quarter 2015 Mortgage Lender Sentiment Survey™ shows that lenders expect to ease mortgage credit standards for GSE-eligible loans and government loans over the next three months, opening the door for more buyers to get financing.
If You’re Thinking of Buying, Act Sooner Rather Than Later
If you’re thinking of buying a home, it’s important to act sooner rather than later. As the year goes on, affordability will continue to suffer. With home prices expected to increased around 4 to 5 percent this year and mortgage rates expected to rise to around 4.5 percent, the longer you wait to buy, the less home you’ll be able to afford. Even small increases in mortgage rates and home prices can have a large impact on your future monthly mortgage payment!
We recently sponsored and participated in the Taste of Dunwoody event benefiting Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. The music was great, the food was fantastic and the purpose was heartwarming. KCR owners, Anderson and Karen Cannon, attended the event to represent our company and enjoyed catching up with friends, clients and others in the community. A big thank you to all the volunteers and sponsors who helped make this year’s Taste of Dunwoody a successful fundraiser and community event!