Buying & Selling Homes with The Collura Team

For Buyers , For Sellers , Move-Up Buyers Homeowners: Do You Know Your Home’s Value? “National Home Prices Now 50% Above March 2011 Bottom” The real estate market has come a long way since 2011, which is great news for homeowners! Nearly 79% of homeowners with a mortgage in the US now have significant equity in their homes (defined as over 20%) , according to the latest Equity Report . The challenge is that not every homeowner knows how much their home’s value has appreciated. Homeowners in Denver, CO lead the way with 8.7% appreciation over the last year, while owners in Washington and Utah have experienced a 3% increase in values since the start of this year! Nationally, CoreLogic forecasts that home values will increase another 5.0% by this time next year. Bill Banfield, VP of Capital Markets at Quicken Loans, recently explained the importance of knowing the conditions in your area, “With home values constantly changing, and the rates of change varying a

Empty Nesters: Best to Remodel or Time to Sell?   Sell your house and purchase the perfect home Based on the record of dollars spent on remodeling and renovations, it appears that many homeowners are deciding on number one. But, is that the best long-term solution? If you currently live in a 3-4-bedroom home, you probably bought it at a time when your children were the major consideration in determining family housing needs. Along with a large home, you more than likely also considered school district, the size of the property and the makeup of other families living in the neighborhood (example: you wanted a block with other kids your children could play with and a backyard large enough to accommodate that). Remodeling your home to meet your current needs might mean combining two bedrooms to make one beautiful master suite and changing another bedroom into the massive walk-in closet you always wanted. However, if you live in a neighborhood that historically

For Sellers ,  20 Tips for Preparing Your House for Sale          The Collura Team  Call or Text 352-279-0899 Some Highlights: When listing your house for sale your top goal will be to get the home sold for the best price possible! There are many small projects that you can do to ensure this happens! Your real estate agent will have a list of specific suggestions for getting your house ready for market and is a great resource for finding local contractors who can help!

Millennial Homeownership Rate Increases Recent headlines exclaimed the homeownership rate, as reported by the Census Bureau , rose again in the second quarter of 2017. What didn’t get much attention in the reports is that the homeownership rate for American households under the age of 35 increased a full percentage point from last quarter’s 34.3% to 35.3%. Millennials proved to have the highest increase of any age group. This came as a surprise to some considering Millennials have come to be known as the “renter” generation. However, a new study by First American , 6 Trends Poised to Reshape Homeownership Demand , revealed reasons why homeownership numbers will continue to increase for Millennials. Millennials are the most educated generation in the U.S. Why does that matter? First American explains: “Our model shows that, all other factors being equal, the likelihood of homeownership increases by 3 percent for those that earn a bachelor’s degree over those wi

3 Tips to Succeed in Today’s Real Estate Market   In today’s highly competitive real estate market, where inventory levels are not keeping up with the constant stream of buyer demand, there are steps you can take to ensure you are most prepared for success when buying a home. The 3 tips we are going to expand on today come from a recent blog by Trulia entitled, The Skinny on Skinny Inventory.   1. Be Prepared “Homebuyers should talk with a lender, real estate agent, and a home inspector BEFORE finding a home to make an offer on.” Being intentional, pre-approved, and prepared will set you up for the accelerated time tables that come with a highly competitive market. If you are the most prepared buyer interested in a home, if you have already secured financial approval, and if you are ready to move fast, your bid will be that much more attractive to a seller. 2. Think Strategically “Starter homebuyers don’t have a home to sell and can be flexible on closi

Pending Home Sales Sluggish as Low Supply Rears Its Head Pending home sales were sluggish in April as low supply reared its head, down 1.3 percent in the National Association of REALTORS ® (NAR)  Pending Home Sales Index  (PHSI). The PHSI posted 109.8 in April, down from 111.3 in March. The Index is based on contract signings. "Much of the country for the second straight month saw a pullback in pending sales as the rate of new listings continues to lag the quicker pace of hom

Your Opportunity to Achieve the American Dream Keeps Getting Better! Forbes.com recently released the latest results of their American Dream Index , in which they measure “the prosperity of the middle class, and…examine which states best support the American Dream.” The monthly index measures several different economic factors, including goods-producing employment, personal and commercial bankruptcies, building permits, startup activity, unemployment insurance claims, labor force participation, and layoffs. The national index score was rounded out to 100.0 in January as a baseline for comparison and it rose the fourth straight month in a row to 101.8. Alaska, coming in at 89.4, represented the lowest score on the index due in part to the recent collapse in oil prices. In contrast, Wyoming came in with the highest score at 115.1. The full results can be seen in the map below. Forbes Senior Editor Kurt Badenhausen explained why many states saw a boost i

Renting or Buying… Either Way You’re Paying a Mortgage   There are some people who have not purchased homes because they are uncomfortable taking on the obligation of a mortgage. Everyone should realize that, unless you are living with your parents rent-free, you are paying a mortgage – either yours or your landlord’s. As Entrepreneur Magazine, a premier source for small business, explained this month in their article, “ 12 Practical Steps to Getting Rich ”: “ While renting on a temporary basis isn’t terrible, you should most certainly own the roof over your head if you’re serious about your finances. It won’t make you rich overnight, but by renting, you’re paying someone else’s mortgage. In effect, you’re making someone else rich .” Christina Boyle, Senior Vice President and head of the Single-Family Sales & Relationship Management organization at  Freddie Mac,  explains another benefit of securing a mortgage vs. paying rent: “With a 30-year fixed rate mo

Buyer's Market Helps Premium Home Sales Soar We previously reported how a shortage of inventory in the starter and trade-up home markets is driving prices up and causing bidding wars, creating a true seller’s market. At the same time, in the premium home market, an over-abundance of inventory has started to see prices come down and put buyers in the driver’s seat, creating the beginning of a buyer’s market. Last week, the National Association of Realtors released their Existing Home Sales Report which shed some additional light on the impact of inventory levels on sales in each price range. The chart below shows the year-over-year difference in sales at each price range. The under $100K range has shown declines in recent years due to the shortage of distressed homes available for sale (just 5% of sales this past month, compared to 35% in January 2012). Sales in the next two price ranges are no doubt being hindered by low inventory as buyers compete for the same h

5 Reasons You Should Sell This Summer Here are five reasons listing your home for sale this summer makes sense. 1. Demand Is Strong The latest Buyer Traffic Report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) shows that buyer demand remains very strong throughout the vast majority of the country. These buyers are ready, willing and able to purchase… and are in the market right now! More often than not, multiple buyers are competing with each other to buy a home. Take advantage of the buyer activity currently in the market. 2. There Is Less Competition Now Housing inventory is currently at a 4.2-month supply , well under the 6-months needed for a normal housing market. This means, in the majority of the country, there are not enough homes for sale to satisfy the number of buyers in that market. This is good news for home prices. However, additional inventory could be coming to the market soon. There is a pent-up desire for many homeowners to move, as th

    4 Great Reasons to Buy This Spring! Here are four great reasons to consider buying a home today instead of waiting. 1. Prices Will Continue to Rise CoreLogic’s latest Home Price Index reports that home prices have appreciated by 6.9% over the last 12 months. The same report predicts that prices will continue to increase at a rate of 4.8% over the next year. The bottom in home prices has come and gone. Home values will continue to appreciate for years. Waiting no longer makes sense. 2. Mortgage Interest Rates Are Projected to Increase Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey shows that interest rates for a 30-year mortgage have remained around 4% over the last couple months. The Mortgage Bankers Association, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac & the National Association of Realtors are in unison, projecting that rates will increase by at least a half a percentage point this time next year. An increase in rates will impact YOUR monthly mortgage payment. A year

                                                                           Why Americans Consider Moving to Another State? Some Highlights: In a recent  Harris Poll,  Americans listed  "change in climate/weather"  as their top reason for wanting to relocate. 41% would move for a “better job opportunity.” Being closer to loved ones filled out 3 of the top 6 reasons why Americans move.

Tax Return Depressing? Owning a Home Could Help Many Americans got some depressing news last week; either their tax return was not as large as they had hoped or, in some cases, they were told they owed additional money to either the Federal or State government or both. One way to save on taxes is to own your own home. According to the Tax Policy Center ’s Briefing Book -“A citizen's guide to the fascinating (though often complex) elements of the federal Tax System” - there are several tax advantages to homeownership. Here are four items, and a quote on each, from the Briefing Book : 1. Mortgage Interest Deduction “Homeowners who itemize deductions may reduce their taxable income by deducting any interest paid on a home mortgage. The deduction is limited to interest paid on up to $1 million of debt incurred to purchase or substantially rehabilitate a home. Homeowners also may deduct interest paid on up to $100,000 of home equity debt, regardless of how they use t

How to Get the Most Money When Selling Your Home! Every homeowner wants to make sure they get the best price when selling their home. But how do you guarantee that you receive maximum value for your house? Here are two keys to ensuring you get the highest price possible. 1. Price it a LITTLE LOW  This may seem counterintuitive. However, let’s look at this concept for a moment. Many homeowners think that pricing their home a little OVER market value will leave them room for negotiation. In reality, this just dramatically lessens the demand for their house  (see chart below). Instead of the seller trying to ‘win’ the negotiation with one buyer, they should price it so that demand for the home is maximized. By doing this, the seller will not be fighting with a buyer over the price, but will instead have multiple buyers fighting with each other over the house. Realtor.com  gives this advice: “Aim to price your property at or just slightly below the going

Thinking of Selling? Do it TODAY!! That headline might be a little aggressive. However, as the data on the 2017 housing market begins to roll in, we can definitely say one thing: If you are considering selling, IT IS TIME TO LIST YOUR HOME! The February numbers are not in yet, but the January numbers were sensational. Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist for the National Association of Realtors , said: “Much of the country saw robust sales activity last month as strong hiring and improved consumer confidence at the end of last year appear to have sparked considerable interest in buying a home. Market challenges remain, but the housing market is off to a prosperous start as homebuyers staved off inventory levels that are far from adequate…” And CNBC says consumer confidence in the economy is fueling the market: “U.S. home resales surged to a 10-year high in January as buyers shrugged off higher prices and mortgage rates, a sign of growing confidence in the economy.” Th

Millennials Flock to Low Down Payment Programs A recent report released by Down Payment Resource shows that 65% of first-time homebuyers purchased their homes with a down payment of 6% or less in the month of January. The trend continued through all buyers with a mortgage, as 62% made a down payment of less than 20%, which is consistent with findings from December. An article by DS News points to the new wave of millennial homebuyers: “It seems that the long-awaited influx of millennial home buyers is beginning. Ellie Mae reported that mortgages to millennial borrowers for new home purchases continued their ascent in January, accounting for 84 percent of closed loans.” Among millennials who purchased homes in January, FHA loans remained popular, making up 35% of all loans closed. Ellie Mae’s Executive Vice President of Corporate Strategy  Joe Tyrrell gave some insight into why: “It is not surprising to see Millennial borrowers leverage FHA loans because they

                                                                                                                                                        Why Pre-Approval Should Be Your First Step In many markets across the country, the number of buyers searching for their dream homes greatly outnumbers the amount of homes for sale. This has led to a competitive marketplace where buyers often need to stand out. One way to show you are serious about buying your dream home is to get pre-qualified or pre-approved for a mortgage before starting your search. Even if you are in a market that is not as competitive, knowing your budget will give you the confidence of knowing if your dream home is within your reach.   Freddie Mac  lays out the advantages of pre-approval in the  My Home  section of their website: “It’s highly recommended that you work with your lender to get pre-approved before you begin house hunting. Pre-approval will tell you how much home you can afford

                                                                 352-279-0899 Buying a Home is More Affordable Than Renting in 66% of US Counties According to ATTOM Data Solutions’ 2017 Rental Affordability Report , buying a home is more affordable than renting in 354 of the 540 U.S. counties they analyzed. The report found that “making monthly house payments on a median-priced home — including mortgage, property taxes and insurance — is more affordable than the fair market rent on a three-bedroom property in 354 of the 540 counties analyzed in the report (66 percent).” For the report, ATTOM Data Solutions compared recently released fair market rent data from the Department of Housing and Urban Development with reported income amounts from the Department of Labor and Statistics to determine the percentage of income that a family would have to spend on their monthly housing cost (rent or mortgage payments). Rents have been surging faster than home prices in about 37

            Sales at Highest Pace in 10 Years!          Call The Collura Team  352-2769-0899 Highlights: 5.45 million existing homes were sold in 2016! This is the highest mark set since 2006. Inventory of existing homes for sale dropped to a 3.6-month supply, the lowest level since NAR began tracking in 1999. The median price of homes sold in December was $232,200. This is the 58 th consecutive month of year-over-year price gains.