home: Strike While the Real Estate Iron is Hot: Mortgage Rates for 2017
- 03/02/17 12:59 PM
By and large, we saw a healthy housing market last year – but what should we expect as we embark on a new real estate journey in 2017? For home buyers, this is your que to strike while the iron is hot! If you’ve been waiting for the right time to buy your new home – your wait is over! Increase your buying power by taking advantage of these lower mortgage rates before we see an increase between 2017 and 2018. As Bill Dallas, CEO at Cloudvirga explains, “We expect GDP [gross domestic product] to increase 2.1% in 2017 and 2.0%
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home: A Glimpse Into The Real Estate Crystal Ball: Real Estate Forecast 2017
- 02/02/17 08:21 AM
As the buzz of New Year celebrations have settled down, many people are taking a closer look at the pulse of the real estate market for the year ahead. Whether you are considering buying a new home or selling your existing home, 2017 is looking like a promising year for your potential real estate transactions! Kicking off 2017, Realtor.com has released their yearly forecast, predicting a sales volume increase of 4.17% across the southern Florida market. Despite South Florida’s strong population growth and stable job creation, 2016 saw a decrease in home and condo sales – making this year’s sales prediction music
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home: Real Estate Rewind: 2016
- 12/16/16 12:49 PM
Now twelve months into 2016, we’ve had a big year in real estate! Between the Olympics, the elections and of course, real estate, many changes and trends have emerged. Rent Vs Buy: Always a hot topic! Typically, consumers have assumed that renting is more affordable than buying a home. But, numerous factors have changed home buying in 2016, including credit reporting! Have you checked your credit score lately? You may have seen an increase thanks to the new FICO 9 reporting system. Historically, the weight of medical bills negatively impacted consumer credit reports, but now, “A person’s credit score, with medical conditions, will
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home: First Time Home Buyer
- 10/18/16 04:32 AM
It’s time to take the next step and buy your first home. Where to begin, you ask? By and large we find ourselves scouring the internet for real estate listings and then driving by potential homes only to find that it’s been sold, or doesn’t live up to those beautiful online photos. Here’s the good news! Before getting too wrapped up in the home searching process, there are a few steps you should take to save yourself time, money and lots of disappointment. First and foremost: Prepare Your Credit for Mortgage Approval. Now that you’ve decided to turn those rent payments into mortgage
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home: Real Estate Pulse 2016: Short Supply Continues to Push Home Prices Up
- 03/08/16 03:31 AM
Real Estate Pulse 2016: Short Supply Continues to Push Home Prices Up It’s no secret that for the past 6-8 months the supply of single family homes has been well below average. Here in the Florida market, the lack of homes to purchase is causing a buyer frenzy. Specifically in the Tampa Bay and Miami housing markets, the shortage is readily apparent. Prices have shot up already in the beginning of 2016 as both first time home buyers and move up buyers struggle to find what they want without paying a supply shortage premium. Shoppers are also having to compete with other
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home: Tampa: Ranked Top 6 in Nation for Real Estate Investors
- 10/27/15 01:16 AM
Tampa Bay investors are finding out how hot the area is lately, ranking #6 among the top 50 cities for Real Estate investing. Everyone likes generating wealth, especially if the return (ROI) is on a real estate investment. It is extremely satisfying when you put your money to work for you. Real Estate investors look all over the place searching for the best property to invest their money in. Their money has been working extra hard here in Tampa. Over the past 12 months, Tampa’s investors have averaged 16.7 percent gross return on their investment. That is incredibly high, a very
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home: Favorable home-buying season is here & now!
- 05/09/14 04:39 AM
So far, 2014 has been very positive for the housing market and for the overall economy. Steady increases in home prices and home sales are indicating a continuous trend of strong buyer and seller confidence. The outlook towards real estate is improving quarter by quarter and we are expecting it to stay this way for the upcoming months and years. According to Fannie Mae’s April 2014 National Survey, “for the third month straight, the share of respondents who believe now is a good time to sell a home increased and hit 42%, an all-time survey high.” One of the other factors feeding the economic
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home: Don’t Forget About Your Rental Clients
- 02/21/14 04:20 AM
When working diligently, it is often disheartening for a Realtor to hear from clients, “I think I’m just going to rent for a while longer.” The hard work and countless miles traveled over the last month seem wasted, but is this really a waste? It is most definitely not. You never know what that relationship could develop into. Some of the most successful real estate agents are those with strong interpersonal communication and networking skills. Those who provide an unsurpassed level of quality service for clients do not go unrecognized. Success in this industry is highly dependent on one’s ability to
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home: Where are the Millennial Homebuyers?
- 02/14/14 05:43 AM
Millennials refer to those born between 1980 and 2000, and they make up the second largest segment of homebuyers according to a study on generational housing trends conducted by the National Association of Realtors. So where have they gone? The weight of student loans has significantly affected the rate at which Millennials are making home purchases, with many college graduates struggling to keep up with the hefty payments after graduation. The tough job market and current economic conditions are also contributing factors to Millennials renting homes rather than purchasing. The good news, however, is that consumer confidence about the potential
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home: The New Standard for Real Estate Listing Videos
- 01/29/14 04:28 AM
Real estate listing videos have gained tremendous popularity over the last several years, acting as an invaluable asset for real estate agents. Whether by using a personal YouTube channel or featuring videos on a company website, these videos have allowed for increased interest from homebuyers across the nation. Not only do the videos increase the number of quality buyer leads for a listing, but they also act as a specialized marketing tool for increasing overall awareness of an agent or agency. Many listing videos tend to follow a predictable pattern of home images with classical music and a monotonous
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home: Proud to Serve Tampa Bay
- 01/24/14 04:36 AM
The Tampa Bay area is a very high-paced growing metropolitan area, and it is home to many major corporations, health centers, and educational institutions. Whether you live in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, or Sarasota, there are many intriguing business opportunities for hard-working people of all ages. Here at SI Real Estate, we proudly support local business and we diligently work with people from all parts of the greater Tampa Bay area. In the past we have had the privilege to work with professors, students from the University of South Tampa and the University of Tampa, and many others purchasing their first
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home: Economic Growth Gains Momentum | 2014
- 01/17/14 03:45 AM
Nationwide economic growth is projected to increase to 2.9 percent from the estimated 2.6 percent growth in 2013, according to Fannie Mae’s Economic & Strategic Research Group reports. This increase can be attributed the return of consumer confidence following the government shutdown last fall, which affected hard working men and women across numerous industries. With rebounded optimism, an increase in both consumer and business spending is expected to boost overall economic growth throughout 2014. A significant driving force contributing to economic growth, according to Fannie Mae’s Chief Economist Doug Duncan, is the continued improvement in the real estate market. RealtyTrac published some encouraging
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home: Tampa continues to be most affordable Real Estate market in Florida
- 12/06/13 05:46 AM
Home ownership has been always a big part of the American dream. Owning your home has a huge impact not only on you but also on people around you. For every sold property in the United States, jobs are being created; generated revenue is making the economy stronger, communities are becoming more stable, and all this contributes to the process of the housing market recovery across the country. SI Real Estate takes the educational part of homeownership very seriously and we believe that is extremely important for our clients to know the advantages of owning your home instead of renting. Here
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home: Real Estate Pulse: The Decline of Shadow Inventory
- 11/08/13 04:25 AM
For those that do not know, “shadow inventory” refers to the real estate property inventory that is either in foreclosure and has not been sold, or properties that have been withheld from the active market with hopes of a price improvement. With seller uncertainty of the best time to list properties, this shadow inventory causes data on housing inventory to understate the actual inventory levels in the real estate market. High levels of shadow inventory, especially in the form of underwater, modified, and delinquent mortgages, pose as a significant factor to the recovery of the housing market, but refinancing and
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home: Deal-Maker or Deal-Breaker: The Importance of a Good Appraisal
- 08/12/13 01:08 AM
Homeowners are thrilled to see the values of their homes continue to increase as the real estate industry is recovering and stabilizing. The strong demand for housing and the low supply of inventory have continued to drive up home prices in the Florida real estate market, as well as nationwide! Buyers are expected to be prepared to make strong offers due to the rising prices and mortgage rates. We have been witnessing multiple offers and bidding wars taking place in today’s market too. This appears to be great news for sellers, as they are now receiving offers equal to or above
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home: The Next Real Estate Boom: Buy-To-Rent
- 08/02/13 12:58 AM
The year of 2013 has been proven to be an eventful time for the real estate market, especially here in Tampa, Florida. So far this year, we have discussed: the impact of international investors on the recovery of the housing market, the significant presence of Millenials as first-time home buyers, the recent mortgage rate activity with predictions of what to expect, the low housing inventory levels, and the encouraging signs of home value increases. So what can we expect to see as the next big move in real estate? The latest headline to grab the attention of the Tampa market
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home: Tampa Real Estate Hot Topic: Mortgage Rate Predictions for 2013
- 07/12/13 02:18 AM
Last week we discussed the importance of understanding the effects that rising home prices have on mortgage rates and the buying power of consumers in the market to both buy and sell. The recent mortgage rate activity has caught the attention of the nation, and of course our local Florida real estate market. Since May 2013, the average rate on a 30-year mortgage rose from approximately 3.3% to 4.87% according to Freddie Mac. Executive vice president of McCue Mortgage, Kim Neilson, states that the market hasn’t seen an increase of this magnitude in years. Despite the recent jump, however, rates are
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home: Pending Sales Reach New Heights
- 06/28/13 05:51 AM
Pending home sales rose last month to the highest level since 2006! Contract activity is also out pacing the December 2006 levels. While this activity is great, we should also be cognizant of interest rates and the pace at which they are rising. Some buyers are racing to the closing table so they can lock in current rates. At the same time, some sellers are doing whatever is necessary to secure a sale, even if that means taking a lower purchase price. The pace at which home prices are rising cannot continue forever as it is healthy when prices, sales and
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home: Tampa Real Estate Pulse: Then and Now
- 06/21/13 04:12 AM
Every now and then it is prudent to analyze our real estate market pulse, both locally in Tampa and nationally, so we have an improved indication of what the market is doing and why it is behaving as such. Real Estate professionals and consumers have been inundated with reports and surveys that are demonstrating how the real estate market is now thriving. By taking a closer look, we can say with certainty that the real estate recovery is making more movement than ever before. The month of May marked the 19th consecutive month that home values have risen. We have
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home: Real Estate: Buyers and Sellers Activity Increasing
- 04/05/13 06:51 AM
As a new demographic of real estate buyers and sellers enter the market, economists point out that the timing of younger millennials and older baby boomers coming to the closing table could not be more opportune. A recent study released this week from PulteGroup Inc. finds that demand for housing from people between ages 18-34 is rising at the same time that baby boomers are beginning to sell their homes. The percentage of buyers ages 18-34 with an average income of $50K or more has risen significantly since this time last year. On the same note, baby boomers entering 65 or
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