Jun 9, 2015 | Home Seller Tips
One of the most common questions homeowners have before listing their home for sale relates to the selling price. Understanding the value of the home is about far more than just comparing the square footage of the space with other homes that have recently sold in the area. While there are many factors that will play a part in a selling price, location is an important factor for several different reasons.
Neighboring Properties
The properties that are located next to the home for sale are critical to the property value. For example, a home that is located next to a park or a beautifully maintained home may have more appeal than a home located next to a strip center or a gas station. Even with homes that are located just a block or two apart, this difference in adjacent properties can have a dramatic impact on properties values.
Safety Concerns
When a home is located in an unsafe area or an area that is riddled with crime, safety concerns can lower property values. Many home buyers will review crime statistics about a location before making a buying decision, and high crime areas are far less appealing to buyers. Properties are ultimately only worth what someone will pay for them, and buyers may overwhelming opt to purchase homes in safer locations unless the sales price is lowered.
Vehicular and Pedestrian Traffic
There are some advantages to being in an area with heavy vehicular or pedestrian traffic, such as if you live in an urban area and are searching for a property that offers this lifestyle. When a home is located in heavily trafficked areas in a suburban or rural location where a quieter way of life is desired, these can be drawbacks that impact the selling price. If one home is located on a busy street corner and another similar home is located a few blocks away removed from traffic, the home with a more desirable location will typically have a higher selling price.
Desirability is often directly related to property location, and homes in more desirable locations will therefore have a higher selling price than those in an undesirable location. For those who are thinking about selling a property soon and who want to learn more about its value, a consultation with your trusted real estate agent can provide you with helpful information.
Jun 8, 2015 | Market Outlook
Last week’s economic news included reports on construction spending, Freddie Mac’s mortgage rates survey and several employment related reports. The details:
Construction Spending Jumps
The Commerce Department reported that construction spending reached its fastest annual pace since November 2008. Most of the momentum was caused by construction of apartments, commercial projects and roads, and construction of single family homes. Builders spent 2.20 percent more in April than they did in March, which equated to an annual outlay of $1.01 trillion for all types of construction spending. Analysts said that increased spending in construction indicated that the housing sector could see improvement as construction provides more jobs.
Mortgage Rates Mixed
Freddie Mac’s weekly survey of mortgage rates reported that average mortgage rates were mixed last week. Average rates were reported as follows: 30-year fixed rates were unchanged at 3.87 percent with discount points also unchanged at 0.60 percent. The average rate for a 15-year fixed rate mortgage fell from 3.11 percent to 3.08 percent with discount points unchanged at an average of 0.50 percent. The average rate for a 5/1 adjustable rate mortgage rose by six basis points to 2.96 percent with discount points unchanged at 0.50 percent.
Employment Reports Suggest Stronger Labor Market
Several labor-related reports released last week suggest that job markets are gaining strength as they continue to improve. ADP, a private-sector payrolls company, reported 201,000 new jobs in May against April’s reading of 165,000 new jobs. The Labor Department released its Nonfarm Payrolls report for May and reported 280,000 new jobs against expectations of 210,000 new jobs and April’s reading of 221,000 new jobs.
Average hourly wages rose by 0.30 percent and surpassed expectations of a 0.20 percent increase and April’s reading of 0.10 percent. Although incremental, this suggests that labor markets are strengthening to a point where employers are comfortable with increasing wages.
Weekly Jobless claims were reported at 276,000 new claims filed as compared to expectations of 278,000 new claims and the prior week’s reading of 284,000 new jobless claims filed. The national unemployment rate for May ticked up to 5.50 percent from the prior month’s reading of 5.40 percent, but this reading remains below the Federal Reserve’s original benchmark of 6.50 percent for potentially raising the target federal funds rate. The Fed has not moved to change the rate, but analysts expect that this could occur by Fall if economic conditions hold steady.
What’s Ahead
Next week’s scheduled economic reports include job openings, retail sales, consumer sentiment along with the usual weekly reports on mortgage rates and weekly jobless claims.
Jun 5, 2015 | Home Buyer Tips
There are numerous factors that you may review when choosing a new place to live. If you have children, the quality of the schools and the level of education that your kids will receive in the schools is important. However, you may not be certain how to determine if a school is good or not. When you are looking at schools, use this helpful checklist to guide you in making a great decision.
Achievement Data
One of the easiest factors for you to research about different school districts and individual schools is achievement data. This may include the percentage of students graduating high school versus dropping out, the enrollment percentage for college, SAT and ACT scores and other relevant data. This is typically published online, or a call to the district’s office may provide you with the information.
Student to Teacher Ratio
The student to teacher ratio can vary drastically between school districts. This will impact how much personal attention your child receives as well as how crowded the classrooms are. Generally, the lower the number, the better overall experience your child may receive.
A Safe Location
The last thing you may want is for your child to be exposed to safety issues or to feel threatened or intimidated in school or while getting to or from school every day. You can research crime statistics online for the area surrounding the schools, and you can visit the school personally to visibly inspect the area.
Extracurricular Activities
The school age years are a time for kids to experience many new things. Everything from a drama and art club to a wide range of sports can benefit kids. Consider reviewing extracurricular activities available for younger and older students alike so that you can get a better idea for the experiences that a child may have outside of the classroom.
A Positive Environment
A final important factor to consider is the environment in the school. You will need to set up a tour of the school to experience this yourself. The staff members and students should be happy and positive. Remember that this is a place where your child may spend many long hours each day.
Where you choose to live will impact what school your child attends. Therefore, it is important to review the schools carefully before you make a final buying decision for a new home.
Jun 4, 2015 | Home Buyer Tips
Real estate sales contracts can be confusing, and there seem to be contingencies and special circumstances for many different events built into a standard contract. One option that your real estate agent may ask if you are interested in is an escalation clause. This is typically an optional clause that you can choose to invoke if you desire, so you should take time to learn more about what it is before you make your offer.
What Is an Escalation Clause?
It can take a considerable amount of effort and time on your part to locate the perfect home to purchase, and the last thing you may want to do is to lose the home that you have fallen in love with during a bidding war with another buyer. However, you also do not want to make an offer that is so high that it is not attractive or beneficial to you. Ideally, you want to get your dream home at the lowest price possible.
An escalation clause essentially permits you to make an offer, but it has a built in option for a higher offer that will go into effect if the seller receives an offer higher than what you have offered. Essentially, it serves as an immediate response to a second offer to protect you in the event you are involved in a bidding war.
How to Use an Escalation Clause
An escalation clause can be highly beneficial, but you do need to understand how to use it. First, your initial offer should be competitive enough so that the seller shows interest in it. Second, your escalation clause offer should serve as your maximum offer. This offer ideally will remain in the limits of the market value of the home. It also should still be affordable for you to purchase. If you are not comfortable making a higher offer or if your higher offer would price it out of market value range, you may consider not using the escalation clause.
The ability to automatically raise your offer with an escalation clause can be beneficial when this clause is used properly. You can speak with your agent more about the interest in the home by other buyers as well as the overall market conditions to determine if using an escalation clause would be beneficial for you when you are structuring an offer to present to a seller.
Jun 3, 2015 | Home Mortgage Tips
One of the most significant challenges that many people face when preparing to buy a first home relates to saving money for a down payment. While there are many different loan programs with varying down payment requirements, the fact is that it can still be difficult to save up a large sum of money. Some programs may require you to save as much as 10 percent or 20 percent of the sales price of the home.
You can employ a few different tips and techniques to save money for a down payment more quickly, and these are some of the options that others have successfully used to save money for their home purchase.
Make Saving Automatic
One idea that works well for many people is to make saving for your new home automatic. This may be as simple as scheduling a regular draft or transfer from your checking account when your paycheck is deposited into your savings account. Some employers may even facilitate this process by contributing some of your funds into a savings account on your behalf. With this option, the money would go directly into your savings account without you having a chance to spend it.
Take Advantage of Retirement Accounts
If your employer provides you with the option of investing in an employer-sponsored retirement account, you should take advantage of this option. Many will offer a dollar-for-dollar matching program, and this may essentially double the amount of money that is saved in the account.
More than that, the funds from many retirement accounts may be withdrawn without penalty if they are used for a first-time home purchase. There are some rules and regulations regarding this, so you should research this option more thoroughly.
These are among the two best options for saving money for a down payment for your first home purchase. There are other ideas that you can consider as well. For example, you may borrow from a whole life insurance policy, obtain a gift from a family member or even sell some of your personal belongings that you no longer need or use.
When you combine many of these ideas together, you may be surprised how quickly your down payment fund can grow.
