As shelter-in-place orders were implemented earlier this year, many questioned what the shutdown would mean to the real estate market. Specifically, there was concern about home values. After years of rising home prices, would 2020 be the year this appreciation trend would come to a screeching halt? Even worse, would home values begin to depreciate? Original forecasts modeled this uncertainty, and they ranged anywhere from home values gaining 3% (Zelman & Associates) to home values depreciating by more than 6% (CoreLogic). However, as the year unfolded, it became clear that there … Continue reading...

Last Year’s Success May Be Trailing This Year's Numbers Back in March, as the nation’s economy was shut down because of the coronavirus, many were predicting the real estate market would face a major collapse. Some forecasts called for a 15-20% decline in transactions. However, six months later, it seems as though the housing market has fully recovered - a great success, although we won't fully know that for another year or two, due to the possibility of increased foreclosures once forbearance comes to an end. Happily, though, even those numbers look low. Mark Fleming, Chief Economist at … Continue reading...

Some Highlights As a seller today, you may think pricing your home on the high end will result in a higher final sale price, but the opposite is actually true. To sell your home quickly and for the best possible price, you should eliminate buyer concerns by pricing your home competitively right from the start. Let’s connect today to make sure you have the guidance you need to price your home right this fall. Content previously posted on Keeping Current Matters … Continue reading...

Homeownership is one of the best ways to invest in your financial future, especially as your home equity grows. Home equity is a form of forced savings that can work to your advantage as the value of your home appreciates. Across the country, home equity was increasing before the health crisis swept our nation, and it continues to grow throughout the year, giving sellers powerful options in this market. According to the just-released Q2 Homeowner Equity Insights Report by CoreLogic: “U.S. homeowners with mortgages (roughly 63% of all properties) have seen their equity increase by a total of … Continue reading...

Last week, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) reported their Housing Market Index (HMI) hit an all-time high in the 35-year history of the series with a score of 83. The index gauges builder perceptions of current single-family home sales and sale expectations for the next six months, as well as the traffic of prospective buyers of new homes. As the following chart shows, confidence dropped dramatically when stay-in-place orders were originally mandated earlier this year. Since then, it has soared back.Looking at the three-month moving averages for HMI scores, confidence … Continue reading...

Housing inventory is at an all-time low. There are 39% fewer homes for sale today than at this time last year, and buyer demand continues to set records. Zillow recently reported: “Newly pending sales are up 25.5% compared to the same week last year, the highest year-over-year increase in the weekly Zillow database.” Whenever there is a shortage in supply of an item that’s in high demand, the price of that item increases. That’s exactly what’s happening in the real estate market right now. CoreLogic’s latest Home Price Index reports that values have increased by 5.5% over the last year. This … Continue reading...

Earlier this year, many economists and market analysts were predicting an apocalyptic financial downturn that would potentially rattle the U.S. economy for years to come. They immediately started to compare it to the Great Depression of a century ago. Six months later, the economy is still trying to stabilize, but it is evident that the country will not face the total devastation projected by some. As we continue to battle the pandemic, forecasts are now being revised upward. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) just reported: “The U.S. economy and labor market are recovering from the … Continue reading...

Some Highlights Buyers are actively searching for and purchasing homes at a record-breaking pace. According to the latest report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), in July, 68% of homes were on the market for less than a month. With homes moving from listing day to pending sale in an average of just 22 days, it’s a great time to sell a house. Let’s connect today so you can make your move while buyers are scooping homes up faster than they’re coming to market. Content previously posted on Keeping Current Matters … Continue reading...

Real estate continues to be called the ‘bright spot’ in the current economy, but there’s one thing that may hold the housing market back from achieving its full potential this year: the lack of homes for sale. Buyers are actively searching for and purchasing homes, looking to capitalize on today’s historically low interest rates, but there just aren’t enough houses for sale to meet that growing need. Sam Khater, Chief Economist at Freddie Mac, explains: “Mortgage rates have hit another record low due to a late summer slowdown in the economic recovery…These low rates have ignited robust … Continue reading...