Before beginning to shop for homes it is important that potential homebuyers have a clear financial picture of their personal income and whether they will need the help of a lender to make a home purchase. When mortgaging a home it is always best to have a clear picture of what that mortgage will look like before searching for a potential home to purchase. The best way to do this is with mortgage preapproval. When it comes to home shopping some home buyers make the mistake of not looking into a clear mortgage plan or settling for prequalification.
How is mortgage preapproval different from mortgage prequalification?
Both mortgage ...
Mortgage rates and home prices have increased quite significantly over the last year. This has some people wondering if they should hold off on home buying. Even though it may be more expensive to purchase a home than it was when mortgage rates were around 2% it still can be a good time to purchase at home.
It is impossible to pick the perfect time to purchase a home by measuring factors in the housing market. This may seem like it is a bit off but if you look at the last 50 years of real estate market data the right time to purchase a house is always currently if you are within the financial ability to do so. The ...
There are a lot of things to think about when you become a homeowner. One of the most important is making sure that you don’t make any common mistakes.
What are the most common mistakes?
The most common mistake that homeowners make is not budgeting for repairs and maintenance. It’s important to remember that your home is a long-term investment, and you should plan accordingly. Set aside money each month so that you’re prepared when something needs to be fixed. This leads to another common mistake is neglecting to update your home. As time goes on, your home will start to show its age. You might not think it’s a big deal now, but eventually, it will become...
If you are considering purchasing a home this year but have held off because of all of the craziness that is in the real estate market right now you may be looking for an advantage to help you get ahead in the strong seller's market. Competition is still very high among buyers even with an increase of inventory coming to the market just in the last few months. With that being said there are still some strategies buyers can take to see homebuying success this year.
Purchase now instead of later
The earlier you start in your homebuying process and actually purchase a home the more beneficial it will be to you as a buyer. Mortgage rates are only expected to continue to rise throughout the year and into the next. The average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was expected to rise to 3.5% and has risen well above that making some buyers reluctant to purchase until things calm down.
The thing is both home prices and mortgage rates are forecasted to continue to rise so it is still...
Currently, and especially if you look into news headlines, the economy and real estate market seem a bit crazy and maybe a little scary. If you are hoping to purchase or sell a home it might seem like leaping into the unknown. There's so much that you hear in the news swirling around that can be contradictory and many people are wondering if the housing market is going to crash.
The truth, getting the real picture requires looking at different angles of perspective
There's a lot of speculation from different people about where the housing market is going to head in the near future. But these are all headlines and opinions...
To purchase a home with cash means you are buying it without borrowing any money as a portion of the purchase price to help you attain ownership. This means that you have the entire amount you made in your purchase offer, closing costs, etc. available in your bank account to pay in the form of a money transfer, hard cash, or check.
Over the course of the last few years, many buyers have found themselves competing against other buyers able to make cash offers on homes. While a cash offer can have many benefits as compared to the need to finance a home purchase through a mortgage there can be a few downsides to a cash offer.
Here are both the pros and cons of purchasing a home with cash
The general process of purchasing...
Everyone dreams about purchasing a luxury beach home. And to some making that dream into reality may seem as straightforward as tucking away the needed amount for a down payment and then simply shopping for and purchasing a property that looks good.
But simply buying a luxury beach home that looks nice will not mean that you have found one that will work perfectly for your beach home dreams. Everyone has a different idea of what a dream luxury beach home holds. Nobody wants to invest a large sum of money in a dream home only to have it actually turn out to be a nightmare. You want your home to fit as closely into your dreams as possible.
...
As mortgage rates are rising and home prices are continuing to see record highs there are several homebuyers across the country who feel the pressure and are considering purchasing a home in different areas.
Research recently conducted by Realtor.com and shared in a recent report show that the majority of homeowners planning to sell this year are also planning to purchase another home. But 63% are expected to find themselves priced out of different locations as costs are continuing to rise. This information is based upon data collected from a survey of 3212 adults taken in mid-April 2022.
Prices have increased 14% year-over-year in the entire country and consumer prices have seen...
Many communities including some on Sanibel Island have homeowners’ associations (HOA). HOA associations are very helpful in a majority of situations to retain a quality of atmosphere within the community. But there have been some not-so-pleasant situations regarding these associations as well.
In some communities, HOAs will ask to screen residents before a sale can be closed on a property in the community but it can be rare. Florida is actually a state where this happens more frequently than other locations. If an HOA has a screening process, it must openly communicate it and state it within the HOA bylaws.
Does an HOA have the right to block a buyer from purchasing a property?
In some locations...
Mortgage rates have increased significantly since the beginning of the year. Though they have cooled off in their appreciation they are still hovering around the 5% mark. In some cases, this is nearly twice what some buyers were qualifying for not too long ago.
At the end of the week dated April 21, the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was 5.11%. This was an 11-basis point increase from the week prior according to Freddie Mac. A basis point is equal to 1/100 of a percentage point. This is the first time since February 2011 that mortgage interest rates have exceeded 5%.
Realtor.com also shows that the number of new listings of homes for sale was down 13% as compared to this time last year. Some feel...
