Thursday, April 20, 2023 / by Barbara Oleska
The spring season appears to be warming up in housing as more and more buyers enter the market. And after rising mortgage rates sidelined so many buyers last year, that’s a good sign for sellers. Realtor has the latest:
“Spring is officially here, and like green shoots emerging from the bleak winter, new data suggests that more buyers are back in the market, although more subdued compared to a year ago.”
We know buyer activity is trending up because of mortgage purchase application data. According to Investopedia:
“A mortgage application is a document submitted to a lender when you apply for a mortgage to purchase real estate.”
That means the number of mortgage applications shows how many buyers are applying for mortgages. Put another way, an increase in mortgage applications means an increase in buyer demand – and as Joel Kan, VP and Deputy Chief Economist at the Mortgage Bankers Association . ...
Read More
florida real estate, boca raton realtor, south florida realtor, residential real estate, boca raton residential real estate
Thursday, March 16, 2023 / by Barbara Oleska
Today’s homeowners are sitting on significant equity, even as home price appreciation has eased recently. If you’re a homeowner, your net worth got a boost over the past few years thanks to rising home prices. Here’s what it means for you, even as the market moderates.
How Equity Has Grown in Recent Years
Because of the imbalance between how many homes were for sale and the number of homebuyers in the market over the past few years, home prices appreciated substantially.
And while price appreciation has slowed this year, that doesn’t mean you’ve lost all the equity in your home. In fact, the latest Homeowner Equity Insights report from CoreLogic finds the average homeowner’s equity has grown by $34,300 over the past year alone.
And if you’ve been in your home longer than that, chances are you have even more equity than you realize.
While that’s the national number, if you w. ...
Read More
florida real estate, south florida real estate, boca raton realtor
Thursday, March 9, 2023 / by Barbara Oleska
Things To Consider When Selling Your House
Should you sell your house this spring? What's the latest on inventory, rates and pricing?
If you’re thinking about selling your house, please click on my Spring guide below to get the answers to your questions. If you want to see how your property measures up in our local market, give me a call and we'll discuss.
Read More
florida real estate, boca raton real estate, south florida real estate, boca raton realtor, south florida realtor, boca raton residential real estate, residential real estate, seller market, how do i sell my home, housing market, what should i do to my house before i sell it
Thursday, March 2, 2023 / by Barbara Oleska
If you’re thinking about buying a home, you might be focusing on previously owned ones. But with so few houses for sale today, it makes sense to consider all your options, and that includes a home that’s newly built.
The Number of Newly Built Homes Is on the Rise
While there are more houses for sale right now than there were at this time last year, there’s still a historically low number of homes available on the market. One reason for that is years of underbuilding—meaning there haven’t been enough new homes built to keep up with demand.
The graph above shows how low the production of newly constructed homes has been over the past 14 years. But it also shows another important trend: the number of new homes being built each year is on the rise. As Mark Fleming, Chief Economist at First American, shares, that’s good news for buyers:
“While existing-home inventory remains limited, the silver lining . ...
Read More
florida real estate, boca raton real estate, south florida real estate, boca raton realtor, south florida realtor
Thursday, February 2, 2023 / by Barbara Oleska
As mortgage rates rose last year, activity in the housing market slowed down. And as a result, homes started seeing fewer offers and stayed on the market longer. That meant some homeowners decided to press pause on selling.
Now, however, rates are beginning to come down—and buyers are starting to reenter the market. In fact, the latest data from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) shows mortgage applications increased last week by 7% compared to the week before.
So, if you’ve been planning to sell your house but you’re unsure if there will be anyone to buy it, this shift in the market could be your chance. Here’s what experts are saying about buyers returning to the market as we approach spring.
Mike Fratantoni, SVP and Chief Economist, MBA:
“Mortgage rates are now at their lowest level since September 2022, and about a percentage point below the peak mortgage rate last fall. As we ent. ...
Read More
florida real estate, boca raton real estate, south florida real estate, boca raton realtor, residential real estate, seller market, housing market