One of the alarming trends in this hyper-competitive seller’s market is the waiving of home inspections. Buyers are taking on significant liability when they do this. In some situations, this risk may be manageable, as in the case of new construction, a condominium or a recently inspected property. But in Read More

One of the most under-rated decisions when buying a home is choosing the right lender. Let’s start with saying that picking the wrong lender can make the home buying process miserable. The right lender will make it seem like a breeze! The mistake most buyers make is thinking that the Read More

Are we about to finally see the real estate market slow down? Some experts are starting to sound off that this is around the corner. They point to the sudden jump in the 30 year fixed rate upwards of 5.5% and the crazy growth in real estate prices. Double-digit prices Read More

Is the real estate market starting to cool? The short answer appears to be “yes”. Three factors are applying downward pressure on the real estate market: the jump in interest rates, ongoing shortages and the affordability problem. Many first time home buyers are re-signing apartment leases as competition and higher Read More

Many of my buying clients have opted to build a new home rather than go for an older home. You can find the land yourself and hire a builder, or you can select a lot in a development and build there! The advantages of this are: You get to select Read More

A recent Realtor.com housing market update noted that there is a deficit of around 5.8 million new homes needed to meet demand. That’s a lot of new houses! A builder rep I met with last month told me that the timeline from contract to keys is now 14 months!! During Read More

Just as you think real estate prices can’t get any higher, they keep going up! From every indication that I can see, given my front row seat, real estate prices are shooting up even more (if that’s possible) in early 2022. Some of the most recent sales that I’ve been Read More

The million dollar question I get asked quite often is, are interest rates going up this year? We’ve been having this discussion every year for a long time now, but it’s sure showing signs of being THE YEAR. Keep in mind that long term mortgage rates are influenced by many Read More

“When will real estate prices come down?” This is probably one of the most frequent questions I’m asked. Or a similar one like this: “When will the real estate bubble burst?” Short answer: Don’t hold your breath. No one knows for sure what the future holds. Consider the last two Read More

Last year, in the midst of all the crazy multiple offers and rapidly appreciating prices, a new tactic emerged that saved the day for many buyers. Appraisal “gap coverage” is what I call it. With most offers coming in over list price, often times the appraised value can lag the Read More

One of the most frequently asked questions is when will the real estate market cool down? That’s a hard question since it depends on so many factors, like local job markets, new construction costs, supply chain issues, etc. But one factor that will likely change in 2022 that could definitely Read More

One of the newest innovations in this crazy seller’s market we’re all experiencing is what I fondly refer to as “appraisal gap coverage”. Values are increasing so quickly (especially in the spring market) that many buyer’s are offering to pay all or part of any appraisal shortfall. Since the appraisal Read More