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The housing market in 2021 and part of 2022 was anything but normal.   Mortgage rates were at all time lows and may never reach those levels again.   Double-digit appreciation drove prices to new heights.   Low inventories fueled by high buyer demand made multiple offers a normal expectation. As we look at the market snapshots provided by MLS in the various markets across the U.S., it appears that things may be returning to normal, but not necessarily in all areas.   While there are more homes on the market now than a year ago, there are less sales due primarily to the doubling of mortgage rates in 2022. Time on the market is lengthening but that can be explained by the removal of approximately 15 million homebuyers who now have affordability issues.   When the market shifted, sellers expectations for what they thought their home is worth are not keeping pace with current conditions. Some sellers who didn't put their home on the market in 2021 and...

Like with any professional, there are tools and techniques available to help with particular situations.   They might be more popular at certain times and might even be put aside or forgotten at others. For real estate professionals, one of those is the backup offer.   In a situation where there are multiple offers, the seller can accept any offer for whatever reasons are important to them, leaving the makers of the other offers disappointed.   There is always some uncertainty that the buyers on a contract will close accordingly.   To hedge on that possibility, the seller may choose to make a counteroffer to one or more of the other offers to be a backup should the primary contract not close. From a buyer's perspective, the purpose of a backup offer is to be next in line to have the chance to purchase the property should the first contract fall through. The benefit is that you'll be next in line to purchase the home without having to submit another offe...

If you've ever been in a Monopoly game after most of the properties have been purchased and developed, it can be a relief to land on Free Parking, knowing the dice must rotate to the next player giving you a respite from paying rent.   Like the game, in real life, it would be nice to avoid paying rent and even better to have people paying you rent for property you own. Winning in the game of Monopoly is all about investing.   If you travel around the board, trying to buy the ultimate property and pass Go to get another $200, you're missing the opportunity to purchase good properties along the way that could lead to upgrading into your dream home. Starting early to buy your first home gives a buyer a chance to acquire a property with a minimum down payment, and inevitably, have a lower payment than paying rent for a similar home.   As the home appreciates and the loan amortizes, the equity grows.   Within a few years of average appreciation, the down pay...

The biggest shock to homebuyers is the soaring mortgage rates of 2022 that doubled in one year resulting in approximately 15 million mortgage ready buyers displaced from the market due to affordability issues. As of February 23, 2023, the 30-year fixed rate mortgage was at 6.5%.   While that is twice as high as it was on January 6, 2022, it is still lower than the 7.75% average rate since April 2, 1971, according to the Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey. When rates increase at a rapid pace like this, it takes time for the public to adjust and begin to accept it as the new normal. Prior to the housing bust that led to the Great Recession, the normal for mortgage rates was in the 6% range and existing home sales were over 6.5 million for three years.   From 2007 to 2014, home sales were closer to 5 million with 2008-2011 at just above 4 million annually. From January 17, 2008 to March 5, 2020, mortgage rates averaged 4.32%.   In this 12-year period...

Locking your interest rate protects you from increases due to market conditions.   Locking early safeguards your budgeted payment.   By locking the rate, if the market goes up, you get the lower rate; if it goes down after the lock, you may be able to pay a fee and lower the rate. Knowing when to take the lock is determined by which direction you think the market is going.   If you think rates are going up, lock in early.   If you think rates are going down, ride the rate to within a few days of closing. Some lenders may allow a borrower to lock a rate after pre-approval but is more common to not offer a lock until there is a signed contract on a home.   Even with a pre-approval, it could easily take 30 days or more to close a transaction and the rates can move a lot in that period. There may be a fee charged to lock a rate which is determined by the lender.  Generally, the longer the time for the rate lock, the higher the fee. There is ...

Sellers, who last year, were not willing to make any concessions, are much more likely to do so this year due to the softening of the market because of inflation and higher mortgage rates affecting affordability for buyers. Concessions can take place in different forms.   A seller could offer to pay the buyer's closing costs or pay points for the buyer to get an FHA or VA loan.   Another option would be to pay for a 2/1 buydown that would lower the buyer's payments in the first two years of the mortgage. Buydowns can be temporary or permanent and are achieved by pre-paying the interest at the time of closing.   Typically, the seller will do this as an inducement to the buyer.   While individual lenders set the price for permanent buydowns, a common rule-of-thumb would be two points, or two percent of the mortgage amount, to buydown the rate 0.5% for the life of the mortgage. A more common type of buydown is a 2/1 where the payment is calculated at 2% lo...