A Christmas Gift for Your Home-Buying Dreams: Understanding the Fed and Inflation
This festive season, we’re delighted to present you with a special Christmas gift that’s wrapped in knowledge and tied with a bow of home-buying wisdom. As you gather with loved ones and share the joy of the season, we invite you to unwrap this present – insights into your dream home, served with a generous sprinkle of Christmas cheer. The Fed’s Inflation Battle: First, let’s meet the Fed, the guardian of our financial world. Their mission, much like Santa’s, is to keep prices from soaring too high too quickly. To achieve this, they use something called the “Federal Funds Rate.” While it might not directly control your mortgage rates, it does have an influence. Inflation’s Cool-Down Act: This holiday season brings tidings of comfort and joy – inflation has started to cool down. It’s like a gentle snowfall, blanketing the economy in tranquility. The Fed’s strategies seem to be working, and they’ve put the brakes on raising rates. They’re even hinting at a gift for 2024 – lowering rates. According to the New York Times (NYT): Why This Matters for You: Now, how does all this affect your dreams of home sweet home? Well, it could bring you a Christmas miracle: lower mortgage rates and more affordable homes. Mortgage Rates and the Fed: Mortgage rates, like twinkling holiday lights, can change with different factors, and one of them is what the Fed does. With the Fed taking it slow on rate hikes, it’s looking more and more like a winter wonderland where mortgage rates continue their descent. Lower rates mean better deals for your dream home (see graph below): The Promising 2024 Forecast: As we gaze into the snowy landscape of 2024, it looks promising. Buyers may find homes that are even more affordable, and sellers won’t be stuck with high mortgage rates when it’s time to make a move. In Conclusion: As we wrap up this 2023 journey, we hope you’ve found this knowledge to be the most valuable gift of all. The Fed’s decisions send ripples through the housing market, much like the magic of Christmas spreads joy to the world. Right now, they’re in no rush to push rates up, so the odds are in your favor – mortgage rates might go down. But during this magical season and beyond, when you’re navigating the housing market, lean on trusted real estate and mortgage experts. They’re like Santa’s elves, guiding you through twists and turns, ensuring you make the wisest choices to turn your home-buying dreams into reality. With the spirit of Christmas lighting up our hearts, we wish you and your loved ones the warmest of holidays. May your days be merry and bright and may your dreams of a new home come true. Here’s to a joyous Christmas filled with love, laughter, and the magic of possibilities!
Mortgage Rates Historically Decline in Recessions
Two in three economists are forecasting a recession in 2023, but you don’t need to fear the word recession when it comes to the housing market. Let’s connect so you always have the latest insights as the housing market changes.
Lower Mortgage Rates Are Bringing Buyers Back to the Market
[ad_1] As mortgage rates rose last year, activity in the housing market slowed down. And as a result, homes started seeing fewer offers and stayed on the market longer. That meant some homeowners decided to press pause on selling.
Why You Shouldn’t Fear Today’s Foreclosure Headlines
[ad_1] If you’ve seen recent headlines about foreclosures surging in the housing market, you’re certainly not alone. There’s no doubt, the stories in the media can be pretty confusing right now. They may even make you think twice about buying a home for fear that prices could crash. The reality is, the data shows a foreclosure crisis is not where the market is headed, and understanding what that really means is mission critical if you want to know the truth about what’s happening today. Here’s a deeper look.
Think Twice Before Waiting for 3% Mortgage Rates
Last year, the Federal Reserve took action to try to bring down inflation. In response to those efforts, mortgage rates jumped up rapidly from the record lows we saw in 2021, peaking at just over 7% last October. Hopeful buyers experienced a hit to their purchasing power as a result, and some decided to press pause on their plans.
What Past Recessions Tell Us About the Housing Market
[ad_1] It doesn’t matter if you’re someone who closely follows the economy or not, chances are you’ve heard whispers of an upcoming recession. Economic conditions are determined by a broad range of factors, so rather than explaining them each in depth, let’s lean on the experts and what history tells us to see what could lie ahead. As Greg McBride, Chief Financial Analyst at Bankrate, says:
The Truth About Negative Home Equity Headlines
Home equity has been a hot topic in real estate news lately. And if you’ve been following along, you may have heard there’s a growing number of homeowners with negative equity. But don’t let those headlines scare you.
What Experts Are Saying About the 2023 Housing Market
[ad_1] If you’re thinking about buying or selling a home soon, you probably want to know what you can expect from the housing market this year. In 2022, the market underwent a major shift as economic uncertainty and higher mortgage rates reduced buyer demand, slowed the pace of home sales, and moderated home prices. But what about 2023?
Three Ways You Can Use Home Equity
If you’re a homeowner, odds are your equity has grown significantly over the last few years as home prices skyrocketed and you made your monthly mortgage payments. Home equity builds over time and can help you achieve certain goals. According to the latest Equity Insights Report from CoreLogic, the average borrower with a home loan has almost $300,000 in equity right now. As you weigh your options, especially in the face of inflation and talk of a recession, it’s important to understand your assets and how you can leverage them. A real estate professional is the best resource to help you understand how much home equity you have and advise you on some of the ways you can use it. Here are a few examples. 1. Buy a Home That Fits Your Needs If you no longer have the space you need, it might be time to move into a larger home. Or it’s possible you have too much space and need something smaller. No matter the situation, consider using your equity to power a move into a home that fits your changing lifestyle. If you want to upgrade your house, you can put your equity toward a down payment on the home of your dreams. And if you’re planning to downsize, you may be surprised that your equity may cover some, if not all, of the cost of your next home. A real estate advisor can help you figure out how much equity you have and how you can use it toward the purchase of your next home. 2. Reinvest in Your Current HouseAccording to a recent survey from Point, 39% of homeowners would invest in home improvement projects if they chose to access their equity. This is a great option if you want to change some things about your living space but you aren’t ready to make a move just yet. Home improvement projects allow you to customize your home to suit your needs and sense of style. Just remember to think ahead with any updates you make, as some renovations add more value to your home and are more likely to appeal to future buyers than others. For example, a report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) shows refinishing or replacing wood flooring has a high cost recovery. Lean on a local professional for the best advice on which projects to invest in to get the greatest return on your investment when you sell. 3. Pursue Your Personal GoalsIn addition to making a move or updating your house, home equity can also help you achieve the life goals you’ve dreamed of. That could mean investing in a new business venture, retiring or downsizing, or funding an education. While you shouldn’t use your equity for unnecessary spending, leveraging it to start a business or putting it toward education costs can help you achieve other lifelong goals. Bottom LineYour equity can be a game changer. If you’re unsure how much equity you have in your home, let’s connect so you can start planning your next move.
US mortgage rates see largest decline since 2008.
Hello! I hope the year has been kind to you. I’m dedicated to giving you the most up to date information on the real estate market in your area. As we near the end of 2022, activity in the housing market continues to slow as indicated by House Canary. Elevated interest rates stemming from the Fed’s fourth consecutive 75-basis-point interest rate hike coupled with seasonality in the housing market has led to the seventh consecutive month of double-digit, year-over-year declines in listings under contract. Although, Mortgage rates slid further this week, bringing the streak of declines to four in a row. The benchmark 30-year fixed mortgage rate averaged 6.33% on Dec. 8, down from 6.49% last week, according to Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey. Freddie Mac chief economist Sam Khater said the consecutive drop was due to “increasing concerns over lackluster economic growth.” “Over the last four weeks, mortgage rates have declined three-quarters of a point, the largest decline since 2008,” he added. The average 15-year fixed-rate mortgage fell nine basis points week over week to 5.67%. A year ago, at this time, the 15-year FRM was 3.10%. “While the decline in rates has been large, homebuyer sentiment remains low with no major positive reaction in purchase demand to these lower rates,” Kan said. While Fannie Mae’s latest Home Purchase Sentiment Index increased for the first time in months, up 0.6 points in November, it remained 17.4 points lower than a year ago. “Consumers continue to expect mortgage rates to rise but home prices to decline, a situation that we believe will contribute to a further slowing of home sales in the coming months, as both homebuyers and home-sellers have a reason for apprehension,” said Fannie Mae chief economist Doug Duncan. “We expect mortgage demand to continue to be curtailed by affordability constraints, while homeowners with significantly lower-than-current mortgage rates may be discouraged from listing their property and potentially taking on a new, much higher mortgage rate.” Nationally monthly new listing volume is down 25.1% compared to November of 2021 and removals, which are people who take their house off the market, are up 64.3% from the same month. Get the report for your state, provided by House Canary here. Increased interest rates, with more rate hikes planned in the future, are keeping both buyers and sellers wary of the housing market. What to expect for 2023? Most likely, we expect continued tight supply and shrinking demand. So, what happens now? Inflation is a driving force when it comes to interest rates and there is a big report coming on Dec. 13th
