Buying a home is never an easy decision. And issues that come along with age, such as mobility decline and dementia, can make it that much more challenging. If you are a senior in the market for a new home, pause for just a moment to consider what you truly need. A home for your […]
In mid-October 2016 the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 3.64% and a 15-year fixed at 2.93%! Now, post-presidential election and based on the fixed income markets belief that the economy is going to improve thus spurring further rate increases by the Federal Reserve, 30-year fixed rate mortgages are on average 4.31% and 15-year fixed […]
As 2016 quickly winds down, the question now on the minds of homebuyers and home sellers is what 2017 will portend for the residential real estate market in the United States… Early on a Monday morning these are some points pondered by Hallmark Abstract Service with the thoughts from real estate industry giants Zillow and Realtor.com offered […]
Summary: Did you know about… The state of the housing market post-financial crisis, subprime lending making a comeback, the Top 10 luxury hotel suites from around the world or why the opinions of real estate appraisers seem so often to vary widely from the opinion of value that’s in the mind of the property owner. This […]
For the very wealthy all-cash buyer or someone who can easily qualify for a mortgage, location can be an extremely easy decision! But for the other 90%+ of Americans who may fall somewhere below these two categories, so-called ‘average’ wage earners, the affordability factor in the rent vs buy decision or when choosing a potential homes […]
Home affordability helps to keep many millennials in rentals! Ah, the proverbial American Dream…A job for life with one benevolent employer, a secure retirement somewhere down the road, marriage, a home in the suburbs, two kids and two cars in the garage. And of course, let’s not forget a chicken in every pot! But for […]
Whether you have bought and financed a home in the past or you are about to embark on your first experience, the Home Loan Toolkit provided courtesy of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) will serve to be an invaluable tool and resource! If for some reason the Home Loan Toolkit does not load correctly […]
HAVE YOU EVER BEEN TO A CLOSING WHERE THE TITLE WASN’T CLEARED? WE HAVEN’T! ________________________________________________________________________ The impact that an increase in mortgage rates has on real estate affordability, also known as purchasing power, is a concept extremely familiar to most prospective buyers who watch them on a daily basis until they are locked-in! The chart below illustrates the […]
Follow @Hallmark Abstract Service As housing continues to heal from the financial crisis that had devastated real estate markets around the country, the question then becomes whether at some time we reach a point where affordability becomes an issue! We recently wrote an article here that had provided an interactive chart of the stability of […]
