Sellers

Lack of Listings Slowing Down the Housing Market

Lack Of Inventory Slowing Down The Housing Market | Simplifying The Market

Wednesday January 13th, 2016 Featured, For Sellers, Housing Market Updates

The housing crisis is finally in the rear view mirror as the real estate market moves down the road to a complete recovery. Home values are up. Home sales are up. Distressed sales (foreclosures and short sales) have fallen dramatically. It seems that 2016 will be the year that the housing market again races forward.

However, there is one thing that may cause the industry to tap the brakes: a lack of housing inventory. While buyer demand looks like it will remain strong throughout this winter, supply is not keeping up.

Here are the thoughts of a few industry experts on the subject:

Calculated Risk:

“Low inventory is probably holding down sales in many areas.”

Capital Economics:

“A lack of housing inventory continues to drive developments in the market. As demand has slowly recovered, low inventory levels have weighed on home sales.”

Frank Nothaft, Chief Economist for CoreLogic:

“Many markets have experienced a low inventory of homes for sale along with strong buyer demand… These conditions are likely to persist as we enter 2016.”

Doug Duncan,Chief Economist at Fannie Mae:

“Several factors point to constrained housing affordability in 2016, particularly for first-time home buyers, including slow single-family supply response and limited inventory of starter homes on the market.”

Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist at NAR:

“Sparse inventory and affordability issues continue to impede a large pool of buyers’ ability to buy, which is holding back sales.”

Bottom Line

If you are thinking of selling, now may be the time. Demand for your house will be strong at a time when there is very little competition. That could lead to a quick sale for a really good price.

House Hasn’t Sold Yet? Take Another Look at the Price

House Hasn’t Sold Yet? Take Another Look at the Price | Simplifying The Market

Wednesday November 4th, 2015 For Sellers, Pricing
SHARE: This Here’s the Español Version

The residential housing market has been hot. Home sales have bounced back solidly and are now at their second highest pace since February 2007. Demand remains strong going into the winter. Many real estate professionals are reporting that multiple offers are occurring regularly and listings are actually selling above listing price. What about your house?

If your house hasn’t sold, it is probably the price.

If your home is on the market and you are not receiving any offers, look at your price. Pricing your home just 10% above market value dramatically cuts the number of prospective buyers that will even see your house. (See Chart)

Proper Pricing Pyramid | Simplifying The Market

Bottom Line

The housing market is hot. If you are not seeing results you want, sit down with your agent and revisit the pricing conversation.

You might also enjoy reading…

Don’t Wait to Move Up to Your Dream Home!

SHARE:    ENGLISH VERSION       ESPAÑOL VERSION

Don’t Wait to Move Up to Your Dream Home! | Simplifying The Market

August 11, 2015 For Buyers, For Sellers, Interest Rates

Now that the housing market has stabilized, more and more homeowners are considering moving up to their dream home. With interest rates still near 4% and home values on the rise, now may be a great time to make a move.

Sellers should realize that waiting while mortgage rates are increasing probably doesn’t make sense. As rates increase, the price of the house you can afford will decrease if you plan to stay within a certain budget for your monthly housing costs.

Here is a chart detailing this point: Click to Enlarge 

Buyer's Purchasing Power | Simplifying The Market

With each quarter percent increase in interest rate, the value of the home you can afford decreases by 2.5%, (in this example, $10,000). Experts predict that mortgage rates will be closer to 5% by this time next year.

Act now to get the most house for your hard earned money.

Are Home Values REALLY at Record Levels?

SHARE:    ENGLISH VERSION       ESPAÑOL VERSION

Are Home Values REALLY at Record Levels? | Simplifying The Market

July 30, 2015 For Buyers, For Sellers

Last week, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) released their Existing Home Sales Report. The report announced that the median existing-home price in June was $236,400. That value surpasses the peak median sales price set in July 2006 ($230,400). This revelation created many headlines exclaiming that home prices had hit a “new record”:

Wall Street Journal: Existing-Home Prices Hit Record

USA Today: Existing home sales surge, prices hit record

Though the headlines are accurate, we want to take a closer look at the story. We do not want people to believe that this information is evidence that a new “price bubble” is forming in housing.

NAR reports the median home price. That means that 50% of the homes sold above that number and 50% sold below that number. With fewer distressed properties (lower valued) now selling, the median price will rise. The median value does not reflect that each individual property is increasing in value.

Below are the comments from Bill McBride, the author of the esteemed economic blog Calculated Risk. McBride talks about the challenges with using the median price and also explains that in “real” prices (taking into consideration inflation) we are nowhere close to a record.

“In general I’d ignore the median sales price because it is impacted by the mix of homes sold (more useful are the repeat sales indexes like Case-Shiller or CoreLogic). NAR reported the median sales price was $236,400 in June, above the median peak of $230,400 in July 2006. That is 9 years ago, so in real terms, median prices are close to 20% below the previous peak. Not close.”

Earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal covered this issue in detail. In this story, Nick Timiraos explained that this rise in median prices is nothing to be concerned about:

“Does this mean we have another problem on our hands? Not really…There may be other reasons to worry about housing affordability by comparing prices with incomes or prices with rents for a given market. But crude comparisons of nominal home prices with their 2006 and 2007 levels shouldn’t be used to make cavalier claims about a new bubble.”

Bottom Line

Home values are appreciating. However, they are not increasing at a rate that we should have fears of a new housing bubble around the corner.

You might also enjoy reading…

Stats for June 2015

We are out performing the area!

EDITABLE LORE.003

Get In Touch with Us …For All Your Real Estate Needs!

FOLLOW or CONNECT with US

Simply click the Follow button in the column on the left:

FollowWordpressButton

FREE SEARCH INFO :

 AREA HOMES     REALTORS      HOME VALUE        A  LENDER

THE HOME BUYERS GUIDE      Use Code: H B G

THE HOME SELLERS GUIDE     Use Code: H S G

MARKET SNAPSHOT                     Use Code: M S S                                               (To Find Out What Your Neighborhood Is Doing)

WEBSITE

SEARCH A NEIGHBORHOOD

Ask for: Joi or Guy McKinney, REALTORS® at 214-699-6788

My Realty Times

TCR_MyRealtyTimesNewspaperPhoto-HaikuDeck.001

Our News Letter…Simply Click the Link Below

      Real Estate News and Advice ☛My Realty Times.

The Impact of Rising Prices on Home Appraisals

SHARE:    ENGLISH VERSION       ESPAÑOL VERSION

The Impact of Rising Prices on Home Appraisals | Keeping Current Matters

 July 1, 2015  For Buyers, For Sellers, Pricing

The fact that residential home prices are increasing substantially in most regions of the country is music to the ears of homeowners. However, if you are in the process of selling your home, make sure you realize the major challenge a hot real estate market creates.

Each house must be sold twice; once to a buyer and a second time to an appraiser who represents the bank that will grant the purchaser a mortgage to buy the home (unless it is an “all cash” purchase). In a real market with escalating prices, the second sale may be the more difficult. And a recent survey by Quicken Loans reveals that the gap between what a homeowner believes is the value of their home compared to an appraiser is widening.

Appraisal vs. Homeowner Value | Keeping Current Matters

This could lead to an increase in the percentage of real estate transactions being challenged by a ‘short’ appraisal (where the appraiser value is less than the contracted price of the home).

Bottom Line

Whether you are a buyer or a seller, you must be prepared for this possibility as it may result in a renegotiation of the price of the home.

Get In Touch with Us …For All Your Real Estate Needs!

FOLLOW or CONNECT with US

Simply click the Follow button in the column on the left:

FollowWordpressButton

FREE SEARCH INFO :

 AREA HOMES     REALTORS      HOME VALUE        A  LENDER

THE HOME BUYERS GUIDE      Use Code: H B G

THE HOME SELLERS GUIDE     Use Code: H S G

MARKET SNAPSHOT                     Use Code: M S S                                               (To Find Out What Your Neighborhood Is Doing)

WEBSITE

SEARCH A NEIGHBORHOOD

Ask for: Joi or Guy McKinney, REALTORS® at 214-699-6788

Why You Should Sell Now!

Why You Should Sell Now! | Simplifying The Market

As the temperature rises, buyers are coming out ready to purchase their dream home. Inventory is still below historic numbers and demand is strong. Don’t miss out on this great opportunity for you and your family.

Here are five reasons to list your home now.

1. Demand is Strong

Foot traffic refers to the number of people out actually physically looking at homes right now. The latest foot traffic numbers show that there are more prospective purchasers currently looking at homes than at any other time in the last 12 months which includes last spring’s buyers’ market. These buyers are ready, willing and able to purchase… and are in the market right now!

Take advantage of the buyer activity currently in the market.

2. There Is Less Competition Now

Housing supply just dropped to 4.6 months, which is under the 6 months’ supply that is needed for a normal housing market. This means, in many areas, there are not enough homes for sale to satisfy the number of buyers in that market. This is good news for home prices. However, additional inventory is about to come to market.

There is a pent-up desire for many homeowners to move as they were unable to sell over the last few years because of a negative equity situation. Homeowners are now seeing a return to positive equity as real estate values have increased over the last two years. Many of these homes will be coming to the market in the near future.

Also, new construction of single-family homes is again beginning to increase. A study by Harris Poll revealed that 41% of buyers would prefer to buy a new home while only 21% prefer an existing home (38% had no preference).

The choices buyers have will continue to increase. Don’t wait until all this other inventory of homes comes to market before you sell.

3. The Process Will Be Quicker

One of the biggest challenges of the housing market in recent times has been the length of time it takes from contract to closing. Banks are requiring more and more paperwork before approving a mortgage. As the market heats up, banks will be inundated with loan inquiries causing closing timelines to lengthen. Selling now will make the process quicker & simpler.

4. There Will Never Be a Better Time to Move-Up

If you are moving up to a larger, more expensive home, consider doing it now. Prices are projectedto appreciate by over 19.3% from now to 2019. If you are moving to a higher priced home, it will wind-up costing you more in raw dollars (both in down payment and mortgage payment) if you wait. You can also lock-in your 30-year housing expense with an interest rate under 4% right now. Rates are projected to increase by about three quarters of a percent by the end of 2015.

5. It’s Time to Move On with Your Life

Look at the reason you decided to sell in the first place and determine whether it is worth waiting. Is money more important than being with family? Is money more important than your health? Is money more important than having the freedom to go on with your life the way you think you should?

Only you know the answers to the questions above. You have the power to take back control of the situation by putting your home on the market. Perhaps, the time has come for you and your family to move on and start living the life you desire.

That is what is truly important.

Don’t Forget to Follow Us – simply click the Follow button in the column on the left:

FollowWordpressButton

FREE SEARCH INFO :

 AREA HOMES     REALTORS      HOME VALUE        A  LENDER

THE HOME BUYERS GUIDE      Use Code: H B G

THE HOME SELLERS GUIDE     Use Code: H S G

MARKET SNAPSHOT                     Use Code: M S S                                               (To Find Out What Your Neighborhood Is Doing)

Ask for: Joi or Guy McKinney, REALTORS® at 214-699-6788

Hurry Up!! Call your Agent and List your House!!

Hurry Up!! Call your Agent & List your House!! | Simplifying The Market

SHARE

That headline might be a little aggressive. However, as the data on the 2015 housing market begins to roll in, we can definitely say one thing: If you are considering selling, IT IS TIME TO LIST YOUR HOME!

We realize that existing home sales stumbled in January compared to December. But, if we compare the current September-January time period to the same period a year ago, we can see that existing home sales have outpaced last year every month with the January sales numbers 200,000 homes greater than last January:

Existing Home Sales | Simplifying The Market

Pending home sales (houses going into a contract) as reported by the National Association of Realtors has also done much better in the last five months compared to a year earlier:

Pending Home Sales | Simplifying The Market

And, buyer demand is continuing to skyrocket:

Buyer Activity | Simplifying The Market

At the same time, the amount of housing inventory coming to the market compared to last year is plummeting:

Inventory Levels | Simplifying The Market

Bottom Line

With demand increasing and supply dropping, this may be the perfect time to get the best price for your home. Call in a local real estate professional today to see whether that is the case in your neighborhood.

FREE SEARCH INFO :

 AREA HOMES     REALTORS      HOME VALUE        A  LENDER

13,808 Houses Sold Yesterday! Did Yours?

13,808 Houses Sold Yesterday! Did Yours? | Simplifying The Market

SHARE THIS INFO

There are some homeowners that have been waiting for months to get a price they hoped for when they originally listed their house for sale. The only thing they might want to consider is… If it hasn’t sold yet, maybe it’s not priced properly.

After all 13,808 houses sold yesterday, 13,808 will sell today and 13,808 will sell tomorrow.

13,808!

That is the average number of homes that sell each and every day in this country according to the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) latest Existing Home Sales Report. NAR reported that sales are at an annual rate of 5.04 million. Divide that number by 365 (days in a year) and we can see that, on average, over 13,800 homes sell every day.

The report from NAR also revealed that there is currently only a 4.4 months supply of inventory available for sale, (6 months inventory is considered ‘historically normal’).

That means less competition for buyers who are out in the market now, but more houses will hit the market soon with spring right around the corner.

Bottom Line

We realize that you want to get the fair market value for your home. However, if it hasn’t sold in today’s active real estate market, perhaps you should reconsider your current asking price.