Vincent van Gogh, Dutch painter (March 30, 1853 – July 29, 1890)
http://www.vangoghgallery.com/

Artists take risks. They pursue their vision, often without financial security, facing long odds while stewing in their own self-doubt. When the world tells them “it’s not safe,” they listen to their own voice despite “prevailing wisdom.” They have a vision and they pursue it.

Occasionally, if they’re very lucky, they get to look back on their life and see the path that lead them to create a masterpiece. At the time, the path wasn’t easy, yet in retrospect, it looks very much like the only possible path they could take.

I think in twenty years or even ten years, we’re going to hear the collective sound of people kicking themselves because they did not buy a home this year. As their teenage sons and daughters graduate and enter the future job market and begin searching for their first home, they’ll turn to their parents and say, “Seriously? You’re telling me when I was in middle school, you could get a 30-year fixed for under 5%?”

Too many remain terrified by the last great storm in the housing market. They stand now on the shores of incredible opportunity, but can’t shake the vision of all those values sinking into oblivion.

Think about the future. Who might need a home? Is there an opportunity to “be the bank” when the time comes? The descendants of those savvy collectors who bough a Van Gogh painting for mere dollars in 1885 are surely grateful for their grandparents’ eyes today, aren’t they?

Yes, there is uncertainty, but this is the calmest water you’re ever going to see. Set sail now and buy a home. Those that do will certainly be rewarded. As for the masterpiece? It will be the satisfaction of looking back and realizing they bought at just the right time.

There’s certainly no risk to exploring the opportunity. I’d love the opportunity to sit down with you and plot a possible course to the best investment you could make. Contact me today.

Excerpts from the article:

By Dr. Steve Sjuggerud
Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Now is literally the best time in recorded history to buy a house in America…

Right now – today – U.S. real estate is the most affordable it’s ever been. Ever.

When I say “affordable,” I’m looking at three things: house prices, mortgage rates, and incomes. With the Affordability Index near 200, the median family has 200% of the income necessary to buy the median home (or more specifically, to qualify for a conventional loan on the median home).

Right now, as you know, house prices are sitting near new lows for this cycle, down by roughly one-third (depending on who’s counting). And right now, mortgage rates – after ticking above 5% earlier this year – are all the way down to 4.5% again, near all-time lows.

So it’s simple: With the worst house-price crash in American history, combined with the lowest mortgage rates in history, you can now afford more home than ever. Meanwhile, hope is gone. Everyone thinks housing is hopeless. That is when a bear market ends and a new bull market begins.

At a conference I attended last month, some speakers spoke woefully of the large supply of houses for sale. That will take care of itself in time. Others bemoaned the certainty of higher interest rates in the future, which would hurt housing. But they shouldn’t be so certain…

Twenty years ago, Japan faced a housing bust similar to ours. Japan’s government has cut interest rates to near zero and printed money. And long-term interest rates in Japan currently sit around 1%. Even rising interest rates won’t kill housing… In the 1970s, interest rates were rising, and house prices outperformed stock prices.

The story is simple: House prices have fallen more than ever… And mortgage rates are lower than ever. If you can buy a house now (and want one), go for it.

Now is the best time in American history to do it.

Good investing,

Steve
http://www.dailywealth.com

Here are some quick excerpts from the article:

The era of get-rich-quick real estate is dead. The era of increasing long-term wealth in your home is back.

Historical data from the National Association of Realtors (and adjusted for inflation by Businessweek.com) show that in 18 of the 25 largest metro areas in the U.S., the value of homes purchased in 1990 had increased by 2010, often by double digits. And this in a year when real estate prices around the country have softened since their peak in 2006. These houses would have been worth even more a few years ago.

While that’s cold comfort for the many Americans whose homes have lost more than $1.7 trillion in value in 2010, according to a new report by Zillow.com, it underscores the fact that homeowners who buy for the long term have historically seen the value of their investment increase over the years. In inflation-adjusted terms, the median U.S. home sale price in the third quarter remains approximately 9.5 percent higher than in 1990, despite falling 26 percent from peak levels, according to calculations based on NAR data.

Says Greg Hebner, chief operating officer at Sorrento Capital, an Irvine (Calif.) asset management firm: “You should at least be looking at housing now,” especially as interest rates are low and homeowners can deduct mortgage interest from their income taxes. “It’s still a good game” if a buyer understands the risks, has consistent income, and purchases a house he can afford, Hebner says.

When Supply Is Limited

Based on data since 1968, nominal U.S. home prices have risen 5.5 percent annually and outpaced inflation by about 1 percent to 2 percent, says Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist. The main reasons housing has grown faster than inflation, he says, are that more people wanted to buy in places with a finite supply of developable land, which drove up prices, and owners increased the value of their properties through home improvements.

Home prices followed this pattern through most the 1990s but started shooting up in the early 2000s. Between 2000 and 2006, nominal prices rose 89 percent, according to data from Moody’s Economy.com and Fiserv (FISV), a financial service company in Brookfield, Wis.

Economists from NAR, Fiserv, and Moody’s Analytics interviewed for this story expect home prices to continue to grow slightly more than inflation in the long term. Still, buyers are not likely to see prices skyrocket the way they did in the early 2000s, at least in the near future.

Up by Half, or More

In an analysis of the country’s 25 largest metro areas, Businessweek.com found that the Portland (Ore.) area had the largest real price gain since 1990, with the median sale price in this year’s third quarter ($242,100) up about 85 percent over 1990, in inflation-adjusted terms. Home prices in the Denver, Baltimore, and Seattle areas also made gains of more than 50 percent in that period.

As a Mortgage Banker/Broker for Pacific Residential Mortgage in Portland, OR I am happy to see a national news outlet confirming what I have been relaying to my clients. The get rich quick scheme for real estate has been dead for sometime and aruably should never have started.

Traditionally, spring is the hottest season for real estate. Sales peak in April and May and stay strong in June and July. It’s a good season for families to move, between school terms and while the weather is warm. People have just received their tax refunds, which they can use to help finance a down payment. And the nice weather and beautiful flowers in spring and early summer make it a great time to show your home.

In fact, a full 60 percent of America’s moves take place in the summer. But closing a sale can take weeks, so it’s a good idea to list your home early in the season.

Traditionally, August brings a lag in sales, as people go away on vacation and start to think about the new school year. Then sales surge briefly in the fall before dropping in winter as buyers and sellers focus on the holidays. But by January, buyers are out again, and sales steadily increase into spring.

If you can’t sell in the peak season, consider listing your house in winter. It may sound counterintuitive, but you probably already have the house decorated and cleaned for holiday entertaining, so it shouldn’t be hard to get it in shape for showing. Moreover, you will have less competition and may get a better price. Another plus: buyers in winter are less likely to waste your time or draw out the closing. They may want to close before the New Year so they can claim the mortgage deduction on their tax return, which you could turn to your advantage in pressing for a quick deal.

But seasonal ups and downs of the market aren’t absolutes. They don’t affect home sales as much in temperate climates, like California and Florida, where people house-hunt year-round. And warmer weather in the Northeast and Midwest in November and early December can prolong real-estate seasons there. Where I am, here in the Northwest, it’s pretty moderate and runs with the Nation’s norm.

Of course, selling in the hot season isn’t the whole story. You should pay attention to your local housing market and try to list during a seller’s market, when there will be more competition among buyers for your home – which could mean a better price, a quicker closing and fewer conditions on the offer. There aren’t too many places in the country right now where it’s a sellers market. There is lots and lots of inventory and not a lot buyers. There is also talk of another dip in Real Estate values. Your local real estate agent will be able to tell you what the local housing market is like. Take a look at the chart below, if you need to sell, now may be the time to get ahead of any further corrections. This just happens to be on Portland, OR. Follow this link to find more cities. http://www.macromarkets.com/real-estate/sp_caseshiller.shtml

Be aware of the underlying factors that influence the local market. Recent layoffs could mean a glut of desperate sellers, possibly driving down the market price of your house. Alternatively, you may be in an area of the country where housing prices are going through the roof. You may not be in one of those areas, but if prices in your area are on the rise, it can create a rush of buyers who want to close a deal before the prices go higher. Anticipation of an increase in interest rates can have a similar impact on the urgency of buyers. The later is actually more likely to happen. Rates it appears, have bottomed out and we are likely NOT to see 4.0% on a 30 year fixed again. If they keep creeping up, look for these fence sitters to get off and get moving.

In Summary, consult with your local real esate professionals. They are going to know the trends of  your local market better than anyone. Besides, it doesn’t really matter what’s happening in Nevada, Florida, California or Michigan… what really matters is what’s happening right in your own neighborhood. Good luck and happy selling!

Ignore your listing agent’s advice by “testing the market” with a too-high asking price. Home almost always sell faster and for more money if they’re correctly from the outset.

Let your emotional investment in the home dictate a pricing strategy. Instead, stay objective by focusing on data contained in your agent’s comparative market analysis.

Try to “recoup” the agent’s commission by overpricing property. Like testing the market with an inflated value, this approach usually forces a seller to slash the price after the home sits on the market too long.

Chase the market with stingy price cuts. If you’ve priced your home fairly and still haven’t gotten any offers, don’t hesitate to lower the price.  But make it worthwhile.  Small reductions simply keep your home “stuck” behind more competitively priced properties.

Hope this sheds some light for you on pricing blunders and how to avoid them.  I also have a free report titled “10 Steps To Sell Your Home in a Slow Market” you can have just by clicking the title. Happy selling!

Existing-home sales fell in January but are above year-ago levels, according to the National Association of Realtors®

Existing-home sales – including single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops – dropped 7.2 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate  of 5.05 million units in January from a revised 5.44 million in December, but remain 11.5 percent above the 4.53 million-unit level in January 2009.

In looking at the annualized, adjusted Existing Home Sales data, we find:

1. Sales volume is at its lowest levels since June 2009
2. Sales volume fell below its 12-month rolling average
3. Home supplies are at a 5-month high

I wouldn’t read too much into these number though. The market is cyclical and the weather this winter definitely impeded activity. Plus, we are still adjusting from last November’s flurry of activity after the first First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit. By the way, the extension of the credit is running out soon, make sure you are in contract to buy by April 30th of this year and complete the transaction by June 30th of this year to qualify.

It would appear that we are set for a good February and March and numbers are in line with expectations. The Good news from all this is buyers are finding better deals and sellers are more willing to negotiate!

As always of if need some help getting financing together for you next home purchase or refinance, give me a call or shoot me an email.

Enjoy your day!

Reporting on a two-month lag, the government said home values rose 0.7 percent in November. 

National home prices are at their highest point since February 2009.

But before we look too much into the FHFA’s Home Price Index, it’s important that we’re cognizant of its shortcomings; the most important of which is its lack of real-time reporting.

According to the National Association of Realtors™, 80% of purchases close within 60 days. As a result, because of its two-month delay, the Home Price Index report actually trails today’s market data by an entire sales cycle.

This is one reason why home values appear to be rising even while new data shows that both Existing Home Sales and New Home Sales fell flat last month.  The home valuation report is using data from November; the sales reports are using data from December.

The Home Price Index is a trailing indicator and next month, as the Spring Market gets underway, the government will be reporting data from the holidays.

The same is true for the Case-Shiller Index. It, too, operates on a 2-month lag.

All of that said, however, long-term trends do matter in housing and the Home Price Index has shown consistent improvement over the last 10 months.  In many markets, home sales are up, home supplies are down, and values have increased.  This trend should continue into the early part of 2010, at least.

If you’re wondering whether now is a good time to buy a home , consider low prices, cheap mortgages and an available tax credit as three good incentives.  By May, none of them will likely be available.