Category: My Blog
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21 Hot Housing Trends for 2015
Everyone wants to be hip, and the latest trends in design can help distinguish one home from another. And it’s not all flash; many new home fads are geared to pare maintenance and energy use and deliver information faster. Here’s a look at what’s coming. DECEMBER 2014 | BY BARBARA BALLINGER This time of the year, […]
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Low Inventory May Drive Prices Up
For the first time in 16 months, inventory of homes available for sale dropped last month, according to the National Association of REALTORS®. Although the decline was slight, less than 1 percent, per month, the drop does indicate “a reversal to the general growth of listings that had been occurring throughout 2014,” writes Lawrence Yun, […]
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5 Mortgage Tips for Home Buyers
Here are some tips from Bankrate.com on securing a mortgage, getting the best rate, and more. 1. Be prepared to document your finances. Buyers need to prepare for extra review by lenders when underwriting mortgages due to new mortgage regulations that took place in January, particularly in proving the buyer’s ability to repay their loans. […]
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5 Most Affordable Housing Markets
According to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index, nearly 65% of new and existing homes sold between the beginning of October and the end of December, were affordable to families earning an average income of $64,400. This is largely unchanged from the third quarter index. The NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index […]
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Average Home Size Growing
An average new home size now has increased 300 square feet since 2009. It has increased from an average of 2,362 square feet in 2009, to 2,679 square feet in 2013. With this additional square footage, there are more homes adding more bedrooms, bathrooms, and amenities than there were in 2009. 48% of homes built […]
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No Spring Slowdown for New-Home Sales
In January, single family new-home sales surged to a five and a half year high, which is giving hope that the new-home sector isn’t going to slow down in Spring after all. New-home sales role 9.6% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 468,000 units in January. That is the highest it’s been since January […]
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12 States With the Lowest Amount of Foreclosures
Many homeowners in the U.S. are still dealing with the after-effects of the housing bubble and credit meltdown. However, the foreclosure market is starting to show signs of slowly improving. The amount of completed foreclosures in December dropped 14% in comparison to December 2012. There were 45,000 foreclosures in December 2013, whereas there were 52,000 […]
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Spring Selling Rush Coming Early
Spring is usually the busiest time of year for the housing market, when more people are putting their homes up for sale. However, the spring selling rush seems to be starting earlier this year. Some homeowners are already putting their homes up for sale to advantage of the rebounding home prices and improved equity. Sellers […]
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Rising Home Prices Lower Affordability
Strong price gains are starting to lower housing affordability- especially in the West. The average price of a single-family home rose in 73% of housing markets in the fourth quarter of 2013, 26% of which had double-digit pricing gains. Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist stated that, “The vast majority of home owners have seen significant […]
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More Consumer Commitment in 2014
According to a recent Consumer Survey from the last quarter of 2013, consumers are expected to be more committed to buying or selling a house this year. Of the 2,500 people surveyed, 78% said they had a positive view of real estate right now, which is 5 points higher than the previous quarter, and 15 […]
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