To answer this question, let’s start by looking at the year end. Since the recession, consumer confidence has increased as the economy has stabilized. Interest rates and mortgage rates are expected to increase throughout the year. In November, a new President was elected. The market is currently adjusting to expectations of policies his administration will… Continue reading How’s the Market?
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Category: Market News
Spring Housing Market: Get Ready for the Spring Housing Market
Welcome to my new series – “Get Ready for the Spring Housing Market”. Are you looking to buy or sell a home this spring? Let’s talk about the market. Our local spring market has the most sales of the year, which is why so many sellers time their home sale for the spring market (which… Continue reading Spring Housing Market: Get Ready for the Spring Housing Market
FHA Reduces Mortgage Insurance Premiums
Mortgage Insurance Premiums | The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) reduced mortgage insurance premiums by a quarter of a percentage point (from 0.85% to 0.6%) starting January 27. (0.25% for 30-year loans and 0.20% for 15-year loans.) HUD says that this should decrease borrowers costs by $500 a year on average (a $200,000 loan). While this… Continue reading FHA Reduces Mortgage Insurance Premiums
Financing a Real Estate Purchase 101
Financing Real Estate Purchase | Welcome to my new series, “Understanding Financing.” This is the first blog in this series and I am going to be covering the basics of financing a real estate purchase. As the series continues, I will cover a variety of topics related to securing financing for your real estate purchases, including info… Continue reading Financing a Real Estate Purchase 101
The Fed Raised Rates, What Does This Mean for You?
The Federal Reserve raised the Federal funds rate by 0.25%. They did not raise mortgage rates. Mortgage rates did respond to this though with an increase. Today, the 30 yr fixed-rate mortgage rate is 4.16%. The Fed has said that they will continue to increase the Fed funds rate maybe two or three more times this… Continue reading The Fed Raised Rates, What Does This Mean for You?
Looking Back: DC Q3 Real Estate
DC Q3 Real Estate | September data is in, so let’s look back at the third quarter real estate market in several DC neighborhoods. The fall DC market started well with the highest September sales activity since 2006. Median sales prices are up and inventory is increasing (while inventory growth is slowing). Probably the most… Continue reading Looking Back: DC Q3 Real Estate
Looking Back: Maryland Q3 Real Estate
Maryland Q3 Real Estate | September data is in, so let’s look back at the third quarter real estate market in several Maryland neighborhoods. Units sold are “up” in all of the neighborhoods I studied (Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Kensington, Rockville, Silver Spring), except Takoma Park where they fell by 3.57%. The average sold price increased… Continue reading Looking Back: Maryland Q3 Real Estate
Looking Back at the Summer: Supply and Demand in DC
Supply and Demand in Washington DC (city, not region) – Our fall real estate market began at Labor Day. Looking back at the last six months, you can see that supply (the blue bar) has stayed under 2 months. What does this mean? If no new listings came on the market, this is how long it… Continue reading Looking Back at the Summer: Supply and Demand in DC
What is TRID and how does it affect you?
TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure | The US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ordered an integration of the disclosures and regulations required by the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) and the Truth in Lending Act (TILA). This is called TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure or TRID. Using the previous disclosures and adding the new requirements from the Dodd-Frank… Continue reading What is TRID and how does it affect you?