Wondering If You Should Still Buy a Home Right Now? Here’s What To Keep in Mind.

Written by Lower Keys Mortgage Syndicated User on April 13, 2026. Posted in Affordability, First-Time Buyers, For Buyers, Lower Keys Florida Mortgage, Lower Keys Mortgage, Mortgage Rates.

With economic headlines, global events, and near constant talk about affordability, you may be wondering if this is the right time to move. But here’s what you need to remember.While recent events do have some impact on the housing market, they don’t take buying off the table. You just have to use a different strategy.Mortgage Rates Have Been Up Slightly – Here’s WhyAfter trending down for most of 2025, mortgage rates have been higher again for over roughly a month now. And experts say it’s a result of what’s happening overseas and in the broader economy. As Mark Fleming, Chief...

When Buying a Home Feels Out of Reach, Some Families Do This Instead

Written by Lower Keys Mortgage Syndicated User on April 11, 2026. Posted in Affordability, Buying Tips, For Buyers, Lower Keys Florida Mortgage, Lower Keys Mortgage, Senior Market.

For a lot of people, the math on buying a home just doesn’t really work right now. Maybe that’s how it feels for you too. You look at the cost of buying. Then you look at the cost of childcare. And it starts to feel like you have to choose one or the other.But some families are finding a way to make both work by doing something a little different: teaming up to purchase a multi-generational home.One Reason This Is Becoming More CommonIt’s no secret that affordability has been a challenge in recent years. But for families with young kids, there’s an added layer that can make it feel even...

Thinking About an Adjustable-Rate Mortgage? Here’s What You Need To Know.

Written by Lower Keys Mortgage Syndicated User on April 11, 2026. Posted in Buying Tips, For Buyers, Lower Keys Florida Mortgage, Lower Keys Mortgage, Mortgage Rates.

If you’ve been looking for a home lately, you’ve probably felt how tough affordability still is. And that’s exactly why more buyers are opting for adjustable-rate mortgages, or ARMs.Here’s what you need to understand about how they work, and whether they make sense for you.What Is an Adjustable-Rate Mortgage?Since a lot of people aren’t familiar with this type of loan, let’s start with a definition. This is how Business Insider explains the main difference between a fixed-rate mortgage and an adjustable-rate mortgage:“With a fixed-rate mortgage, your interest rate remains the...

Your House Hasn’t Sold Yet. Should You Rent It Out Instead?

Written by Lower Keys Mortgage Syndicated User on April 6, 2026. Posted in For Sellers, Lower Keys Florida Mortgage, Lower Keys Mortgage.

When your house sits on the market longer than expected, it can get frustrating fast.You start asking: what now? And for a growing number of homeowners, that turns into: should I just rent it instead?While it sounds like a simple backup plan, becoming “accidental landlord” is actually a much bigger decision than most people realize. That’s when someone planned to sell, didn’t get the price or traction they hoped for, and decided to rent the house out instead.And lately, that’s happening more often.Why the Number of Accidental Landlords Is RisingIf you’re faced with the same choice to...

Before You Fall in Love with a House, Do This First.

Written by Lower Keys Mortgage Syndicated User on April 2, 2026. Posted in Buying Tips, First-Time Buyers, For Buyers, Lower Keys Florida Mortgage, Lower Keys Mortgage.

Be honest. Have you started looking at homes online yet? If you have, it’s already time to get pre-approved. Because here’s what not enough people know.If buying a home is on your radar – even if it’s more of a someday plan than a right now plan – you don’t want to wait until later on in the process to tackle this step.No matter what you’ve heard, pre-approval isn’t about commitment. It’s about clarity.And here are the two big ways pre-approval sets you up for success. You Know Your Numbers Up Front During the pre-approval process, a lender will walk through your finances and tell you what...

Don’t Let Home Prices Headlines Fool You

Written by Lower Keys Mortgage Syndicated User on April 1, 2026. Posted in For Buyers, For Sellers, Home Prices, Lower Keys Florida Mortgage, Lower Keys Mortgage.

Spend about 5 minutes online searching for news about the housing market, and odds are you’ll see something pop up about home prices. You may even stumble onto social media influencers saying we’re headed for a crash. Let’s get you the context you need.The truth is prices are going to vary depending on where you live. But they’re not crashing.Here’s what you need to know.The Local Perspective: Home Price Trends by AreaThe biggest thing feeding into the confusion online is how different home price trends are by area right now. Take a look at this data from ResiClub and Zillow (see...

This’ll Change What You Think About Investors in Today’s Housing Market

Written by Lower Keys Mortgage Syndicated User on March 30, 2026. Posted in For Buyers, Lower Keys Florida Mortgage, Lower Keys Mortgage.

There’s a lot of noise out there right now about investors in the housing market.Some headlines make it sound like big Wall Street firms are buying up everything in sight. And if you’re trying to purchase a home yourself, that can make it feel like the odds are stacked against you.But when you take a closer look at the data, a very different picture starts to come into focus.Most Investors Are Just Everyday OwnersFor starters, when you hear the word investor, you probably picture big corporations. And that misconception is a large part of what’s feeding into the myth that they’re buying up...

You Can’t Control What’s Happening with Mortgage Rates. But You Can Control This.

Written by Lower Keys Mortgage Syndicated User on March 25, 2026. Posted in Buying Tips, For Buyers, Lower Keys Florida Mortgage, Lower Keys Mortgage, Mortgage Rates.

Mortgage rates have been volatile lately. And if you’re thinking about buying a home, that can make it harder to plan. But there are still things you can do to get the best rate possible in today’s market. It starts with having the right information.So, what’s causing the bumps in rates? And what can you do about it? Let’s break it down.Mortgage Rate Volatility Is NormalData from Freddie Mac shows the recent volatility. After trending down for well over a year, there was a rise this month (see graph below): While it’s easy to be distracted by the changes, here’s what you need to...

The Remodel You’ve Been Dreaming About May Be Closer Than You Think

Written by Lower Keys Mortgage Syndicated User on March 23, 2026. Posted in Equity, For Sellers, Lower Keys Florida Mortgage, Lower Keys Mortgage.

That kitchen you’ve been mentally redesigning…The bathroom that really needs a refresh…Or the outdoor space you keep saying you’ll get to someday…What if you already have what you need to finally make it happen? Because a growing number of homeowners are realizing just that.Homeowners are expected to spend over $522 billion on home improvements by the end of 2026 – and they’re not draining their savings accounts to get it done. Many are using their home equity.And if you’ve owned your home for 10+ years, there’s a chance you could use your equity to fund some home upgrades...

Affordability Has Improved in All 50 States

Written by Lower Keys Mortgage Syndicated User on March 19, 2026. Posted in Affordability, First-Time Buyers, For Buyers, Lower Keys Florida Mortgage, Lower Keys Mortgage.

For the past few years, affordability has been what’s stopped a lot of buyers in their tracks. Maybe it stopped you, too.At some point you probably did the math, looked at the monthly payment, and decided to pause your search and wait for things to get better. But here’s something you may have missed while you’ve been sitting on the sidelines.Over the last year, housing affordability has improved in all 50 states. Yes, you read that right. It’s gotten better in every single state.That’s based on new research coming out of First American. And while housing is still fairly expensive compared...

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