More great news for potential home buyers!


Last week the Federal Reserve made a surprise announcement that it will continue purchasing $85 billion in securities a month to push down on long term interest rates. The decision came as a shock to many economists who believed the FED would start tapering the program down. Since May, the mortgage industry has been dealing with fluctuating interest rates due to speculation that the FED's would cut back on the asset purchasing program. After the decision was announced, interest rates dropped almost immediately, which gives home buyers another chance to lock in low rates.


According to Bankrate.com, current 30 year fixed mortgage rates are as low as 3.9 percent, while 15 year fixed rate mortgages are currently at 3.34 percent. Interest rates, which had increased from about 3.5 percent in April to over 4.5 percent recently, are expected to halt their upward progression, which will more than likely prompt more people to get into the ...

With all the buzz being created in the strengthening housing market many homeowners are asking the question "Is it a good time to sell my home or should I wait a little longer?"


The easy answer to this question for many is "yes" and consumer attitudes are strongly supporting that notion.  A recent survey by Fannie May in July 2013 shows that over 50 percent of the people surveyed said they believed it was a great time to sell, which is a huge jump from 16 percent for the same month last year. Interestingly, at the same time over 80 percent of Fannie Mae's respondents believe that now is also a good time to buy. Redfin conducted a similar survey of real estate agents, which revealed that 82 percent felt it was a great time to sell.


Considering how many times I've had to answer this question, it would be easiest to just say "Yes, it's a great time to sell", but I'd like to provide a little more insight as to why it's such a great time.  


Far and away the best ...

A survey by Lending Tree shows that prospective homebuyers believe that both interest rates and home prices will continue to rise over the next 12 months. The survey shows that more than 64 percent of potential homebuyers expect interest rates to conitinue to rise and that 68 percent expect home prices to rise over the next 12 months.  


More prospective homebuyers are deciding that now is the right time to start searching for their next home. Consumers are starting to realize that today's still historically low interest rates and homeownership affordability will begin to recede in the near future. Improving financial attitudes and rising home prices are bringing more buyers to the table who are looking to lock in interest rates and purchase a home that they now believe is a good investment that will build equity in the future.


The housing market has not only stabilized, but has continued to show growth for 18 consecutive months, dating back to January 2012.  The ...

The federal housing authorities are trying to make it easier for people who lost their home to short sale, foreclosure or bankruptcy due to the economic downturn five years ago to qualify for a new mortgage. 


Last month, The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) changed it's rule requiring a three year waiting period for people who lost their home to foreclosure or bankruptcy. The new ruling opens the door to purchasee another home after one year as long as they have fixed the financial problems that caused them to lose their home.  


This is the latest effort to help boost and maintain the growth that we are currently seeing in the housing industry. This is especially important at a time when interest rates have been moving up and new mortgage applications have been declining. The HUD's rule change should make more people eligible for mortgages, even if their credit was tarnished during the economic downturn.  


While the rule change is grea ...

The Orlando Regional Realtor Association (ORRA) just released the Orlando Housing Market Report for August of 2013 and it is full of positive news for the local market.  
The median price of existing homes that sold in the Orlando area during August was $155,000, which is a 29 percent increase over the median price compared to August 2012.  Orlando's median price has risen 22 percent since January 2013 and almost 44 percent since January 2012.  
According to ORRA Chairman Steve Merchant, the increase in median price is directly related to the continued domination of higher priced "normal" sales over foreclosures and short sales, which have controlled the market over the last couple of years. Normal transactions made up 67percent of total homes sales in August 2013, while short sales and foreclosures only accounted for 33 percent of the total sales pie. This is opposed to August 2012 when short sales and foreclosures accounted for 52 percent of sales.  This is a ...