Debbie Bloyd is a contributing author to Weekly Real Estate News and can be contacted at 469-768-0337 or [email protected]
Where to start. Where to start. If you are leasing now but still on the home hunt – great news if you work with a mortgage broker. We have a way to do what they call “Lock and Shop”! This is a loan that is offered with many lenders as a way to lock in the current day’s rate without an address and keep looking for the home of your dreams. These are a great way to prevent the rates from continuing to chip away at what amount of house that you can get approved for.
Many of the clients that I see today are tired. If they have been looking for a home over the last 6 months – they are getting to see homes on sale but continue to see the rates move. We are in a time now when nothing is helping with the rising rates and inflation so many people are just sitting on the sideline. Why? They were not able to find a home when they needed to and were forced to rent and now, they are in a lease and don’t seem to be in a rush to either break the lease or buy it out.
How does inflation matter in the real estate market? It all really depends on the specific family and what they do and how they are paid. The news is great at painting with a broad stroke but that does not apply to everyone – so everyone gets scared. If you have a great job, money in the bank then you might not be seeing anything but high gas prices. If you are not shopping for furniture or a new car – you might not notice the prices higher in those areas, so it all depends. I have kids in college, so I am still paying tuition and books an I notice that rent is more for them. Food is more for them, but I don’t buy a lot of expensive things, so I don’t have that in my face. If you have a commission-based job- you may be doing great and things are great for you and your family. Insurance is still needed in whatever economy we have – you still need food and gas – the restaurants are still full – but there is a lack of workers in many areas so not all of the restaurant is being filled – with no help – some businesses are suffering but new car sales are good – selling so fast off the lot that you have to pre-order them.
Homes are still coming on the market – so yes – people are selling, and they are not getting the money of 6 months ago, but they are selling. Everything in real estate is just so location specific. In Texas, we have so many people coming here we are slammed and there is not enough homes to go around but homes are still being sold – just a little slower – pre- pandemic numbers now. But with no state income tax and many large companies relocating here, people are following – it will take some time for new homes to catch up and accommodate all these new people.
Now is a great time to buy if you need to or sell if you need to. People are not so willing to move until they have a reason – they might need to move across the county for grandkids – or downsize for a one-story home instead of stairs but you are not just selling to sell.
If you are in a state or city that is not attracting new jobs then you will see the slow down and prices going down in real estate as well. The supply and demand of housing is one thing – interest rates that are controlled by The Fed is a different matter – they do not overlap even a little.
So – moral or the story – buy if you need to and sell if you need to. The lower interest rates of the last few years were never meant to stay here and neither are the high prices we saw earlier this year.
This article is an overview for a general educational purpose only. The information presented should not be relied upon without the advice of counsel.
Debbie Bloyd is a contributing author to Weekly Real Estate News. She can be contacted at 469-768-0337 or [email protected]
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