buyers market: Is YOUR Market slowing?
- 07/14/18 10:43 AM
Ryan Lunquist, a well respected Appraiser in the greater Sacramento Area recently wrote this blog: http://sacramentoappraisalblog.com/2018/07/13/the-market-is-slowing-were-not-surprised/ Ryan points out the much of this data is attributed to traditional slowing that occurs toward the end of the Summer Selling Season. My sales have remained strong, but you cannot make assumptions based on a handfull of sales. What has been your experience this summer? Do you scense the slowing is natural and normal, or the changing of trends from a sellers market to a neutral or even a Buyer's Market? I know Real Estate is highly local, yet, there are national trends. What are your thoughts? Kelly (0 comments)
...vs. Other Types of Investments: I will not bore you with statistics that can guide or dissuade you from any particular form of investment. I will applaud you for applying a portion of your income toward your future by investing in whatever your expertise or fancy dictates. With that qualifier, I will speak to Real Estate as a concrete performer over the years and suggest now is a good time to invest in this medium. The most prevalent reasons to consider are; acquisition cost, interest rates and the rental market. All are solid legs to hold this platform steady in (0 comments)
buyers market: Is it ever a good time to Buy or Sell?
- 10/15/13 11:42 PM
Like most professionals at a gathering, folks who have a question in your field of work, gravitate to you for information. As a Realtor, the three most common questions are; Is it a good time to sell? Is it a good time to buy? What is my home worth? After all, in Real Estate, from a personal perspective, buying or selling at the right time is critical to maximizing a return on this important investment. If you are moving within the same marketplace, or a similar region with trends that follow your current market, aside from the escrow fees and realtor fee, it (1 comments)
buyers market: Your turn to blog | Kelly Groth916-316-4000 | www.grothhomes.com
- 09/25/13 06:56 AM
I have a passion for blogging about Real Estate in Pacer County, Sacramento County and El Dorado County. Hopefully you find these blogs interesting, enlightening and helpful. In an effort to assist and serve you, I ask for you to send me your particular Real Estate question or concern and I shall try and answer that specific inquiry. Please send to kelly@grothhomes.com or text me at 916-316-4000. I look forward to hearing from you. Kelly Groth Broker Associate
Keller Williams Realty kelly@grothhomes.com 916-316-4000= (0 comments)
buyers market: The One Thing | Kelly Groth 916-316-4000 | www.grothhomes.com
- 09/17/13 06:24 AM
The One Thing | Kelly Groth 916-316-4000 | www.grothhomes.com A current best seller book by Gary Keller titled "The One Thing" postulates this question, "What's the one thing that if done, makes everything else easier or unnecessary?" The simplicity of its message carries much wisdom. Keller outlines that we can have one large overarching goal as well as daily, weekly,and yearly goals. I would recommend you give this book a read and apply its principle. For example, getting out debt might be your ONE THING. Then say, "what's the one thing I can do this month, then this week and finally (0 comments)
In the past 15 months Sacramento, Placer and El Dorado Counties collectively have led the US in price appreciation and reduction of available inventory. Ah, the old supply and demand axiom at work. Most of my listings would go pending in days and with multiple offers. Despite what you might think, this is no fun for the agents or buyers/sellers. Having to sign addendums promising to pay $$ over the appraised price to have your offer accepted gives everyone butterflies. Since March 2012, homes values in Sacramento have gone up 40% and Placer County 35%. More acutely, pricing in the spring (0 comments)
As I meet with prospective sellers, it is natural they want top dollar for their property. While my job is to fulfill that goal, defining “TOP DOLLAR” can spur debate. As a Broker Associate, it is my job to share with my client similar homes that have SOLD in the area in recent months and review active listing for trends. It is not my place to demand the seller follow those guidelines. They are suggestions. Everyone agrees the most critical time in a listing’s timeframe is the first two weeks it’s on the market. In an era of minimal inventory, agents and (0 comments)
During the past year, home prices in Sacramento County, Placer County and El Dorado County have risen 25% - 40%. That brings current prices to 2003 levels. While this month has seen a slowing in apprciation, most analysis expect prices to climb another 6% by the end of the year. Thus, it’s still a great time to buy. Home pricing is not the only dollar figure to be keeping an eye on. The graph below illustrates that for every 1% interest rates rise, it reduces your purchasing power by 10.75%. These rates have risen over 1% in the past twelve (0 comments)
While not an exact science, and lenders do have some flexibility, still the general rule is the higher the credit score, the lower the interest rate, and the lower the monthly payment. Interest rates are not yet to this level but the example is still accurate. The following chart illustrates this concept for a $225,000, 30-year, and fixed-rate loan. Credit Scores Affect the Interest Rates and Monthly Payments
Interest rates are the biggest reason to make a move today. Even if you are a seller and believe that you wont be hurt by waiting to sell, you could be unless you are not having to purchase another home once your abode is sold. If that is the case, I would suggest you delay selling until next year. That of course will exacerbate the short supply of inventory that has made buying a home this year so stressful. It will also keep driving prices up.
Back to Interest Rates; Rates have raised approx. 1.5% this year. Currently a 30-year fixed (0 comments)
If you were waiting until we hit the bottom of the Real Estate market, that ship sailed eighteen months ago. Even though you missed the bottom, the ride back up is far from finished.
Home prices are back to 2002/3 levels. Translation = home values have another 25% to go before reaching the market high of 2006ish. While we have experienced a 25%-40% increase in home values in the Sacramento Valley since the beginning of 2012, home prices continue their upward trend.
Increases in Placer County Home Sales lead the area and Sacramento County Home Prices as well as El (1 comments)
buyers market: 10 Tips for Moving Day
- 06/26/13 12:19 AM
How to prepare for a seamless transition: If you're moving this summer, the busiest season for moving, you know how daunting it can be. But if you create a blueprint for your move, the transition from house to house will go more smoothly. Here are 10 things you can do to prepare for a seamless transition: 1. Full serve, partial serve or a do-it-yourself move. Can you do it alone or should you hire a licensed moving company for a full-service or partial-service move? This is one of the first and often most difficult questions soon-to-be moving households face. The answer depends on (1 comments)
Remodeling kitchen trends are creating stylish kitchens with cleaner lines, built-in dining, and pops of color, according to a recent article in RISMedia.
Here are some recent trends in kitchens across the country.
1. Built-in dining areas. Eat-in kitchens are in high demand as more remodelers are opting for extensions in counters that resemble a table, either in lower or higher height to the countertop. The counter extension is different than bar seating because diners can sit around the edge and face one another, and not just sit in a row. The counter extension saves space, offers (1 comments)
Every house tells a story--if you know how to listen. Kenny Rhodes, a licensed home inspector for nearly 20 years, has a finely tuned ear for the messages a house is trying to send. That's why buyers hire him to give their potential new digs a thorough once-over before they close the deal.
A home inspection isn't required by law, but it's an awfully good idea. It's not uncommon for the lender to include a home inspection as a condition in your purchase agreement. The inspector's report is the best way for a buyer to find out about any (0 comments)
“It’s a common misperception that the mortgage interest deduction benefits primarily the wealthy, as argued in the Washington Post’s January 1 editorial, “Trim the Excessive Tax Subsidy for Real Estate.”
“In fact, the MID actually benefits primarily middle- and lower income families. Sixty five percent of families who claim the MID earn less than $100,000 per year, and 91 percent who claim the benefit earn less than $200,000 per year. As a percentage of income, the biggest MID beneficiaries are younger middle-class families.
“The MID helps many families become home owners by reducing the carrying costs of owning (0 comments)
In a recent article By Tara-Nicholle Nelson, she muses that if you ask a roomful of homeowners what's so great about owning versus renting, and you'll hear them holler in unison: "the tax deductions!" And it's true -- homeowners who itemize their taxes are able to deduct 100% of their mortgage interest and property taxes from their income tax returns.
That means that if you're in a 20% tax bracket, Uncle Sam effectively subsidizes about a fifth of your borrowing costs or more, making your home more affordable or allowing you to buy a larger home than you could (0 comments)
Happy Mother’s Day A favorite saying made famous by Dorothy is “There is no place like home!” While my blogs speak to the value and “peace of mind” home ownership typically brings, on this Mother’s Day weekend, I would first and foremost like to thank my Mother for truly making it heaven on earth. Not all exchanges with mommy went smoothly or without pain, but I knew she loved me and wanted what was best. Home ownership has many benefits. Today, I thank all the Mother’s out there who do their best to make it a place of refuse and (1 comments)
YES! A good avenue to compete for the slim pickings found in today’s Real Estate market is HUD homes. What is a HUD home you may ask? A HUD home is one owned by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. If a property was financed using an FHA loan, and that buyer defaults, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) forecloses on that property, we the tax-payer pay off the mortgage and HUD then, in time, releases that property via your local Multiple Listing Service (MLS) for sale. Presently there are approximately 18,000 foreclosed HUD homes (0 comments)
Websites displaying homes in certain geographic areas that might be for sale, might be of value and might save you time OR it might be an utter waste of your afternoon. Because these websites don't charge you a fee, they look to advertisers as a way to make their money. When you go to these popular websites, advertisers pay a per second or per page view dollar amount to get impressions out to potential clients. Thus, the longer they can keep you on their site looking at potential properties, the more money they make. Without naming names, many sites (0 comments)
You may recall last week I bifurcate the subject matter into two weekly blogs, buyers and sellers. Last week was Buyers, This week – Sellers.
The seller typically pays Real Estate commissions. We discussed last week how the buyer is generating the commission mechanism by purchasing a piece of real estate. Therefore, the buyer should have certain expectations. The seller does, and should have expectations as well. After all, you are the one signing the check. Sellers are paying a lot of money for a complicated transaction that must legally, ethically and monetarily be correctly represented. Thus the question, (1 comments)
This blog is to help the general populace educate themselves and share their experiences in the real estate marketplace of Sacramento, Placer and El Dorado Counties.