Buying a House? 3 Reasons to Do it Now!

by The KCM Crew on June 24, 2013

in For Buyers

Here are three great reasons to consider buying a home today instead of waiting.

1.) Prices Will Continue to Rise

Standard & Poors recently upgraded their 2013 forecast for the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index to an 11% year-over-year increase from their original 8% projection.
 

The Home Price Expectation Survey, which polls a distinguished panel of over 100 economists, investment strategists, and housing market analysts, projects a 22.3% appreciation in home values over the next five years. The bottom in home prices has passed. Waiting no longer makes sense.

2.) Mortgage Interest Rates Are Increasing

As reported by Freddie Mac, interest rates for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages have risen about 1/2 percentage point over the past several weeks.

The National Association of Realtors, the Mortgage Bankers Association and Fannie Mae are calling for interest rates to rise by approximately an additional ½ percentage point by this time next year. Some are trying to minimize the impact of higher rates. For example, Freddie Mac in their June U.S. Economic and Housing Market Outlook stated:

“At today’s house prices and income levels, mortgage rates would have to be nearly 7 percent before the U.S. median priced home would be unaffordable to a family making the median income in most parts of the country.”

However, an increase in rates will impact YOUR monthly mortgage payment. Whether you are moving up or moving down, your housing expense will be more a year from now if a mortgage is necessary to purchase your next home.

3.) It’s Time to Move On with Your Life

The ‘cost’ of a home is determined by two major components: the price of the home and the current mortgage rate. It appears that both are on the rise. But, what if they weren’t? Would you wait?
Look at the actual reason you are buying and decide whether it is worth waiting. Whether you want to have a great place for your children to grow up, you want your  family to be safer or you just want to have control over renovations, maybe it is time to buy.

If the right thing for you and your family is to purchase a home this year, buying sooner rather than later could lead to substantial savings.

In short, if you are playing with the thought of buying a home, NOW is the time. Give me a call and let's get moving and finding you that new home before the end of summer and lock you on the still good interest rates and housing prices.

Noemi Cardoso
William Raveis Real Estate
Cell: 508-558-1945
www.DistinctiveHomes-NE.com
Noemi@DistinctiveHomes-NE.com
 

5 Reasons You Should Buy a Home NOW!

by The KCM Crew on February 4, 2013

 

Many potential buyers are waiting until they can be 100% sure the real estate market has fully recovered before making the move to purchase a home. Here are five reasons why waiting might not make sense any longer:

1.) Prices Are on the Rise

The latest Case Shiller Home Price Index revealed that home prices have appreciated 5.5% over the last year. This is occurring across the nation as increases were reported in 19 of 20 metros. The Home Price Expectation Survey, which polls a distinguished panel of over 100 economists, investment strategists, and housing market analysts, calls for continued appreciation over the next five years.

2.) Mortgage Interest Rates Are Expected to Increase

The Mortgage Bankers Association has predicted that, after reaching record lows in 2012, mortgage rates will creep up slowly in 2013 to 4.4%. Rates have already increased by 2/10 of a point (3.32 to 3.53) in the last two months.

3.) Rents Are Continuing to Skyrocket

Recently, Zillow reported that rents in the U.S. increased by 4.2% over the last year. Increases were 5% or more in many major metropolitan areas including Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, Detroit, Baltimore, Denver, San Jose and Charlotte.

4.) New Mortgage Regulations Will Be Announced Later This Year

Six regulators, including the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Securities and Exchange Commission, are currently drafting the new Qualified Residential Mortgage (QRM) rule. They will decide on two major requirements for buyers looking to qualify for a mortgage: minimum down payment and minimum FICO score. Many experts believe the new rules will be more stringent than current requirements.

5.) Timelines Will Be Shorter

The dramatic increase in transactions caused many challenges to the process of buying or selling a home in 2012. We waited for inspections, dealt with last minute appraisals and prayed that the bank didn’t ask for ‘just one more piece of paper’ before issuing a commitment on the mortgage. There are fewer transactions this time of year. That means that timetables on each component of the home buying process will be friendlier for those involved in transactions over the next 90 days.

These are five good reasons why you should consider buying a home today instead of waiting.

If you are thinking of buying a home in Westport MA visit www.DistinctiveHomes-NE.com for a free list of homes for sale in Westport MA.

If you are thinking of selling your home contact me for a FREE Current Market Analysis and to learn about our Market Plan to get your home SOLD!

We work with one going in mind, YOURS!

Noemi Cardoso
Local Office. Local Agents. Local Knowledge.
William Raveis Real Estate
911 Main Rd - Westport MA 02790
Cell: 508-558-1945
www.DistinctiveHomes-NE.com
noemi@DistinctiveHomes-NE.com

 

What the Case Shiller Report is Actually Telling Us

by The KCM Crew on January 30, 2013

 

Case Shiller released their latest Home Price Index yesterday. The headlines that followed were true but, in our opinion, a little misleading. Here are some of the highlights of the report that have dominated major media coverage:

• Home prices rose 5.5% in the 12 months ending in November 2012 (the latest data available).
• In the 12 months ended in November, prices rose in 19 of 20 cities.
• Housing is clearly recovering. Prices are rising as are both new and existing home sales.

Great news for the housing industry. Realize however that all the highlights mentioned above refer to year-over-year comparisons.

What is NOT Being Reported

There is another finding in the report that hasn’t garnered many headlines – month-over-month prices are softening.

There is no doubt that prices are up over the same time period last year. However, home price movement is seasonal. During the winter months for each of the last three years, prices have softened.

That is taking place again this winter. As the report states:

“Winter is usually a weak period for housing which explains why we now see about half the cities with falling month-to-month prices compared to 20 out of 20 seeing rising prices last summer.”

This does not mean the housing recovery is slowing. It just means that home values are following their historic trend. As explained in the report:

“The better annual (year-over-year) price changes also point to seasonal weakness rather than a reversal in the housing market.”

If you are thinking of selling, you really need to know what will happen to home values in the short term. Prices, based on history, will soften over the next several months in many markets. Therefore, if your plan is to move by next summer, waiting for higher prices before putting your house on the market may not make sense.

If you are thinking of buying a home in or around Bristol County MA or RI, please visit www.DistinctiveHomes-NE.com for a free list of homes for sale in Westport MA and surrounding towns.

Would you like to receive a current market update of your specific area? Contact me with your request.

 

If you are thinking of selling your home contact me for a FREE Current Market Analysis and to learn about our Market Plan to get your home SOLD!

 

We work with one going in mind, YOURS!

 

Noemi Cardoso

Local Office. Local Agents. Local Knowledge.

William Raveis Real Estate

911 Main Rd - Westport MA 02790

Cell: 508-558-1945

www.DistinctiveHomes-NE.com

noemi@DistinctiveHomes-NE.com