Thursday, July 17, 2014

A Special Welcome to Terri Hays!

Hi Friends!

It is a great honor of mine to be able to introduce our newest team member of The McLeod Group here at RE/MAX Integrity.




Terri Hays, Buyer Broker for The McLeod Group
503-371-5209
terrihays@integrityagents.com


Terri comes to our team with energy & excitement to work with Buyers as they search for their ideal home!

We are looking forward to continued success for Terri & The McLeod Group as we work together for you, our clients! 

~Amy

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Buying a Home: The Cost of Waiting

Hi Friends!


I often hear from Sellers & Buyers alike that they're going to "wait" for the market to get "better."  But sometimes that waiting can cost you much more than you may have been expecting!

Take a moment and look over this article I found in my reading.  I'm hopeful this information may help some of you who are trying to decide if now is the right time to make a change!


"Whether you are a first time buyer or a move-up buyer, you should look at the projections housing experts are making in two major areas: home prices and mortgage rates.

PRICES

Over 100 economists, real estate experts and investment & market strategists were recently surveyed. They were asked to project where home prices were headed. The average value appreciation projected over the next twelve month period was approximately 4%.

MORTGAGE INTEREST RATES

In their last Economic & Housing Market Outlook, Freddie Mac predicted that 30 year fixed mortgage rates would be 4.8% by this time next year. As of last week, the Freddie Mac rate was 4.14%.

What does this mean to you?

If you are a first time buyer currently looking at a home priced at $250,000, this is what it could cost you on a monthly basis if you wait to buy next year:

 If you are a move-up buyer currently looking at a home priced at $500,000, this is what it could cost you on a monthly basis if you wait to buy next year:

Bottom Line

With both home prices and interest rates projected to increase, buying now instead of later might make sense."

As always, please  let me know if you have any questions at all!
~Amy
*Article courtesy of KCMBlog.com

Thursday, June 19, 2014

4 Reasons to Buy Your Home NOW!














Hi Friends,
 
Many of our buyer clients often have significant reasons to start their home purchase process.

But there are times when you may not be sure if now is just quite the right time to make a move.

Here are four great reasons why now might be the best opportunity to move & buy your next home now!

4 Reasons to Buy Your Home Now!

As always, please let me know if you have any questions or how I can best help you make that next move!


~Amy 

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Moving Up? Do It NOW!

  
 
Hi Friends,

I often hear from clients & friends alike that they plan or want to wait to make their next move until their current home is "worth more."  What typically ends up happening is that the amount that these clients & friends want to make on their home is usually the same or similar amount that their dream home price increases.

In my reading, I thankfully came across this article that offers some additional insight on why waiting to make "more" might not always end up with the desired result.  Take a look & let me know your thoughts! 

"A recent study revealed that the number of existing home owners planning to buy a home this year is about to increase dramatically. Some are moving up, some are downsizing and others are making a lateral move. Another study shows that over 75% of these buyers will, in fact, be in that first category: a move-up buyer. We want to address this group of buyers in today’s blog post.

There is no way for us to predict the future but we can look at what happened over the last year. Let’s look at buyers that considered moving up last year but decided to wait instead.
Assume they had a home worth $300,000 and were looking at a home for $450,000 (putting 10% down they would get a mortgage of $405,000). By waiting, their house appreciated by approximately 10% over the last year (based on the Case Shiller Pricing Index). Their home could now sell for $330,000. That would mean an additional $30,000 in equity assuming they didn’t incur any expenses in selling the home.

But, the $450,000 home would now be worth $495,000. Adding the original 10% down payment ($45,000) to the additional equity ($30,000), they would now have a $75,000 down payment. That would still need a mortgage of $425,000.

Here is a table showing what additional monthly cost would be incurred by waiting:
Moving Up? Do It Now | The KCM Crew

According to the Home Price Expectation Survey, home prices are projected to appreciate by approximately 6% over the next eighteen months. Interest rates are also expected to rise by as much as another full percentage point in that same time period according to FreddieMac. If your family plans to move-up to a nicer or bigger home, it may make sense to move now rather than later."

As always, please let me know if you have any questions or want to take advantage of still great rates coupled with great pricing!

~Amy

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Selling A House? FannieMae Says Use an Agent!

Hi Friends!

Ever wonder if it's worth using an agent to sell your home?

Well here's what FannieMae has to say about it!

 In one of the biggest financial transactions of a person's life - it almost always makes sense to utilize the skills of a professional!

As always, I'm here if you have any questions!
~Amy

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Think You Should "For Sale By Owner?" THINK AGAIN!

Hi Friends!

Wondering if you should "For Sale By Owner" your home?

Take a look at the graphic below for insight on how this option might not bring in your best rate of return!


As always, let me know if you have any questions!
~Amy

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

With Rates & Prices on the Rise - Do You Know the True Cost of Waiting?

Hi Friends,
There's always lots of talk about waiting for the "perfect" time to buy.  Perfect rates matched with perfect pricing.  But often, this "perfect" scenario comes so quickly, and quietly, that most miss out.

In this week's article, I found some great insight on what the actual impact could be for those who are waiting for that "perfect" moment to make their move.

 
With Rates & Prices on the Rise, Do You Know the Cost of Waiting?
 
As always, let me know if you have any questions -- I'm happy to help give more detailed insight on how these two factors could be impacting your position to make that next home purchase.


~Amy