Buying & Selling Homes with The Collura Team

                                                                                                                                                        Why Pre-Approval Should Be Your First Step In many markets across the country, the number ...

                                                                 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 Hous...

            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.

Have You Put Aside Enough for Closing Costs? There are many potential homebuyers, and even sellers, who believe that you need at least a 20% down payment in order to buy a home, or move on to their next home. Time after time, we have dispelled this myth by showing that there are many loan programs that allow you to put down as little as 3% (or 0% with a VA loan). If you have saved up your down payment and are ready to start your home search, one other piece of the puzzle is to make sure that you have saved enough for your closing costs. Freddie Mac defines closing costs as: “Closing costs, also called settlement fees, will need to be paid when you obtain a mortgage.  These are fees charged by people representing your purchase, including your lender, real estate agent, and other third parties involved in the transaction. Closing costs are typically between 2 and 5% of your purchase price.” We’ve recently heard from many first-time homebuyers that they wishe...

         Don’t Get Caught in the Rental Trap! There are many benefits to homeownership. One of the top ones is being able to protect yourself from rising rents and lock in your housing cost for the life of your mortgage. Don’t Become Trapped Jonathan Smoke, Chief Economist at realtor.com, reported on what he calls a “Rental Affordability Crisis.” He warns that, “Low rental vacancies and a lack of new rental construction are pushing up rents, and we expect that they’ll outpace home price appreciation in the year ahead.” In the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University's 2015 Report on Rental Housing, they reported that 49% of rental households are cost-burdened, meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on housing. These households struggle to save for a rainy day and pay other bills, such as food and healthcare. It’s Cheaper to Buy Than Rent In Smoke’s article, he went on to say, “Housing is ce...

  Why You Should Hire a Real Estate Professional When Buying a Home! Many people wonder whether they should hire a real estate professional to assist them in buying their dream home or if they should first try to go it on their own. In today’s market: you need an experienced professional! You Need an Expert Guide if You Are Traveling a Dangerous Path The field of real estate is loaded with land mines. You need a true expert to guide you through the dangerous pitfalls that currently exist. Finding a home that is priced appropriately and ready for you to move in to can be tricky. An agent listens to your wants and needs, and can sift through the homes that do not fit within the parameters of your “dream home.” A great agent will also have relationships with mortgage professionals and other experts that you will need in securing your dream home.   You Need a Skilled Negotiator In today’s market, hiring a talented negotiator could save you thou...

Rents Skyrocket at Highest Rate in almost a Decade The Consumer Price Index (CPI) was released by the Labor Department last week. An analysis by Market Watch revealed the cost of rent was 3.8% higher than a year ago for the second straight month in June. That’s the strongest yearly price gain since 2007 . This coincides with a report released earlier this month in which  AxioMetrics announced that rents are continuing to increase in 2016. The report revealed:  There was a 3.7% increase in effective rents in the second quarter of 2016 as compared to the same period last year. That the effective rent growth this quarter compared to last quarter was 2.3%. Annual effective rent growth was positive in 49 of the top 50 markets, based on number of units. Only Houston was negative, at -1.4%, as the fallout from energy-industry job losses and excess construction continues. Here is a graph to illustrate the rate of increase over the last several years: Bott...