The busy Summer season is here! This is the busiest Summer season we have had in 5 years! It is the prime time of year for buying and selling real estate. There are large numbers of homes at below-market prices & the Interest rates are hovering below around 3.5% !! The home sale numbers have been increasing every month since June 2011. Call me for details today!
10 Lessons to Learn as the Housing Market Recovers – by Ron Phipps, 2012 Immediate Past President, National Association of Realtors® (NAR)
Headlines abound: The Housing Bust is over… In June, a survey of economists concluded that housing has hit bottom. Realtors®, homeowners and renters, Americans, and citizens of the world all are sighing with collective relief. The economy and housing values both have cycles. It has been more than eighty years since the difference between the top and the bottom was so great.
As Realtors®, we are relieved that we are at the bottom, but we are realistic with the changes in the market and our work. In the not too distant past, the overwhelming majority of our work was prior to sales agreement, now it can be after. In that same time, most transactions closed. The”fallout rate” was nonexistent. Most sobering is what is now required to get to closing and how many things can derail a transaction for a “willing, ready, and able” buyer.
So we are cautiously engaging the new reality, but first we need to pause. If we do not learn from history, we are bound to repeat it. We do not want to repeat the last ten years. So what are the lessons we should learn? Here are 10 lessons that come to mind:
1. The economy cannot recover without housing.
2. Everyone needs shelter, but not everyone needs to own their shelter.
3. High homeownership rates are important but they must be sustainable.
4. Home prices go up and go DOWN.
5. The process of purchasing /financing a home is more complicated.
6. Sound underwriting of mortgages is critical.
7. Home equity should not be used for ordinary living expenses.
8. Financial reserves for family, companies, and countries are necessary.
9. Homeowners confidence in the economy is directly related the value of their own homes.
10. The economy is global.
What lessons did the last decade teach you? We would love to know what you learned from the last cycle.
What is important is that we remember what happened as we prepare to write the future. Most importantly, we should also have a sense of accomplishment that we endured these life lessons.
There are seasons in the weather: spring, summer, fall and winter. So there are in economic cycles. It is great to be at the thaw of winter and the budding of spring.
If you are thinking about buying and selling a home in St. Charles, working with a Real Estate expert than knows the St. Charles market can really help you. Sandra Meranda specializes in the St. Charles and St. Louis county home markets. Contact me for help with finding or selling your home.
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