Tag Archives: financing

Home Prices See Biggest Increase in 7 Years

Posted on by

Homes.com

As the housing market continues to come back around, more and more statistics are surfacing that give us hope for the future. According to our friends at Inman News, things are definitely looking up. CoreLogic’s home price index is dishing out some encouraging news – home prices are up significantly!

According to CoreLogic, home prices were up 0.7 percent in January from December. While that may not seem like a huge month-to-month increase, consider this: January’s year-over-year home prices made the biggest jump in seven years – national home prices were up in January by 9.7 percent from a year ago. This is the biggest increase since 2006.

CoreLogic’s home price index got these impressive findings by following the repeat sales of single-family homes.

Higher home prices means more confidence in the real estate market. For you, this means more people may be searching the internet to find a good, reliable real estate professional to help them find their dream home. Is your online reputation up to par? Will homebuyers find the best version of you there is to offer when they hit the search engines?

If you haven’t already, click here to download our FREE eBook, Maximizing Your Online Reputation: A Playbook for Engaging with Consumers and Winning Their Business. As the real estate market improves, be sure your online reputation doesn’t hold you back.

Mortgage Rates Still Falling

Posted on by

If you haven’t been paying attention to the economic crisis currently going down in Europe, all you really need to know is that, for Europeans, things don’t look so promising right now. However, interest rates for mortgages in the United States continue to fall, because of this. And that, my real estate professional friends, spells good news for you! The lower the interest rate, the higher the chance a buyer will seek out loans, and a real estate agent to help them purchase a home!
Continue reading →

Top reasons buyers and sellers need to work with you

Posted on by

agentandclients2One of the most complex and significant financial events in peoples’ lives is the purchase or sale of a home, which is why it is crucial to call upon the expertise of a Real Estate professional. According the National Association of REALTORS®, 84% of homes are sold with the help of a real estate agent and there is a reason why. Continue reading →

When is a Good Time to Buy a Home?

Posted on by

No one wants to purchase a home only to see its value decline. But should you wait to buy a home until prices bottom out? A quick web search will yield a number of articles and opinions for and against timing the real estate market, but beware of those in favor of market timing who also want to sell you a how-to book or system.

Many people who have tried to time the market miss out on the chance to build equity by waiting to buy until prices rise again. The chart below shows the gradual increase – along with typical ups-and-downs – of home values over nearly 40 years. The arrows indicate market low points when home values dipped before continuing their historical rise. Continue reading →

Uncle Sam wants you…to be a homeowner!

Posted on by

Wouldn’t it be great if the government kicked in some money to help make home ownership more affordable? Because of deductions on mortgage interest and property taxes, the practical effect is that the government is subsidizing your home purchase. In fact, home ownership provides two of the best ways to reduce your tax bill.

Mortgage interest you pay can be deducted from your gross income to reduce your taxable income. For example, say you take out a $300,000 mortgage loan at 6 percent interest. You pay $18,000 a year in interest on that loan. That means your taxable income for the year is reduced by $18,000. If you’re in the 25 percent tax bracket that means a one-year tax savings of $4,500 (25 percent of $18,000).  Continue reading →