ThingsToConsiderWhen BuyingaHome
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Youmightbethinkingabouthowthelatesthousingmarketnewswillaffectyour planstobuyahomethisspring.Herearethethreemostimportantquestionsyou shouldbeasking.
MortgagerateshavecomedownabitfromtheirmostrecentpeaklastOctober.And lookingforward,mostexpertsexpectthemtodeclinefurtheroverthecourseoftheyear, thoughwithsomevolatilityalongtheway.RickSharga,FounderandCEOatCJPatrick Company,explains:
“We’veseenmortgageratesinchbackup,andarelikelytoseethemzigzagin agraduallydownwarddirectionfortherestoftheyear...”
Andevenasmallchangeinmortgageratescanhaveabigimpactonyourpurchasing power,makingiteasierforyoutoaffordthehomeyouwantbyreducingyourmonthly mortgagepayment.
Eventhoughhomepricesarerisingacrossthecountry,somebuyersareworriedthey mightdrop.Youmightbeoneofthem.
Butexpertssaypriceswon'tfall,they'llactuallykeeprising.That'sbecausethere aren'tmanyhomesforsaleandbuyerdemandisstillhigh.Thosetwofactorswilllikely keepupwardpressureonhomepricesastheyearcontinues.AsSelmaHepp,Chief EconomistatCoreLogicsays:
“...demandforhomesinearly2024islikelytobestrongandwillagainput pressureonprices,similartotrendsobservedinearly2023...Mostmarkets willcontinuetoreachnewhomepricehighsoverthecourseof2024.”
Homepricesareexpectedtokeepgoingupthisyear.So,ifyou'rereadytobuy,it's bettertodoitsoonbecausewaitingmaymeanhigherpriceslater.
Inthepastyear,manyhomeownersdidn'twanttosellbecausemortgagerateswere high.Theypreferredtokeeptheirlowerratesinsteadofsellingandtakingonahigher rateontheirnexthome.Butnow,therearesignspeoplearereadytomoveagain.
Lowermortgageratesareencouragingmorehomeownerstoselltheirhouses.This increaseinhomesforsalemeansyoumighthavemorechoiceswhenlookingfora home.AccordingtoMarkFleming,ChiefEconomistatFirstAmerican:
“Thereisreasontobelievethattheratelock-ineffectwilleasemodestlythis yearasmortgageratescomedown.Andyoucouldonlyimagineiftheygot belowsix,thenevenmorepeoplewouldbeagain‘inthemoney’and homeownerswillbecomelessanchoredtothatlow,lowratethattheygot afewyearsago.”
Therearealotofthingstoconsiderwhenbuyingahome.Let’sconnectsoyouhavea housingmarketexpertwhocanansweryourquestions.Wecanchataboutwhat’s goingoninourareaandhowitappliestoyou.
Ifyou’reinafinancialpositiontodosoand readytostayputforatleastafewyears, buyingahouseistotallyworthit.You’ll gainstability,buildequityandretaina senseofownershipandcontrol,rather thanbeingatthewhimofalandlord.
-Bankrate
BuyingaHome MeansAvoiding RisingRents
MedianAskingRent Since1988
WhenYouRent:
Yourmonthlypayment generallygoesupeachtime yousignorrenewalease.
Whendecidingbetween buyingahomeorrenting, thinkaboutthesethree importantfactors.
HomeownersOwn aTangibleand ValuableAsset
OwningYourHome GrowsYourWealth OverTime
WhenYouBuy:
Withyourfixed-rate mortgage,yourmonthly paymentislockedinforthe lengthofyourhomeloan.
...theaverageU.S. homeownerwitha mortgagestillhasabout $300,000inequity...
CoreLogic
WhenYouRent:
Youwon’tgetanyreturnon yourinvestmentasyoupay yourrentmonthly.
Amonthlymortgagepayment isoftenconsideredaforced savingsaccountthathelps homeownersbuildanet worthabout40times higherthanthatofarenter.
LawrenceYun ChiefEconomist,NARWhenYouRent:
Youwon’tgetanyreturnon yourinvestmentasyoupay yourrentmonthly.
WhenYouBuy:
Ashomepricesrise,andas youpaydownyourhome loan,youbuildequity.
WhenYouBuy:
Asyoubuildequitythrough theyears,yougiveyournet worthabigboost.
Ifyouwanttobuyahome,it’simportanttoknowhowmortgageratesimpact whatyoucanaffordandhowmuchyou’llpayeachmonth.
Mortgageratesdon’tmoveinastraightline.Instead,theybouncearoundbecausethey’re impactedbysomanydifferentfactors.Fortunately,ratesfor30-yearfixedmortgagesarelower thantheirmostrecentpeakatendoflastOctober.That’sgoodnewsforbuyers.Asarecent articlefromBankratesays:
“Theratecool-offsomewhateasesthehousingaffordabilitysqueeze.”
AndaccordingtoEdwardSeiler,AVPofHousingEconomicsandExecutiveDirectorofthe ResearchInstituteforHousingAmericaattheMortgageBankersAssociation(MBA): “MBAexpectsthataffordabilityconditionswillcontinuetoimproveasmortgagerates decline...”
Here’sabitmorecontextonhowthiscouldhelpwithyourplanstobuyahome.
Understandingtheconnectionbetweenmortgageratesandyourmonthlymortgagepaymentis crucialforyourplanstobecomeahomeowner.Thechartbelowillustrateshowyourabilityto affordahomechangeswhenmortgageratesshift.Imagineyourbudgetallowsforamonthly paymentbetween$2,400and$2,500.Thegreenboxesinthechartbelowshowpaymentsin thatrangeorlower.
Principalandinterestpaymentsroundedtothenearestdollar.TotalMonthlypaymentmayvarybasedonloanspecificationssuchas propertytaxes,insurance,HOAdues,andotherfees.Interestratesusedhereareformarketingpurposesonly.Consultyourlicensed MortgageAdvisorforcurrentrates.
Source:Mortgagecalculator.net
Asyoucansee,evensmallchangesinratescanaffectyourbudgetandtheloanamountyou canafford.
GetHelpfromReliableExpertsToUnderstandYourBudgetandPlanAhead
Whenyou’relookingtobuyahome,it’simportanttogetguidancefromalocalrealestateagent andatrustedlender.Theycanhelpyouexploredifferentmortgageoptions,understandwhat makesmortgageratesgoupordown,andhowthosechangesimpactyou.
Bylookingatthenumbersandthelatestdatatogether,thenadjustingyourstrategybasedon today’srates,you’llbebetterpreparedandreadytobuyahome.
Ifyou’relookingtobuyahome,evenasmallchangeinmortgageratescanaffectyour move.Let’sconnecttoplanyournextsteps.
Lowerborrowingcostssincetheendof2023have broughtsomemuch-neededrelieftotheUShousing market....improvedaffordabilityhasmorebuyers wadingbackintothemarketandmoresellers listingtheirhomesastheygiveuptryingtotime themarket...
-BusinessInsiderWhiletherecouldbesomefluctuationsinthepathforward...thegeneral expectationisthatmortgagerateswillcontinuetotrenddownward, aslongastheeconomycontinuestoseeprogressoninflation. JiayiXu,
Economist,Realtor.comIfyou’rethinkingofbuyingahomethisspring,here’sanimportantquestion youneedtoaskyourselfasyoumakeyourdecision.
OnereliableplaceyoucanturntoforinformationonhomepriceforecastsistheHomePrice ExpectationsSurveyfromFannieMae–asurveyofoveronehundredeconomists,realestate experts,andinvestmentandmarketstrategists.Accordingtothemostrecentrelease,theexperts areprojectinghomepriceswillcontinuetoriseatleastthrough2028(seegraphbelow):
DecembertoDecember,asForecastinQ12024
Source:Q12024HPESSo,whydoesthismattertoyou?Whilethepercentofappreciationmaynotbeashighasitwasin recentyears,what’simportanttofocusonisthatthissurveysayswe’llseepricesrise,notfall,for atleastthenext5years.
Andhomepricesrising,evenatamoremoderatepace,isgoodnewsnotjustforthemarket,but foryoutoo.Itmeans,bybuyingnow,yourhomewilllikelygrowinvalue,andyoushouldgain homeequityintheyearsahead.But,ifyouwait,basedontheseforecasts,thehomewillonlycost youmorelateron.
Ifyou’rethinkingaboutbuyingahome,youneedtoknowwhat’sexpectedwithhome prices.Whilenoonecansayforcertainwherethey’llgo,makingsureyouhavethe latestinformationcanhelpyoumakeaninformeddecision.Let’sconnectsoyoucan stayuptodateonwhat’shappeningandwhythisissuchgoodnewsforyou.
Ifyou’rethinkingaboutbuyinga homethisyear,besureto considerthelong-termfinancial benefitsofhomeownership.
Equityisthecurrentvalueofyourhomeminus whatyoustilloweonyourloan.Itgoesupwhen:
•Youpaydownyourloan
•Homepriceappreciation makesyourhome’svaluegoup
Here’salookathowjustthehomepriceappreciationpiececanincreaseyourwealthovertime.
SinceQ11991,Q42023
Ifyou’relookingtobuyahome,theoveralldownwardtrendinmortgagerates isgoodnewsbecauseithelpswithaffordability.Butthere’sanotherwaythis benefitsyou–itmayinspiremorehomeownerstoputtheirhousesupforsale.
Overthepastyear,onefactorthat’sreallylimitedtheoptionsforyourmoveishowfewhomes wereonthemarket.That’sbecausemanyhomeownerschosetodelaytheirplanstosellonce mortgagerateswentup.AnarticlefromFreddieMacexplains:
“Thelackofhousingsupplywaspartlydrivenbytheratelock-ineffect....Withhigher rates,theincentiveforexistinghomeownerstolisttheirpropertyandmovetoanewhouse hasgreatlydiminished,leavingthemratelocked.”
Thesehomeownersdecidedtostayputandkeeptheircurrentlowermortgagerate,ratherthan moveandtakeonahigheroneontheirnexthome.
AccordingtodatafromRealtor.com,thereweremorehomeownersputtingtheirhousesupfor sale,knownintheindustryasnewlistings,inJanuary2024comparedtoJanuary2023(see graphbelow):
20172018201920202021202220232024
Here’swhythisissosignificant.Thisisthefirsttimesince2019thatwe’veseenanuptickin newlistingsthistimeofyear.Thiscouldbeasignalthattheratelock-ineffectiseasingabit.
Whilethereisn’tgoingtosuddenlybeaninfluxofoptionsforyourhomesearch,itdoesmean moresellersmaybedecidingtolist.AccordingtoarecentarticlefromtheJointCenterfor HousingStudies(JCHS):
“Areductionininterestratescouldalleviatethelock-ineffectandhelplifthomeowner mobility.Indeed,interestrateshaverecentlydeclined,fallingbyafullpercentagepoint fromOctobertoNovember2023...Furtherdecreaseswouldreducethebarrierto movingandgivehomeownerslookingtosellanewfoundsenseofurgency...”
Andthatmeansyoumayseemorehomescomeontothemarkettogiveyoumorefreshoptions tochoosefrom.
Asmortgageratescomedown,moresellersmayre-enterthemarket–thatgivesyou anopportunitytofindthehomeyou’relookingfor.Let’sconnectsoyou’vegotalocal expertonyoursidewho’llhelpyoustayontopofthelatestlistingsinourarea.
Ontheroadtobecomingahomeowner?Ifso,youmayhaveheardthetermpreapprovalgettossedaround.Let’sbreakdownwhatitisandwhyit’simportant ifyou’relookingtobuyahomethisspring.
FreddieMacexplainsitlikethis:
“Apre-approvalisanindicationfrom yourlenderthattheyarewillingto lendyouacertainamountofmoney tobuyyourfuturehome.... Keepinmindthattheloanamountin thepre-approvalletteristhelender’s maximumoffer.Ultimately,you shouldonlyborrowanamountyou arecomfortablerepaying.”
Now,thatlastpieceisespecially important.Whilehomeaffordabilityis gettingbetter,it’sstilltight.So,getting agoodideaofwhatyoucanborrow canhelpyoureallywrapyourhead aroundthefinancialsideofthings.It doesn’tmeanyoushouldborrowthe fullamount.Itjusttellsyouwhatyou canborrowfromthatlender.
Aspartofthehomebuyingprocess, alenderlooksatyourfinancesto determinewhatthey’rewillingto loanyou.AccordingtoInvestopedia, thisincludesthingslikeyourW-2,tax returns,creditscore,bankstatements, andmore.Fromthere,they’llgiveyou apre-approvallettertohelpyouknow howmuchmoneyyoucanborrow.
Thissetsyouuptomakeaninformed decisionaboutyournumbers.Thatway you’reabletotailoryourhomesearch towhatyou’recomfortablewithbudgetwiseandcanactfastwhenyoufinda homeyoulove.
Ifyouwanttobuyahomethisspring,there’sanotherreasonyou’regoingtowanttobe sureyou’reworkingwithatrustedlendertomakethisapriority.
Whilemorehomesarebeinglistedforsale,theoverallnumberofavailablehomesis stillbelowthenorm.Atthesametime,therecentdownwardtrendinmortgagerates comparedtolastyearisbringingmorebuyersbackintothemarket.Thatimbalanceof moredemandthansupplycreatesabitofatug-of-warforyou.
Itmeansyou’lllikelyfindyouhavemorecompetitionfromotherbuyersasmoreand morepeoplewhoweresittingonthesidelineswhenmortgagerateswerehigherdecide tojumpbackin.Butpre-approvalcanhelpwiththattoo.
Pre-approvalshowssellersyoumeanbusinessbecauseyou’vealreadyundergonea creditandfinancialcheck.AsGregMcBride,ChiefFinancialAnalystatBankrate,says:
“Preapprovalcarriesmoreweightbecauseitmeanslendershaveactuallydone morethanacursoryreviewofyourcreditandyourfinances,buthaveinstead reviewedyourpaystubs,taxreturnsandbankstatements.Apreapproval meansyou’veclearedthehurdlesnecessarytobeapprovedfora mortgageuptoacertaindollaramount.”
Sellerslovethatbecausethatmakesitmorelikelythesalewillmoveforwardwithout unexpecteddelaysorissues.Andifyoumaybecompetingwithanotherbuyertoland yourdreamhome,whywouldn’tyoudothistohelpstackthedeckinyourfavor?
Ifyou’relookingtobuyahomethisspring,knowthatgettingpre-approvedisgoingto beakeypieceofthepuzzle.Withmorebuyerscomingbacktothemarket,thiscanhelp youmakeastrongofferthatstandsoutfromthecrowd.
Don’tchangebankaccounts.
Don’tdepositcash intoyourbank accountsbefore speakingwithyour bankorlender.
Don’tmakeany largepurchases.
Consistencyisthenameofthegame afterapplyingforamortgage.Besureto discussanychangesinincome,assets, orcreditwithyourlender,soyoudon’t jeopardizeyourapplication.
Don’tapplyfornewcreditor closeanycreditaccounts.
Don’tco-signother loansforanyone.
Thebestplanistofullydiscloseanddiscussyourintentions withyourlenderbeforeyoudoanythingfinancialinnature.
Thehousingmarketiscompetitiveinmanyplacesrightnowbecausethere aren'tmanyhomesforsale.Ifyou'replanningtobuyahomethisspring,here aresometipstohelpyoumakeastrongoffer.
Relyonanagentwhocansupportyourgoalsandhelpyouunderstandwhat’s happeningintoday’shousingmarket.Agentsareexpertsinthelocalmarketandonthe nationaltrendstoo.They’llusebothofthoseareasofexpertisetomakesureyouhave alltheinformationyouneedtomovewithconfidence.
Plus,theyknowwhat’sworkedforotherbuyersinyourareaandwhatsellersmaybe lookingforinanoffer.Itmayseemsimple,butcateringtowhatasellerneedscanhelp yourofferstandout.AsanarticlefromForbessays:
"Gettingtoknowalocalrealtorwhereyou’rehopingtobuycanalsopotentially giveyouacrucialedgeinatighthousingmarket.“
Havingaclearbudgetinmindisespeciallyimportantrightnowgivencurrent affordabilitychallenges.Thebestwaytogetaclearpictureofwhatyoucanborrowisto workwithalendersoyoucangetpre-approvedforahomeloan.
That’llhelpyoubemorefinanciallyconfidentbecauseyou’llhaveabetterunderstanding ofyournumbers,anditalsoshowssellersyou’reaseriousbuyer.Andthatcangiveyou acompetitiveedgeifyoudogetintoamultipleofferscenario.
It’sonlynaturaltowantthebestdealyoucangetonahome.However,submittingan offerthat’stoolowdoeshavesomerisks.Youdon’twanttomakeanofferthatwillbe tossedoutassoonasit’sreceivedjusttoseeifitsticks.AsRealtor.comexplains:
“...anofferpricethat’ssignificantlylowerthanthelistingprice,isoftenrejected bysellerswhofeelinsulted...ifasellerisoffendedbyabuyerorisn’ttaking thebuyerseriously,there’snotmuchyou,ortherealestateagent,cando.”
Theexpertiseyouragentbringstothispartoftheprocesswillhelpyoustay competitiveandfindapricethat’sfairtoyouandtheseller.
Overthepastfewyears,somebuyersskippedhomeinspectionsordidn’taskfor concessionsfromthesellerinordertosubmitthewinningbidonahome.Anarticle fromBankrateexplainsthisisn’thappeningasoftentodayandthat’sgoodnews:
“It’sinthebuyer’sbestinteresttohaveahomeinspected...Inspectionsalert youtoexistingorpotentialproblemswiththehome,givingyounotjustanearly headsupbutalsoausefulnegotiatingtactic.”
Fortunately,today’smarketisdifferent,andyoumayhavemorenegotiatingpowerthan before.Whenputtingtogetheranoffer,yourtrustedrealestateadvisorwillhelpyou thinkthroughwhatleverstopullandwhichonesyoumaynotwanttocompromiseon.
Whenyougotobuyahomethisspring,let'stalksoyoucanhaveanexpertonyour teamtohelpyoumakeyourtopoffer.
Ifyou’vedecidedyou’rereadytobecomeahomeowner,chancesareyou’re tryingtofigureoutwhattodofirst.Itcanfeelabitoverwhelmingtoknow wheretostart,butthegoodnewsisyoudon’thavetonavigateallofthatalone.
Whenitcomestobuyingahome,therearealotofmovingpieces.Andthat’sespeciallytruein today’shousingmarket.Thenumberofhomesforsaleisstilllow,andhomepricesandmortgage ratesarestillhigh.Thatcombinationcanbetrickyifyoudon’thavereliableexpertiseanda trustedadvisoronyourside.That’swhythebestplacetostartisconnectingwithalocalreal estateagent.
ThelatestannualreportfromtheNationalAssociationofRealtors(NAR)findsrecent homebuyersagreethe#1mostusefulsourceofinformationtheyhadinthehomebuyingprocess wasarealestateagent.Let’sbreakdownwhy.
Whenyouthinkaboutarealestateagent,youmaythinkofsomeonetakingyouonhome showingsandputtingtogetherthepaperwork,butagreatagentdoessomuchmorethanthat. It’snotjustbeingthefacilitatorforyourpurchase,it’sbeingyourguidethrougheverystep.
ThelistbelowusesthatsameNARreleasetoshowsomeexamplesofthemanywaysanagent addsvalue.Itincludesthepercentageofhomebuyersinthatreportwhohighlightedeachof thesebenefits:
•HelpedBuyerUnderstandtheProcess(61%):Doyouknowthedifferencebetween aninspectionandanappraisal,whateachreporttellsyou,andwhythey’reboth important?Orthattherearethingsyoushouldn’tdoafterapplyingforamortgage,like buyingappliancesorfurniture?Anagentknowsallofthesebestpracticesandwill sharethemwithyoualongtheway,soyoudon’tmissanykeystepsbythetimeyou gettotheclosingtable.
•PointedOutUnnoticedFeaturesorFaultswiththeHome(58%):Anagentalsohas alotofexperienceevaluatinghomes.They’vetrulyseenitall.They’llbeableto pinpointsomethingsyoumaynothavenoticedaboutthehomethatcouldhelpinform yourdecisionoratleastwhatrepairsyouaskfor.
•ProvidedaBetterListofServiceProviders(46%):Inarealestatetransaction,there arealotofpeopleinvolved.Anagenthasexperienceworkingwithvarious professionalsinyourarea,likehomeinspectors,andcanhelpconnectyouwiththe prosyouneedforasuccessfulexperience.
•NegotiatedBetterSalesContractTermsandaBetterPrice(46%and33%):Did somethingpopupinthehomeinspectionorwiththeappraisal?Anagentwillhelpyou re-negotiateasneededtogetthebesttermsandpricepossibleforyou,soyoufeel confidentwithyourbigpurchase.
•ImprovedBuyer’sKnowledgeoftheSearchArea(45%):Movingtoanewtownand you’renotfamiliarwiththearea,oryou’restayingnearby,butdon’tknowwhich neighborhoodsaremostaffordable?Eitherway,anagentknowsthelocalarealikethe backoftheirhandandcanhelpyoufindtheperfectlocationforyourneeds.
•ExpandedBuyer’sSearchArea(21%):Andifyou’renotfindinganythingyou’re interestedinwithinyourinitialsearchradius,anagentwillknowotherneighborhoods nearbyyoushouldconsiderbasedonwhatyoulike,whatamenitiesyouwant, andmore.
Ifyou’relookingtobuyahome,don’tforgetaboutthemanywaysanagentisessential tothatprocess.Anyhurdlethatpopsup,anegotiationthatneedstotakeplace,and more,youragentwillknowhowtohandleitwhiletheymakesuretominimizeyour stressalongtheway.Let’sconnecttotackleittogether.
“Buyingahousecanbeoneofthemostdifficultand complicatedpurchasesyoumakeinyourlifetime.Not onlyistheamountofmoneyyou’redealingwith substantial,themany,manylegalinsandoutsofreal estatetransactionscanbeconfusingforsomeonewho doesn’tworkdirectlyinthefield.Thisiswhymany homebuyersuseabuyer’sagentwhenthey’re searchingforanewhometopurchase.”
-U.S.News