Today it’s a sellers’ market (slightly) In today’s market, finding a home is only half the battle. Winning it is the art. When inventory is tight and competition is loud, buyers who succeed are rarely just lucky. They are prepared, strategic, and represented with intention. Here’s how I help buyers not only uncover the right…
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The National Association of Realtors’ Existing Home Sales report is the broadest measure of housing market activity. It just hit a 14-year record for the 3rd month in a row. It’s not just existing homes. The new home market is crushing it as well. This week’s data on Housing Starts (the ground-breaking phase of new construction) showed another…
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Coronavirus hit markets with unprecedented force in March. Stock prices and bond yields sank. When the outlook grew less dire, markets began moving back in the other direction. As quarantine measures ease, fear surrounding a second wave of COVID-19 is pushing back on the recovery in markets. Let’s quantify the fear using daily COVID-19 case counts in…
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This week’s economic data included the biggest-ever gain in Pending Home Sales, a leading indicator for the housing market. Meanwhile, mortgage rates pushed down to new all-time lows yet again. But at what cost? The most pessimistic way to explain the surge in home sales is to say it was only made possible by the record-setting declines in the past few months. …
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While some aspects of the housing/mortgage market have stabilized over the past few weeks, we’re still waiting for some important guidance about the path ahead.
Last week was the wildest in the history of the mortgage market. This week was wilder. It ended with a one-of-a-kind show of force from the Federal Reserve. This wasn’t necessarily destined to be the case, but things changed dramatically on Wednesday. By then, rates were surging higher for reasons that were hard to comprehend. True, the…
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By Friday of last week, it was clear that the coronavirus outbreak was having a significant impact on markets with stocks and bond yields (aka interest rates) both moving lower. Those same themes intensified this week, ultimately paving the way for the lowest mortgage rates since 2016. That may come as a surprise to those who believe…
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The last housing boom didn’t end so well for many Americans. That “B” word is being thrown around again at the start of 2020, but things are very different this time around. Why are people saying housing is booming? Due to a combination of rising rates and economic uncertainty, housing entered a bit of a…
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Things are looking up for the housing market at the start of the new year. Granted, some of the following data pertains to the last few months of 2019, but it nonetheless speaks to a friendly shift that is arguably already well underway. Fannie Mae’s Home Purchase Sentiment Index offers a broad measure of housing market strength, and it…
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Look at the orange line on the graph… that’s the fluctuation in price. The data is for Southern California from 2014-2018. EVERY year, there’s a dramatic dip during the holidays. If you can wait at least until October, do it! Let me know if you want an updated graph each month, no charge :). XOXO,…
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