housing market - The Jenn Pfeiffer Team

April 3, 2024

What Does Contingent Mean in Real Estate?

By Kristine Gill | Better Homes & Gardens Learn more about common contingencies in real estate and how they can affect the buying processes. Buying and selling a home often requires a dictionary as you navigate a new litany of terms, each describing a crucial step in the process. In real estate, a contingent offer has a meaning all its own—one that can make or break a deal. “It is a common misconception that once you are under contract, you are going to close with that buyer and seller—no matter what,” says Abbey Wostal, a broker and owner at Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Wostal Realty. “This is absolutely false if there...

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April 2, 2024

Selling

Why Overpricing Your House Can Cost You

From our friends in KCM If you’re trying to sell your house, you may be looking at this spring season as the sweet spot – and you’re not wrong. We’re still in a seller’s market because there are so few homes for sale right now. And historically, this is the time of year when more buyers move, and competition ticks up. That makes this an exciting time to put up that for sale sign. But while conditions are great for sellers like you, you’ll still want to be strategic when it comes time to set your asking price. That’s because pricing your house too high may actually cost you in the long run. The Downside of Overpricing Your House The asking...

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March 25, 2024

Buying, Selling

What Every Homebuyer Should Know About Closing Costs

From our friends in KCM Before making the decision to buy a home, it’s important to plan for all the costs you’ll be responsible for. While you’re busy saving for the down payment, don’t forget you’ll want to prep for closing costs too. Here’s some helpful information on what those costs are and how much you should budget for them. What Are Closing Costs? A recent article from Bankrate explains: “Closing costs are the fees and expenses you must pay before becoming the legal owner of a house, condo or townhome . . . Closing costs vary depending on the purchase price of the home and how it’s being financed . . .” Simply put, your closing costs are...

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March 21, 2024

Buying, Selling

What Are Experts Saying About the Spring Housing Market?

From our friends in KCM If you’re planning to move soon, you might be wondering if there’ll be more homes to choose from, where prices and mortgage rates are headed, and how to navigate today’s market. If so, here’s what the professionals are saying about what’s in store for this season. Odeta Kushi, Deputy Chief Economist, First American: “. . . it seems our general expectation for the spring is that we will see a pickup in inventory. In fact, that already seems to be happening. But it won’t necessarily be enough to satiate demand.” Lisa Sturtevant, Chief Economist, Bright MLS: “There is still strong demand, as the large millennial population remains in the prime first-time homebuying range.” Danielle Hale, Chief...

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March 19, 2024

Buying, Selling

Housing Starts Rebound in February by Largest Amount in Nine Months

By Greg Robb | Realtor.com The numbers: Construction of new U.S. homes rebounded 10.7% in February to an annual pace of 1.52 million units, the Commerce Department said Tuesday. That is the biggest gain in nine months. Despite the increase, starts are still below December’s level. Economists on Wall Street were expecting a 7.4% rise in housing starts in February to 1.43 million. All numbers are seasonally adjusted. The number of housing starts in January was revised slightly higher, to a drop of 12.3% to 1.37 million, from an initial reading of a 14.8% drop to 1.33 million. It is still the biggest drop since May 2022. Building permits, a sign of future construction, rose...

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March 18, 2024

Selling

4 Tips To Make Your Strongest Offer on a Home

From our friends in KCM Are you thinking about buying a home soon? If so, you should know today’s market is competitive in many areas because the number of homes for sale is still low – and that’s leading to multiple-offer scenarios. And moving into the peak homebuying season this spring, this is only expected to ramp up more. Remember these four tips to make your best offer. 1. Partner with a Real Estate Agent Rely on a real estate agent who can support your goals. As PODS notes: “Making an offer on a home without an agent is certainly possible, but having a pro by your side gives you a massive advantage in figuring out what to offer...

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March 13, 2024

Living, Selling

Your Home Is a Powerful Investment

From our friends at the KCM blog Going into 2023, there was a lot of talk about a possible recession that would cause the housing market to crash. Some in the media were even forecasting home prices would drop by as much as 10-20%—and that might have made you feel a bit unsure about buying a home. But here’s what actually happened: home prices went up more than usual. Brian D. Luke, Head of Commodities at S&P Dow Jones Indices, explains: “Looking back at the year, 2023 appears to have exceeded average annual home price gains over the past 35 years.” To put last year’s growth into context, the graph below uses data from Freddie Mac on how home prices have changed...

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March 11, 2024

Buying, News

The Housing Market’s Unhappy New Year: Fewer Homes Go Under Contract as Mortgage Rates Rise

By Clare Trapasso | Realtor.com The housing market isn’t off to a good start this year. The number of homes under contract that haven’t closed yet dropped 4.9% from December to January, according to a recent report from the National Association of Realtors®. Year-over-year pending home sales were down 8.8% in January. The culprit? Rising mortgage rates that make it more expensive for folks to purchase homes. “Consumers are showing extra sensitivity to changes in mortgage rates in the current cycle, and that’s impacting home sales,” said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun in a statement. Mortgage rates had dropped to a low of 6.61% in late December but ticked up slightly in January, according to Freddie Mac data. “Buyer demand...

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March 7, 2024

Selling

The Benefits of Downsizing When You Retire

From our friends in KCM If you’re taking a look at your expenses as you retire, saving money where you can has a lot of appeal. One long-standing, popular way to do that is by downsizing to a smaller home. When you think about cutting down on your spending, odds are you think of frequent purchases, like groceries and other goods. But when you downsize your house, you often end up downsizing the bills that come with it, like your mortgage payment, energy costs, and maintenance requirements. Realtor.com shares: “A smaller home typically means lower bills and less upkeep. Then there’s the potential windfall that comes from selling your larger home and buying something...

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March 5, 2024

Buying

Buying Houses Before Finding Spouses

By Debra Kim| The New York Times Single men traditionally get a head start in homeownership and reap the benefits faster, but single women are thinking creatively to close the gap. Rachel Rodman always dreamed of owning her own home, but life kept getting in the way. She became a mother at 19, then went through a complicated divorce that left her financially depleted. For many years, she felt resigned to renting with her son, James, now 14. Ms. Rodman, 33, earns a steady income as an events producer for SXSW, the annual festival of creative arts and technology held in her hometown, Austin, Texas. Still, she never felt she had...

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housing market Tag

What Does Contingent Mean in Real Estate?

Why Overpricing Your House Can Cost You

What Every Homebuyer Should Know About Closing Costs

What Are Experts Saying About the Spring Housing Market?

Housing Starts Rebound in February by Largest Amount in Nine Months

4 Tips To Make Your Strongest Offer on a Home

Your Home Is a Powerful Investment

The Housing Market’s Unhappy New Year: Fewer Homes Go Under Contract as Mortgage Rates Rise

The Benefits of Downsizing When You Retire

Buying Houses Before Finding Spouses

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