Knoxville TN Archives - Page 18 of 26

The Surging Real Estate Market Continues to Climb

September 17, 2020 By Troy Stavros

Earlier this year, realtor.com announced the release of the Housing Recovery Index, a weekly guide showing how the pandemic has impacted the residential real estate market. The index leverages a weighted average of four key components of the housing industry by tracking each of the following:

Housing Demand – Growth in online search activity
Home Price – Growth in asking prices
Housing Supply – Growth of new listings
Pace of Sales – Difference in time-on-market

The index compares the current status “to the January 2020 market trend, as a baseline for pre-COVID market growth. The overall index is set to 100 in this baseline period. The higher a market’s index value, the higher its recovery and vice versa.”

The graph below charts the index by showing how the real estate market started out strong in early 2020, and then dropped dramatically at the beginning of March when the pandemic paused the economy. It also shows the strength of the recovery since the beginning of May.Today, the index stands at its highest point all year, including the time prior to the economic shutdown.

The Momentum Is Still Building

Though there is some evidence that the overall economic recovery may be slowing, the housing market is still gaining momentum. Zillow tracks the number of homes that are put into contract on a weekly basis. Their latest report confirms that buyer demand is continuing to dramatically outpace this same time last year, and the percent increase over last year is growing.Clearly, the housing market is not only outperforming the grim forecasts from earlier this year, but it is also eclipsing the actual success of last year.

Frank Martell, President and CEO of CoreLogic, explains it best:

“On an aggregated level, the housing economy remains rock solid despite the shock and awe of the pandemic.”

Bottom Line

Whether you’re considering buying or selling a home in Knoxville, staying on top of the real estate market over the coming months will be essential to your success.

Have questions? Call/Text me, Troy Stavros with CornerStone Realty Associates at 876-999-0925 today!

Is Now a Good Time to Move?

September 16, 2020 By Troy Stavros

How long have you lived in your current Knoxville home? If it’s been a while, you may be thinking about moving. According to the latest Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), in 2019, homeowners were living in their homes for an average of 10 years. That’s a long time to be in one place, considering the average length of time homeowners used to stay put hovered closer to 6 years.

With today’s changing homebuyer needs, especially given how the current health crisis has altered our daily lifestyles, many homeowners are reconsidering where they’re at and thinking about moving to a home with more space for their families. Here’s why it might be a great time to make that happen.

The real estate market has changed in many ways over the past 10 years, and current homeowners are earning much more equity today than they used to have. According to CoreLogic, in the first quarter of 2020 alone, the average homeowner gained approximately $9,600 in equity. If you’re considering selling your house right now, you may have accumulated more equity to put toward a move than you realize.

Dialing back 10 years, many homeowners also locked in a fairly low mortgage rate. In 2010, the average rate was only 4.09%. This motivated homeowners to stay in their houses longer than usual to keep their rate low, rather than moving. Just last Thursday, however, average mortgage rates hit a new historic low at 2.86%. Sam Khater, Chief Economist at Freddie Mac explains:

“Mortgage rates have hit another record low due to a late summer slowdown in the economic recovery…These low rates have ignited robust purchase demand activity, which is up twenty-five percent from a year ago and has been growing at double digit rates for four consecutive months.”

Ten years ago, we couldn’t have imagined a mortgage rate under 3%. Looking at the math today, making a move into a new home and locking in a significantly lower rate than you have now could save you greatly on a monthly basis, and over the life of your loan (See chart below):As the example shows, you can save a substantial amount every month if you qualify for today’s low mortgage rate, and the savings can really add up over the life of a 30-year fixed-rate loan.

Bottom Line

As a homeowner, you have a huge opportunity to move up right now. Whether you want to save more each month or get more home for your money based on your family’s changing needs, it’s a great time to connect to discuss the market in our area. Buyers are actively looking for more homes to buy in Knoxville, and you can win big by making a move if the time is right for you.

VIDEO TOUR: Take a walk through 11468 Woodcliff Drive in Farragut!

September 16, 2020 By Troy Stavros

UNDER CONTRACT!

Beautiful, updated, 3 story home in the heart of Farragut at 11468 Woodcliff Drive, Knoxville, TN 37934. The super convenient location is minutes from shopping, parks, schools, the lake, and more. The interior of the home has a spacious kitchen featuring freshly updated quartz counters. The welcoming family room has space for friends and family and allows easy access to the expansive deck which overlooks the park-like backyard that was brought to life by the owner who is a master gardener. The 2nd level features 4 bedrooms and 2 additional baths, then venture up to the 3rd level for a large bonus room/or 5th bedroom and additional bath. The Inverness Subdivision features a clubhouse and community pool. Offered at $450,000.

Contact Troy Stavros with CornerStone Realty Associates at 865-999-0925 for more information or to schedule a private showing.

VIDEO TOUR: Take a walk through 616 East Fox Den Drive in Farragut!

July 15, 2020 By Troy Stavros

SOLD!

616 E FOX DEN DRIVE, KNOXVILLE, TN 37934. Offered at $385,000. This recently remodeled home located in Farragut’s Woodchase Subdivision is conveniently located 5-10 minutes from everything you might want or need. Restaurants, grocery stores, department stores, private (Fox Den) and public golf courses, hospitals, public parks, the library, lakes, and the interstate for a quick 20 minute jaunt to downtown Knoxville or a bit further to the mountains. Refreshed kitchen with new counters, appliances, and painted cabinets. New bathrooms with double vanities. New flooring. 2 newer (one brand new) HVAC units. Enjoy the large family room with stone fireplace or walk out to the screened porch overlooking the flat backyard. Separate office on the main level if you are working from home. Huge owner’s suite and 3 more bedrooms upstairs. EXTRA LARGE 2 car garage! As crazy as this market is, the OPEN HOUSE may be your only opportunity to see this home and make an offer. We hope to see you there!

Mortgage Rates Hit Record Lows for Three Consecutive Weeks

July 15, 2020 By Troy Stavros

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 currently taking advantage of the increasing affordability that comes with historically low interest rates are winning big. According to Sam Khater, Chief Economist at Freddie Mac:

“The summer is heating up as record low mortgage rates continue to spur homebuyer demand.”

In addition, move.com notes:

“Summer home buying season is off to a roaring start. As buyers flooded into the market, realtor.com^® monthly traffic hit an all-time high of 86 million unique users in June 2020, breaking May’s record of 85 million unique users. Realtor.com^® daily traffic also hit its highest level ever of 7 million unique users on June 25, signaling that despite the global pandemic buyers are ready to make a purchase.”

Clearly, buyers are capitalizing on today’s low rates. As shown in the chart below, the average monthly mortgage payment decreases significantly when rates are as low as they are today.A lower monthly payment means savings that can add up significantly over the life of a home loan. It also means that qualified buyers may be able to purchase more home for their money. Maybe that’s a bigger home than what they’d be able to afford at a higher rate, an increasingly desirable option considering the amount of time families are now spending at home given today’s health crisis.

Bottom Line

If you’re in a position to buy a home this year, let’s connect to initiate the process while mortgage rates are historically low.

Best Time to Sell a Home in Knoxville? When Competition Is at an All-Time Low!

July 8, 2020 By Troy Stavros

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 very active despite the disruptions American families have experienced this year.

The latest Existing Home Sales Report published by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) revealed that 340,000 single-family homes sold in this country last month. NAR’s most recent Pending Sales Report (homes going into contract) surpassed last month’s number by over 44%, which far exceeded analysts’ projections of 15%. ShowingTime reported that appointments to see homes (both virtually and in-person) have increased in every region of the country and are up 21.4% nationwide over the same time last year.

While buyer activity is surging, the number of listings has fallen to an all-time low. Zelman Associates, in their latest residential real estate report, revealed that housing inventory as a percentage of households has fallen to 1.2%, which is half of the long-term average and lower than any other time in our history.

Bidding Wars Heating Up Again

With buyer demand growing and the supply of available homes shrinking, purchasers are again finding themselves needing to outbid other buyers. NAR, in a recent blog post, revealed:

“On average, there were about three offers on a home that closed in May, up from just about two in April 2020 and in May 2019 (2.3 offers).”

Bidding wars guarantee houses sell quickly at a price near or even slightly over the listing price.

Bottom Line

If you’re thinking of selling a home in Knoxville, don’t be concerned about putting your house on the market right now. There’s no better time to sell an item than when demand for it is high and supply is low. It is exactly at that time when you will negotiate your best possible deal. Have questions? Wondering what your home is worth? Call/Text me, Troy Stavros with CornerStone Realty Associates at 876-999-0925 today!