Real Estate
Trends to Watch in 2017
The past year has shown us a multitude of trends in the housing market—higher home prices, housing shortages, developer confidence and rising rent prices. For 2017, we’re thinking three things: locations, appreciation and interest rates.
Urban areas are appreciating much faster than suburban areas, accounting for growth, and small homes have seen much sharper price growth than larger ones. Nationally, home prices are expected to keep rising by 3.5% according to Moody’s Analytics projections. If you have a smaller home in, say, a downtown area, your equity is going to take you further. As home prices rise, more buyers will inevitably move to the suburbs to find affordable housing.
If you’re looking to trade for a larger home, you’re in the market’s sweet spot, and the first part of 2017 is going to be the best time to strike for that. The equity from your small house will get you more—the average price on a two-bedroom house climbed 59% nationwide, while four-bedroom houses rose by about 41%, according to more of Moody’s Analytics. Developers have also continued to add new inventory to the market by building new supply in demanded areas with price points between $500,000 and $750,000. So, if you’re selling a smaller home in the first part of 2017 for an upgrade, you’ll want to choose higher priced offers over offers with quicker closing times. The more cash you have to put towards that down payment, the better off you’ll be.
Following the housing market crash, mortgage rates remained at record lows for years. Rates are expected to rise to more normal levels, levels seen before the market crash. The Federal Reserve has already indicated that three more increases to its benchmark rate are coming in 2017. It’s only advantageous to act sooner rather than later if you’re thinking of buying or selling, especially since future housing policies remain unclear.
The Largest Group Entering the Market Right Now
They’re called boomerang borrowers, and they could be changing the housing market in the coming months and years.
The timeframe for borrowers who were significantly hit after the Great Recession between 2007 and 2010 to improve their credit score is about the happen, opening the door for a lot of consumers to re-enter the housing market.
Foreclosures, short sales, and bankruptcies remain on a credit report for seven years, which means these items are due to fall off the credit files of 2.5 million consumers by June 2017, the largest of the group over that time frame.
With millions of borrowers coming back into the housing market, should this be the time to sell?
Consider low inventory. There is a shortage of homes for sale in many markets throughout the country in relation to buyer demand. This is economics 101 and happens to create a highly desirable atmosphere for sellers to obtain the best possible sale price and terms. According to Redfin, buyer demand rose by 13.3 percent over the month in September, it’s highest level in three-plus years. We’ve seen buyer demand gain momentum since Labor Day, when a pop of fresh listings hit the market.
Home prices are on the rise after several years of dealing with distressed and foreclosed inventory. As of August 2016, foreclosure inventory included only 0.9 percent of all homes with a mortgage. As foreclosures drop, home values rise, which could mean higher appreciation for home owners.
Low interest rates hovering around the 3.5 to 3.7 percent range make the cost of borrowing money extremely attractive, especially for those boomerang borrowers who are re-entering the market with now above average credit. Modern day loan programs offer a wide variety of options to buyers at various price points and stages to purchase property, so you know that when you accept an offer, the loan process isn’t going to diminish on your buyer, thus securing your sale.
Chances are, it’s been a while since you’ve sold your home—at least 7-10 years. Predictive analytics help optimize buyer searches. Social Media marketing brings visibility to a whole new level. Drones and video tours help create powerful story telling campaigns. All done to attract buyers across the market and secure sales. Welcome to modern day real estate!
Make yourself ready for boomerang borrowers by preparing your home to show in the best light possible. Talk with one of our real estate professionals if you’re thinking of selling your home and find out what they can do for you.
This Simple Plan to Boost Your Credit Score May Surprise You
We’ve all been there. Well, hoped we be there. We’ve all set timelines for ourselves and thought, “I should have xyz by now” or “I thought I would be in a position to do xyz.”
One of those variables may have been buying a house this summer. You’re hoping to stop wasting your money on rent and start putting money into your own asset, but a few hurdles got in the way. One of them may be your credit score.
Of course, there are many steps to take before you even begin looking for a home and for most of us, that’s going to be obtaining a loan of some sort and finding out how much you can borrow. This will be heavily determined by your current income, down payment and credit score—which is where some people fall short and give up.
To get a loan, and to get a loan quickly, you as a potential homebuyer need to keep an eye on your finances and credit.
Our experience over the years of working with preferred and qualified lenders has supplied us with a list of basics for you to refer to when monitoring and building your credit.
- Always, always pay on time. No lender likes to lend money knowing that an individual has a repeated record of skipping payments. This indicates a lack of discipline and poor financial management. If it’s just a matter of discipline, enroll in AutoPay, set a calendar and keep track of what you owe and when. This can account for up to 40% of your FICO score.
- Keep a good debt-to-income ratio. Someone with a good ratio has unsecured outstanding credit that is below 50 percent of their annual salary. Try keeping your credit card balances within half of the allowed limit. If your limit is $10,000, restrict your statement to $5,000.
- Pay high interest loans first. Typically, personal loans have the highest interest, so it’s wise to pay those off first since they don’t create any type of asset for you. Home loans, on the other hand, are an asset and can be paid off over a longer period of time.
- Check your credit report. This can be done at minimal cost or you can obtain it from the official FICO site. Checking at least once a year will help you seek any clarification that is needed or allow you to correct any mistakes that have been made.
- Let them know if you can’t pay on time. Most often, people know in advance if they’re going to be late on a payment. If you do, taking action to notify the institution can reduce any penalties or late fees and make a good impression.
This will all take time, but if home ownership is your goal, use these tips to help build your credit and obtain a loan more easily.
Baby Boomers vs. Millennials
Two demographics influencing the housing market are baby boomers and fist-time buyers plagued by student loan debt. Both groups are leaving stagnant markets and low turnovers.
Baby boomers themselves control about two-thirds of the nation’s aggregate home equity, which computes to about $8 trillion. Whether they decide to move from their current place, downsize or age in place, the cumulative impact of their decisions on mortgage demand, housing options to Millennials and other aspiring homeowners will be substantial.
In a recent survey by Freddie Mac, 63 percent of respondents age 55 and over prefer to age in place, which computes to 42 million homeowners spread out across the entire 55+ demographic. These numbers suggest baby boomers’ housing decisions over the next few years “will take our market to brand new places.” says Freddie Mac Economist Sean Becketti.
Not only are baby boomers staying put, so are Millennials buried in student debt. Nearly three-quarters of people who are repaying student loans say their debt is hindering them from buying a home, according to surveys released by the nonprofit American Student Assistance.
More staggeringly, nearly half of those surveyed said their debt is expected to delay their home buying for at least five more years.
The housing market feels these affects keenly, as the homeownership rate among the 35-and-younger crowd has plummeted from 44 percent at the height of the housing boom to 34 percent today.
Getting the Right Representation When Buying A Home
So, you’ve decided to do it. You’ve set a goal, set your budget and location, got pre-approved and you’re ready for it. You’re doing it. You’re going to buy a home.
Now what? A home purchase is a significant and expensive transaction with long-term implications. You want to buy wisely, at the right price and on good terms. But if you overpay for a home or buy one that involves more upkeep than you can manage, you may end up with buyers remorse.
In order to make the best decision on buying your home, you need to have the best possible information and guidance to make a well-informed decision from someone who’s fiduciary duty is to you solely. Using an Exclusive Buying Agent provides you with the level of representation you need to make sure you aren’t overpaying, overlooking the upkeep, or buying on bad terms. This also helps to avoid any conflicts of interest.
An Exclusive Buyer’s Agent is just that: a real estate professional branded towards representing homebuyers exclusively. Compare this with a dual agent, or sellers agent, who’s vested interest lays across multiple platforms—to the seller and to the homebuyer.
An Exclusive Buyer’s Agent will:
- promote and protect the interests of the buyer with the utmost good faith, loyalty and fidelity, by law
- educate you on local market conditions and the home buying process in general
- perform cost comparisons to protect you from overpaying
- negotiate price and terms exclusively on your behalf
If an agent gives you dual agency disclosure, they aren’t representing you. Conflicts of interest arise when a selling agent represents both the buyer and the seller, and still carries a fiduciary duty to the sellers, which means you don’t get the best deal possible. If you meet a seller’s agent at an open house, for example. and mention to them your need to relocate in one month’s time, that agent must promote the interests of the seller by law and inform the sellers of your situation, thus diminishing your negotiation power.
Rent Expected to Rise by An Average of $100 Per Month
In their report analyzing rents, housing supply and population grown in Southern California, researchers at USC have forecasted the average rent on an apartment will rise by at least $100 over the two years.
Housing supply remains low in Southern California. You probably know this if you’re knee deep in a home search and meeting 20 other offers on every home you see. (See our guide to beat out the competition here.) When supply is low, and demand is high, basic economic principles kick in and landlords are able to fetch higher rents on their units.
But why is demand so high? Population and employment growth are driving up demand faster than inventory can hit the market—recession recovery, economic growth and job placements all lend support to an increase in demand. With young adults in the Millenial Generation entering the rental market, and the older generations still enveloped in it, the normal turnover cycle hasn’t spun over.
In 2015, the average rent in Orange County was $1587 per month. By 2018, USC’s Lusk Center for Real Estate expects rent to increase to an average of $1736.
We can expect more supply in the coming years, but not enough to satisfy the needs of most would-be renters—in 2015, more than 38,000 construction permits were issued in Southern California for new apartment units.
The forecast by USC also looked at the national rental market, which is beginning to cool as more renters become home owners.
Beat Out the Competition With A Winning Offer
You’re ready to buy a home. You even find one that you love 2 weeks into your search and even offer 5 percent over the listing price, just to make sure it’s yours and no one else’s. Then your real estate agent calls: 12 other offers had been made, and yours isn’t even in the top three.
When inventory is low, competition is stiff. A seller’s asking price becomes just that: an asking price. A seller may choose to price their home well below what the market will bear, with hopes of attracting multiple offers. As a potential buyer, you may be forced to compete with other buyers in a bidding war. Here are a few tips to beat the competition.
Make sure you’re working with a good agent that “gets it”. A seller is looking for a sure thing and a smooth, clean escrow. Experienced agents have relationships with inspectors, contractors, mortgage brokers and appraisers to help facilitate this process, not to mention good standing relationships with other agents. When faced with multiple offers, a seller, guided by their agent, may choose to work with a lower priced offer because that buyer has a good agent.
Get your financing in order before making an offer. This means being pre-approved for a loan and staying in regular contact with your lender during your search. You’ll need to be ready to move as soon as homes hit the market, having a pre-approval letter and financing in order will help you present yourself as a strong, motivated buyer.
When the opportunity comes, don’t wait. We hear this all this the time, “I wish I hadn’t waited on ‘Bleaker St’. Now it’s gone.” The buyers who don’t rest on their laurels get the home. If you’re serious about buying and have your financial ducks in a row, don’t wait for the open house, don’t wait for your husband’s mother to fly in from Utah to see it. Knowing what you need, and knowing what you want are two different sets of lists. If you see a home that meets your criteria, it’s likely that it won’t be there in two weeks, so be prepared to act fast.
Our Easy Guide To Increasing Your Home's Value This Selling Season
We’ve all heard the old adage that success is the result of preparation and opportunity. If you’re thinking of selling your home in the next few months, you’re probably hoping for a bit of success when it comes to listing your home. You hope that it will show well, you hope to get offers quickly after it hits the market and you hope for a smooth transaction. We can give you those opportunities, but if you want success, follow our easy guide to increase the value of your home and prepare for this year’s selling season.
- Organize, clean and declutter. This probably falls under that list of things you’ve been meaning to do since last year, but having a clean and clutter free space is of paramount importance. Not only does it lend the notion that the house has been well-maintained, but also that it’s bigger in size. GT tip: when it comes to closets, if you can’t see the floor, or the back of the closet, you have too much stuff. Take this opportunity to decide what’s going to the new house, and what’s going in the garbage.
- Lighting is everything. Any decent real estate agent is going to run around and turn on the lights before their homebuyers walk through the door. Not just because it feels more like a home, but also to see the dark areas better. Ideally, you’ll want three sources of light: overhead lighting, task lighting, and ambient lighting. Make the investment in recessed lighting in the common rooms if there isn’t any. Add task light lamps to bedside tables and desks, or pendants above dining tables and kitchen sinks, and add mood lighting such as art lights or dimmers. GT tip: use halogen, or spot light bulbs, as opposed to flood lights, in your recessed cans during the time it’s on the market. Spot lights produce a narrow beam of light, and can completely transform the look of the house.
- Get an inspection. Knowing what repair requests a buyer might make ahead of time can add huge value to your home and make it far more appealing. An inspector can point out any plumbing leaks, electrical problems, leaky windows, furnace issues. This could save you a lot of time and money down the escrow road.
- Paint. You don’t want homebuyers pulling up to your house only to be disappointed that their realtor brought them here. You want them to be excited to see what’s inside. The biggest point of reference is going to be the exterior facade of the house. Most homebuyers are going to be ok with painting an interior room here or there, but not the whole house. A fresh coat of exterior paint will help add that wow factor. GT tip: make your home stand out in photographs online by balancing light and dark colors on the outside. A light neutral color paired with a darker trim is bound to be eye catching when homebuyers are flipping through homes online. If your interior walls are pink or yellow, we commend you for trying to select a neutral shade, but if it dominates the whole interior, you’re better off painting it.
- Replace dirty and worn out carpet. You may have chosen shag carpet 10 years ago for it’s style and comfort. Chances are, it’s worn down and the dog has had a few accidents. Choosing an inexpensive carpet as replacement is sure to add value to your home that buyers can see firsthand. GT tip: choose carpet that’s in stock. It’s generally less expensive, and has shorter lead times.
- Improve the most important rooms. The kitchen and the master bathroom are generally considered the two rooms that homebuyers are most attracted to. This doesn’t mean you need to take out a loan to renovate the kitchen, it just means do a bit of updating–paint the cabinets, replace outdated countertops with a simple granite, and add stainless panels to any black or white appliances. GT tip: use adhesive title setting matts for an easy way to update your backsplash.
How Much Do I Need to Put Down?
If you’re like us, you have a list of resolutions this year. A lot of people we’ve spoken with lately tell us that buying a home in 2016 isn’t necessarily their New Year’s resolution, but planning to buy a home is–with one thing in their way: the down payment.
Most of us often feel anxious and overwhelmed at the idea of saving for a down payment. The good news is that first-time home buyers can purchase a home with as little as 3 percent down in some programs. There are a few stipulations to this, but we’re giving you the lowdown below.
The less you put down, the higher the mortgage balance, and the more you’re going to pay. Typically, homebuyers who don’t make a minimum down payment of 20 percent will be required to pay private mortgage insurance (PMI).
What is PMI and how much does it cost?
PMI protects the lender in the event you default on your loan. The cost is most often added to your monthly payment if you’re taking a conventional loan, while loans offered through the Department of Veterans Affairs, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Federal Housing Administration handle PMI differently.
The less you put down, the higher the mortgage insurance is. With say, 5 percent down, your PMI is quite high. The total cost of PMI depends on your credit score, and is calculated in terms of risk in tandem with the size of your down payment. For each $100,000 borrowed, PMI typically runs between $30 and $70 per month. If you’re buying a home worth $500,000, with say, 10 percent down, with a 30-year-fixed rate at 4.25 percent, you could expect to pay up to $200 per month in private mortgage insurance.
You have options. If you need to pay PMI, the size loan you can get will be slightly smaller, to allow for the bigger payment. If you get a conventional mortgage, you can get an appraisal and write to your lender and ask to have the PMI removed once you have more than 20 percent equity in the house. FHA loans, on the other hand, have PMI attached for the life of the loan.
So how much should you put down?
Depends on your personal circumstance. You’ll want to make sure you have enough on hand for closing and upfront costs, such as a years worth of taxes and insurance. We suggest speaking with a mortgage broker who can examine your current situation and make a plan that’s in line with your goals. A good mortgage broker can help you weigh your options and help you decide how large of a down payment you’ll need.
There are a few popular programs you can get with a low down payment, which may be particularly appealing to first-time home buyers.
Conventional mortgage: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac can back loans with as little as 3 percent down. To qualify for this type of loan, you’ll need good credit. If your credit isn’t in good shape right now, talk with a broker than can put you on a good trajectory to start the repair process.
Federal Housing Administration loan: This can be more expensive than a conventional loan, but the FHA has backed loans with as little down as 3.5 percent. They’re also more willing to back loans with buyers who have lower credit scores and thinner credit records. PMI will certainly be factored into this, making the size of the loan you’ll be able to afford a bit smaller due to the monthly payment.
U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs: If you served in the military, you can get a loan backed by the VA with no down payment at all. You’ll have loan origination or funding fees but those can be financed in. This is a really good program, though you’ll still need to qualify based on credit and income. The interest rate is low, there’s no PMI and you may find some extra perks along the way.
For the Love of Chocolate Covered Bananas
We’re big fans of the diced bananas dipped in dark chocolate at Trader Joe’s. We’re also big fans of the fact that Trader Joe’s is a stone’s throw away. We’re even bigger fans of the thought that home appreciation may have a direct correlation to Trader Joe’s and Whole Food’s locations, and maybe our chocolate covered bananas.
Two of our most basic needs as humans are food and shelter. RealtyTrac looked at home values, their appreciation and their adjoining property taxes in U.S. Zip Codes with a Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s to determine the best combination of food and shelter. Both stores have a cult following, but does that cult follow lead to greater appreciation?
The study found that homeowners near a Trader Joe’s have experienced better home value appreciation since their original purchase, but also pay higher property taxes on average.
Here’s what we also found in the report:
Homeowners near a Trader Joe’s have seen an average 40 percent increase in home value since they purchased, compared to 34 percent appreciation for homeowners near Whole Foods.
Homeowners near a Trader Joe’s pay an average of $8,536 a year in property taxes, while homeowners near a Whole Foods pay an average of $5,382 per year.
Included in the methodology of the report is the fact that only zip codes with at least one OR the other were taken into account. Neither zip code had both. There’s much more to take into account in considering average home value and appreciation, but the thought is interesting.
For more information visit www.realtytrac.com