Monthly Archives: March 2018
The Cost Of Renting Vs. Buying Today
Some Highlights: Historically, the choice between renting or buying a home has been a tough decision. Looking at the percentage of income needed to rent a median-priced home today (28.9%) vs. the percentage needed to buy a median-priced home (15.7%), the choice becomes obvious. Every market is different. Before you renew your lease again, find out if... Read More
Freddie Mac: Rising Mortgage Rates DO NOT Lead To Falling Home Prices
Recently, Freddie Mac published an Insight Report titled Nowhere to go but up? How increasing mortgage rates could affect housing. The report focused on the impact the projected rise in mortgage rates might have on the housing market this year. Many believe that an increase in mortgage rates will cause a slowdown in purchases which would, in turn, lead to... Read More
University of Memphis Graduate Students Help Shape City’s Future through Community Engagement
Graduate students at the Department of City and Regional Planning at the University of Memphis use asset mapping to mark areas of great significance in neighborhoods, as expressed by neighborhood residents during community engagement processes. As Memphis prepares to enter its third century as a city in 2019, graduate students at the University of... Read More
Is A Major Home Renovation Worth It In The Long Run?
Last week, we shared “7 Factors To Consider When Choosing A Home To Retire In.” For some homeowners, these seven factors can be taken into account with a home renovation, but is it worth it to remodel or change floor plans? Let’s look at this example. Let’s say you have a 4-bedroom colonial style home in a... Read More
Are You Aware Of How Much Equity You Have In Your Home? You May Be Surprised!
CoreLogic’s latest Equity Report revealed that 675,000 US homeowners regained positive equity in their homes in 2017. This is great news for the country, as 95.1% of all mortgaged properties are now in a positive equity situation. “U.S homeowners with mortgages (roughly 63% of all the properties) have seen their equity increase by a total of $908.4 billion... Read More
Dreaming Of A Luxury Home? Now’s The Time!
If your house no longer fits your needs and you are planning on buying a luxury home, now is a great time to do so! Recently, the Institute for Luxury Home Marketing released its Luxury Market Report which showed that in today’s premium home market, buyers are in control. The inventory of homes for sale in the luxury market... Read More
The Cost Of Waiting: Interest Rates Edition
Some Highlights: Interest rates are projected to increase steadily heading into 2019. The higher your interest rate, the more money you end up paying for your home and the higher your monthly payment will be. Rates are still low right now. Don’t wait until rates hit 5% to start searching for your dream home! Source:... Read More
How To Handle The Stress Of Selling Your Home
Three things are certain in life: death, taxes … and undue stress caused by moving. Whether or not you use the services of a REALTOR® to help you wade through the uncertain waters of the buy-and-sell process, moving is stressful, period. And there’s not much you can do to avoid it. And we’re not just... Read More
Moving Up Is MORE Affordable Now Than Almost Any Other Time In 40 Years
If you are considering selling your current home, to either move up to a larger home or into a home in an area that better suits your current family needs, great news was just revealed. Last week, Trulia posted a blog, Not Your Father’s Housing Market, which examined home affordability over the last 40+ years (1975-2016). Their research revealed... Read More
7 Factors To Consider When Choosing A Home To Retire In
As more and more baby boomers enter retirement age, the question of whether or not to sell their homes and move will become a hot topic. In today’s housing market climate, with low available inventory in the starter and trade-up home categories, it makes sense to evaluate your home’s ability to adapt to your needs... Read More