Wow – the article below really stuck a chord with me – as I just heard one of my buyers “wants to wait”. I cringe when I hear that – because in my 11 years in this business, and Susan’s 16 years – “waiting” has got our clients no where!
Well, let me rephrase that – those who were able to get back into the market after stepping out – ended up spending more money on less house. Point Blank – end of story. I kid you not. Some of them are still looking and it isn’t getting any easier. Now maybe the few would couldn’t buy before the financial crises did great “waiting” by buying afterwards – but those folks are far and few between and those days are long behind us. We have exceeded our pre-bust prices – by far! And with the way our market has fully recovered, with amazing demand we have for housing on the San Francisco Peninsula and the lack of inventory – waiting means paying more money for less house. And in some cases not even a house – but a condo or townhouse – or nothing at all.
There is a phrase in Real Estate we use. Don’t wait and buy real estate – buy real estate and wait! Once you own your home, you will gain equity as the market continues to climb. Now I know so many buyers, myself included, that would like to see prices come down a bit – for affordability factors. However, that’s not likely to happen here on the San Francisco Peninsula. Do you know how many new office spaces are being built or planed to be built here? I do. And it is a lot. And where are these people going to live? If you want to rent a place these days – get ready to fork over at least $2000 for a one bedroom apartment if not a studio! And why waste a good $2000 on rent when a person could easily afford a mortgage payment and actually earn some equity so that you can buy a larger house down the road.
The first home you buy will never be perfect, nice enough, or big enough. But buy investing in a home – since we all need to live somewhere – a buyer will earn equity that will in turn get them into a better home down the road. In the long run, you earn more money buying and holding real estate than the stock market or that saving account.
It breaks my heart to hear when person looses steam while trying to buy a home. Our Bay Area real estate market is very competitive. Always has, always will. However, The Caton Team knows how to maneuver through it and have had great success with our buyers who take our sage advice, consider the facts, review our numbers and give it their all.
If you have questions regarding buying or selling – we are here to help – call or email me any time.
Sabrina
650-568-5522
sabrina_Caton@yahoo.com
Now for the article…
Why Homebuyers Need to Act Now
DAILY REAL ESTATE NEWS
Home buyers need to move fast if they want to spend less, notes Jonathan Smoke, chief economist at realtor.com® in commentary at the site.
“Delayed purchases will only result in higher monthly mortgage payments as prices and rates rise,” Smoke writes. Realtor.com® is forecasting that affordability may decline as much as 10 percent over the year.
The Federal Reserve continues to remind the financial markets that it plans to raise its target federal funds rate this year, which will cause mortgage rates to rise. Many economists are predicting 30-year fixed-rate mortgages to average near 5 percent by the end of the year.
For now, mortgage rates are near historical lows for homebuyers and home owners who can take advantage. Freddie Mac reported last week that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 3.66 percent (last year at this time it averaged 4.32 percent), and 15-year fixed-rate mortgages averaged 2.98 percent (a year ago, it averaged 3.40 percent).
“Right now, the Fed is using the word ‘patient’ to describe its approach to picking the time to raise the target rate,” Smoke notes. “However, when the Fed ‘loses patience,’ rates will go up at least 20 to 40 basis points in anticipation of the target rate officially going up. … So, buyers beware: The clock on these low mortgage rates may be ticking.”
Source: “2015: Buy Now, Before the Fed’s Patience Ends,” realtor.com® (Jan. 30, 2015)
I read this article at: http://realtormag.realtor.org/daily-news/2015/02/04/why-homebuyers-need-act-now?om_rid=AACmlZ&om_mid=_BU0pLgB8-LaaY2&om_ntype=RMODaily
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Thanks for reading – Sabrina
The Caton Team – Susan & Sabrina – A Family of Realtors
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices – Drysdale Properties
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