• Thinking of Selling Your House? Now May be the Right Time

    Thinking of Selling Your House? Now May be the Right Time,katezhomes-chime-me

    Inventory is arguably the biggest challenge for buyers in today’s housing market. There are simply more buyers actively looking for homes to purchase than there are sellers selling them, so the scale is tipped in favor of the sellers. According to the latest Existing Home Sales Report from the Natio

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  • Mortgage Rates Hit Record Lows for Three Consecutive Weeks

    Mortgage Rates Hit Record Lows for Three Consecutive Weeks,katezhomes-chime-me

    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 buyer

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  • What Are Experts Saying about Home Prices?

    What Are Experts Saying about Home Prices?,katezhomes-chime-me

    Last week, a very well-respected real estate analytics firm surprised many with their home price projection for the next twelve months. CoreLogic, in their latest Home Price Index said: “The economic downturn that started in March 2020 is predicted to cause a 6.6% drop in the HPI by May 2021, which

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  • Buyers: Are You Ready for a Bidding War?

    Buyers: Are You Ready for a Bidding War?,katezhomes-chime-me

    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 p

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  • Americans Rank Real Estate Best Investment for 7 Years Running [INFOGRAPHIC]

    Americans Rank Real Estate Best Investment for 7 Years Running [INFOGRAPHIC],katezhomes-chime-me

    Some Highlights Real estate has outranked stocks, savings accounts, and gold as the best long-term investment among Americans for the past 7 years. The belief in the stability of housing as a long-term investment remains strong, despite the many challenges our economy faces today. Of the four listed

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  • Not All Agents Are Created Equal

    Not All Agents Are Created Equal,katezhomes-chime-me

    In today’s fast-paced world where answers are just a Google search away, there are some who may question the benefits of hiring a real estate professional when selling a house. The reality is, the addition of more information can lead to more confusion. A real estate agent can be your essential guid

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  • Best Time to Sell? When Competition Is at an All-Time Low

    Best Time to Sell? When Competition Is at an All-Time Low,katezhomes-chime-me

    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 t

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  • Taking Advantage of Homebuying Affordability in Today’s Market

    Taking Advantage of Homebuying Affordability in Today’s Market,katezhomes-chime-me

    Everyone is ready to buy a home at different times in their lives, and despite the health crisis, today is no exception. Understanding how affordability works and the main market factors that impact it may help those who are ready to buy a home narrow down their optimal window of time to make a purc

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  • Latest Unemployment Report: Great News…for the Most Part

    Latest Unemployment Report: Great News…for the Most Part,katezhomes-chime-me

    The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released their latest Employment Situation Summary last Thursday, and it again beat analysts’ expectations in a big way. The consensus was for 3,074,000 jobs to be added in June. The report revealed that 4,800,000 jobs were added. The unemployment rate fell to 11

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  • America Is Another Name for Opportunity [INFOGRAPHIC]

    America Is Another Name for Opportunity [INFOGRAPHIC],katezhomes-chime-me
  • Is the Health Crisis Driving Buyers Out of Urban Areas?

    Is the Health Crisis Driving Buyers Out of Urban Areas?,katezhomes-chime-me

    The pandemic has caused consumers to re-examine the components that make up the “perfect home.” Many families are no longer comfortable with the locations and layouts of their existing homes. The allure of city life (more congested) seems to be giving way to either suburban or rural life (less conge

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  • A Historic Rebound for the Housing Market

    A Historic Rebound for the Housing Market,katezhomes-chime-me

    Pending Home Sales increased by 44.3% in May, registering the highest month-over-month gain in the index since the National Association of Realtors (NAR) started tracking this metric in January 2001. So, what exactly are pending home sales, and why is this rebound so important? According to NAR, the

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  • Are New Homes Going to Be Available to Buy This Year?

    Are New Homes Going to Be Available to Buy This Year?,katezhomes-chime-me

    In today’s economy, everyone seems to be searching for signs that a recovery is coming soon. Many experts agree that it may actually already be in motion or will be starting by the 3rd quarter of this year. With the housing market positioned to lead the way out of this recession, builder confidence

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  • What Are Experts Saying About the Rest of 2020?

    What Are Experts Saying About the Rest of 2020?,katezhomes-chime-me

    One of the biggest questions on everyone’s minds these days is: What’s going to happen to the housing market in the second half of the year? Based on recent data on the economy, unemployment, real estate, and more, many economists are revising their forecasts for the remainder of 2020 – and the outl

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  • Think You Should For Sale By Owner? Think Again [INFOGRAPHIC]

    Think You Should For Sale By Owner? Think Again [INFOGRAPHIC],katezhomes-chime-me

    Some Highlights  For Sale By Owner (FSBO) is the process of selling real estate without the representation of a real estate broker or real estate agent. According to the National Association of Realtors’ Profile of Home Buyers & Sellers, 35% of homeowners who decided to FSBO last year did so to avoi

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  • New Index Reveals Impact of COVID-19 on Real Estate

    New Index Reveals Impact of COVID-19 on Real Estate,katezhomes-chime-me

    Earlier this month, realtor.com announced the release of their initial 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, tracking each of the followin

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  • Should We Be Looking at Unemployment Numbers Differently?

    Should We Be Looking at Unemployment Numbers Differently?,katezhomes-chime-me

    The New York Times recently ran an article regarding unemployment titled: Don’t Cheer Too Soon. Keep an Eye on the Core Jobless Rate. The piece suggests we should look at unemployment numbers somewhat differently. The author of the article, Jed Kolko, is a well-respected economist who is currently t

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  • What Are the Experts Saying About Future Home Prices?

    What Are the Experts Saying About Future Home Prices?,katezhomes-chime-me

    A worldwide pandemic and an economic recession have had a tremendous effect on the nation. The uncertainty brought about by both has made predicting consumer behavior nearly impossible. For that reason, forecasting home prices has become extremely difficult. Normally, there’s a simple formula to det

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  • Homebuyers Are in the Mood to Buy Today

    Homebuyers Are in the Mood to Buy Today,katezhomes-chime-me

    According to the latest FreddieMac Quarterly Forecast, mortgage interest rates have fallen to historically low levels this spring and they’re projected to remain low. This means there’s a huge incentive for buyers who are ready to purchase. And homeowners looking for eager buyers can take advantage

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  • 7 Strategies for a 2020 Open House [INFOGRAPHIC]

    7 Strategies for a 2020 Open House [INFOGRAPHIC],katezhomes-chime-me

    Some Highlights Buyer interest is high right now, so this summer is a great time to sell your house. Here are 7 strategies to help make your house showing a safe and effective one. Let’s connect today to get your house on the market while buying is hot.

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