Potential homebuyers who contact me for a mortgage are now frequently asking if they should wait to buy a home. The implication is that people are now worried that housing values are going to fall, so why buy now? Isn’t it smarter to wait? Maybe, maybe not. It is understandable why everybody is asking the question, “are housing values dropping now?”
Markets are very local. Don’t assume that real estate is going to fall across the board in every community, in every town, in every city across the U.S. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: house values, Housing market correction, housing values, Real estate values, should I wait to buy
Posted in Appraisal, Home Buying Process, housing values, interest rates, Lifestyle, mortgage, Realtors | No Comments »
A VA cash-out refinance can be used for many reasons. There are a few important things to know about cash-out refinancing to 100% loan-to-value (LTV) when using your VA eligibility.
On a VA cash-out refinance to a 100% LTV the 100% must include the VA funding fee. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: VA 100% loan to value cash out refinance, VA cash out refinance, VA mortgage
Posted in housing values, Loan Process, Refinance, Underwriting Rules, VA Mortgage | No Comments »
I often have conversations with potential homebuyers in speaking with them about their mortgage financing, where they ask me about whether I think Real Estate is due for a correction. Let’s face it, Real Estate has been going up in value at a striking pace in the last few years. It’s a realistic question to ask if some of that increase is due for a correction to some degree.
Of course, I don’t have the answers. But we can have a discussion to give homebuyers a frame of reference. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: historical real estate values, real estate, real estate correction, Real estate values
Posted in Home Buying Process, housing values | No Comments »
To rent or to own? If you are planning on moving and are financially stable enough to potentially qualify for a mortgage, there is a lot for you to consider. Buying a home usually requires a down payment plus closing costs; renting also comes with its own fees, but those are generally less than you will need to buy a home. Here, we will explore whether it is cheaper to rent or own a house and the pros and cons of both.
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Posted in Government, Home Buying Process, housing values, Personal, Prepayment, Realtors | No Comments »
If you are buying a home, you will need a mortgage lender to help you fund it. There are many mortgage lenders available, so finding the right one can be difficult sometimes. Here, we will look at how to reach out to mortgage lenders so that you can find the best lender available to help you finance your dream home.
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Posted in As Seen In, Condo, FHA, Government, housing values, mortgage | No Comments »
Many people are very focused on interest rates these days and are wondering where they are headed next and how it may affect their mortgage payment. Interest rates have been historically low for a very long time, and people are starting to fear that they may increase and have an outsized impact on the cost of purchasing a home.
You can see a chart of the long-term history of interest-rates by clicking here. This chart shows that we are definitely near the bottom of where interest-rates have been over a long period of time. On the other hand, if interest-rates start to go up does it have as much of an impact as people think? Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: interest rates, mortgage payment, rates rising
Posted in credit, housing values, interest rates, Loan Process, mortgage, tax breaks | No Comments »
Deciding on how much mortgage you can afford is very complicated with several things to consider. Before you plan to spend the maximum amount you’ve been approved for, consider what you feel comfortable with. And before you treat your home purchase like a zero-sum game consider spending a sufficient amount to buy enough house to keep you happy for a longer period of time, due to the hefty transaction costs of real estate. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: getting pre-approved, income, mortgage, pre-approval, pre-qualification, qualifying
Posted in credit, housing values, mortgage | No Comments »
When sellers set an asking price for their home I always imagine big dollar signs in their eyes. Most human beings suffer from wishful thinking and confirmation bias. But how should you price your home: high, low or right at market value? If sellers are underpricing they may hope to sell faster, or hope for a bidding war. Overpricing a home may allow you to get more for your house than what it’s really worth with luck that one buyer loves your home. Underpricing or overpricing your home can be a gamble. And the best thing you can do is come to terms with how much your house is really worth. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: appraisal, choosing a realtor, home sales, home sellers, home staging, housing market, mortgage appraisals, real estate, realtor, selling price
Posted in Appraisal, housing values, Sales | Comments Off on Is It Better to Overprice or Underprice Your Home For Sale?
Realtors often think appraisers are not the most accurate assessors of real estate values. And appraisers often think realtors know less than they do. Maybe they are both right? I have had appraisers admit that a good realtor will likely know more than an appraiser about the value of a certain home. This is because most appraisers are appraising a wider geographic area a than a realtor may specialize in. Many appraisers cover a multi-state area, whereas a lot of realtors specialize not only in one state, but also in one city or town. So, it is hard to expect Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: appraisal, appraisal challenges, home values
Posted in Appraisal, housing values | No Comments »
I commonly hear realtors and homeowners use price per square foot calculations when assessing the value of a home. But using price per square foot as a shortcut to determining the value of a home is flawed. Price per square foot is not a reliable indicator of market value because when you only calculate the relationship between size and sales price you are ignoring all the other variables of a home that a potential home buyer analyzes like view, lot size, level of finish, location, and much more. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: house prices
Posted in housing values | No Comments »
