Current Affairs

Coast to Coast “Buzz” – Market Rebound!

Leave a comment

As we enter the 4thquarter of the year, we continue to see strong sales in real estate, low inventory levels of existing homes on the market and phenomenally low interest rates.  I just got back from the RE/MAX California-Hawaii Regional meetings and all the buzz was how the market is on the rebound and how there has never been a better time to buy a home.

It was funny, as I was headed to the airport back home yesterday, the taxi driver overheard my phone conversations.  When I was finally off the phone, he asked if I was in real estate.  When I confirmed his suspicion, even he commented – unsolicited – that more people should be buying a home today.  He had no real estate experience and he couldn’t understand why people were paying more in rent than if they were to buy under the current conditions.  He even made the comment that workers at 7-11 could really buy a house today because they could actually qualify for a mortgage -not like wat was happening in the past.

West Coast to East Coast – the “Buzz” is Market Rebound!

We are at historically high affordability rates for home ownership which makes today a great time to be a home owner or investor.  From the investor’s side of the equation, there are many people who cannot buy because of past history, some are only relocating temporarily to the area, and some are just plain old gun shy to buy because of the negative housing market over the last 5 years.  Therefore, with prices down from the all-time highs but making their way up the ladder, a good renter pool, great financing options for investors – now is the time to get in the game!  Home ownership is a long term investment strategy that can pay big dividends later.  To learn more about becoming an investor, call us today.  We would be happy to speak with you about your financial goals and objectives.

Scott’s Market Minute: Fall Sales Picking Up!

Leave a comment

School days and Market Changes..

Leave a comment

The real estate market in Northern Virginia appears to be taking a quick breath so far in September.  Through the first eight months of the year we were on a whirlwind tour with multiple offers, few days on the market and escalating sales prices, but as the summertime came to a close and with the Labor Day holiday and kids going back to school we have seen a slight slowdown in the market.

The inventory of resale homes available remains low at just over 5,400 which is down 25% from the same time last year.  In addition, sales of existing properties are up the last 30 days by 4% over the same period last year.  But the number of houses on the market is up from the previous week and the number of weekly sales the last four weeks has declined each week.  And prices are down slightly from June to July – August prices are not yet released.  As we look at these numbers, again, my belief is it is August, one of the historically slow months for real estate.  People go on vacation, families are gearing up for their kids to go back to school, it is the end of summer, and people are getting back into routines in their lives.

As we look back, in a National report by Corelogic, the July Home Price Index (HPI) showed home prices-including distressed sales-increased year-over-year by 3.8 percent in July. On a month-over-month basis, prices increased 1.3 percent from June and July marked the fifth consecutive increase in home prices on both a monthly and yearly basis.  In Northern Virginia, we are tracking very close to the year of year stats with a 3.2% increase over last year.  Interest rates remain extremely low on all loan products for housing which is good for sellers, more buyers can qualify to buy – buyers, payments are lower and home owners looking to refinance to stay in their homes also have the opportunity to lower their payments.

All in all, we are experiencing a great real estate market in Northern Virginia and we should continue on this path of recovery.  The only issues that potentially could impact the local market is sequestration and Dodd-Frank reform so we will keep on top of these fronts for you and report back as we know more.  If you ever have any questions, always feel free to call us – we are here to help you.

And the market goes on and on and on…

Leave a comment

It is amazing what a difference our real estate market has experienced this year versus the last few years.  Previously we were inundated with short sales, foreclosures, dropping prices and very little confidence in the market.

Today, we are at a low point in the number of short sales and foreclosures on the market since I started keeping track of them over two and a half years ago.  In October of 2010, we had 1,460 short sales on the market, today we have only 386.  Additionally, foreclosures are at a low point as well.  In November of 2010, we had 516 foreclosures on the market and today we only have 178.  Additionally, prices were falling in the Northern Virginia area.  According to RBIntel.com our market prices bottomed out in February of 2009 with an average sales price of $307,225.  Today our average sales price is $469,800.

We are still off our highs of 2006-2007, but we are headed in the right direction.  All of this information coupled with low interest rates has restored confidence in our market.

Rates?  Did I just mention rates?  Yes I did and they are ridiculous!  Yesterday I heard one of our clients locked in a rate of 3.25% with a lender credit of 2%.  We continue to see rates decline which leads to the question of how low can they go before more people act on refinancing or purchasing?  Only time will tell.

The last area I would like to touch on is our rental market.  The inventory of active rentals remains low and interest in these properties remains high.  At this time, many people prefer to rent over buying as they remain skittish about buying or are in a situation such as a recent short sale which prohibits them from being able to purchase.  This situation has resulted in rental rates rising making investing a viable option for many people – maybe even you!

If you would like more information on how these numbers affect you whether buying or selling a house, or if you would like to discuss becoming an investor, pick up the phone and give me a call.  I would love to speak with you about your situation in more detail.

 

 

Shock and awe…

Leave a comment

The real estate market continues to be white hot for sellers who properly price their homes, get them in the right condition and have them staged.  This makes it very competitive for buyers.  We see multiple contracts on houses in all price ranges so buyers need to be prepared to be involved in situations like this and put their best foot forward when making their offer.  We have been saying this for several months now and we do not see that this will change anytime soon.

There is one area that continues to shock and amaze me today and that is interest rates.  It is an unbelievable phenomenon watching interest rates today.  Who would have ever thought mortgage rates could be as low as they are today taking into consideration where we have been since the Mortgage Banker’s Association started tracking rates.   Remember what happened in the early 80’s with rates at all-time highs in 18-19% range and even when I got into the business in 1988 rates were between 10 and 11%.  We got excited when the rates were creeping below 10%.  Then we watched as rates came down into the 6’s and thought they couldn’t go lower and they have.  This week I saw a 30 year fixed interest rate at 3.5% with a lender credit.  There was even an article asking if rates could go down to 3%.  There has never been a better time to purchase a home, investment property or even refinance your existing mortgage(s).  Please let us know how we can help you.

Summertime market…it’s gonna be fun!

Leave a comment

The spring real estate market is hopping along as we enter the summertime “fun in the sun” buying and selling season.  Our inventory levels remain very low for this time of year – we actually have seen inventory levels on the decline in recent weeks.  Multiple contract situations are more the norm than the anomaly, which can be frustrating for buyers.  Prices have stabilized but we need to see them increase to help out people in the area that are still underwater with their house values.  Although we have people still underwater on their houses, distressed property inventory remains very low – only 11% of all inventory consists of short sales and foreclosures.

The big news this month seems to be the rise in consumer confidence in our area compared with the rest of the country.  My feeling is people are becoming more optimistic in Northern Virginia because we have jobs and our housing market is strong.  We have a 1.5 month’s supply of resale properties and a 1.1 month’s supply of rental properties.  People are not only out looking at properties but they are actually buying houses.  Agents are working hard and diligently working on listings and contracts.  The environment around the office is fast paced and optimistic as the agents are busy helping our clients buy and sell houses.  Our lenders and title partners are expressing a lot of the same sentiments with the market and its activity.  In addition, there is a lot of “good” publicity surrounding the real estate market which is a welcomed reprieve from the last several years of nothing but negative news.  All of this information will propel us into the summertime selling season so if you are looking at your options with real estate, give us a call.