Blog Page

What to Consider When Choosing Your Home To Retire In

As more and more baby boomers enter retirement age, the question of whether they should sell their homes and move has 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 in retirement. Here are few New Skills for Seniors to Learn Is a Great Way to Stay Mentally Sharp and More Engaged that is very good for your both physical and mental health.

According to the National Association of Exclusive Buyers Agents (NAEBA), there are 7 factors that you should consider when choosing your retirement home.

1. Affordability

“It may be easy enough to purchase your home today but think long-term about your monthly costs. Account for property taxes, insurance, HOA fees, utilities – all the things that will be due whether or not you have a mortgage on the property.”

Would moving to a complex with homeowner association fees actually be cheaper than having to hire all the contractors you would need to maintain your home, lawn, etc.? Would your taxes go down significantly if you relocated? What is your monthly income going to be like in retirement?

2. Equity

“If you have equity in your current home, you may be able to apply it to the purchase of your next home. Maintaining a healthy amount of home equity gives you a source of emergency funds to tap, via a home equity loan or reverse mortgage.”

The equity you have in your current home may be enough to purchase your retirement home with little to no mortgage. Homeowners in the US gained an average of over $9,700 in equity last year.

3. Maintenance

As we age, our tolerance for cleaning gutters, raking leaves and shoveling snow can go right out the window. A condominium with low-maintenance needs can be a literal lifesaver, if your health or physical abilities decline. If there’s a maintenance problem such as roofing or septic tank cleaning, they’ll be the ones to hire experts such as a roofing service.

As we mentioned earlier, would a condo with an HOA fee be worth the added peace of mind of not having to do the maintenance work yourself?

4. Security

“Elderly homeowners can be targets for scams or break-ins. Living in a home with security features, such as a manned gate house, resident-only access and a security system can bring peace of mind.”

As scary as that thought may be, any additional security is helpful. An extra set of eyes looking out for you always adds to peace of mind.

5. Pets

“Renting won’t do if the dog can’t come too! The companionship of pets can provide emotional and physical benefits.”

Consider all of your options when it comes to bringing your ‘furever’ friend with you to a new home. Will there be necessary additional deposits if you are renting or in a condo? Is the backyard fenced in? How far are you from your favorite veterinarian?

6. Mobility

“No one wants to picture themselves in a wheelchair or a walker, but the home layout must be able to accommodate limited mobility.”

Sixty is the new 40, right? People are living longer and are more active in retirement, but that doesn’t mean that down the road you won’t need your home to be more accessible. Installing handrails and making sure your hallways and doorways are wide enough may be a good reason to look for a home that was built to accommodate these needs. Planning ahead can make all the difference, especially when unexpected health challenges arise. When medical care doesn’t meet the standard it should, the consequences can be serious. Trust California medical malpractice attorneys to provide expert legal representation, ensuring your case is handled with care and professionalism.

7. Convenience

“Is the new home close to the golf course, or to shopping and dining? Do you have amenities within easy walking distance? This can add to home value!”

How close are you to your children and grandchildren? Would relocating to a new area make visits with family easier or more frequent? Beyond being close to your favorite stores and restaurants, there are a lot of factors to consider.

Bottom Line

When it comes to your forever home, evaluating your current house for its ability to adapt with you as you age can be the first step to guaranteeing your comfort in retirement. If after considering all these factors you find yourself curious about your options, let’s get together to evaluate your ability to sell your house in today’s market and get you into your dream retirement home!

If you’re interested in purchasing or selling a home you can start by Contacting Us directly or start searching for your new home here Anthem, Desert Hills, New River, Phoenix, Mesa, Scottsdale, Tempe, Glendale or Surprise.

Real Estate Marketing Statistics May 2019

Median Sales Price up 5.9% to $270,000 in Greater Phoenix

Sales Rebound, Up 3.7% Over Last Year

For Buyers:
The median rent paid on single family rentals through the Arizona Regional MLS is currently $1,625 per month, which is comparable to what the mortgage payment would be on a median-priced $270,000 home with 4% down at today’s interest rate (including approximate taxes, homeowners insurance and mortgage insurance). If a buyer were to purchase that home today, within 5 years they would have nearly $35,000 in equity just from making their mortgage payment, not including any appreciation in value, while the business selling the property make a good profit less taxes, which are actually easy to find thanks to services like this VAT Calculator online. If prices were to rise at a modest 2.1% per year (the average long term rate of inflation) within that same 5 years, then they would have an additional $43,000 in equity just from appreciation. This scenario would result in $78,000 in total equity within 5 years and by year 3 they would be able to remove any mortgage insurance from their payment, which would save another $200 per month approximately. And don’t forget, securing reliable home insurance like those offered at house insurance Ontario is essential when owning a property.

For Sellers:
Low interest rates are continuing to fuel buyer demand and there are now 2.5% more listings under contract today than there were last year at this time and 3.7% more sales. All in all an impressive rebound as interest rates have remained below 4.2%, keeping affordability stable for the time being. Increased demand in the 2nd quarter has resulted in strengthening the weakening seller market after a full 7 months of decline. May is typically the highest month for listings under contract and buyer activity is expected to decline from here through December as it typically does every year. Don’t think you’ve missed the boat if you need to list however. On average since 2001, about 52% of all sales happen in the first half of the year and 48% in the second.

Home Value Appreciation Stops Falling, Begins to Stabilize

The percentage of home price appreciation on a year-over-year basis has decreased each month for over a year. The question was how far annual appreciation would fall. It seems we may now have the answer.

In a recent post on the National Association of Realtors’ Economists’ Outlook Blog, it was revealed that Realtors are starting to sense that home values are beginning to stabilize and that we may see appreciation beginning to accelerate again:

“About 3,000 REALTORS® who responded to NAR’s February 2019 REALTORS Confidence Index Survey had more optimistic— although modest— home price growth expectations over the next 12 months. Respondents expect home prices to typically increase by 1.9 percent nationally, up from 1.4 percent in the January survey.”

The thinking that home appreciation has bottomed-out was also confirmed in two additional housing reports recently released:

CoreLogic Home Price Index – The analysts at CoreLogic increased their projection for home appreciation for the next twelve months to 4.7% as compared to the 4.6% they projected in their previous report.

The Home Price Expectation Survey – In the 2019 first quarter survey, the nationwide panel of over one hundred economists, real estate experts, and investment & market strategists increased their projection for home value growth in 2019 to 4.3% compared to the 3.8% increase they had projected in the fourth quarter of 2018.

Bottom Line

Agents working the business every day, one of the premier data companies in the real estate space, and one hundred housing experts all agree: home price appreciation has ended its decline and looks to be stabilizing… and may even accelerate.

Are Low Interest Rates Here to Stay?

Interest rates for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage have been on the decline since November, now reaching lows last seen in January 2018. According to Freddie Mac’s latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey, rates came in at 4.12% last week!

This is great news for anyone who is planning on buying a home this spring! Freddie Mac had this to say,

“Mortgage interest rates have been steadily declining since the start of 2019. These lower mortgage interest rates combined with a strong labor market should attract prospective homebuyers this spring and could help the housing sector regain its momentum later in the year.”

To put the low rates in perspective, the average for 2018 was 4.6%! The chart below shows the recent drop, and also shows where the experts at Freddie Mac believe rates will be by the end of 2019.

Bottom Line

If you plan on buying a home this year, let’s get together to start your home search to ensure you can lock in these historically low rates today!

Things to Do Phoenix May 2019

Roars & Pours May 2, 2019

Swing by for a happy hour with a wild side. Roars & Pours at the Phoenix Zoo! Guests 21 and older can sip and stroll select Zoo trails while enjoying craft brews, wine and food. Plus, animal encounters, yard games, live music, entertainment and more!

phoenixzoo.org

KENTUCKY DERBY LAWN PARTY
May 4, 2019

Bring your Southern charm, and the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess will bring the frosty mint juleps. Join the annual Kentucky Derby Lawn Party at Michael Mina’s Bourbon Steak. Experience the “fastest two minutes in sports” during the 145th Run for the Roses on plasma screens both indoors and out. Enjoy festive live music, Bulleit bourbon tastings, a photo booth, lawn games and more.

scottsdaleprincess.com

Cinco de Mayo Phoenix Festival
May 5, 2019

Keep the Cinco de Mayo celebration going at one of the largest multicultural festivals in Arizona. This downtown Phoenix street festival is filled with non-stop fun, games, traditional food, drinks, an interactive kid zone and live entertainment.

cincophx.com

Electric Desert at Desert Botanical Garden
May 9, 2019

Recurring Event

Desert Botanical Garden invites families to see the desert in a new way at “Electric Desert” — a light-and-sound experience by Klip Collective. Cacti and desert trees and plants become a living canvas in this nighttime experience of projected lights and original music.

dbg.org

Glow Nation – Phoenix
May 11, 2019

Glow Nation is the newest glow-in-the-dark festival traveling across the United States promoting a fun and active lifestyle; featuring top DJ’s bringing you the biggest dance party spinning the latest Hip-Hop and EDM hits. Popular attractions from zip lining to the biggest water-slides while getting glowed up, and to top it all off grab a bit and shop locally in our GlowVillage.

eventbrite.com/e/glow-nation-phoenix-tickets-54203131024

THE BASH: MUSIC AND CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL
May 11, 2019

The Bash is a day filled with craft beer and live music. The Bash will feature up to four hours of craft beer tastings with more than 100 beers to choose from and music from Rancid, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Suicidal Tendencites, L7 and H20.

thebashfestival.com/phoenix/

URBAN WINE WALK
May 11, 2019

The self-guided tasting tour returns for its ninth year offering participants the opportunity to explore downtown, socialize, and experience the buzzing bar and restaurant scene.

dtphx.org/things-to-do/seasonal/

Mother’s Day Member Breakfast
May 12, 2019

Celebrate Mother’s Day with a delicious breakfast in the Zoo’s scenic Stone House Pavilion! Choose from a buffet, including Belgian waffles, fluffy scrambled eggs, crispy Applewood smoked bacon, smoked sausage links and golden crisp hash browns. Orange juice and coffee are also included. Raise a toast to Mom with a glass of non-alcoholic sparkling cider and enjoy exclusive animal encounters!

phoenixzoo.org

Carry The Load Phoenix Rally
May 12, 2019

Our mission is the provide an active way to connect Americans to the sacrifices made by military, veterans, first responders and their families. Our national relay team is traveling over 4,500 miles from Seattle to Dallas, with a stop in Phoenix, carrying the flag in an effort to raise awareness.

carrytheload.org

Arizona Restaurant Week
May 17 – 26, 2019

This statewide affair offers foodies a wealth of dining opportunities and the chance to get outside their own neighborhood and try something new. From sizzling Southwestern and soothing comfort foods to five-star dining and international fare – it’s all on the table during Arizona Restaurant Week.

arizonarestaurantweek.com

Science With A Twist: The Battle of Hogwarts
May 17, 2019

Grab your wand, locate the nearest portkey, and transport yourself Arizona Science Center for our third Harry Potter-themed Science With A Twist party. Get ready for an unbelievable night of witchcraft and wizardry, and all your favorite things from the world of Harry Potter.

azscience.org/science-with-a-twist-may-2019/

Phoenix Fan Fusion
May 23 – May 26, 2019

Family-friendly event where we invite enthusiasts of every fandom, creators, artists, entertainers, cosplayers, fans, and friends to experience what we embrace as our culture, our world, and our passions. Come Discover Your Inner Geek at Phoenix Fan Fusion.

phoenixfanfusion.com

What’s Going On with Bidding Wars?

In a strong seller’s market, like the one we have experienced over the past few years, bidding wars are common and expected. This makes sense! A seller’s market is defined as a market in which the inventory of homes for sale cannot satisfy the number of buyers who want to purchase a home.

According to the Cambridge English Dictionary, bidding wars occur when two or more parties repeatedly outbid each other as they compete to purchase something- in this case, a home.

In some areas of the country, first-time buyers have been met with fierce competition throughout their experience. Some have been out-bid multiple times before finally winning a bid on a home to call their own.

According to the latest Existing Home Sales Report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), there is currently a 3.7-month supply of homes for sale.

With the current number of houses listed for sale and the level of demand from buyers, this means it would take 3.7 months for all the homes listed to sell if no additional listings came to market. Any supply number under a 6-month supply is considered a seller’s market. According to NAR, the housing market hasn’t had a 6-month supply of homes for sale since August 2012.

Good News for Buyers

A recent report shows that the percentage of houses sold including a bidding war before settling on a final price decreased from 53% in January of 2018 to 13% this year.

One reason for the decline is an influx of homes being listed for sale. Even though the month’s supply number is not increasing, the number of homes for sale is. The chart below shows the year-over-year change in inventory over the last 12 months.

As you can see, the number of homes for sale has started to build over the last eight months. Prior to this reversal, inventory levels had fallen for 36 consecutive months when compared to the year before.

Danielle Hale, realtor.com’s Chief Economist, gave some insight into why bidding wars are less common on a local level this year,

“[Last year] you might have been the only listing in your neighborhood, and you could put your home up at a certain list price and you would likely see multiple offers at or above that list price. That tide is turning this year.
It’s going to depend on what neighborhood you’re in, but we expect it to be more common this year that you won’t be the only listing.”

Inventory in the luxury and premium markets (the top 25% of listings in an area by price), is increasing at a greater rate than the starter home market. As the choices buyers have continued to increase, the likelihood of a bidding war will decrease.

Bottom Line

If you are debating listing your house for sale this year, you may not want to wait for additional competition as inventory continues to rise.

Why an Economic Slowdown Will NOT Crush Real Estate this Time

Last week, the National Association for Business Economics released their February 2019 Economic Policy Survey. The survey revealed that a majority of the panel believe an economic slowdown is in the near future:

“While only 10% of panelists expect a recession in 2019, 42% say a recession will happen in 2020, and 25% expect one in 2021.”

Their findings coincide with three previous surveys calling for a slowdown sometime in the next two years:

That raises the question: Will the real estate market be impacted like it was during the last recession?

A recession does not equal a housing crisis. According to the dictionary definition, a recession is:

“A period of temporary economic decline during which trade and industrial activity are reduced, generally identified by a fall in GDP in two successive quarters.”

During the last recession, prices fell dramatically because the housing collapse caused the recession. However, if we look at the previous four recessions, we can see that home values weren’t negatively impacted:

January 1980 to July 1980: Home values rose 4.5%
July 1981 to November 1982: Home values rose 1.9%
July 1990 to March 1991: Home values fell less than 1%
March 2001 to November 2001: Home values rose 4.8%

Most experts agree with Ralph McLaughlin, CoreLogic’s Deputy Chief Economist, who recently explained:

“There’s no reason to panic right now, even if we may be headed for a recession. We’re seeing a cooling of the housing market, but nothing that indicates a crash.”

The housing market is just “normalizing”. Inventory is starting to increase and home prices are finally stabilizing. This is a good thing for both buyers and sellers as we move forward.

Bottom Line

If there is an economic slowdown in our near future, there is no need for fear to set in. As renowned financial analyst, Morgan Housel, recently tweeted:

“An interesting thing is the widespread assumption that the next recession will be as bad as 2008. Natural to think that way, but, statistically, highly unlikely. Could be over before you realized it began.”

Real Estate Marketing Statistics April 2019

Mortgage Payments Drop $50 per Month on a Median Priced Home
Listings Under Contract Up 19% in 5 Weeks!

For Buyers:

Buyers got a break last month as 30-year mortgage rates dropped significantly from an average of 4.41% to 4.08%, which is the lowest they have been since January 2018. On a $267,000 home (the median sales price in Greater Phoenix) the drop equated to nearly $50 per month in savings on principal and interest, which was enough to get many buyers off the couch and looking for homes. This rate drop combined with an increased conventional loan limit up to $484K and a 32% increase in weekly seller price reductions meant that price ranges between $200K all the way up to $800K saw a combined 19% increase in contracts written over the last 5 weeks. Contract activity is expected to increase at this time of year anyway due to seasonality, but last year over the same 5 weeks it only increased 8.6%. For buyers who are still waiting for prices to begin declining, their wait just got longer.

For Sellers:

The drop in mortgage rates could not have come at a better time for sellers. Up until 6 weeks ago the negotiating advantage sellers have been enjoying for years in Greater Phoenix had weakened to the point where the market was on track to enter balance within a matter of months and price appreciation would have begun to slow even more. However by April 4th the average 30-year mortgage rate (as reported by Freddie Mac) had dropped to a 15-month low. This spurred buyer activity and resulted in Listings Under Contract, which were 10.2% below 2018 last month, to sharply increase and surpass 2018’s April count by 0.8%. Currently sales volume is down 9.6% from last April, however when these contracts close escrow over the next 4-6 weeks May and June should fare much better. Don’t get too excited though, the seller market is still much weaker than last year. Affordability and demand were helped by this interest rate drop but could quickly be negated as prices continue to rise. Sellers still need to be mindful of their asking price to get under contract before buyer activity seasonally begins to decline between May and the end of the year.

7 Things To Avoid After Applying for a Mortgage!

Congratulations! You’ve found a home to buy and have applied for a mortgage! You are undoubtedly excited about the opportunity to decorate your new home! But before you make any big purchases, move any money around, or make any big-time life changes, consult your loan officer. They will be able to tell you how your decision will impact your home loan.

Below is a list of 7 Things You Shouldn’t Do After Applying for a Mortgage! Some may seem obvious, but some may not!

1. Don’t change jobs or the way you are paid at your job! Your loan officer must be able to track the source and amount of your annual income. If possible, you’ll want to avoid changing from salary to commission or becoming self-employed during this time as well.

2. Don’t deposit cash into your bank accounts. Lenders need to source your money and cash is not really traceable. Before you deposit any amount of cash into your accounts, discuss the proper way to document your transactions with your loan officer.

3. Don’t make any large purchases like a new car or new furniture for your new home. New debt comes with it, including new monthly obligations. New obligations create new qualifications. People with new debt have higher debt to income ratios… higher ratios make for riskier loans… and sometimes qualified borrowers no longer qualify.

4. Don’t co-sign other loans for anyone. When you co-sign, you are obligated. As we mentioned, with that obligation comes higher ratios as well. Even if you swear you will not be the one making the payments, your lender will have to count the payment against you.

5. Don’t change bank accounts. Remember, lenders need to source and track assets. That task is significantly easier when there is consistency among your accounts. Before you even transfer money between accounts, talk to your loan officer.

6. Don’t apply for new credit. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a new credit card or a new car. When you have your credit report run by organizations in multiple financial channels (mortgage, credit card, auto, etc.), your FICO score will be affected. Lower credit scores can determine your interest rate and maybe even your eligibility for approval.

7. Don’t close any credit accounts. Many clients have erroneously believed that having less available credit makes them less risky and more likely to be approved. Wrong. A major component of your score is your length and depth of credit history (as opposed to just your payment history) and your total usage of credit as a percentage of available credit. Closing accounts has a negative impact on both those determinants of your score.

Bottom Line

Any blip in income, assets, or credit should be reviewed and executed in a way that ensures your home loan can still be approved. The best advice is to fully disclose and discuss your plans with your loan officer before you do anything financial in nature. They are there to guide you through the process.

Preparing to Spring Forward [INFOGRAPHIC]

Some Highlights:

In the majority of the country, this weekend marks the start of Daylight Savings Time as we set our clocks forward an hour on Sunday at 2:00 AM EST.
Whether you plan on buying or selling this spring, these tips could help you ‘spring ahead’ of your competition!
Spring brings two things: more buyers & more sellers! Get prepared now to stand out in the crowd!