Rising rents are making it more and more difficult for hopeful home buyers to save enough money for a downpayment and closing costs. Home ownership has a mountain of advantages, not the least of which is the ability to build equity while establishing stability for you and your family. While your investment appreciates, homeowners can… Read More
Home Equity
Home Prices Rising While Interest Rates Fall
I’ve never seen anything like it… incredibly low, almost ridiculously low mortgage interest rates, in the high 2’s !! If you’ve been putting off that home purchase, now is probably the time to get off the fence. I could be mistaken, but I can’t imagine you’re going to find better (read LOWER) mortgage interest rates… Read More
Is Overpricing Your Home a Good Strategy? Things to Consider and Mistakes You Might Make
One might assume in these days of inadequate inventory and eager home buyers, that over-pricing your home would be a fast route to a little extra income. After all, fewer homes on the market means more competition for every listing, right? There are several reasons why the overpricing strategy will likely backfire. The first, and… Read More
Did an Unseasonably Warm Winter Cause Spring Home Prices to Escalate?
Did an Unseasonably Warm Winter Cause Spring Home Prices to Escalate? We experienced an unseasonably warm winter, at the same time housing prices pushed higher, according to Clear Capital’s recently released Home Data Index (HDI) report, showing national quarterly home price growth at 0.9 percent. The Spring market boom started early this year and stronger… Read More
Do You Live in an Equity Rich State?
Do You Live in an Equity Rich State? Foreclosures are no longer common, short sales are almost non-existent, and in most areas of the country homeowners have regained, if not exceeded, the equity in their homes that they enjoyed before the ‘bust’. In the mainstream market in most American cities and towns, home prices are… Read More
Equity-Rich Homeowners Accumulating Wealth and on the Move
Equity-Rich Homeowners Accumulating Wealth and on the Move. I’ve been in this business a long time and I’ve seen several market cycles with all their ups and downs, the confident and the dismal. It’s heartwarming to see homeowners again being able to sell their home because they have equity and not in spite of it…. Read More
Infographic: How Many Hours Do You Have to Work to Afford Your Mortgage?
Infographic: How Many Hours Do You Have to Work to Afford Your Mortgage? True, owning a home is an expensive proposition. Yes you are paying a mortgage. If you’re renting a home you are still paying a mortgage, just someone else’s. True, you have utilities and upkeep. But you’ll be paying utilities either way and… Read More
Video: Housing Market Progresses Toward Stability
Housing market stability is always great news for Realtors, Appraisers and Banks, but the best news is for homeowners. What this really means to homeowners is that the equity you have in your home is growing. Investors are finding that the balance in our Real Estate Market is supporting the logic of investing again. The… Read More
America’s Seniors Hold More Home Equity than Pre-Recession Peak
America’s Seniors Hold More Home Equity than Pre-Recession Peak An estimated $140.2 billion increase in the aggregate value of homes owned by seniors drove their share of home equity to $5.83 trillion and fueled the NRMLA/RiskSpan Reverse Mortgage Market Index (RMMI) to an all-time high in Q4 2015 of 203.20 from 198.53 in Q3. This information comes from data… Read More
Video: Home Equity Loan Dos and Donts
Home Equity loans are coming back into favor with most banks. You might consider a home equity to make major improvements to your home, which could ultimately boost your home’s value giving you even more equity. With interest rates still remarkably low, now might be the time to think about making the equity you have… Read More