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Some Highlights If you’re deciding whether you should make updates before you sell your house, lean on your trusted real estate advisor to be your guide. In today’s sellers’ market, buyers have limited options and may be more willing to take on repairs themselves. If you’re thinking about selling your house, let’s connect so you have expert advice that’s customized to your home and our local area. #renovations #sellingyourhouse #realestate #homeselling

Even if you haven’t been following real estate news, you’ve likely heard about the current sellers’ market. That’s because there’s a lot of talk about how strong market conditions are for people who want to sell their houses. But if you’re thinking about listing your house, you probably want to know: what does being in a sellers’ market really mean? What Is a Sellers’ Market? The latest Existing Home Sales Report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) shows housing s

Homeownership has become a major element in achieving the American Dream. A recent report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) finds that over 86% of buyers agree homeownership is still the American Dream. Prior to the 1950s, less than half of the country owned their own home. However, after World War II, many returning veterans used the benefits afforded by the GI Bill to purchase a home. Since then, the percentage of homeowners throughout the country has increase

In the last few weeks, the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate from Freddie Mac inched up to 5%. While that news may have you questioning the timing of your home search, the truth is, timing has never been more important. Even though you may be tempted to put your plans on hold in hopes that rates will fall, waiting will only cost you more. Mortgage rates are forecast to continue rising in the year ahead. If you’re thinking of buying a home, here are a few things to keep in m

Some Highlights If you have additional loved ones coming to live with you but don’t have enough space, it may be time to consider a larger, multigenerational home. Some key benefits of multigenerational living include a combined homebuying budget, shared caregiving duties, enhanced relationships, and more. These benefits might be why more people are choosing to live in multigenerational homes today. Let’s connect so you can find a house that meets your changing needs and has

If you’re ready to move up, you may be trying to decide whether you want to buy a home that’s already on the market or build a new one. And since the supply of homes available for sale today is low, you’re willing to consider either avenue. While home builders are doing everything they can to construct more houses and help narrow the supply shortage, they’re also facing delays due to factors outside of their control. Here’s the latest on some of the key challenges homebuilder

For the first time in a long time, the number of newly listed homes is beginning to rise. In their latest monthly release, realtor.com reveals the number of existing homes entering the market has increased for two months in a row (this comes after six months of declines). Here’s a graph showing the monthly new listings going back to January of last year. The green bars indicate the first gains since June. However, buying demand is still outpacing housing supply. Though the in

Almost every industry is currently struggling with supply chain disruptions. This also applies to the current U.S. housing market, where buyer demand far exceeds housing supply. Purchaser demand is very strong right now. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) just released their latest Existing Home Sales Report which reveals that sales surged in January. Existing home sales rose to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 6.5 million – an increase of 6.7% from the prior mont

In today’s housing market, there are far more buyers looking for homes than sellers listing their houses. Based on the concept of supply and demand, this means home prices will naturally rise. Why is that? When there are more people trying to buy an item than there are making that item available for sale, that drives prices up. And that’s exactly the case in today’s housing market. So, knowing what’s happening with the inventory of homes for sale and the demand for housing is

A recent survey revealed that many consumers believe there’s a housing bubble beginning to form. That feeling is understandable, as year-over-year home price appreciation is still in the double digits. However, this market is very different than it was during the housing crash 15 years ago. Here are four key reasons why today is nothing like the last time. 1. Houses Are Not Unaffordable Like They Were During the Housing Boom The affordability formula has three components: the

Some Highlights Even in today’s sellers’ market, there are still ways for buyers to win big. Build a team of trusted professionals and make strategic plays as you budget and pick your desired neighborhoods. Then, be ready for the competition by getting a pre-approval letter and leaning on your expert advisors to draft a winning offer. In a sellers’ market, you can still be the champion if you have the right team and strategy. Let’s connect today to make your game-winning play

You may have heard that it’s important to get pre-approved for a mortgage at the beginning of the homebuying process, but what does that really mean, and why is it so important? Especially in today’s market, with rising home prices and high buyer competition, it’s crucial to have a pre-approval letter prior to making an offer. Here’s why Being intentional and competitive are musts when buying a home this year. Pre-approval from a lender is the only way to know your true price

If you’re following along with the news today, you’re probably hearing a lot about record-breaking home prices, rising consumer costs, supply chain constraints, and more. And if you’re thinking about purchasing a home this year, all of these inflationary concerns are likely making you wonder if you should wait to buy. Investopedia explains that during a period of high inflation, prices rise across the board. And while home prices aren’t immune from this increase, here’s why i

Many homeowners who plan to sell in 2022 may think the wise thing to do is to wait for the spring buying market since historically about 40 percent of home sales occur between April and July. However, this year’s expected to be much different than the norm. Here are five reasons to list your house now rather than waiting until the spring. 1. Buyers Are Looking Right Now, and They’re Ready To Purchase The ShowingTime Showing Index reports data from more than six million proper

Selling your house is no simple task. And when you sell on your own – known as a FSBO (or For Sale by Owner) – you’re responsible for handling some of the more difficult aspects of the process without the expert guidance you need. The 2021 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) surveys homeowners who recently sold their house on their own and asks what difficulties they faced. Those sellers say some of the biggest headaches are prep

As we move into 2022, both buyers and sellers are wondering, what’s next? Will there be more homes available to buy? Will prices keep climbing? How high will mortgage rates go? For the answer to those questions and more, we turn to the experts. Here’s a look at what they say we can expect in 2022. Odeta Kushi, Deputy Chief Economist, First American: “Consensus forecasts put rates at about 3.7% by the end of next year. So, that’s still historically low, but certainly higher th

In April, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) posted an article, Home Buyers’ Preferences Shift Towards New Construction, which reported: “60% of people who were looking to buy a home in 2020 said they’d prefer new construction to an existing home.” However, it seems buyers are now shifting their preferences back to existing homes. The latest Consumer Confidence Survey reveals the percentage of Americans planning to buy a home in the next six months is virtually

Some Highlights Today’s sellers’ market provides unique challenges—and benefits—for buyers. Current low interest rates won’t last forever, and home prices are forecast to rise. If you’re a homebuyer, hang in there. Homeownership improves your quality of life, and the long-term benefits outweigh the short-term challenges. #housingmarket #realestate #waukeshahomesforsale

For generations, the process of buying and selling a home never really changed. A homeowner would try to estimate the market value of their house, then tack on a little extra to give themselves some negotiating room. That figure would become the listing price. Buyers would then try to determine how much less than the full price they could offer and still get the home. As a result, the listing price was generally the ceiling of the negotiation. The actual sales price would alm

The economists at CoreLogic recently released a special report entitled, Evaluating the Housing Market Since the Great Recession. The goal of the report was to look at economic recovery since the Great Recession of December 2007 through June 2009. 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 December 2012 to December 2017 to show how prices over the last five year