How Home Equity Can Help Fuel Your Retirement

Written by Lower Keys Mortgage Syndicated User on January 28, 2025. Posted in Agent Value, Home Prices, Lower Keys Florida Mortgage, Lower Keys Mortgage.

If retirement is on the horizon, now’s the time to start thinking about your next chapter. And you probably want to make sure you’re set up to feel comfortable financially to live the life you want in retirement.What you may not realize is you likely have a hidden goldmine of cash you’re not thinking about — and that’s your home. Data from the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) shows that home values have gone up nearly 60% over the last 5 years alone (see graph below):And that appreciation gave your net worth a big boost. According to Freddie Mac, over the same five-year period:“...

3 Reasons To Buy a Home Before Spring

Written by Lower Keys Mortgage Syndicated User on January 27, 2025. Posted in For Buyers, Home Prices, Lower Keys Florida Mortgage, Lower Keys Mortgage.

Let’s face it — buying a home can feel like a challenge with today’s mortgage rates. You might even be thinking, “Should I just wait until spring when more homes hit the market and rates might be lower?”But here’s the thing, no one knows for sure where mortgage rates will go from here, and waiting could mean facing more competition, higher prices, and a lot more stress.What if buying now — before the spring rush — might actually give you the upper hand? Here are three reasons why that just might be the case.1. Less Competition from Other BuyersThe winter months tend to be quieter in the...

What To Do If Your House Didn’t Sell

Written by Lower Keys Mortgage Syndicated User on January 24, 2025. Posted in For Sellers, Infographics, Lower Keys Florida Mortgage, Lower Keys Mortgage, Selling Tips.

Some HighlightsLast year, as many as 1 in 3 sellers took their home off the market because it wasn’t selling.If this happened to you too, you don’t need to be embarrassed. What you need are answers. And a local real estate agent can help with that by seeing if it was priced too high, needs some repairs, or didn’t get the right exposure. If you still want to move, connect with an expert agent to come up with a new strategy. Together, you can get your house sold.?

Smaller Homes, Bigger Opportunities: The Homebuilder Trend Buyers Love

Written by Lower Keys Mortgage Syndicated User on January 23, 2025. Posted in Buying Tips, For Buyers, Home Prices, Lower Keys Florida Mortgage, Lower Keys Mortgage, Mortgage Rates.

It’s no secret that affordability is tough with where mortgage rates and home prices are right now. And that may have you worried about how you’ll be able to buy a home. But, if you don’t need a ton of space, you may find you have more cost-effective options in an unexpected place: new home communities.Builders Are Building Smaller Homes Since smaller homes typically come with smaller price tags, buyers have turned their attention to homes with less square footage — and builders have shifted their focus to capitalize on that demand. As U.S. News notes:“The combination of higher home prices...

If Your House’s Price Is Not Compelling, It’s Not Selling

Written by Lower Keys Mortgage Syndicated User on January 22, 2025. Posted in For Sellers, Home Prices, Lower Keys Florida Mortgage, Lower Keys Mortgage, Selling Tips.

There’s one big mistake you need to avoid when you sell your house this year: setting your price too high. It might seem like overpricing gives you room to negotiate or could really boost your profit, but the reality is, it usually backfires.In fact, Realtor.com says almost 20% of sellers — that’s one in five — have to reduce their price to get their house sold. And you don’t want to be one of them. Here’s why starting too high can lead to trouble, and how to avoid it.Overpricing Pushes Buyers AwayWith mortgage rates and home prices where they are right now, buyers are already stretching...

Why More People Are Buying Multi-Generational Homes Today

Written by Lower Keys Mortgage Syndicated User on January 21, 2025. Posted in Buying Tips, For Buyers, Lower Keys Florida Mortgage, Lower Keys Mortgage.

Today, 17% of homebuyers are choosing multi-generational homes — that’s when you buy a house with your parents, adult children, or even distant relatives. What makes that noteworthy is that 17% is actually the highest level ever recorded by the National Association of Realtors (NAR). But what’s driving the recent rise in multi-generational living?Top Benefits of Choosing a Multi-Generational HomeIn the past, homebuyers often opted for multi-generational homes to make it easier to care for their parents. And while that’s still a key reason, it’s not the only one. Right now, there’s another...

When Is the Perfect Time To Move?

Written by Lower Keys Mortgage Syndicated User on January 20, 2025. Posted in For Buyers, Home Prices, Lower Keys Florida Mortgage, Lower Keys Mortgage, Mortgage Rates.

It’s easy to get caught up in the idea of waiting for the perfect moment to make your move – especially in today’s market. Maybe you’re holding out and hoping mortgage rates will drop, or that home prices will fall. But here’s what you need to realize: trying to time the market rarely works. And here’s why.There is no perfect market.No matter when you buy, there’s always some benefit and some sort of trade-off – and that’s not a bad thing. That’s just the reality of it. If you’re not sure you buy into that, think back to the last 5 years in housing. Just a few years ago, mortgage rates hit...

2025 Housing Market Forecasts

Written by Lower Keys Mortgage Syndicated User on January 17, 2025. Posted in Home Prices, Infographics, Lower Keys Florida Mortgage, Lower Keys Mortgage, Mortgage Rates.

Some HighlightsWondering what to expect when you buy or sell a home this year? Here’s what the experts say lies ahead.Mortgage rates are projected to come down slightly. Home prices are forecast to rise in most areas. And, there will be more homes available for sale.Want to know more about what this could mean for your plans this year? Connect with a local agent to discuss your 2025 goals.

One Homebuying Step You Don’t Want To Skip: Pre-Approval

Written by Lower Keys Mortgage Syndicated User on January 16, 2025. Posted in For Buyers, Home Prices, Lower Keys Florida Mortgage, Lower Keys Mortgage.

There’s one essential step in the homebuying process you may not know a whole lot about and that’s pre-approval. Here’s a rundown of what it is and why it’s so important right now.What Is Pre-Approval?Pre-approval is like getting a green light from a lender. It lets you know how much they’re willing to let you borrow for a home. To determine that number, a lender looks at your financial history. According to Realtor.com, these are some of the documents a lender may ask you for during this process:W-2s from the last two yearsTax returns from the last two yearsPay stubs from the last 30...

Roughly 11,000 Homes Will Sell Today – Will Yours Be One of Them?

Written by Lower Keys Mortgage Syndicated User on January 15, 2025. Posted in For Sellers, Lower Keys Florida Mortgage, Lower Keys Mortgage.

Are you hesitant to sell your house because you’re worried no one’s buying with rates and prices where they are right now? Here’s some perspective that can help.The market actually isn’t at a standstill. While there weren’t as many sales last year as there’d be in a normal market, roughly 4.15 million homes still sold (not including new construction), according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). And the expectation is that number will rise in 2025. That means more people will likely move this year, and they need homes to buy. Homes like yours.But even if we only match last...

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