Blog Posts
The housing market keeps sailing along. The only headwind that could take it off course is the lack of inventory for sale. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reports 410,000 fewer single-family homes for sale this March than March 2020. The key to continued success in the residential housing market is for more listings to come on the market. However, many homeowners are concerned that selling their homes could be challenging for several reasons.
Recently, Homes.com released the findings of a survey that identified these concerns, as well as what it will take for homeowners to feel comfortable selling their houses. Here are the four major homeowner concerns and a quick explanation of what’s happening in the housing market today. more...
It’s not uncommon to wish to sell a home to a family member, but it can become a tricky situation. You have to be mindful of not only the personal elements that can come with doing this type of transaction with a relative, but the IRS may also scrutinize the transaction if you don’t avoid certain red flags.
It’s perfectly legal to sell a home to a family member as long as you’re not just doing it to avoid taxes. If you’re selling the property at a steeply discounted rate, you might have to pay an estate and gift tax, but beyond that, it’s just like any other real estate transaction.
Owner-Financed:
One option if you’re selling your home to your child, for example, is to select an owner-financed sale. Then, your family member would make payments to you instead of a bank. However, you’ll need to legally arrange it so that if your relative defaults, the home goes back to you automatically, enabling you to sell it. more...
It’s no secret that rent prices were dropping quickly during the pandemic – especially in major Bay Area cities. But according to a recent analysis, there are signs the pandemic-weary rental market is edging up just a bit.
After months of decline essentially due to the pandemic, the Bay Area rental market appears to be stabilizing, although there is still a lot of uncertainty as the economy reopens. Even as home prices are red hot, the median rent for a one-bedroom apartment has dropped as much as a quarter in many Bay Area cities, but rents have begun to edge up just a bit. more...
05/28/2021
Spring Real Estate Trends to Lookout For
Spring is always an interesting and exciting time in real estate, so what are analysts expecting we can see this year?
Increasing Mortgage Rates
Depending on how the economic recovery comes along, that mortgage rates could continue to increase. Rates have been on the rise for weeks, while earlier in the year, rates held under 3%. Analysts believe that it would be a good time for borrowers to try and lock in low rates now, with the anticipation they’ll tick upward through the year. more...
Lower mortgage rates are not prompting homeowners or potential homebuyers to contact their lenders, as other obstacles stand in their way. According to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s seasonally adjusted index, the total mortgage application volume fell 2.5% last week from the previous week.
The decline came even though the average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances ($548,250 or less) decreased to 3.17% from 3.20%, with points decreasing to 0.30 from 0.36 (including the origination fee) for loans with a 20% down payment. That is the lowest rate since the end of February. more...
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Over the last several years, millennials have rented to stay nimble and keep work opportunities open. Now, they're ready to buy. more...
The hot housing market is not even — and some cities and types of properties are noticing higher price gains than others. Condominium prices, in particular, are rising less than those for single-family homes across the board, according to recent insights from Black Knight.
The data firm reports that single-family home prices grew by 12.3% on average in 2020 — the highest appreciation rate since 1992 — but condos aren’t gaining as quickly. That could be an opportunity, especially for first-time homebuyers, in a market starved for inventory and where bidding wars occur in many markets. more...
This year, mortgage rates have started slowly climbing above recent record-breaking lows. Many homeowners planning to move may feel like they’ve missed the chance to score a great rate on their next mortgage. In reality, there’s still time to secure a rate far below the historical norm. Here’s why: After creeping up for seven consecutive weeks, average mortgage rates have dropped more recently (See graph below).
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The number of mortgage refinancing applications is dropping as mortgage rates have been rising in recent weeks. That may scare off some homeowners who could still greatly benefit from refinancing to lock in lower interest rates. more...
The recently enacted COVID-19 relief legislation, the American Rescue Plan Act, included $9.9 billion in relief for homeowners to be administered through a new Homeowner Assistance Fund. These funds, which will soon be made available to eligible homeowners through their states, may be used for assistance with mortgage payments, homeowner’s insurance, utility payments, and other specified purposes.
The creation of the Homeowner Assistance Fund was to prevent mortgage delinquencies and defaults, foreclosures, loss of utilities or home energy services, and displacement of homeowners experiencing financial hardship after January 21, 2020. The law prioritizes funds for homeowners who have experienced challenging difficulties, limits eligibility based on need, and only used for certain qualified expenses, outlined in more detail below. more...