by Tim Storm | Jul 13, 2022 | Uncategorized
You may be reading headlines and hearing talk about a potential housing bubble or a crash, but it’s important to understand that the data and expert opinions tell a different story. A recent survey from Pulsenomics asked over one hundred housing market experts and real estate economists if they believe the housing market is in a bubble. The results indicate most experts don’t think that’s the case (see graph below): As the graph shows, a strong majority (60%) said the real estate market is not currently in a bubble. In the same survey, experts give the following reasons why this isn’t like 2008: The recent growth in home prices is because of demographics and low inventory Credit risks are low because underwriting and lending standards are sound If you’re concerned a crash may be coming, here’s a deep dive into those two key factors that should help ease your concerns. 1. Low Housing Inventory Is Causing Home Prices To Rise The supply of homes available for sale needed to sustain a normal real estate market is approximately six months. Anything more than that is an overabundance and will causes prices to depreciate. Anything less than that is a shortage and will lead to continued price appreciation. As the graph below shows, there were too many homes for sale from 2007 to 2010 (many of which were short sales and foreclosures), and that caused prices to tumble. Today, there’s still a shortage of inventory, which is causing ongoing home price appreciation (see graph below): Inventory is nothing like the last time. Prices are rising because there’s a healthy demand for...
by Tim Storm | Jul 13, 2022 | Uncategorized
A recent survey from Bankrate asks prospective buyers to identify the biggest obstacles in their homebuying journey. It found that 36% of those polled said saving for a down payment is one of their primary hurdles to buying a home. If you feel the same way, the good news is there are many down payment assistance programs available that can help you achieve your homeownership goals. The key is understanding where to look and learning what options are available. Here’s some information that can help you. You Can Qualify Even if You’ve Purchased a Home Before There are several misconceptions about down payment assistance programs. For starters, many people believe there’s only assistance available for first-time homebuyers. While first-time buyers have many options to explore, repeat buyers have some, too. According to the latest Homeownership Program Index from downpaymentresource.com: “It is a common misconception that homebuyer assistance is only available to first-time homebuyers, however, 38% of homebuyer assistance programs in Q1 2022 did not have a first-time homebuyer requirement.” That means repeat buyers could qualify for over one-third of the assistance programs available. And if you’re a repeat buyer, you may still be able to take advantage of some first-time homebuyer programs, depending on your personal situation. That’s because downpaymentresource.com also notes many of the first-time homebuyer programs use the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s definition of a first-time homebuyer. Under their definition, you could qualify as a first-time buyer if you’re: Someone who hasn’t owned a primary residence in 3 years. A single parent who’s only ever owned a home with a former spouse. That means no...
by Tim Storm | Jul 13, 2022 | Uncategorized
According to a recent survey, more and more Americans are concerned about a possible recession. Those concerns were validated when the Federal Reserve met and confirmed they were strongly committed to bringing down inflation. And, in order to do so, they’d use their tools and influence to slow down the economy. All of this brings up many fears and questions around how it might affect our lives, our jobs, and business overall. And one concern many Americans have is: how will this affect the housing market? We know how economic slowdowns have impacted home prices in the past, but how could this next slowdown affect real estate and the cost of financing a home? According to Mortgage Specialists: “Throughout history, during a recessionary period, interest rates go up at the beginning of the recession. But in order to come out of a recession, interest rates are lowered to stimulate the economy moving forward.” Here’s the data to back that up. If you look back at each recession going all the way to the early 1980s, here’s what happened to mortgage rates during those times (see chart below): As the chart shows, historically, each time the economy slowed down, mortgage rates decreased. Fortune.com helps explain the trend like this: “Over the past five recessions, mortgage rates have fallen an average of 1.8 percentage points from the peak seen during the recession to the trough. And in many cases, they continued to fall after the fact as it takes some time to turn things around even when the recession is technically over.” And while history doesn’t always repeat itself, we can...
by Tim Storm | Jul 13, 2022 | Uncategorized
The housing market is at a turning point, and if you’re thinking of buying or selling a home, that may leave you wondering: is it still a good time to buy a home? Should I make a move this year? To help answer those questions, let’s turn to the experts for projections on what the second half of the year holds for residential real estate. Where Mortgage Rates Will Go Depends on Inflation While one of the big questions on all buyers’ minds is where will mortgage rates go in the months ahead, no one has a crystal ball to know exactly what’ll happen in the future. What housing market experts know for sure is that the record-low mortgage rates during the pandemic were an outlier, not the norm. This year, rates have climbed over 2% due to the Federal Reserve’s response to rising inflation. If inflation continues to rise, it’s likely that mortgage rates will respond. Greg McBride, Chief Financial Analyst at Bankrate, explains it well: “Until inflation peaks, mortgage rates won’t either. Without improvement on the inflation front, we don’t know where the interest rate ceiling will be.” Whether you’re buying your first home or selling your current house to make a move, today’s mortgage rate is an important factor to consider. When rates rise, they impact affordability and your purchasing power. That’s why it’s crucial to work with a team of professionals, so you have expert advice to help you make an informed decision about your best move. The Supply of Homes for Sale Projected To Continue Increasing This year, particularly this spring, the number of homes...
by Tim Storm | Dec 11, 2019 | Uncategorized
You saved for your down payment, but what about the closing costs? How do you even know how much closing costs will be when you buy a home in southern California? All too often potential home buyers will focus on saving for the down payment, not realizing that they'll also need to figure out how to get the closing costs paid.What Are Closing Costs?According to Trulia,“When you close on a home, a number of fees are due. They typically range from 2% to 5% of the total cost of the home, and can include title insurance, origination fees, underwriting fees, document preparation fees, and more.”For those who buy a $250,000 home, for example, that amount could be between $5,000 and $12,500 in closing fees. Keep in mind, if you’re in the market for a home above this price range, your costs could be significantly greater. Closing Costs range from 1% to 2% of the purchase priceThe amount of money you will need to close on your purchase will be made up of the down payment, closing costs, and prepaid expenses. The combination of closing costs and prepaid expenses will typically range between 2% and 3% of the price for homes purchased in Southern California. There is a difference between Closing Costs and Prepaid expenses. Closing Costs are "Non-Recurring", meaning they are directly connected to this purchase transaction. Prepaid Expenses are "Recurring", meaning once you own the home you will continue to have these expenses. Below is a list of the typical closing costs involved in a purchase transaction.Appraisal (can range from $450 to $600 or more. Type of property, location, value,...
by Tim Storm | Jul 8, 2016 | Uncategorized
HomeReady is the newest home loan program offering from Fannie Mae and can save Orange County home buyers money. It’s designed to provide financing to creditworthy lower income borrowers in minority and low-income neighborhoods. It provides several benefits to borrowers like a reduced down payment, lower Loan Level Pricing Adjustments (LLPA’s), and reduced monthly Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) premiums. Loans made through HomeReady can also be potentially refinanced up to 97% of the loan value. Eligibility for the HomeReady Loan Program There are some basic eligibility requirements for the HomeReady program, but for those that are eligible HomeReady offers quite a bit of flexibility in getting your loan application approved. HomeReady does not allow the borrower to own another home at the time of the new loan, but not require the borrower to be a first time buyer. That’s right, this program not not restricted to only first time buyers. An online Home Buyer Education course is required to be completed prior to closing. One of the coolest things about the HomeReady program is that it allows unconventional ways to establish a credit history. So for an Orange County home buyer with limited to no credit, providing alternative credit ( for example submitting proof of making a utility bill on time for 12 months) can be used in place of not having credit on the credit report. HomeReady also allows for the pooling of income from family members to help qualify the loan. Income limits still need to be met. Down Payment Requirement for HomeReady Home Loan Program The down payment requirement with HomeReady is lower compared to...
