With businesses reopening throughout the country and some experts indicating early signs of a much-anticipated economic recovery, more homebuyers are actively entering the housing market this summer. Today, housing is truly driving the U.S. economy forward. With so many buyers looking for homes to purchase and so few houses for sale right now, there’s a disconnect between […]
Mortgage Rates Hit Record Lows for Three Consecutive Weeks
Over the past several weeks, Freddie Mac has reported the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate dropping to record lows, all the way down to 3.03%. Last week’s reported rate reached the lowest point in the history of the survey, which dates back to 1971 (See graph below): What does this mean for buyers? This is huge for homebuyers. Those […]
Best Time to Sell a Home in Knoxville? When Competition Is at an All-Time Low!
In a recent survey of home sellers by Qualtrics, 87% of respondents said they were concerned their home won’t sell because of the pandemic and resulting economic recession. Of the respondents, 51% said they are “seriously worried.” That concern seems reasonable considering the current condition of the economy. The data, however, is showing that home purchasers are still […]
The Economic Impact of Buying a Home
We’re in a changing real estate market, and life, in general, is changing too – from how we grocery shop and meal prep to the ways we can interact with our friends and neighbors. Even practices for engaging with agents, lenders, and all of the players involved in a real estate transaction are changing to […]
Looking to the Future: What the Experts Are Saying
As our lives, our businesses, and the world we live in change day by day, we’re all left wondering how long this will last. How long will we feel the effects of the coronavirus? How deep will the impact go? The human toll may forever change families, but the economic impact will rebound with a […]
Will Surging Unemployment Crush Knoxville Area Home Sales?
Ten million Americans lost their jobs over the last two weeks. The next announced unemployment rate on May 8th is expected to be in the double digits. Because the health crisis brought the economy to a screeching halt, many are feeling a personal financial crisis. James Bullard, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, explained that the […]
Year End Housing Snapshot: Sales Declining Nationally, Knoxville Still Strong
Nationally, at the end of 2018, pending home sales fell, possibly due to concerns about the economy and rising home prices, according to a recently released housing index from the National Association of REALTORS®. Chief economist for NAR, Lawrence Yun said, “The stock market correction hurt consumer confidence, record high home prices cut into affordability, and mortgage rates […]
There Is No Bubble To Burst. Partly Thanks To New Lending Standards.
Real estate is shifting to a more normal market; the days of national home appreciation topping 6% annually are over and inventories are increasing which is causing bidding wars to almost disappear. Some see these as signs that the market will soon come tumbling down as it did in 2008. As it becomes easier for […]
Where Are Home Prices Headed Over The Next 5 Years?
Today, many of my Knoxville real estate conversations center on housing prices and where they may be headed. That is why I like the Home Price Expectation Survey. Every quarter, Pulsenomics surveys a nationwide panel of over one hundred economists, real estate experts, and investment & market strategists about where they believe prices are headed over the next five […]
Where Are Home Values Today Compared To The Peak in 2008?
This housing market has many people talking about home values; where they are and where they are headed. It’s also interesting to look back and see how home prices compare to values prior to the housing crisis. Every quarter, Freddie Mac releases their House Price Index. The index usually provides monthly home values for: the […]
Home Sales Are Up In All Price Ranges Above $100,000!
The National Association of Realtors’ most recent Existing Home Sales Report revealed that home sales were up rather dramatically over last year in five of the six price ranges they measure. Homes priced between $100-250K showed a modest increase at 3.4%. This not only points to the lower inventory of homes available for sale in this price range but also […]
Home Sales Reportedly Dropped Last Month. Is That Accurate?
Last week, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) released their latest Existing Home Sales Report which covered sales in November. The report revealed that sales: “…fell 10.5 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.76 million in November (lowest since April 2014 at 4.75 million)…” That report gave birth to a series of industry articles, […]