865 Real Estate

East Tennessee Real Estate & Neighborhood Source

Why is buying a home better than renting? It makes “CENTS!”

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The American Dream of homeownership is alive and well. Before you sign another lease, let’s get together to help you better understand all your options. Call Troy Stavros with CornerStone Realty Associates today at 865-999-0925 or 888-388-DOOR xt. 707.

5 Reasons The Holidays Are A Good Time To List Your Home

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Every year at this time there are many homeowners who decide to wait until after the holidays to list their homes. Here are 5 powerful reasons why waiting until after the holidays to sell your home probably doesn’t make sense. Let’s get together today to discuss how we can market your home this holiday season! Have questions or want to talk about getting your home on the market? Call Troy Stavros with CornerStone Realty Associates at 865-999-0925 or 888-388-DOOR xt.707 today.

2 Markets. 2 Different Directions. Luxury vs. Starter/Trade-Up

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The Tale of Two Markets [INFOGRAPHIC] | MyKCM

Some Highlights:

  • An emerging trend for some time now has been the difference between available inventory and demand in the premium and luxury markets and that in the starter and trade-up markets and what those differences are doing to prices!
  • Inventory continues to rise in the luxury and premium home markets which is causing prices to cool.
  • Demand continues to rise with lower-than-normal inventory levels in the starter and trade-up home markets, causing prices to rise on a year-over-year basis for 80 consecutive months.

Have questions about the market, the value of your home, or whether it’s a good time to buy or sell a home? Call or text Troy Stavros with CornerStone Realty Associates directly at 865-999-0925 or through our contact form.

2008 vs. Now: Are Owners Using Their Home Equity as ATMs Again?

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Over the last six years, we have experienced strong price appreciation which has increased home equity levels dramatically. As the number of “cash-out” refinances begins to approach numbers last seen during the crash, some are afraid that we may be repeating last decade’s mistake.

However, a closer look at the numbers shows that homeowners are being much more responsible with their home equity this time around.

What happened then…

When real estate values began to surge last decade, people started using their homes as personal ATMs. Homeowners would refinance their houses and convert their equity into instant cash (known as “cash-out” refinances). Because homes were appreciating so rapidly, many homeowners tapped into their equity multiple times.

This left homeowners with little-or-no equity left in their homes, so when prices started to fall many homeowners found their houses in a negative equity situation (where the mortgage amount was greater than the value of the home). When some of these homeowners saw that there was no value left in their houses, they just stopped paying their mortgages altogether.

Banks eventually foreclosed on those homes and the foreclosures drove prices down even further and put more homes in the negative equity category. This cycle continued, leading to the worst housing crash in almost one hundred years.

What’s happening now…

Again, Americans are seeing their home equity grow. Today, over 48% of all single-family homes in the country have over 50% equity, and yes, some families are tapping into that equity. However, this time around, homeowners are not making irresponsible decisions. According to the latest information from Freddie Mac, the total equity being “cashed out” is a fraction of what it was leading up to the crash. Here are the numbers:

2008 vs. Now: Are Owners Using Their Homes as ATMs Again? | MyKCM

Bottom Line

The recklessness that accompanied the build-up in equity prior to the last crash does not exist today. That makes this housing market much more secure than the one we had heading into 2008.

108 Telemann Lane, Oak Ridge, TN 37830 – CornerStone Realty Associates

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You’ve found it! Your convenient cabin in the woods that is only minutes from everything you need. Tucked away at the end of a cul-de-sac in Oak Ridge’s Burnham Woods subdivision you’ll find this slice of Tennessee heaven. Literally minutes to shopping, restaurants, and ORNL. This custom built log and stone home features over 3000SF, 5 bedrooms and 3 full baths. Entertain or spread out in 3 separate living areas. Two on the main level feature stone, wood burning fireplaces. The lower level’s extra large rec room is ready for a wood burning stove and and has a separate entrance. Kitchen comes complete with stainless steel appliances. Long covered front porch plus enjoy complete privacy on the covered back porch. 1 car garage. This home was completely remodeled less than 2 years ago.

This listing is no longer available.

Females Are Making It a Priority to Invest in Real Estate!

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Everyone wants a place to call home; a place that gives them a sense of security. We are currently seeing major interest from females who want to achieve this dream, and the numbers are proving it!

In 2018, for the second year in a row, single female buyers accounted for 18% of all buyers. In 2017, 60% of millennial women listed as the primary borrowers on mortgages were single.

According to the 2018 Home Buyer and Seller Generational Trends Report by the National Association of Realtors, one in five homebuyers in the U.S. were single females (most of them part of the baby boomer generation) as you can see in the graph below:

Females Are Making It a Priority to Invest in Real Estate! | MyKCM

This does not come as a surprise since 50.8% of the U.S. population is female and 15.6% of them are 65 years and over, according to the Census Bureau.

What are the reasons for this demographic’s booming interest in homeownership?

Bankrate published an article with what they believe to be some of the reasons:

  • Divorce rate: Known as the “Gray Divorce,” the divorce rate has doubled for those ages 50 and over and tripled for those ages 65 and over.
  • Average life expectancy: For women it’s 81, four years longer than men.
  • To build home equity: Women want to build equity through their home. As mentioned by Bankrate, “some are hoping to escape rising rents, some might be downsizing or looking for a new start,” especially those going through a gray divorce.

Are they only downsizing and buying small homes?

Not really; The Institute of Luxury Home Marketing recently stated that:

“The number of female billionaires grew faster globally in 2017 than the number of male billionaires. This redistribution of wealth has seen an impact on luxury real estate both in its purchase and design attributes – and obviously, this is important for realtors to recognize when relating to their clients.”

Bottom Line

Whether you are a millennial who wants to buy a starter home, a billionaire looking for that luxury home you’ve always wanted, or maybe even someone who just went through a gray divorce, let’s get together to help you create your real estate portfolio so that you can start investing your money in real estate today!