Real Estate? Buying? Selling? What to do?

Unfortunately, there is no good answer, but let’s look at some of the facts up to this point:

1)    Interest rates are climbing, in early 2021 30-year mortgage rates were around 2.7%, but in mid-January the average Freddie Mac 30-year mortgage rated jumped from 3.22% to 3.45 in just one week

2)    The average price of a home in the Siouxland area was $185,000 the end of 2020, then climbed to $202,000 by the end of 2021.  That is a 9.1% increase in home values in just one year.

3)    In late 2021 bank restrictions were removed to allow them to start the repossession process on homeowners that were delinquent.  Wells Fargo supposedly delayed that to January of 2022.

Let’s look at some of what the so-called experts are saying about 2022:

1)    Interest rates will continue to climb through 2022, saying that they will most likely approach 4% by year’s end.  In fact, a recent announcement projected that the Feds may raise interest rates as many as 4 times just this year.

2)    Home prices are predicted to level out as the year progresses, due primarily to more and more repos start hitting the real estate market, creating or upping the housing inventory.  As in any market where inventory increases, buyers have more choices, which in turn allows greater bargaining power.

So, what to do?
For Buyers, it appears that as the year goes on interest rates are likely to climb.  This means that your purchasing power will decrease with each bump, forcing you to buy a cheaper home for the same monthly payment.

For Sellers, home prices will most likely start to plateau at some time this year, most likely due to the influx of homes being repossessed.  Therefore, the sooner your home is on the market the better your odds are of a sale. 

Having said all this, every sale is a little different and unique.  If you would like to talk about what your possibilities or options are, give me a call.  Let’s talk!

If you would like to have a conversation
Call Lonnie @ 712-259-0136

 Like my drone Facebook Pages

 My Real Estate page - SUXland Drone Zone

My other drone photo page - Drone Photos around Siouxland

Here are just some of my
Video Tours of properties currently
on the market for Sale or recently Sold

1826 S Cypress St - Video Tour - 2 Br Bungalow

302 Jones St Condo # 606 - Video tour - Sold

4528 Wellington Ave - Video Tour - Sold

Also check out my youtube channel - Siouxland Home Sales

Just one of the many ways I can market your property

  SOLD 117 W Gilman Terrace - Sioux City IA

SOLD 3624 Juniper Ct - Sioux City - Drone Video

SOLD 3321 6th Ave - Sioux City IA

Around Sioux City clips - https://youtu.be/fKAnP059s_Q

If you have questions or would like
more info - email me at
Lonnie@LonnieHohl.com
___________________

Housing Stats

Year     Active listings     Sold Listings     Average Sold price    Apprecation
2021          3,153                2,788              $201,774                     9.17
2020           3,159                2,740               $184,825                    7.52%
2019          3,149                2,576                $171,894                     5.62%
The above nformation is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

FACTOR Realty
Sioux City Iowa

Call (712) 259-0136

Licensed in: IA, SD, & NE

 
Below are some past post from 2021

What is this Real Estate Market going to do?

The one question I get asked is “What is this Real Estate Market going to do?”  If we only knew the answer to this question, well let us just say it would make life a little easier when it comes to buying or selling a home.  The truth is we do not know what the real estate future holds, but here are a few indicators that may give us a clue.

Currently home mortgage interest rates are holding for most 30-year fixed rate loans at just above 3%.  These low interest rate allows most Buyers the opportunity to purchase a more expensive home than say a rate of 4% or 5%.  Or Buyers can purchase a less expensive home that keeps house payments in a more manageable range.  Most importantly lower interest rates helps keep more potential buyers in the market.

One of the biggest factors that could have a huge impact on the housing market will be foreclosures.  Some may be aware that since March 2020 there has been a moratorium on repossessions.  Due to Covid-19 Banks have not been allowed to go after homeowners in default, at least up until now.  Yes, there were programs put into place to help these homeowners, but not everyone qualified or never every applied.  The big question is, “how many homes are there on the cusp of being repossessed?”  Another factor is depending on where you live, it may take a few months to more than a year for the bank to complete the process and put a home on the market.

My opinion is that over the next 6 plus months we will see more homes coming on the market causing housing inventory to rise, as home prices begin to level out, or possibly dip slightly.

Should I sell my current home before buying a new one?

Considering today’s market, the above is a question I am often asked by many Sellers. There is a real possibility that they may sell their current home and then be out on the street with NO HOME!!! Scary!!!  So, what are your options?  First let us answer a few questions.

Do you own your home outright or have more than 50% equity?   
Do you need the cash out of your current home to purchase your next home?
Are you willing to rent until you find that next home?

For homeowners that do own there home outright or have lots of equity you have options.  The short answer is getting a bridge loan.  This is where you borrow against your current home to purchase the new home.  Once you have made that purchase, sell the current home and payoff the bridge loan. The biggest potential drawback can be when the current home does not sell, potentially forcing you to make double payment until it is sold.

What about the homeowners with minimal equity, who cannot qualify for a bridge loan, and/or need that $10,000 or $20,000 cash out of the sale?  Options may be somewhat limited.  If you must sell to complete the purchase of your new home. One option is to look for your new home, make an offer subject to the sale of your current home and hope the seller is willing to wait for you to sell.  Option two is to sell your home and hope you can find the right home to purchase in a limited time or rent until you find your next home.

The above information is intended as a basic guide to help start the discussions you need to have with your realtor and lender. If you would like to start that discussion give Lonnie Hohl a call at 712.259.0136

What’s the first steps to buying a home?

A question often asked by first time buyers, but regardless of whether it is your first or 31^st home the question you as the Buyer need to ask is – How will I pay for this home?  Unless you are blessed to have the cash to buy, most likely you will need to secure some type of financing.  The simple answer to the question is get pre-approved.  This is even more important in today’s fast-moving market than it has ever been.

For the First Time Buyer you especially need to talk to a local lender.  There are often a variety of First Time Home Buyer programs available, such as down payment assistance that you may qualify for.  Often online brokers do not have access to some of these First Time Buyer programs and could literally cost you thousands of dollars. Talk to the agent you are working with, as they should be able to point you in the right direction.  There are usually several local lenders that are versed in both state and local First Time Home Buyer programs.

In today’s real estate market, you need to be able to show a Seller that your offer is backed by a lender commitment letter showing your ability to complete the purchase.  Although cash is king usually less than 10% of all offers are in fact cash offers. Therefore, Sellers typically must choose between offers that require financing of some type.  Sellers trend towards choosing the offer with solid financing in place, that allows for the smoothest closing.

If you have questions about getting started in the purchase of you next home call Lonnie @ 712.259.0136