Top Topics For 2019
What Home Buyers Want Most In 2019
Home design trends can be fleeting. This year’s hot color combination will be old news before you know it. So, unless you want to paint your home every six months, you’re better off choosing your home’s décor based on the things you love rather than the things you read about. There are, however, some trends that are more meaningful and can help you save money and make your life more comfortable. For example, a new list of trends from national home builder and developer Taylor Morrison offers some interesting ideas about what buyers want in 2019. According to the list, home buyers are looking for healthier, greener homes that aren’t as high maintenance or too tailored. In other words, buyers are focused on comfort and want finishes and features that aren’t a lot of work to maintain. Think soft rugs, cozy furnishings, more plants and less work. It seems today’s home buyers are more interested in enjoying their home than spending their time on maintenance, cleaning, and keeping up with the latest catalogue-worthy looks. More here.
Credit Standards And What They Mean To You
There are many factors that play a role in determining whether you’re able to qualify for a mortgage. Credit standards are one of them. But unlike your income or debts, they aren’t as easy to keep up with. They are important, though, so here’s what you need to know. Credit standards refer to the requirements lenders use to determine whether or not you qualify for a loan. When credit standards are tight – as they were following the financial crisis and housing crash – potential buyers have to reach a higher financial standard in order to be deemed creditworthy. When they loosen, the opposite is true and buyers will have an easier time obtaining a mortgage. Because of the role they play in determining whether buyers are approved or not, Fannie Mae’s Lender Sentiment Survey takes the pulse of lenders across the country to determine whether standards have been loosening or tightening lately. Generally speaking, standards have eased since the financial crisis. The survey’s most recent results, though, show little movement from the previous quarter. More here.
Saving A Down Payment May Be Easier Than You Think
Saving for a down payment is one of the biggest obstacles first-time home buyers face. While repeat buyers can use the sale of their home to help fund a down payment on a new house, first timers have to save from scratch. And this can be difficult when also facing hurdles like higher rent payments and student loan debt. But, like everything real-estate related, location matters. In fact, according to a new analysis, saving a down payment for an entry-level home is much easier in some locations than others. For example, after factoring the median household income among millennials and their estimated annual savings, the analysis determined that a first-time home buyer could save for a 20 percent down payment in under five years in 10 major cities, including Chicago, Dallas, Baltimore, St. Louis, Austin, and Washington DC. Of course, the time it takes to save a down payment is longer on the West Coast, where home prices are higher. But considering the fact that a 20 percent down payment is not a requirement, even in pricier areas saving up enough to buy a home is not an unattainable goal. More here.
Why Are Younger Americans Buying Fewer Homes?
In recent years, there’s been a lot of discussion about millennial home buying preferences. Mostly, this is due to the fact that first-time home buyers have historically made up about 40 percent of the home sales in any given year. And, because they account for a large number of the homes sold each year, any fluctuation in those numbers is notable. That’s why Freddie Mac recently took a look at why the homeownership rate among young adults has dropped 8 percent since hitting its peak in 2004. As you might imagine, there are a variety of reasons for this. Among them, affordability, not surprisingly, ranks highest. Concern about being able to afford homeownership is always an issue for younger buyers. But there are many other factors that have played a role in suppressing buyer demand among first-time buyers. Some of the other common reasons named included lower marriage and fertility rates, student-loan debt, borrowing constraints, and a preference for urban living, which tends to be more expensive. In short, young Americans – in addition to affordability challenges – have more debt and are starting families later in life. But, though lifestyle and demographic changes have influenced buying activity, Freddie Mac predicts homeownership rates will rebound, if the economy and wages continue to improve. More here.
The Summer Features Home Buyers Want Most
This Summer’s Luxury Home Market Is Hot
The challenge of finding an affordable entry-level home in today’s housing market gets a lot of coverage. First-time buyers facing higher rent, difficulty saving for a down payment, and low inventory are an important demographic and their habits have implications for the overall health of the market. But, at the same time as the starter-home market has been hot, demand for luxury homes has also ramped up. In fact, new research shows sales of homes $1 million and higher are up 25 percent over last year – which represents the largest jump since January 2014. In short, the improved economy and job market has also led to an increase in demand for luxury homes, the same way it has elevated demand across all segments of the housing market. Among specific regions, northern California leads the pack with four of the top 10 fastest-growing luxury markets. Other fast-growing markets include Denver, Seattle, and Nashville, which all have seen homes on the high-end of the market going under contract in fewer days than at this time last year. More here.
Are Cities Becoming More Popular Than Suburbs?
Suburbs sprouted out of a desire to have the conveniences of urban life but also the space and privacy of living outside the city. In other words, the best of both worlds. And for decades, suburban areas, based on that promise, grew at a faster rate than the nation’s cities. Americans spread out from city centers and moved further and further away. But, according to a new report from the Urban Land Institute, we may now be starting to move back. In fact, between 2010 and 2015, dense urban locations saw their populations grow faster than the residential neighborhoods of their surrounding suburbs. There are a few reasons for this. One is that rental apartment inventory grew at about twice the rate of inventory in the suburbs. Also, there were more jobs created in city centers than in suburbia during this period. However, though there are many factors driving Americans back into the city, the report also notes that urban living costs more, which means younger Americans – who are most likely to desire an urban lifestyle – may be increasingly unable to afford it. More here.
The Rising Cost Of Renting A Home
When debating whether to rent or buy your next place, the argument in favor of renting usually includes the fact that it’ll be cheaper – especially since you don’t have to pay for closing costs or save for a down payment. However, renting a place isn’t all that cheap these days and, depending on what you’re looking for, prices may be rising even faster than expected. According to recently released data, rental rates are increasing and particularly among two and three-bedroom homes. In fact, rental homes, generally, are climbing in price faster than apartments. Nationally, a typical two-bedroom now costs $1,310 per month and the cost for a typical three-bedroom is up to $1,445. And, depending on your local market, it could be even higher. So why is rent rising faster for homes than it is for apartments? Well, for some of the same reasons home prices are climbing. For one, new, and smaller, apartments are the focus of most rental unit construction, while the supply of single-family homes to rent is mostly fixed. More here.
How A Sellers’ Market Could Be Good For Buyers
The housing market is about supply and demand. When there are a lot of buyers and too few homes, prices and competition rise, making it a good time for homeowners who want to sell. When there are more homes than buyers, prices fall and bargains abound. In short, the market will usually favor either buyers or sellers. But, naturally, conditions that are good for buyers will lead to more buyers and vice versa. In other words, the pendulum swings back and forth. Which is why, a recent survey holds hope for buyers concerned about higher prices and increasing competition. The National Association of Realtors’ Housing Opportunities and Market Experience survey found that 75 percent of Americans think now is a good time to sell a home. And, if the perception that it’s a good time to sell leads to more homes being listed for sale, that will soon begin to moderate prices, making buying a more affordable proposition for the almost equal number of Americans who say they think now is a good time to buy. More here.
