Skip to main content

Cost of Waiting to Buy in Both Price and Interest Rates



Have you ever been shopping on a website where you were looking at something that was on sale?  You were interested in it but there wasn't a sense of urgency and maybe, you had a lot going on and didn't get back to it for a few days.  When you did go back to the website, the price on the item had returned to its regular price.

How did you feel?  Did you go ahead and purchase it for the current price?  How did that make you feel knowing that if you had acted more decisively, you would have saved money and had the product by now?

In 2021, homes across the United State went up 19.1% on average.  There were some markets where the prices soared 30 to 40%.  Fortunately, last year the mortgage rates did remain relatively stable but that isn't the situation this year, in 2022.

At the end of 2021, economists from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, felt like prices would go up around 7% for 2022.  The Mortgage Bankers Association and the Home Price Expectation Survey predicted more like 5% and Zelman Research and the National Association of REALTORS� forecast closer to 3%.

While the number of sales did decline at the end of February 2022 to 7.2% month-over-month and 2.4% year-over-year, that could be explained as a lack of houses for sale.  In the same month, inventory was 1.7 months which is down from 2 months in February 2021.  The median sales price had a year over year increase of 15.0% to $357,300.

The Fed had their first of what may be four or five interest rate hikes this year to try and get control of the inflation rate.  We have already seen mortgage rates at the 4.5% price and that is for borrowers with the best credit.  Those with less than sterling credit can expect to pay more.

It is anyone's guess at where rates will end a year from now, but many experts think this decade of low rates is over and we'll not likely to see them again.

There is a pent-up demand for houses to buy and an urgency to buy before the rates get higher.  If a buyer waits a year to purchase a home but the price goes up by 5% and the interest rate goes up by 1%, it will have a dramatic effect on the payment.

 

 

5% price increase

10% price increase

Sales Price

$400,000

$420,000

$440,000

Mortgage

$360,000

$378,000

396,000

Current Rate vs Possible 1.00% increase

4.5%

5.5%

5.5%

Monthly Payment

$1,824

$2,146

$2,248

Payment Difference

 

$322.18

$424.38

Additional Cost for 7 years

 

$27,063

$35,648

Additional Cost for 30 years

 

$115, 983

$152,776

 

If the appreciation is closer to 10% increase, the negative effect of waiting is exacerbated.

The equity in a person's home contributes greatly to their overall net worth and wealth position.  The effect is very apparent in contrast to renters compared to homeowners whose net worth is 1/40th of the homeowners $300,000 or $8,000 for the renters.

As people stair step their way into larger homes to not only meet their increasing demands but also to enjoy the amenities of a nicer home, the equity will continue to grow based on two dynamics: appreciation and equity-build up.  The renters do not benefit from either of these.

To run your own comparison, using your own numbers and what you believe will happen in the marketplace, go to Cost of Waiting to Buy.  If you haven't developed a plan to purchase in today's market whether it be your first home or a move-up, you need facts and a trusted team of professionals to work for you.

It starts with finding an agent who will be as committed to find your home as you are.  We would love to help you or your friends.  It is what we do.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Make Your Home Offer the Most Appealing

Sales in February 2023 were up 14.5% month over month and still down 22.6% year over year according to the NAR Housing Snapshot.   The median sales price dipped 0.2% to $363,000 and there are 2.6 months supply of homes on the market compared to 1.7 months a year ago. "Inventory levels are still at historic lows, and consequently, multiple offers are returning on a good number of properties." According to Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist for the National Association of REALTORS�. It is still important to have a strategy for potentially competing with other buyers on the house you want to buy.   The plan should include several available provisions and options, so that at the time of drafting the sales offer, you can consider exactly what to include based on the situation. Unless a person is paying cash, you need to be pre-approved by a trusted mortgage professional long before you start looking at homes.   Include the written pre-approval letter along with the offer

Getting Comfortable with the New Normal Mortgage Rates

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, buyers exper

Rethinking Backup Offers

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 offer and possi