5 Reasons to Buy a Home Now Instead of the Spring

orange-county-housing-marketBased on prices, mortgage rates and soaring rents, there may have never been a better time in real estate history to purchase a home than right now. Here are five major reasons purchasers should consider buying:

Supply Is Shrinking

With inventory declining in many regions, finding a home of your dreams may become more difficult going forward. There are buyers in more and more markets surprised that there is no longer a large assortment of houses to choose from. The best homes in the best locations sell first. Don’t miss the opportunity to get that ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ buy.

Price Increases Are on the Horizon

Prices were expected to bounce along the bottom this winter. However, many pricing indices (examples: CoreLogic, FHFA, LPS, Case Shiller) are reporting that prices are continuing to rise.

Rents Are Skyrocketing

Rents historically increase by 3.2% on an annual basis. A study issued earlier this year projects rent increases of 4% for the next two years. Trulia recently reported that rents this year have actually shot up by 5.4%.

Interest Rates Are Projected to Rise

The Mortgage Bankers Association has projected that the 30-year mortgage interest rate will be 4.4% by the end of 2013. That is an increase of approximately one full point over current rates.

Buy Low, Sell High

We would all agree that, when investing, we want to buy at the lowest price possible and hope to sell at the highest price. Housing can create family wealth as long as we follow this simple principle. Today, real estate is selling ‘low’. It’s time to buy.

source: KCM

What’s Really Driving the Rise in Home Prices?

Property_PricesThe Wall Street Journal recently cited five significant factors behind the rise in home prices, as numerous markets see significant year-over-year gains. The big price drives are:

1. The rise in housing affordability – which is drawing more buyers out into the market who are looking to cash in on low mortgage rates and fallen home prices compared to a few years ago.

2. The rise in household formation – which is expected to hit 1 million new households this year. That is up from an average of 570,000 over the last five years, according to data by Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

3. The rise in rents – which has prompted more investors to purchase properties to rent out and more renters to second-guess why they are paying so much in rent when they could buy.

4. The decline in distressed sales and foreclosures – which has fallen significantly this past year. While distressed sales are still high by historical standards, they have fallen from their peaks in most markets, helping to alleviate the downward pressure on home prices in many areas.

5. Inventories of homes for-sale are at their lowest levels in nearly 50 years – and builders have cut back on construction and many home owners are waiting to sell until they can recover some equity on their properties.

Source: “Five Reasons Home Prices Have Been Rising,” The Wall Street Journal

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Where Asking Prices Are on the Rise the Most

NAR’s InfoGraphic on Home Buyers and Sellers 2012

home buyers and sellers

Housing Inventory Shrinking Across Country [INFOGRAPHIC]

Invrentory-Map

Home Builders Feeling Better About Market Conditions

Awesome_SupervisionHome builder confidence for the new, single-family home market posted its seventh consecutive month gain, reaching its highest level since May of 2006, according to the November index by the National Association of Home Builders and Wells Fargo.

home_builder_graph

"Builders are reporting increasing demand for new homes as inventories of foreclosed and distressed properties begin to shrink in markets across the country," says NAHB Chair Barry Rutenberg. "In view of the tightening supply and other improving conditions, many potential buyers who were on the fence are now motivated to move forward with a purchase in order to take advantage of today’s favorable prices and interest rates." 

The monthly index gauges builder perceptions of current single-family home sales, expectations for the next six months with sales, and buyer traffic.

"While our confidence gauge has yet to breach the 50 mark — at which point an equal number of builders view sales conditions as good versus poor — we have certainly made substantial progress since this time last year, when the HMI stood at 19," says NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe. "At this point, difficult appraisals and tight lending conditions for builders and buyers remain limiting factors for the burgeoning housing recovery, along with shortages of buildable lots that have begun popping up in certain markets."

Source: National Association of Home Builders

Impact Foreclosures Have on Values [INFOGRAPHIC]

Loss-re-Foreclosure

source: KCM

House Flipping Returns Due To Demand, Inventory Shortage

Trassenheide,_Die_Welt_steht_KopfThe housing market is picking up steam like a freight train, but we’ve unfortunately run into a major roadblock: lack of inventory. Tons of homebuyers are actively searching for their dream home, however their search has turned into more of a journey.

The problem is that a vast majority of homebuyers, especially first-time buyers, prefer move-in ready properties. They’re simply looking for a roof over their head, not an enormous home improvement project. Renters feel exactly the same way and either run from outdated properties or squeeze landlords for a rock bottom price.

Due to high demand, house flipping is making a major comeback with real estate investors scooping up properties left and right. In fact, according to the National Association of REALTORS®, investors purchased 18 percent of houses in the U.S. in August 2012. The properties will either be remodeled and rented, or flipped for profit within a short amount of time.

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, stated: “The West and Florida markets are experiencing inventory shortages, which are placing pressure on prices.” To capitalize on such shortages, house flippers are flocking to Florida and the West Coast.

When flipping houses, investors tackle two things first: kitchens and bathrooms. “People buying a house look first at kitchens and baths,” says Kermit Baker, director of the remodeling futures program at the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University. Plus, statistics show that bathroom and kitchen upgrades are one of the best ways to boost interest as well as value.

As house flippers continue to purchase and remodel properties, we can expect the quality of homes for sale to improve. Hopefully higher quality listings will spur more home sales.

source: Fix&FlipNet

Cycle of Foreclosure about to be Broken? [INFOGRAPHIC]

Cycle-of-Foreclosure

A Home’s Worth: Value, Price and Cost: How They Work Together

home puzzleFor homebuyers, determining what a home is worth requires systematic analysis, careful thought, and some guts.

Value

The value of a property is established by the prospective buyer. Market value is an opinion of what a buyer thinks the home is worth, based on how it will be used. Value is calculated based on one’s lifestyle, so it is different for each perspective buyer. For example, a home near public transportation could be more valuable for someone who does not drive than it would be for someone who does. Buyers with children, may consider a home in a particular school district more valuable than another.

Price

Price is what the home should be worth in today’s market. Occasionally, a seller doesn’t price the home right, so what a buyer must do is an analysis to determine the fair market value of the property. This is what the seller should reasonably be asking for. Similar, recently sold properties (six months or less), should be used to establish fair market value. They should be similar in size and upkeep to the property you are considering. Of course, the current condition, location and surroundings, as well as the view from the property, can all affect the price of a house.

Cost

Typically, sellers believe a house is worth what they paid for it, in addition to how much was spent on improvements. In reality, when a seller improves a home, the value of the property is increased, not the cost. Since value is based on the buyer’s preferences, improvements and other extras are all subjective. A seller could receive dissimilar offers from potential buyers because they have made personal decisions about the home’s value. When a homeowner makes improvements, they receive benefits from those choices and if they remain in the property, derive pleasure from that investment. When those improvements are very specific, or personalized, they may not received the monetary benefits they expected.

If you or someone you know is considering buying or selling a home, contact me so that we can analyze the situation together.