Owning a Home Helps Protect Against Inflation

Written by Marathon Florida Keys Mortgage on May 24, 2023. Posted in First Time Home Buyers, For Buyers, Marathon FL Mortgage, Marathon Florida Keys Mortgage, Rent vs. Buy.

You’re probably feeling the impact of high inflation every day as prices have gone up on groceries, gas, and more. If you’re a renter, you’re likely experiencing it a lot as your rent continues to rise. Between all of those elevated costs and uncertainty about a potential recession, you may be wondering if it still makes sense to buy a home today. The short answer is – it does. Here’s why. Homeownership actually shields you from the rising costs inflation brings. Freddie Mac explains how: “Not only will buying today help you begin to build equity, a fixed-rate mortgage can stabilize your...

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Why Buying a Vacation Home Beats Renting One This Summer

Written by Marathon Florida Keys Mortgage on May 23, 2023. Posted in For Buyers, Marathon FL Mortgage, Marathon Florida Keys Mortgage.

For many of us, visiting the same vacation spot every year is a summer tradition that’s fun, relaxing, and restful. If that sounds like you, now’s the time to think about your plans and determine if buying a vacation home this year makes more sense than renting one again. According to Forbes: “. . . if the idea of vacationing at the same place every year makes you feel instantaneously relaxed, buying a vacation home might be a wise move.” To help you decide if making a move like this is right for you, let’s explore why you may want to consider purchasing a vacation home today. Benefits...

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Why Buyers Need an Expert Agent by Their Side

Written by Marathon Florida Keys Mortgage on May 22, 2023. Posted in First Time Home Buyers, For Buyers, Marathon FL Mortgage, Marathon Florida Keys Mortgage, Move-Up Buyers.

The process of buying a home can feel a bit intimidating, even under normal circumstances. But today’s market is still anything but normal. There continues to be a very limited number of homes for sale, and that’s creating bidding wars and driving home prices back up as buyers compete over the available homes. Navigating all of this can be daunting if you’re trying to do it alone. That’s why having a skilled expert to guide you through the homebuying process is essential, especially today. Bankrate shares this perspective: “Advice and guidance from a professional real estate agent...

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The Impact of Changing Mortgage Rates [INFOGRAPHIC]

Written by Marathon Florida Keys Mortgage on May 19, 2023. Posted in For Buyers, Infographics, Interest Rates, Marathon FL Mortgage, Marathon Florida Keys Mortgage.

Some Highlights If you’re looking to buy a home, you should know even a small change in mortgage rates has an impact on your purchasing power. These charts show how rates generally affect your monthly payment. The best way to navigate changing mortgage rates and make an informed buying decision is to rely on the expertise of a local real estate professional and mortgage lender.

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Powerful Job Market Fuels Homebuyer Demand

Written by Marathon Florida Keys Mortgage on May 18, 2023. Posted in For Sellers, Housing Market Updates, Marathon FL Mortgage, Marathon Florida Keys Mortgage.

The spring housing market has been surprisingly active this year. Even with affordability challenges and a limited number of homes for sale, buyer demand is strong, and getting stronger. One way we know there are interested buyers right now is because showing traffic is up. Data from the latest ShowingTime Showing Index, which is a measure of buyers actively touring homes, makes it clear more people are out looking at homes than there were prior to the pandemic (see graph below): And though there’s less traffic than the buyer frenzy of the past couple of years, we’re not far off that pace....

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What You Need To Know About Home Price News

Written by Marathon Florida Keys Mortgage on May 17, 2023. Posted in For Buyers, For Sellers, Housing Market Updates, Marathon FL Mortgage, Marathon Florida Keys Mortgage, Pricing.

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) will release its latest Existing Home Sales Report tomorrow. The information it contains on home prices may cause some confusion and could even generate some troubling headlines. This all stems from the fact that NAR will report the median sales price, while other home price indices report repeat sales prices. The vast majority of the repeat sales indices show prices are starting to appreciate again. But the median price reported on Thursday may tell a different story. Here’s why using the median home price as a gauge of what’s happening with home...

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The Worst Home Price Declines Are Behind Us

Written by Marathon Florida Keys Mortgage on May 16, 2023. Posted in For Buyers, For Sellers, Housing Market Updates, Marathon FL Mortgage, Marathon Florida Keys Mortgage, Pricing.

If you’re following the news today, you may feel a bit unsure about what’s happening with home prices and fear whether or not the worst is yet to come. That’s because today’s headlines are painting an unnecessarily negative picture. Contrary to those headlines, home prices aren’t in a freefall. The latest data tells a very different and much more positive story. Local home price trends still vary by market, but here’s what the national data tells us. If we take a year-over-year view, home prices stayed positive – they just appreciated more slowly than they did at the peak of the pandemic. To...

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Homeowners Have Incredible Equity To Leverage Right Now

Written by Marathon Florida Keys Mortgage on May 15, 2023. Posted in For Buyers, For Sellers, Housing Market Updates, Marathon FL Mortgage, Marathon Florida Keys Mortgage, Move-Up Buyers.

Even though home prices have moderated over the last year, many homeowners still have an incredible amount of equity. But what is equity? In the simplest terms, equity is the difference between the market value of your home and the amount you owe on your mortgage. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) explains how your equity grows over time: “Housing wealth (home equity or net worth) gains are built up through price appreciation and by paying off the mortgage.” How Your Equity Can Help You Achieve Your Goals The equity you build up over the years can be used to your advantage when you...

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The Worst Home Price Declines Are Behind Us [INFOGRAPHIC]

Written by Marathon Florida Keys Mortgage on May 13, 2023. Posted in For Buyers, For Sellers, Housing Market Updates, Infographics, Marathon FL Mortgage, Marathon Florida Keys Mortgage, Pricing.

Some Highlights While home prices vary by local area, they’ve already hit their low point nationally, and now they’re starting to rise again. Last July, prices started to decline, but around February, they began climbing back up. If you put your plans to move on hold waiting to see what would happen with home prices, reach out to a local real estate expert to discuss if now’s the right time to jump back in.

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The Worst of the Home Price Declines Is Behind Us [INFOGRAPHIC]

Written by Marathon Florida Keys Mortgage on May 12, 2023. Posted in For Buyers, For Sellers, Housing Market Updates, Infographics, Marathon FL Mortgage, Marathon Florida Keys Mortgage, Pricing.

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The Best Time To Sell Your House Is When Others Aren’t Selling

Written by Marathon Florida Keys Mortgage on May 11, 2023. Posted in For Sellers, Housing Market Updates, Marathon FL Mortgage, Marathon Florida Keys Mortgage, Selling Myths.

If you’re thinking about selling your house, you should know the number of homes for sale right now is low. That’s because, this season, there are fewer sellers listing their houses for sale than the norm. Looking back at every April since 2017, the only year when fewer sellers listed their homes was in April 2020, when the pandemic hit and stalled the housing market (shown in red in the graph below). In more typical years, roughly 500,000 sellers add their homes to the market in April. This year, we saw fewer than 400,000 sellers entering the market in April (see graph below): While there...

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The Impact of Inflation on Mortgage Rates

Written by Marathon Florida Keys Mortgage on May 10, 2023. Posted in Housing Market Updates, Interest Rates, Marathon FL Mortgage, Marathon Florida Keys Mortgage.

If you’re reading headlines about inflation or mortgage rates, you may see something about the recent decision from the Federal Reserve (the Fed). But what does it mean for you, the housing market, and your plans to buy a home? Here’s what you need to know. Inflation and the Housing Market While the Fed’s working hard to lower inflation, the latest data shows that, while the number has improved some, the inflation rate is still higher than the target (2%). That played a role in the Fed’s decision to raise the Federal Funds Rate last week. As Bankrate explains: “Keeping its inflation-fighting...

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Why Today’s Housing Market Is Not About To Crash

Written by Marathon Florida Keys Mortgage on May 9, 2023. Posted in For Buyers, For Sellers, Foreclosures, Housing Market Updates, Marathon FL Mortgage, Marathon Florida Keys Mortgage.

There’s been some concern lately that the housing market is headed for a crash. And given some of the affordability challenges in the housing market, along with a lot of recession talk in the media, it’s easy enough to understand why that worry has come up. But the data clearly shows today’s market is very different than it was before the housing crash in 2008. Rest assured, this isn’t a repeat of what happened back then. Here’s why. It’s Harder To Get a Loan Now It was much easier to get a home loan during the lead-up to the 2008 housing crisis than it is today. Back then, banks had different lending...

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It May Be Time To Consider a Newly Built Home

Written by Marathon Florida Keys Mortgage on May 8, 2023. Posted in For Buyers, Housing Market Updates, Marathon FL Mortgage, Marathon Florida Keys Mortgage, New Construction.

If you’re looking to buy a house, you may find today’s limited supply of homes available for sale challenging. When housing inventory is as low as it is right now, it can feel like a bit of an uphill battle to find the perfect home for you because there just isn’t that much to choose from. If you need to open up your pool of options, it may be time to consider a newly built home. According to the latest data from the U.S. Census, there’s positive news when it comes to new home construction. When you look at the first three months of this year, you’ll find: More new homes were completed and...

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Reasons To Sell Your House Today [INFOGRAPHIC]

Written by Marathon Florida Keys Mortgage on May 5, 2023. Posted in For Sellers, Housing Market Updates, Infographics, Marathon FL Mortgage, Marathon Florida Keys Mortgage.

Some Highlights Not sure if selling your house is the right move today? You should know there are a number of reasons it still makes sense to sell now. Your house will stand out because inventory is low. That’s why the number of offers on recently sold homes is on the rise. And most homeowners have a lot of equity that can fuel a move. If you’re thinking about selling your house, reach out to a local real estate expert to discuss if now may be the time to move.

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How Homeowners Win When They Downsize

Written by Marathon Florida Keys Mortgage on May 4, 2023. Posted in Demographics, For Buyers, For Sellers, Marathon FL Mortgage, Marathon Florida Keys Mortgage.

Downsizing has long been a popular option when homeowners reach retirement age. But there are plenty of other life changes that could make downsizing worthwhile. Homeowners who have experienced a change in their lives or no longer feel like their house fits their needs may benefit from downsizing too. U.S. News explains: “Downsizing is somewhat common among older people and retirees who no longer have children living at home. But these days, younger people are also looking to downsize to save money on housing . . .” And when inflation has made most things significantly more expensive, saving...

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Buyer Activity Is Up Despite Higher Mortgage Rates

Written by Marathon Florida Keys Mortgage on May 3, 2023. Posted in For Sellers, Housing Market Updates, Marathon FL Mortgage, Marathon Florida Keys Mortgage, Selling Myths.

If you’re a homeowner thinking about making a move, you may wonder if it’s still a good time to sell your house. Here’s the good news. Even with higher mortgage rates, buyer traffic is actually picking up speed. Data from the latest ShowingTime Showing Index, which is a measure of buyers actively touring homes, helps paint the picture of how much buyer demand has increased in recent months (see graph below): As the graph shows, the first two months of 2023 saw a noticeable increase in buyer traffic. That’s likely because the limited number of homes for sale kept shoppers looking for homes...

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A Recession Doesn’t Equal a Housing Crisis

Written by Marathon Florida Keys Mortgage on May 2, 2023. Posted in Housing Market Updates, Interest Rates, Marathon FL Mortgage, Marathon Florida Keys Mortgage, Pricing.

Everywhere you look, people are talking about a potential recession. And if you’re planning to buy or sell a house, this may leave you wondering if your plans are still a wise move. To help ease your mind, experts are saying that if we do officially enter a recession, it’ll be mild and short. As the Federal Reserve explained in their March meeting: “. . . the staff’s projection at the time of the March meeting included a mild recession starting later this year, with a recovery over the subsequent two years.” While a recession may be on the horizon, it won’t be one for the housing market record...

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Why Buying a Home Makes More Sense Than Renting Today

Written by Marathon Florida Keys Mortgage on May 1, 2023. Posted in Buying Myths, First Time Home Buyers, For Buyers, Marathon FL Mortgage, Marathon Florida Keys Mortgage, Rent vs. Buy.

Wondering if you should continue renting or if you should buy a home this year? If so, consider this. Rental affordability is still a challenge and has been for years. That’s because, historically, rents trend up over time. Data from the Census shows rents have been climbing pretty steadily since 1988. And, data from the latest rental report from Realtor.com shows rents continue to grow today, even though it’s at a slower pace than we saw at the height of the pandemic: “In March 2023, the U.S. rental market experienced single-digit growth for the eighth month in a row . . . The median asking...

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Ways To Overcome Affordability Challenges in Today’s Housing Market [INFOGRAPHIC]

Written by Marathon Florida Keys Mortgage on April 28, 2023. Posted in First Time Home Buyers, For Buyers, Infographics, Interest Rates, Marathon FL Mortgage, Marathon Florida Keys Mortgage, Move-Up Buyers, Pricing.

Some Highlights With so few homes on the market right now, widening the scope of your search to include nearby areas could help you find more options in your budget. You can also work with a trusted lender to consider alternative financing options and search for down payment assistance. If you’ve been searching for a home but are concerned about rising costs, make sure you have a team of trusted real estate professionals for expert advice.

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Why Today’s Foreclosure Numbers Are Nothing Like 2008

Written by Marathon Florida Keys Mortgage on April 27, 2023. Posted in Distressed Properties, Foreclosures, Housing Market Updates, Marathon FL Mortgage, Marathon Florida Keys Mortgage.

You’ve likely seen headlines about the number of foreclosures climbing in today’s housing market. That may leave you with a few questions, especially if you’re thinking about buying a house. Understanding what they really mean is mission-critical if you want to know the truth about what’s happening today. According to a recent report from ATTOM, a property data provider, foreclosure filings are up 6% compared to the previous quarter and 22% since one year ago. As media headlines call attention to this increase, reporting on just the number could actually generate worry and may even make you...

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The Three Factors Affecting Home Affordability Today

Written by Marathon Florida Keys Mortgage on April 26, 2023. Posted in First Time Home Buyers, For Buyers, Housing Market Updates, Interest Rates, Marathon FL Mortgage, Marathon Florida Keys Mortgage, Move-Up Buyers, Pricing.

There’s been a lot of focus on higher mortgage rates and how they’re creating affordability challenges for today’s homebuyers. It’s true that rates climbed dramatically since the record-low we saw during the pandemic. But home affordability is based on more than just mortgage rates – it’s determined by a combination of mortgage rates, home prices, and wages. Considering how each one of these factors is changing gives you the full picture of home affordability today. Here’s the latest. 1. Mortgage Rates While mortgage rates are higher than they were a year ago, they’ve hovered primarily between...

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Category: Marathon Florida Keys Mortgage