Home Buyers & First Time Home Buyers

Your Credit Report

/ Elaine Hilton

Your Credit Report plays a key factor in buying a home.  It is important that you order you credit report and review it carefully.  There are often mistakes on credit reports, and you are the one who is most likely to find these errors.

I have attached a link to a worksheet that will help you review your credit report. Keep your completed checklist with your credit report and always keep your hard copies in a secure place.  If you are not going to save your report, shred it!

Here is the link:  Credit Report

Closing Disclosure

/ Elaine Hilton

When it is time to finally sign the papers to close on the home you purchased, Lenders are required to provide you with a  Closing Disclosure three business days before your scheduled closing. Use these days wisely. This tool will help you double-check that all the details are correct. If something looks different from what you expected, ask why. Now is the time to resolve problems—if the explanation you get isn’t satisfactory, keep asking questions.  Check it out:  Closing Disclosure

The Cost of Renting versus Buying

/ Elaine Hilton

Do You Know the Cost of Renting vs. Buying?

Do You Know the Cost of Renting vs. Buying? [INFOGRAPHIC] | Keeping Current Matters

Some Highlights:

  • Historically, the choice between renting or buying a home has been a close decision.
  • Looking at the percentage of income needed to rent a median priced home today (30%) vs. the percentage needed to buy a median priced home (15%), the choice becomes obvious.
  • Every market is different. Before you renew your lease again, find out if you could use your housing costs to own a home of your own
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What’s Happening In the Real Estate Market

/ Elaine Hilton

This is a pretty common question that a potential home buyer or seller may be asking themselves. Leading economists in real estate converged in New Orleans this past week as they presented their answer to this question at the 50th Annual Real Estate Journalism Conference for the National Association of Real Estate Editors.

Here are the top takeaways from the week of presentations:

Many of the conversations at the conference came back to the impact that Millennials and first-time home buyers will have on the market in the future. Jonathan Smoke, Chief Economist for realtor.com had this to say: 

“At any given time in our history, demographics would explain 60-80% of what’s happening [in the market], and we are in a period of time where Millennials make up a largest demographic group according to the Census, at 84 million.”

According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the median first-time home buyer age is 30 and many millennials are entering a prime age to drive the housing market into the future.

Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist for NAR shared that myths and affordability may be holding back potential buyers:

“84% of current renters have the desire to own. While 36% believe they cannot afford a home and 60% of renters believe it would be ‘difficult’ to qualify for a mortgage.

Ellie Mae’s Vice President, Jonas Moe encouraged buyers to know their options before assuming that they do not qualify for a mortgage: 

“Many potential home buyers are ‘disqualifying’ themselves. You don’t need a 750 FICO Score and a 20% down payment to buy.”

The National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) revealed that Millennials and Baby Boomers are often competing for the same housing inventory, causing a challenge as these two groups are the largest generations by population.

Both groups are looking for affordable, convenient homes close to city centers and ‘what’s happening.’

Bottom Line

The experts agree that homeownership is still desirable across all demographic groups, with Millennials and Baby Boomers having a great impact on available supply. If your dreams include owning your own home, meet with a local real estate professional who can evaluate your ability to buy now!

From Keeping Current in Real Estate

Today’s Real Estate Market

/ Elaine Hilton

Sellers Happy, But Home Buyers Are Frustrated

The number of home buyers who say now is a good time to buy dipped to an all-time survey low in Fannie Mae’s latest Home Purchase Sentiment Index. Meanwhile, home owners who say now is a good time to sell soared to an all-time survey high.

The disconnect in the market is likely partially due to the limited number of homes for sale in many markets, allowing sellers to face less competition and ask for higher home prices. On the other hand, home buyers are having fewer choices and stuck paying higher prices, sometimes in multiple-bid situations.

Indeed, “we can partially attribute the sizable gain in April in home selling optimism both to a correction for last month’s unexpected dip and to typical seasonal strength in housing activity in the spring and summer,” says Doug Duncan, senior vice president and chief economist at Fannie Mae. “Even after accounting for these factors, continued tight housing supply has led to renewed strength in home price appreciation, making selling a home a more attractive prospect this year in particular. This improved sentiment could provide an extra boost of much-needed supply for the spring selling season.”

Some highlights from Fannie Mae’s latest Home Purchase Sentiment Index:

  • 30% of Americans say now is a good time to purchase a home, a drop of 3 percentage points from the previous month and now at an all-time survey low.
  • 15% of Americans say now is a good time to sell a home, now at an all-time survey high.
  • More consumers think home prices will rise over the next 12 months compared to March, and slightly fewer consumers also expect mortgage rates to go up over the next year.
  • The percentage of respondents who say they are not concerned with losing their job increased 6 percentage points to 74%, nearly a 7 percentage point decrease in March.
  • The percentage of respondents who say their household income is significantly higher than it was 12 months ago held at 11%.

Source: Fannie Mae/Daily Real Estate News, NAR

Buying a Home is 36% Less Expensive Than Renting

/ Elaine Hilton

 

Buying a Home is 36% Less Expensive Than Renting Nationwide! | Keeping Current Matters

In the latest Rent vs. Buy Report from Trulia, they explained that homeownership remains cheaper than renting with a traditional 30-year fixed rate mortgage in the 100 largest metro areas in the United States.

The updated numbers actually show that the range is an average of 5% less expensive in Orange County (CA) all the way up to 46% in Houston (TX), and 36% Nationwide! 

Other interesting findings in the report include:

  • Interest rates have remained low and even though home prices have appreciated around the country, they haven’t greatly outpaced rental appreciation.
  • Some markets may tip in favor of renting if home prices increase at a greater rate than rents and if – as most economists expect – mortgage rates rise, due to the strengthening economy.
  • Nationally, rates would have to rise to 10.6% for renting to be cheaper than buying – and rates haven’t been that high since 1989. 

Bottom Line

Buying a home makes sense socially and financially. If you are one of the many renters out there who would like to evaluate your ability to buy this year, meet with a local real estate professional who can help you find your dream home.

Keeping Current Matters

Past, Present & Future Home Values

/ Elaine Hilton
 From Keeping Current Matters

In CoreLogic’s latest Home Price Index, they revealed home appreciation in three categories: percentage appreciation over the last year, over the last month, and projected appreciation over the next twelve months.

Here are state maps for each category:

The Past – home appreciation over the last 12 months


1KCM-1The Present – home appreciation over the last month2KCM-1-768x576

The Future – home appreciation projected over the next 12 months3KCM-1-768x576

Bottom Line

Homes across the country are appreciating at different rates. As we have mentioned before, the rate of home price appreciation across the country is due to a strong housing market reacting to supply and demand, and not a new housing bubble.If you plan on relocating to another state, and are waiting for your home to appreciate more, you need to know that the home you will buy in another state may be appreciating even faster.

Meet with a local real estate professional who can guide you through the next steps and help you decide what’s right for you.

Inventory Lacking In US Housing Market

/ Elaine Hilton

Insightful article by Myles Udland, recently published in the Business Insider.

With inventories down and supply tight — as of February the outstanding stock of existing homes would only last 4.4 months at the current selling rate — the lowest price points in the market are being disproportionately affected, preventing millennials from buying homes and pushing up rent inflation.

In commentary published Monday, Ralph McLaughlin, chief economist at Trulia, noted that inventory for both starter homes and trade-up homes — the two lowest price brackets in the housing market — is down about 40% in the last four years.

Overall, the total number of homes sitting on the market is down to around 860,000, down from 1.4 million 2012.

In short, the US housing market is facing a severe lack of supply that will either be resolved by higher prices (and more inflation) or more building.trulia_inventory_count_mar2016

Homeownership Produces Wealth

/ Elaine Hilton

Study Again Finds Homeownership to be a Better Way of Producing Wealth

Keeping Current Matters wrote this great article

According to the latest Beracha, Hardin & Johnson Buy vs. Rent (BH&J) Index homeownership is a better way to produce greater wealth, on average, than renting. The BH&J Index is a quarterly report that attempts to answer the question:

Is it better to rent or buy a home in today’s housing market?

The index examines the entire US housing market and then isolates 23 major markets for comparison. The researchers use a “’horse race’ comparison between an individual that is buying a home and an individual that rents a similar quality home and reinvests all monies otherwise invested in homeownership.” Ken Johnson Ph.D., Real Estate Economist & Professor at Florida Atlantic University, and one of the index’s authors states:

“The nation as a whole is in buy territory. Continued near record low mortgage rates, unsteady stock market performance, and rents (on average) now out pacing the cost of ownership (maintenance, taxes, insurance, etc.) all combine to favor owning and building wealth through home equity over renting and reinvesting in a portfolio of stocks and bonds.”

Dallas, Denver and Houston currently remain deep in rent territory but, “there is some degree of good news from these markets for homeowners as the cost of renting is now increasing at a faster rate than the cost of homeownership — reducing the advantage of renting over buying.” 

Bottom Line

Buying a home makes sense socially and financially. Rents are predicted to increase substantially in the next year, so lock in your housing cost with a mortgage payment now. To Find Out More About the Study: The BH&J Index and other FAU real estate activities are sponsored by Investments Limited of Boca Raton. The BH&J Index is published quarterly and is available online at http://business.fau.edu/buyvsrent.