Happy Fall Y'all

Happy fall y’all! Sorry I missed you last month. Between the boys going back to school and all of their activities starting and a busy start to third quarter in real estate, time got away from me. 

If you are paying attention to the news these days, you are probably hearing about rising interest rates and a softening market, which has a glint of truth. Higher interest rates have created a significant effect on the market, especially since we have had historically low interest rates in the last few years. People are just not ready to embrace interest rates in the 6-7.5% range. 

But all is not lost. There is still a way for you to get a better interest rate than the current market. You can use a 2-1 buydown or have either you or the seller pay discount points on your loan. Lots of banks are also doing long term (5-10 year) ARMs to help with the cost of financing. If you aren’t familiar with these programs, let’s sit down and talk about more creative ways for you to get the financing you need without paying the flat 7.0% rate. At a training this week the presenter said, “Date your rate and marry your house.” I love this and think most people who have had a mortgage can relate. In both of the homes we have owned, we refinanced both of the loans for lower rates and different terms.

If you are ready to sell your home, you want to make sure your home looks better than any other home in your area at your price point. The market is still strong in the under $300,000 price range, especially with homes that show well. Easy ways to make your home shine are to declutter, clean, and paint. While those three things require effort and are not most people’s idea of fun, they are relatively inexpensive and make a huge difference. 

As always, thank you for trusting me with your friends and family. I am honored and humbled by the business that you all have sent me since my move to full time. (I am three transactions away from hitting my end of the year goal and am intent on hitting it!) If you ever have questions about the market conditions or how to become an investor or just want to catch up, please reach out. 

Your favorite realtor, 

Molly

Here is a recent graph of expected home appreciation over the next five years according to the “Home Price Expectation Survey of 100 Economists:”