For Homebuilders, Something Has to Give
Homebuilders are cutting back: not just in the number of bedrooms, but also the number of bathrooms and anything else where they can make their plans less expensive to build.
Homebuilders are cutting back: not just in the number of bedrooms, but also the number of bathrooms and anything else where they can make their plans less expensive to build.
Many do-it-yourselfers, especially rookies like me, aren’t as fortunate. More than 9,000 injuries chronicled in 2020 resulted in amputations.
Messy kitchens; concierge services; coworking spaces; connections to local businesses: These are what homebuyers want in new developments.
Up until a month or two ago, sellers were in the driver’s seat, but as buyers’ use of contingencies rise, they still have an option to control the deal.
It’s looking like the answer to the question of what to do with a piece of real estate is no longer just “convert it to life science space,” at least for a few years.
At the same commission rate, real estate agents who sell an $800,000 house receive eight times the compensation of those who sell a $100,000 home. But does it take eight times the effort to sell the more expensive property?
The tea leaves are lining up in favor of homebuyers who can afford today’s higher mortgage rates.
Experts say that a 2008-style housing crash is unlikely to happen now, if only because lending standards are much tighter than they were prior to the Great Recession. Still, foreclosures are starting to tick upward.
Calculating people are always looking for ways to separate the rest of us from our money. Such, it appears, is the case with Home Title Lock, an outfit that promises to “protect” you from home title theft.
You’ve paid an ungodly amount for your house. You’ve also paid more than you can believe in closing costs. But if you are like the typical homebuyer, your spending isn’t over.
Some sellers have a good reason for not wanting one. But for most people, “For Sale” signs are a 24-hour marketing tool that shouldn’t be ignored, even as house hunts mostly start online.
You can’t pick your neighbors. You can pick your neighborhood, though, and it is a good idea to give that as much thought as the house itself, even in a beggars-can’t-be-choosers market like this.
Owners who are just now putting their homes on the market appear to be an optimistic bunch. Whether they are too hopeful remains to be seen, but the signs are pointing to a slowdown that could stop the march of ever-higher prices.
Rising mortgage rates are sidelining many would-be homebuyers. But there are two ways to meet the challenge.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac shut many self-employed buyers out during the pandemic. But now, those rules are gone and some lenders, perhaps sensing a grand opportunity to boost market share, are targeting gig workers directly.
The agents that buyers use to visit houses and write up a contract are paid their share of the sales commission by the seller’s agent. They are paid whatever the seller’s agent offers – usually half of whatever the seller’s agent charges.
Deborah Foss is a 67-year-old grandmother in New Bedford, who survives on a small fixed income from Social Security. She has several medical conditions, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia, COPD and neuropathy. Why did the state of Massachusetts take her house away?
Short-term interest rate buy-downs and free or discounted upgrades may soon be coming to a housing market near you.
Wits’ End would make an appropriate name for a new subdivision in today’s wild housing market. While there’s not yet such a place on the map, many would-be buyers are quickly running out of patience.
You’ve scrimped and saved, and you finally have enough money for a decent down payment. But do you have enough to cover your closing costs, too?