TipsTips August 10, 2022

Why It’s Still a Sellers’ Market

As there’s more and more talk about the real estate market cooling off from the peak frenzy it saw during the pandemic, you may be questioning what that means for your plans to sell your house. If you’re thinking of making a move, you should know the market is still anything but normal.

Even though the supply of homes for sale has been growing this year, there’s still a shortage of homes on the market. And that means conditions continue to favor sellers today. That’s because the level of inventory of homes for sale can help determine if buyers or sellers are in the driver’s seat. Think of it like this:

  • buyers’ market is when there are more homes for sale than buyers looking to buy. When that happens, buyers have the negotiation power because sellers are more willing to compromise so they can sell their house.
  • In a sellers’ market, it’s just the opposite. There are too few homes available for the number of buyers in the market and that gives the seller all the leverage. In that situation, buyers will do what they can to compete for the limited number of homes for sale.
  • neutral market is when supply is balanced and there are enough homes to meet buyer demand at the current sales pace.

And for the past two years, we’ve been in a red-hot sellers’ market because inventory has been near record lows. The blue section of this graph highlights just how far below a neutral market inventory still is today.

Why It’s Still a Sellers’ Market | MyKCM

What Does This Mean for You?

Ed Pinto, Director of the American Enterprise Institute’s Housing Center, gives a perfect summary of what’s happening in today’s market, saying:

“Overall, the best summary is that we’ll move from a gangbuster sellers’ market to a modest sellers’ market.”

Conditions are still in your favor even though the market is cooling. If you work with an agent to price your house at market value, you’ll find success when you sell your house today. While buyer demand is softening due to higher mortgage rates, homes that are priced right are still selling fast. That means your window of opportunity to list your house hasn’t closed.

Bottom Line

Today’s housing market still favors sellers. If you’re ready to sell your house, let’s connect so you can start making your moves.

August 9, 2022

Avoid These Homebuyer Turnoffs

Tips May 13, 2022

Reasons to review your insurance coverage

I was sitting in a meeting recently and someone mentioned it was important to take an annual look at insurance coverage as we have seen record inflation and increases in home value. So I dug a little deeper and thought it would be a great resource to my clients to provide these tips as well.

1. Adapt to Life Changes

There are a lot of things that can happen in a year that can affect your insurance costs, coverage options, and limitations. Examples include:

  • Marriage
  • Divorce
  • Children leaving home/empty nest/child goes to college
  • starting new career
  • launching a new business
  • becoming a parent or adopting a child
  • bringing elderly parents into your home
  • Death in your immediate family
  • Paying off your mortgage

You might experience substantial changes in your coverage needs and your annual premiums due to each of these things. If a major event has altered your life, chances are your insurance coverage needs will change as well.

Reviewing your insurance policies yearly allows you to assess how these changes affect your coverage needs and to make any necessary adjustments.

2. Ensuring adequate coverage

Your insurance needs will change as your life changes. This means that what worked last year may not work this year, depending on your needs, priorities, and comfort zone.

Reviewing your policies annually also keeps you on top of what your coverages cover, as well as where gaps might exist that you can fill with supplemental coverage. Especially with today’s market value of your home increasing by 15-20% year over year.

Minimum insurance coverages can change, which is another reason it’s important to talk with your independent insurance agent about your policies.

3. Buying and selling property and possessions

Additionally, if you buy or sell a home, vacation property, automobile, RV, or move, it makes sense to determine the role it plays in your overall net worth and adjust liability protection for you and your family accordingly.

Your liability may increase if you own more than one house. Increasing your “net worth” will make you more visible to targets.

4. Home Renovations or Additions

Home additions and remodeling can change the overall value of your home as well as the costs of repairing your home after a covered event. It is also very likely to change the amount of insurance you need to have on your home to ensure it is adequately protected.

You’ve made a substantial investment of time, energy, money, and probably a few tears into transforming your home. Insurance allows you to protect that investment. But only if you have the right types of coverage and the right amount of coverage to make it happen.

5. Use discounts to your advantage

Discounts are offered by many insurance providers for a variety of reasons. You can lower your insurance premiums by choosing a newer vehicle with advanced safety features.

The installation of a new alarm system or updating the wiring in your home may result in a discount on your home insurance.

Additionally, affinity and group discounts are available.

You can save a lot by bundling policies.

You should also have access to an insurance broker who can get rates from a variety of insurance providers.

If you are interested in getting an annual insurance quote, please contact me today.

Robert L. Wagner, REALTOR
Century 21 Judge Fite Company
RLWRealEstate.com

Real Estate ReflectionsReal Estate ReflectionsUncategorized April 1, 2022

A Homeowner’s Net Worth is 40x Greater Than A Renter’s

One of the best ways to build your family’s financial future is through homeownership. Recent data from the Federal Reserve indicates the net worth of a homeowner is actually over 40 times greater than that of a renter. Maybe it’s time to start thinking about buying a home, especially when they’re so affordable in today’s market.

 

A Homeowner’s Net Worth Is 40x Greater Than a Renter’s | MyKCM

Every three years the Survey of Consumer Finances shows the breakdown of how owning a home helps build financial security. In the graph below, we see that the average net worth of homeowners continues to grow, while the net worth of renters tends to hold fairly steady and be significantly lower than that of homeowners. The gap between owning and renting just keeps getting wider over time, making homeownership more and more desirable for those who are ready.

Owning a home is a great way to build family wealth.

A Homeowner’s Net Worth Is 40x Greater Than a Renter’s | MyKCM

For many families, homeownership serves as a form of ‘forced savings.’ Every time you pay your mortgage, you’re contributing to your net worth by increasing the equity you have in your home (See chart below):The impact of home equity is part of why Gallup reports that Americans picked real estate as the best long-term investment for the seventh year in a row. According to this year’s survey, 35% of Americans chose real estate over stocks, savings accounts, gold, and bonds.

Today, there are great opportunities available for those planning to buy a home. The housing market has made a full recovery, and all-time low interest rates are giving homebuyers a big boost in purchasing power. If you’re ready, buying a home this fall can set you up to increase your net worth and create a safety net for your family’s future.

Bottom Line

To learn how you can use your monthly housing cost to build your family’s net worth, let’s connect so you have a trusted professional to guide you through the home buying process.

I help DFW residents alleviate the stress of buying / selling for the best possible price in the least amount of time. Contact me today so I can assist you! 817.791.0631 or email robertwagner@judgefite.com