Four Ways You Can Use Your Home Equity

Written by Jupiter Island Mortgage Syndicated User on August 8, 2023. Posted in Buying Myths, First Time Home Buyers, For Buyers, Foreclosures, Jupiter Island Florida Mortgage Rates, Jupiter Island Mortgage, Move-Up Buyers.

If you’re a homeowner, odds are your equity has grown significantly over the last few years. Equity builds over time as home values grow and as you pay down your home loan. And, since home prices skyrocketed during the ‘unicorn’ years, you’ve likely gained more than you think.According to the latest Equity Insights Report from CoreLogic, the average homeowner has more than $274,000 in equity right now. That much equity can help you achieve certain goals. In a recent article, Bankrate elaborates: “While the pandemic created serious challenges, the silver lining for anyone who owned a home was...

How Inflation Affects Mortgage Rates

Written by Jupiter Island Mortgage Syndicated User on August 4, 2023. Posted in Buying Myths, For Buyers, Housing Market Updates, Interest Rates, Jupiter Island Florida Mortgage Rates, Jupiter Island Mortgage, Move-Up Buyers.

When you read about the housing market in the news, you might see something about a recent decision made by the Federal Reserve (the Fed). But how does this decision affect you and your plans to buy a home? Here’s what you need to know.The Fed is trying hard to reduce inflation. And even though there’s been 12 straight months where inflation has cooled (see graph below), the most recent data shows it’s still higher than the Fed’s target of 2%: While you may have been hoping the Fed would stop their hikes since they’re making progress on their goal of bringing down inflation, they don’t...

How To Know If You’re Ready to Buy a Home

Written by Jupiter Island Mortgage Syndicated User on August 3, 2023. Posted in Buying Myths, First Time Home Buyers, For Buyers, Housing Market Updates, Jupiter Island Florida Mortgage Rates, Jupiter Island Mortgage.

If you’re trying to decide if you’re ready to buy a home, there’s probably a lot on your mind. You’re thinking about your finances, today’s mortgage rates and home prices, the limited supply of homes for sale, and more. And, you’re juggling how all of those things will impact the choice you’ll make.While housing market conditions are definitely a factor in your decision, your own life and your finances may be even more important. As an article from NerdWallet says:“Housing market trends give important context. But whether this is a good time to buy a house also depends on your financial situation,...

Sellers: Don’t Let These Two Things Hold You Back

Written by Jupiter Island Mortgage Syndicated User on August 2, 2023. Posted in Buying Myths, For Buyers, For Sellers, Jupiter Island Florida Mortgage Rates, Jupiter Island Mortgage, Selling Myths.

Many homeowners thinking about selling have two key things holding them back. That’s feeling locked in by today’s higher mortgage rates and worrying they won’t be able to find something to buy while supply is so low. Let’s dive into each challenge and give you some helpful advice on how to overcome these obstacles.Challenge #1: The Reluctance to Take on a Higher Mortgage RateAccording to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), the average interest rate for current homeowners with mortgages is less than 4% (see graph below):But today, the typical 30-year fixed mortgage rate offered to buyers...

Tips for Making Your Best Offer on a Home

Written by Jupiter Island Mortgage Syndicated User on July 27, 2023. Posted in Buying Myths, For Buyers, Jupiter Island Florida Mortgage Rates, Jupiter Island Mortgage.

While the wild ride that was the ‘unicorn’ years of housing is behind us, today’s market is still competitive in many areas because the supply of homes for sale is still low. If you’re looking to buy a home this season, know that the peak frenzy of bidding wars is in the rearview mirror, but you may still come up against some multiple-offer scenarios.Here are a few things to consider to help you put your best foot forward when making an offer on a home.1. Lean on a Real Estate ProfessionalRely on an agent who can support your goals and help you understand what’s happening in today’s housing...

Don’t Fall for the Next Shocking Headlines About Home Prices

Written by Jupiter Island Mortgage Syndicated User on July 26, 2023. Posted in Buying Myths, For Buyers, Housing Market Updates, Jupiter Island Florida Mortgage Rates, Jupiter Island Mortgage, Pricing.

If you’re thinking of buying or selling a home, one of the biggest questions you have right now is probably: what’s happening with home prices? And it’s no surprise you don’t have the clarity you need on that topic. Part of the issue is how headlines are talking about prices.They’re basing their negative news by comparing current stats to the last few years. But you can’t compare this year to the ‘unicorn’ years (when home prices reached record highs that were unsustainable). And as prices begin to normalize now, they’re talking about it like it’s a bad thing and making people fear what’s next....

Owning Your Home Helps You Build Wealth

Written by Jupiter Island Mortgage Syndicated User on July 21, 2023. Posted in Buying Myths, First Time Home Buyers, For Buyers, Jupiter Island Florida Mortgage Rates, Jupiter Island Mortgage, Rent vs. Buy.

You may have heard some people say it’s better to rent than buy a home right now. But, even today, there are lots of good reasons to become a homeowner. One of them is that owning a home is typically viewed as a good long-term investment that helps your net worth grow over time.Homeownership Builds Wealth Regardless of Income LevelYou may be surprised to learn homeowners across various income levels have a much higher net worth than renters who make the same amount. Data from First American helps illustrate this point (see graph below):What makes wealth so much higher for homeowners? A recent...

Home Prices Are Rebounding

Written by Jupiter Island Mortgage Syndicated User on July 18, 2023. Posted in Buying Myths, For Buyers, For Sellers, Jupiter Island Florida Mortgage Rates, Jupiter Island Mortgage, Pricing, Selling Myths.

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. If we take a year-over-year view, home prices did drop some, but that’s because we’re comparing to a ‘unicorn’ year when prices peaked well beyond the norm.To avoid an unfair comparison to that previous peak, we need to look at monthly data. And that tells a very different and much more positive story. While local home price trends still vary by market, here’s what...

Two Questions To Ask Yourself if You’re Considering Buying a Home

Written by Jupiter Island Mortgage Syndicated User on July 6, 2023. Posted in Buying Myths, First Time Home Buyers, For Buyers, Interest Rates, Jupiter Island Florida Mortgage Rates, Jupiter Island Mortgage, Move-Up Buyers, Pricing.

If you’re thinking of buying a home, chances are you’re paying attention to just about everything you hear about the housing market. And you’re getting your information from a variety of channels: the news, social media, your real estate agent, conversations with friends and loved ones, overhearing someone chatting at the local supermarket, the list goes on and on. Most likely, home prices and mortgage rates are coming up a lot. To help cut through the noise and give you the information you need most, take a look at what the data says. Here are the top two questions you need to ask yourself...

Why Buying a Home Makes More Sense Than Renting Today

Written by Jupiter Island Mortgage Syndicated User on May 2, 2023. Posted in Buying Myths, First Time Home Buyers, For Buyers, Jupiter Island Florida Mortgage Rates, Jupiter Island 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...

Category: Buying Myths