Wednesday, August 16, 2023 / by Kenneth Brands
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 want to stop too soon, and risk inflation climbing back up as a result. Because of this, the Fed decided to increase the Federal Funds Rate again last week. As Jerome Powell, Chairman of the Fed, says:
“We remain committed to bringing inflation back to our 2 percent goal and to keeping longer-term inflation. ...
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Monday, August 14, 2023 / by Kenneth Brands
Plenty of people are still moving these days. And if you’re thinking of making a move yourself, you may be considering the inventory and affordability challenges in the housing market and wondering what you can do to help offset those. A new report from Gravy Analytics provides insight into where people are searching for homes and what they’re prioritizing most right now. That information could help you plan your own move.
1. People Are Moving to Cities with Lower Housing Costs
One big factor motivating where buyers are going is affordability and that’s no big surprise. People are relocating to areas that have less expensive housing options. As a result, small cities are thriving. Hannah Jones, Economics Data Analyst at Realtor.com, summarizes why:
“Affordability is still very much front and center . . . a lot of what’s available is outside of the price range of many buyers. . . .. ...
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Friday, June 16, 2023 / by Kenneth Brands
Dallas-Fort Worth, the vibrant heart of North Texas, offers a unique and bustling residential real estate market. From the urban flair of Dallas to the tranquility of Fort Worth suburbs, the area presents a variety of opportunities and challenges for home buyers and sellers.
Dallas-Fort Worth Real Estate: Opportunities
The Dallas-Fort Worth real estate market thrives on the region's continued population growth, spurred by a thriving job market and a business-friendly environment. The consequent demand for housing creates a lucrative seller's market. Hot properties in high-demand neighborhoods such as Frisco and Plano often ignite bidding wars and earn above-asking prices.
Furthermore, new home construction in Dallas-Fort Worth is on the rise. Whether it's cutting-edge smart homes in Prosper or affordable single-family homes in burgeoning areas like Oak Cliff, the variety of choices for potential homebuyers in Dallas-Fort Worth is vast.
Dallas-Fort Worth Housing Market: Challenges ...
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Thursday, May 11, 2023 / by Kenneth Brands
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 standards, making it easy for just about anyone to qualify for a home loan or refinance an existing one. As a result, lending institutions took on much greater risk in both the person and the mortgage products offered. That led to mass defaults, foreclosures, and falling prices.
Things are different today as purchasers face increasingly higher . ...
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Tuesday, May 9, 2023 / by Kenneth Brands
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 even during colder months.
To help tell the story of why the latest report is significant, let’s compare foot traffic this February with each February for the last six years (see graph below). It shows this was one of the best Februarys for buyer activity we’ve seen in recent memory.
In the last six years, we saw the most February buyer traffic in 2021 . ...
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