Sellers’ Corner

Other resources:

• The true cost of selling a home If you’re reading this right now, it might be because you’re contemplating on selling your house. Before you decide to put your house up for sale in the market it will be wise for you to know exactly how much it will cost you. You might want to spruce things up around your house before ...
• Top 3 reasons to stage a home A lot of homeowners looking to sell their home are concerned with the overall cost it will take them to sell their home and would look for ways to cut down expenses. Most would look into staging as a way to cut down the cost. Though some may not view staging as an important factor ...
• Home Prices Up 6.34% Across The Country! [INFOGRAPHIC] Some Highlights: The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) recently released their latest Quarterly Home Price Index report. In the report, home prices are compared both regionally and by state.
• Further Proof It’s NOT 2008 All Over Again Home sales numbers are leveling off, the rate of price appreciation has slowed to more historically normal averages, and inventory is finally increasing. We are headed into a more normal housing market. However, some are seeing these adjustments as red flags and are suggesting that we are headed back to the same challenges we experienced in ...
• 24% Of Renters Believe Winter Is The Best Time To Buy A Home In real estate, the spring is often seen as the ideal time to buy or sell a house. The term “Spring Buyer’s Season” exists for a reason, as renters and those looking to move on from their current home thaw out from the winter and hit the market ready to buy. According to Bank of America’s annual Home Buyer Insights Report, ...
• The #1 Reason To Not Wait Until Spring To Sell Your House Many sellers believe that spring is the best time to place their homes on the market because buyer demand traditionally increases at that time of year, but what they don’t realize is that if every homeowner believes the same thing, then that is when they will have the most competition! The #1 Reason to List Your ...
• Existing Home Sales Slowed By A Lack Of Listings [INFOGRAPHIC]   Some Highlights: The inventory of existing homes is still below the 6-month supply needed for a normal market and is now at a 4.3-month supply. NAR’s Chief Economist, Lawrence Yun, had this to say: “After six consecutive months of decline, buyers are finally stepping back into the housing market. As more inventory enters the market and we head into the ...
• 7 Reasons To List Your House For Sale This Holiday Season Every year at this time there are many homeowners who decide to wait until after the holidays to list their homes for the first time, while others who already have their homes on the market decide to take them off until after the holidays. Here are seven great reasons not to wait: Relocation buyers are out there. ...
• What’s Going On With Home Prices? CoreLogic’s Chief Economist Frank Nothaft gave some insight into this change, “The rise in mortgage rates this summer to their highest level in seven years has made it more difficult for potential buyers to afford a home. The slackening in demand is reflected in the slowing of national appreciation, as illustrated in the CoreLogic Home Price Index.   National ...
• Are We About To Enter A Buyers’ Market? Home sales are below last year’s levels, home values are appreciating at a slower pace, and there are reports showing purchasing demand softening. This has some thinking we may be entering a buyers’ market after sellers have had the upper hand for the past several years. Is this really happening? The market has definitely softened. However, ...
• 2 Factors To Watch In Today’s Real Estate Market Whether Buying Or Selling When it comes to buying or selling a home there are many factors you should consider. Where you want to live, why you want to buy or sell, and who will help you along your journey are just some of those factors. Interest Rates Mortgage interest rates have been on the rise and are now over ...
• How Does The Supply Of Homes For Sale Impact Buyer Demand? The price of any item is determined by the supply of that item, as well as the market’s demand for it. The National Association of REALTORS (NAR) surveys “over 50,000 real estate practitioners about their expectations for home sales, prices and market conditions” for their monthly REALTORS Confidence Index. Their latest edition sheds some light on the relationship between seller traffic (supply) and buyer traffic(demand). Buyer Demand The ...
• Are Home Prices Softening Or Are They Falling? We are beginning to see reports that more housing inventory is coming to the market and that buyer demand may not be increasing at the same pace it did earlier this year. The result will be many headlines written to address the impact that these two situations will have on home values. Many of these headline ...
• Where Are Mortgage Interest Rates Headed In 2019? The interest rate you pay on your home mortgage has a direct impact on your monthly payment; the higher the rate, the greater the payment will be. That is why it is important to know where rates are headed when deciding to start your home search. Below is a chart created using Freddie Mac’s U.S. Economic & ...
• How Much Has Your Home Increased In Value? Home values have risen dramatically over the last twelve months. In CoreLogic’s most recent Home Price Index Report, they revealed that national home prices have increased by 6.2% year-over-year. CoreLogic broke down appreciation even further into four price ranges, giving us a more detailed view than if we had simply looked at the year-over-year increases in national median home price. The chart below ...
• 4 Reasons To Sell This Fall [INFOGRAPHIC] Some Highlights: Buyers are often competing with one another for the listings that are available. Perhaps the time has come for you and your family to move on and start living the life you desire.
• Is The Real Estate Market Finally Getting Back To Normal? The housing market has been anything but normal for the last eleven years. In a normal real estate market, home prices appreciate 3.7% annually. Below, however, are the price swings since 2007 according to the latest Home Price Expectation Survey: After the bubble burst in June 2007, values depreciated 6.1% annually until February 2012. From March 2012 to today, ...
• 25% Of Homes With A Mortgage Are Now Equity Rich! Rising home prices have been in the news a lot lately and much of the focus has been on whether home prices are accelerating too quickly, as well as how sustainable the growth in prices really is. One of the often-overlooked benefits of rising prices, however, is the impact that they have on a homeowner’s ...
• Home Prices: The Difference 5 Years Makes CoreLogic recently released their Home Price Index Report. One of the key indicators used in the report to determine the health of the housing market was home price appreciation. CoreLogic focused on appreciation from July 2013 to July 2018 to show how prices over the last five years have fared. The graph below was created to show the 5-year change in ...
• If You Are Thinking Of Selling You Must Act NOW! If you thought about selling your house this year, now more than ever may be the time to do it! The inventory of homes for sale is well below historic norms and buyer demand is skyrocketing. We were still in high school when we learned about the concept of supply and demand, so we understand that the best time ...
• Are Homebuyers Starting To Hit The ‘Pause’ Button? For the last several years, buyer demand has far exceeded the housing supply available for sale. This low supply and high demand have led to home prices appreciating by an average of 6.2% annually since 2012. With this being said, three of the four major reports used to measure buyer activity have revealed that purchasing demand ...
• Home Prices Have Appreciated 6.9% In 2018 Between 1987 and 1999, which is often referred to as the ‘Pre-Bubble Period,’ home prices grew at an average of 3.6% according to the Home Price Expectation Survey. Every month, the economists at CoreLogic release the results of their Home Price Insights Report, which includes the actual year-over-year change in prices across the country and their predictions for the following year. The ...
• NAR Reports Show It’s A Great Time To Sell! We all realize that the best time to sell anything is when the demand for that item is high and the supply of that item is limited. The last two major reports issued by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) revealed information that suggests that right now continues to be a great time to sell your house. Let’s ...
• Home Prices Up 6.49% Across The Country! [INFOGRAPHIC] Some Highlights: The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) recently released their latest quarterly Home Price Index report. In the report, home prices are compared both regionally and by state. Based on the latest numbers, if you plan on relocating to another state, waiting to move may end up costing you more!
• What Does The Future Hold For Home Prices? Home prices are at the top of everyone’s minds. Can they maintain their current pace of appreciation? Will rising mortgage rates negatively impact home values? Will the next economic slowdown cause prices to crash? Let’s try to answer these questions based on what has happened in the past as well as what we know about the ...
• 5 Reasons You Should Sell This Fall! Here are five reasons why listing your home for sale this fall makes sense. 1. Demand Is Strong These buyers are ready, willing and able to purchase…and are in the market right now! In fact, more often than not, multiple buyers end up competing with each other to buy the same homes. Take advantage of the buyer activity currently ...
• A+ Reasons To Hire A Real Estate Pro [INFOGRAPHIC] Some Highlights: Hiring a real estate professional to help you buy your dream home or sell your current house is one of the most ‘educated’ decisions you can make! Make sure that you hire someone who knows current market conditions and can simply and effectively explain them to you and your family!
• Why Are Existing Home Sales Down? The latest Existing Home Sales Report issued by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) revealed that home sales have decreased for four consecutive months and are at their slowest pace in over two years. This has some industry leaders puzzled considering the fact that the economy is strengthening, unemployment is down, and wages are beginning to rise. This begs ...
• Top 3 Myths About Today’s Real Estate Market There are many conflicting headlines when it comes to describing today’s real estate market. Some are making comparisons to the market we experienced 10 years ago and are starting to believe that we may be doomed to repeat ourselves. Others are just plain wrong when it comes to what it takes to qualify for a ...
• Home Sales Expected To Continue Increasing In 2019 Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, and the Mortgage Bankers Association are all projecting that home sales will increase nicely in 2019. Below is a chart depicting the projections of each entity for the remainder of 2018, as well as for 2019. As we can see, If you are a homeowner who has considered selling your house recently, now may be the best time ...
• What State Gives You The Most ‘Bang For Your Buck’? [INFOGRAPHIC] Some Highlights: The majority of states in the Midwest and South offer a lower cost of living than states in the Northeast and West. The ‘biggest bang for your buck’ comes in Mississippi where, compared to the national average, you can actually purchase $115.74 worth of goods for $100. For more information regarding the methodology used to create ...
• What Does The Recent Rash Of Price Reductions Mean To The Real Estate Market? Last week, in a new report from Zillow, it was revealed that there has been a rash of price reductions across the country. According to the report: There are more price cuts now than a year ago in over two-thirds of the nation’s largest metros About 14% of all listings had a price cut in June Since the beginning of the ...
• 5 Real Estate Reality TV Myths Explained Have you ever been flipping through the channels, only to find yourself glued to the couch in an HGTV binge session? We’ve all been there, watching entire seasons of “Love it or List it,” “Million Dollar Listing,” “House Hunters,” “Property Brothers,” and so many more all in one sitting. When you’re in the middle of your real estate ...
• Have You Outgrown Your Starter Home? For many Americans, buying their first home is their first taste of achieving part of the American Dream. There is a sense of pride that comes along with owning your own home and building your family’s wealth through your monthly mortgage payment. It may seem hard to imagine that the first home you purchased (which made ...
• Are You Thinking Of Selling Your Home? Competition Is Coming! The number of building permits issued for single-family homes is the best indicator of how many newly built homes will rise over the next few months. How will this impact buyers? More inventory means more options. Mark Fleming, First American’s Chief Economist, explained that this is good news for the housing market – especially for those looking to buy: “The continued ...
• Existing Home Sales Cooling Off This Summer [INFOGRAPHIC] Some Highlights: Inventory of homes for sale showed a modest improvement of 0.5% over last year’s figures, but still remains under the 6-month supply needed for a normal market. NAR’s Chief Economist Lawrence Yun had this to say: “There continues to be a mismatch since the spring between the growing level of homebuyer demand in most of the country ...
• Supply & Demand Will Determine Future Home Values Will home values continue to appreciate throughout 2018? The answer is simple: YES! – as long as there are more purchasers in the market than there are available homes for them to buy. This is known as the theory of “supply and demand,” which is defined as: “The amount of a commodity, product, or service available ...
• 5 Reasons To Hire A Real Estate Professional Before Entering The Market! Whether you are buying or selling a home, it can be quite the adventure. In this world of instant gratification and internet searches, many sellers think that they can ‘For Sale by Owner’ or ‘FSBO,’ but it’s not as easy as it may seem. That’s why you need an experienced real estate professional to guide you on the path to ...
• Are Lending Standards Propping Up Home Prices? Back in 2005, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan described the dramatic increases in residential real estate values as a “froth in housing markets.” Greenspan went on to say: “The increase in the prevalence of interest-only loans and the introduction of more-exotic forms of adjustable-rate mortgages are developments of particular concern…some households may be employing these instruments to purchase homes that ...
• You Need An Real Estate Agent Who Will Always Put You First Whether you are a rookie homebuyer or have gone through the process many times, having a local real estate expert who is well versed in the neighborhood you are looking to move to, as well as the trends of that area, should be your goal while home shopping. One great example of an agent who is in your ...
• The #1 Reason To Put Your House On The Market TODAY! The National Association of Realtors (NAR) released the results of their latest Existing Home Sales Report which revealed that home sales declined 0.6% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.38 million in June from 5.41 million in May, and are 2.2% below a year ago. Some may look at these numbers and think that now is a bad ...
• 4 Reasons Why We Are Not Heading Toward Another Housing Bubble With home prices continuing to appreciate above historic levels, some are concerned that we may be heading for another housing ‘boom & bust.’ It is important to remember, however, that Here are four key metrics that will explain why: Home Prices Mortgage Standards Foreclosure Rates Housing Affordability 1. HOME PRICES There is no doubt that home prices have reached 2006 levels ...
• Will Your Current House Fit Your Needs In Retirement? As more and more baby boomers enter retirement age, the question of whether or not to sell their homes and move will become a hot topic. In today’s housing market climate, with low available inventory in the starter and trade-up home categories, it makes sense to evaluate your home’s ability to adapt to your needs ...
• Selling Your Home? Here’s 2 Ways To Get The Best Price! Every homeowner wants to make sure that they maximize their financial reward when selling their home, but how do you guarantee that you receive the maximum value for your house? Here are two ways to ensure that you get the highest price possible. 1. Price it a Little Low This may seem counterintuitive, but let’s take a look ...
• Lack Of Listings Slowing Down The House Market As the real estate market continues to move down the road to a complete recovery, we see home values and home sales increasing while distressed sales (foreclosures and short sales) continue to fall to their lowest points in years. There is no doubt that the housing market will continue to strengthen throughout 2018. However, there is ...
• Housing Market Will Not Fall Victim To Next Economic Storm Some experts are calling for a slowdown in the economy later this year and most economists have predicted that the next recession could only be eighteen months away. The question is, what impact will a recession have on the housing market? Here are the opinions of several experts on the subject: Ivy Zelman in her latest “Z Report”: “While economic activity ...
• Demand For Homes To Buy Continues To Climb First-time homebuyers are out in force and are being met with a highly competitive summer real estate market. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the inventory of homes for sale “has fallen year-over-year for 36 consecutive months,” and now stands at a 4.1-month supply. A 6-month supply of inventory is necessary for a balanced market and has not been ...
• Want To Sell Your House Faster? Don’t Forget Home Staging! [INFOGRAPHIC] Some Highlights: The National Association of Realtors surveyed their members & released the findings of their Profile of Home Staging. 62% of seller’s agents say that staging a home decreases the amount of time a home spends on the market. 50% of staged homes saw a 1-10% increase in dollar-value offers from buyers. The top rooms to stage in order to attract ...
• How Long Do Most Families Live In A House? The National Association of Realtors (NAR) keeps historical data on many aspects of homeownership. One of their data points, which has changed dramatically, is the median tenure of a family in a home, meaning how long a family stays in a home prior to moving. As the graph below shows, over the last twenty years (1985-2008), the median tenure averaged ...
• The #1 Reason To List Your House For Sale NOW! If you are debating whether or not to list your house for sale this year, here is the #1 reason not to wait! Buyer Demand Continues to Outpace the Supply of Homes for Sale The National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) Chief Economist Lawrence Yun recently commented on the current lack of inventory: “Inventory coming onto the market during this year’s spring buying ...
• Why Should You Use A Professional Realtor To Sell Your Home? When homeowners decide to sell their houses, they obviously want to get the best possible price for their home with the least amount of hassles along the way. However, for the vast majority of sellers, the most important result is actually getting their homes sold. In order to accomplish all three goals, a seller should realize the importance ...
• Next Recession In 2020? What Will Be The Impact? Economists and analysts know that the country has experienced economic growth for almost a decade. They also know that a recession can’t be too far off. A recent report by Zillow Research shed light on a survey conducted by Pulsenomics in which they asked economists, investment strategists and market analysts how they felt about the current housing market. That report revealed ...
• What’s The Median Home Value In Your State? If you’ve entered the real estate market as a buyer or a seller, you’ve inevitably heard the mantra “location, location, location” in reference to identical homes increasing or decreasing in value based on where they’re located. In today’s housing market where home prices are appreciating quickly, it’s important to know that not every home appreciates at the same ...
• 4 Reasons To Sell This Summer [INFOGRAPHIC] Some Highlights: Perhaps the time has come for you and your family to move on and start living the life you desire.
• 3 Issues Facing Today’s Real Estate Market Last week, the National Association of Real Estate Editors (NAREE) held their 52nd Annual Journalism Conference in Las Vegas, NV. Among the many highly anticipated sessions was one called “Top Ten Issues Affecting Real Estate™,” given by Joseph Nahas, Jr., Chair of the Counselors of Real Estate & Senior Vice President of Equus Capital Partners.  The Counselors of Real Estate (CRE) “is an international organization of ...
• Top 5 Reasons You Shouldn’t FSBO In today’s market, with home prices rising and a lack of inventory, some homeowners may consider trying to sell their home on their own, known in the industry as a For Sale by Owner (FSBO). There are several reasons why this might not be a good idea for the vast majority of sellers. Here are the top five ...
• How A Lack of Inventory Impacts the Housing Market The housing crisis is finally in the rear-view mirror as the real estate market moves down the road to a complete recovery. Home values are up, home sales are up, and distressed sales (foreclosures and short sales) have fallen to their lowest points in years. The market will continue to strengthen in 2018. However, there is ...
• Top 4 Home Renovations For Max ROI [INFOGRAPHIC] Some Highlights: Whether you are selling your home, just purchased your first home or are a homeowner planning to stay put for a while, there is value in knowing which home improvement projects will net you the most Return On Investment (ROI). Minor bathroom renovations can go a long way toward improving the quality of your everyday life and/or ...