Real Estate Information Archive

Good Morning!

Most people do not realize how low mortgage interest rates remain.  Not only have rates declined, but they are now close to the historic low rates of the past year.  Here is a recent article that gives you some insight into where home loan rates currently are.

The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage continues to hover around 4 percent for the fourth consecutive week.

“Mixed economic reports over the last week have anchored the 30-year mortgage rate around the 4 percent mark,” says Sean Becketti, Freddie Mac’s chief economist.

Freddie Mac reports the following national averages for the week ending May 11:

• 30-year fixed-rate mortgages: averaged 4.05 percent, with an average 0.5 point, rising from last week’s 4.02 percent average. Last year at this time, 30-year rates averaged 3.57 percent.
• 15-year fixed-rate mortgages: averaged 3.29 percent, with an average 0.5 point, rising from last week’s 3.27 percent. A year ago, 15-year rates averaged 2.81 percent.
• 5-year hybrid adjustable-rate mortgages: averaged 3.14 percent, with an average 0.5 point, rising from last week’s 3.13 percent average. Last year at this time, 5-year ARMs averaged 2.78 percent.

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3318 LAKESIDE DR Price: $595,000 Beds: 4 Baths: 4 Sq Ft: 2859 Majestic property on the lake! Family rm w/ 2-story ceiling & fireplace. Large KIT w/ cherry cabinets, island, pantry & 5-seat eating bar. Large private master suite w/ gas fireplace. Game rm w/ bath & patio access. French doors in office. Bedroom w... View this property >>

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Good Morning!

Here in the Eugene and Springfield area and nationally, new home sales are down.  This has contributed to the current national and local shortage of available homes for sale.  The following is an article from "Realtor.com" that will give you more information on why the inventory of homes for sale is so low at this time.

Here’s the good news: Sales of newly constructed homes rose in the beginning of the year. The bad news? It wasn’t enough to ease the housing shortage that is frustrating would-be home buyers across the nation.

Buyers purchased about 3.7% more new homes in January than in December, according to a joint report by the U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The January purchases were also 5.5% above where they had been a year earlier. (Realtor.com® looked only at the seasonally adjusted numbers, which have been smoothed out over 12 months to account for seasonal fluctuations.)

Sounds good, right? Well, not exactly.

“New-home sales should be growing much more than they are,” says Chief Economist Jonathan Smoke of realtor.com. “We should be seeing twice the volume of new-home sales, and we’re not.”

The reason is that there aren’t enough buyers who can afford the median $312,900 price tag of one of those new homes, often decked out with the latest appliances and finishes. They are nearly 37% more expensive than the median $228,900 price for an existing home in January, according to the most recent National Association of Realtors® data.

Prices on those new homes dipped 1% from December—but were nearly 7.5% higher than in January 2016.

New residences cost more because they’re expensive to build, with increased local red tape, high land and material costs, and a shortage of construction workers. So builders are going to erect only what they’re sure they can sell, Smoke says.

“It effectively limits who can buy the new homes and how many new homes can be built and sold,” Smoke says.

For example, about 55% of the new homes sold in January cost more than $300,000, according to the report.

Just 5% were under $150,000 and only 9% were between $150,000 and $199,999—the price categories that are most likely to fit into the typical first-time buyer’s budget.

The bulk of sales, about 30%, were between $200,000 and $299,999, and 27% were between $300,000 and $399,999.

Most of the home purchases were in the South—about 290,000—where prices are typically lower. The purchases were up 4.3% from December, but down 1% from January 2016.

The West, the country’s most expensive region, saw the second-most sales, at about 151,000. Monthly sales dropped 4.4% but rose 16.2% annually.

In the Midwest, new-home sales were up 14.8% from December and 4.5% from the same month a year earlier. There were about 70,000 sales in the region.

Meanwhile, the Northeast saw the largest surge in home purchases. Sales of the roughly 44,000 homes were up 15.8% from the previous month and rose 22.2% from a year earlier.

Have An Awesome Week!

THIS WEEKS HOT HOME LISTING!

755 HORN LN

Price: $295,000    Beds: 4    Baths: 2    Sq Ft: 1868

Tranquil & spacious property! Beautifully landscaped 0.41 acre lot provides seclusion & great entertaining spaces. Remodeled home offers updated kitchen & baths, large living rm w/ gas fp, formal dining, large windows+skylight. Private master ste w/...View Home for Sale >>

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Good Morning!

Nationally, the housing market is experiencing little change.  So far, this is what I predicted for the first half of 2017 with a fairly flat market.  The second half of 2017 could see some change, especially if we see mortgage interest rates begin to creep up.  Here in the Eugene and Springfield area, the inventory of homes for sale remains at a crippling low level for first time home buyers.  Homes in the $175,000 to $300,000 range are scarce.  

If you are thinking about selling your home this year, don't hesitate.  Right now is the time to get it on the market.  The worst thing you could do this year is to wait for Spring and Summer.  The present market may be the best market we see in years for home sellers!

Have An Awesome Week!

Video Link: http://eugeneoregonhomesforsale.com/video/This-Month-in-Real-Estate-March-2017

THIS WEEKS HOT HOME LISTING!

114 Hayden Bridge Way

Price: $249,900    Beds: 3    Baths: 2    Sq Ft: 1451

Pride of ownership shows. Over 1/4 of an acre offers oversize attached garage, detached garage/shop with workbench, long wide drive with room for RV parking, large fenced backyard with covered patio, plus timed sprinkler system. Great room with fire...View Home for Sale >>

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Good Morning!

Is it a perfect storm situation now taking its grip on the Eugene and Springfield housing market? The overall market here is now as quiet as I have ever witnessed in my 27 years as an area Realtor.  Why would our market change from a blazing hot market to becoming this slow in just a few weeks? 

The answer is complicated, but it is primarily being fueled by the Eugene and Springfield area having the second lowest inventory of homes on the market in the entire United States.  Our home inventory rest at less that 1.7 months of active home inventory. This means that if no new homes hit the market, the current inventory would be exhausted within 1.7 months.  This creates a tough market for potential home buyers.  In our area, the hottest part of the market is median priced homes, which are typically the first time buyer homes.  There really is no inventory at this price level currently.  The majority of the active inventory is in the upper price ranges, where demand has slowed considerably.  On top of this, we have had around an 8% rise in home values in our area over the past 12 months and a rise in mortgage loan interest rates.  The combination of these two factors has made housing less affordable and pushed, even more, would be buyers into the median home price range, where there is no inventory.  Another factor that is fueling our problem is that in the Eugene and Springfield area, there are very few building lots.  The city and county's failure to expand urban growth boundaries has created a critical shortage of home building sites and virtually put a lid on new homes being built in the price ranges where there is demand.  The building lot shortage along with increased costs in permits, SDC's, etc. has pushed lot prices to all-time highs making it impossible to build new affordable housing in our area.  

Where our local market goes in 2017 remains up in the air.  The one thing that I will caution everyone about is that if you are expecting a repeat year like 2016, it is just not going to happen.  As long as home inventories in the median price ranges remain low, prices on these homes remain high and mortgage rates continue to climb, the market here will remain very quiet.

Have An Awesome Week!

THIS WEEK'S HOT HOME LISTING!

1499 Larkspur Avenue

Price: $180,000    Beds: 3    Baths: 1    Half Baths: 1    Sq Ft: 960

Charming, ranch-style home with modern feel and centrally located. Featuring rich hardwood floors, newer roof, countertops and vinyl windows. Other special features include a cozy living rm with wood-burning fireplace, a large bath, laundry area & c...View Home for Sale >>

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Good Morning!

In many ways, it is a typical December for the Eugene and Springfield area in regards to home sales.  Most people thinking about selling a home avoid putting their home on the market this time of year and the inventory of available homes for sale is at a yearly low.  What is different this year is that coming into the Holiday Season, our inventory of homes for sale was already very low.  The result of this is that there are many well qualified home buyers who cannot find a home to purchase.  For a home seller, you cannot have a better climate for selling your home.  Low inventory, high demand typically means a fast sale at top market value.

If you are going to be selling your home in the near future, my advice is to get your home on the market soon.  Whatever you do, don't wait for Spring.  If you don't want the hassle of having your home on the market over the Holidays, then think about getting it on the market by early 2017.  The inventory of homes for sale will most likely remain at a low level through February-March and then start a gradual increase.  

If you want to capitalize on our current sellers market, contact me.  I can easily give you an indication of what your home would sell for during the current market and also give you some tips on how to get top dollar value for your home. We have a long list of well qualified home buyers in a variety of price ranges and areas waiting for additional homes to hit the market.

Have An Awesome Week!

Video Link: http://eugeneoregonhomesforsale.com/video/This-Month-In-Real-Estate-December-2016

THIS WEEKS HOT HOME LISTING!

 

2445 Elysium Ave

Price: $350,000    Beds: 4    Baths: 2    Partial Baths: 1    Sq Ft: 2172

Remarkable remodel! Luxurious updates, lots of natural light, abundant storage, large corner lot. Large atrium entry with flagstone tile. Spacious family room with vaulted ceiling, beams, Coretec Plus vinyl wood floor, 2 sliders & gas fireplace. Ope...View Home for Sale >>

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Good Monday Morning!

The Real Estate market in the Eugene and Springfield area has maintained a good balance over the past several months.  Sales have slowed slightly, but this is most likely seasonal.  Home prices are holding steady and buyer demand is good.  Mortgage interest rates are also holding steady, making the climate for home sales very favorable.  Nationaly this trend is also holding true.  Once the elections are over, we will get a better idea of what the future holds.  One thing for sure is that if we begin seeing across the board tax increases along with rising interest rates, the housing market will suffer!

Have An Awesome Week!

Video Link: http://eugeneoregonhomesforsale.com/video/This-Month-in-Real-Estate-October-2016

THIS WEEKS HOT HOME LISTING!

2087 Lemuria St

Price: $255,000    Beds: 4    Baths: 2    Partial Baths: 1    Sq Ft: 2080

Delightful and bright! Features lots of natural light, fresh interior paint throughout, new doors and frames. Living room opens to dining area with slider. Kitchen with eating bar. Plus family/bonus room. One bedroom with bath. One huge bedroom/mult...View Home for Sale >>

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Good Morning!

It is not common knowledge, but homeownership in the United States is at a 51 year low.  This is a frightening fact because the idea of homeownership is the foundation of the American Dream.  There are many factors that have contributed to this fall off on homeownership.  There is currenlty a large difference in what our two presidential candidates plan to do to stimulate the housing industry.  Do your homework and vote wisely. It is a very dangerous situation if homeownership continues to falter.  Here is a recent article from Realtor.com that talks about some of the conditions that are having an impact on homeownership.

Buying a home is hard enough these days as wannabe homeowners have to contend with a shortage of residences in some markets—along with ever-rising prices and plenty of drag-down, no-holds-barred competition. But guess what? It’s about to get even worse.

Builders and developers applied for fewer new-home construction permits in June, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s monthly new residential construction report. So get ready for a continuing decrease in the supply of new homes later this year and into the next. (It takes about six to nine months to complete a residence once a permit is secured.)

And, yes, that’s expected to drive prices up even higher.

The number of permits issued were down 15.4%, to just 114,000, in June compared with the same month a year earlier, according to the report. But before panic sets in, it’s helpful to realize that this was actually a 5.8% bump from May.

The numbers were not seasonally adjusted, meaning they weren’t smoothed out over a 12-month period to account for fluctuations.

The reason builders are holding off on putting up more homes is because they’re worried the number of buyers could drop off if the economy falters, says Jonathan Smoke, chief economist of realtor.com®.

“The presidential election poses a big wild card,” Smoke says. “At the same time, the world is teetering on entering a recession due to a number of factors, including most recently Brexit.”

It’s also important to note that those newly built abodes, often with state-of-the-art appliances and electronic systems, cost more than those which have been lived in—so developers have lots to lose if those properties don’t sell.

For example, the median price of a new home was $290,400 in May, according to the most recent Commerce data available. Existing (i.e., not new) homes went for a median of $239,700 in May, according to the National Association of Realtors®.It wasn’t just permits to build single-family homes that were down. Permits to put up sorely needed condo and apartment buildings, with five units or more, also dropped year over year by about 39.2%, to just 36,600 in June. But, on the bright side, the number was up nearly 4.9% from May.

“This environment is good for the landlord and property owner, but not so much for virtually everybody else,” Smoke says. “It’s going to be even harder to find an affordable place to rent than it has been.”

In a welcome bit of good news, June saw the completion of the greatest number of new residences over the past year, according to the report.

The number of finished abodes surged 16.5%, hitting 99,500 residences, in June compared with a year earlier, according to the report. It was also up 19% from May.

In addition, the number of completed condo and apartment buildings, with five units or more, were also up 14.5% from a year ago and 46.5% from May, according to the report.

But with permits down, the number of new homes hitting the market simply can’t—and won’t—continue.

“We’re just not seeing the growth in new construction that would be necessary to improve the shortage of apartments for rent and homes for sale,” Smoke says. So “we’re likely to see continued rent and home price increases.

Have An Awesome Week!

THIS WEEKS HOT HOME LISTING!

425 W 28th Ave

Price: $279,000    Beds: 3    Baths: 2    Sq Ft: 1586

Serene and secluded! Various beautiful trees provide privacy and great views. Features hardwood floor, two fireplaces, vinyl windows, ductless heat pump, built-in storage/shelves in home and in garage. Upstairs main level offers seclusion and mounta...View Home for Sale >>

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Good Monday Morning!

The 2016 election season has been one of the most divisive presidential races in this country's history and unfortunately, that unrest has been something of a wet blanket on the housing market nationally. While many areas in the nation have enjoyed a boom market, the sense of unease and nervousness has convinced many Americans to wait before buying or selling a home. This is not a new scenario for our country, even in years with less chaos and uncertainty, Realtor associations nationwide have noted that consumers tend to be more cautious during an election year. The question is:

Should prospective sellers and buyers hit the pause button during an election year?

A recent study showed that housing prices tend to drop slightly, approximately 1.5 percent, during an election year. But even if that is the case, many real estate experts agree that consumers shouldn't feel the need hunker down until after the show is over and a new president is chosen. The fact is that real estate values locally and nationally are determined by only one factor: Supply and Demand.

The great Warren Buffet said "Be fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful". Translated for the general public, that means that we should do the opposite of what others are doing.

When the media is predicting gloom and doom, many buyers and sellers will make the decision to sit on the sidelines. What does that mean for sellers? Often it means lower housing inventory which equals less a smaller pool of buyers and possible multiple offer situations. For buyers it can add up to less competition and the opportunity to find a bargain. Added to that the fact that mortgage rates are still at historic lows, now is definitely the right time to get the most bang for your buck.

Have an awesome week!

THIS WEEKS HOT HOME LISTING!

3686 Yogi Way

Price: $250,000    Beds: 3    Baths: 2    Sq Ft: 1776

Spacious and bright! Lovely one level home on corner lot with RV parking. Stamped concrete in front walkway. Wonderful entertaining space in the huge vaulted Great Room. Living room opens to kitchen and dining area with slider. Well-sized master sui...
View Home for Sale >>

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Good Monday Morning!

It is not just the Eugene and Springfield area that is having a hot Real Estate market.  Nationally, the housing market has been robust and just as in Eugene and Springfield, home prices are on the rise as well. Here is a short and informative article about the national housing market from Realtor.com.

Frazzled home buyers may need to sit down and take a few deep breaths before reading any further. Those rapidly rising home prices have hit an all-time high—and show no signs of slowing down before Labor Day.

The median price of an existing (i.e. not newly constructed) home across the nation reached $239,700 in May, according to a recent report from the National Association of Realtors®. That’s up 3.8% from April and 4.7% from May of 2015.

The previous peak was last June at $236,300.

“The price increases are a natural result of the very strong demand for homes against very limited homes for sale,” says realtor.com’s chief economist, Jonathan Smoke. “It’s pent-up demand… coupled with the lowest mortgage rates we’ve had in three years.”

He predicts prices will continue to surge this summer as buyers fight over the not-nearly-enough residences on the market. But there is hope: the mad rush for available homes is expected to taper off come Labor Day, Smoke says.

“There’s a higher probability that interest rates will go up [in the fall]. School is back in session, which means fewer [parents] are looking to move,” he says, adding that the presidential election will cause some potential buyers in certain areas of the country, like Washington DC, to postpone home buying decisions.

The high prices have been a boon to sellers who are putting their properties on the market and cashing in.

“More homeowners are realizing the equity they’ve accumulated in recent years and finally deciding to trade-up or downsize,” NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun said in a statement. “Repeat buyers are using the proceeds from the sale of their previous home as their down payment.”

Residences also continued to fly off the proverbial shelves at the highest volume for the month of May since 2005—before the financial crisis walloped the world economy. This May, the number of sales hit 526,000, a 11.9% jump from April and a 6.3% rise from May of last year, according to the report. Those numbers were not seasonally adjusted, which is to say they weren’t smoothed out over a 12-month period to account for seasonal fluctuations.

The cost of becoming a homeowner is by far the highest in the West, home to astronomically expensive areas like San Francisco and nearby Silicon Valley, according to the report. The median home price in the region was $346,900 in May and the number of sales rose 0.9% year-over-year to 114,000.

The next most expensive region was the Northeast at $268,600, according to the report. The region also saw the fewest sales, at 69,000, in May. But the number of existing homes sold jumped 11.3% from the same time a year earlier.

The region was followed by the South, where the median home price hit $211,500. The warm weather region saw the most sales at 211,000, a 8.2% rise from a year earlier.

Last up was the Midwest, where prices reached $190,000. The number of sales reached 132,000 in May, a 5.6% bump from May of 2015.

Have An Awesome Week!

THIS WEEKS HOT HOME LISTING!

2484 Crowther Drive

Price: $299,000    Beds: 3    Baths: 2    Half Baths: 1    Sq Ft: 1911

This Heitman Custom Home has been beautifully maintained and offers wonderful amenities and details. Some of the features include crown molding, tray and vaulted ceilings, wainscoting, custom cabinets, hardwood and tile floors, granite and abundant ...View Home for Sale >>

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