Thought the Market Passed You By? Think Again.

Written by Miramar Beach FL Mortgage Syndicated User on November 1, 2025. Posted in Buying Tips, First-Time Buyers, For Buyers, Inventory, Miramar Beach Mortgage, Mortgage Miramar Beach FL.

If you stepped back from your home search over the past few years, you’re not alone – and you’re definitely not out of options. In fact, now might be the ideal time to take another look. With more homes to choose from, prices leveling off in many areas, and mortgage rates easing, today’s market is offering something you haven’t had in a while: options.Experts agree, buyers are in a better spot right now than they’ve been in quite a long time. Here’s what they have to say.Affordability Is Finally Improving Lisa Sturtevant, Chief Economist at Bright MLS, says affordability is finally starting...

Why You Don’t Need To Be Afraid of Today’s Mortgage Rates

Written by Miramar Beach FL Mortgage Syndicated User on November 1, 2025. Posted in Buying Tips, Downsize, First-Time Buyers, For Buyers, For Sellers, Miramar Beach Mortgage, Mortgage Miramar Beach FL, Mortgage Rates, Move-Up.

Mortgage rates have been the monster under the bed for a while. Every time they tick up, people flinch and say, “Maybe I’ll wait.” But here’s the twist. Waiting for that perfect 5-point-something rate could end up haunting your wallet later.The Magic NumberAccording to the National Association of Realtors (NAR):“. . . a 30-year fixed rate mortgage of 6% would make the median-priced home affordable for about 5.5 million more households—including 1.6 million renters. If rates were to hit that magic number, it’s likely that about 10%—or 550,000—of those additional households would buy a home...

Why Some Homes Sell Quickly – and Others Don’t Sell at All

Written by Miramar Beach FL Mortgage Syndicated User on November 1, 2025. Posted in Agent Value, For Sellers, Inventory, Miramar Beach Mortgage, Mortgage Miramar Beach FL, Selling Tips.

A few years ago, inventory hit a record low. Just about anything sold – and fast. But now, there are far more homes on the market. Listings are up almost 20% from this time last year. And in some areas, supply is even back to levels we last saw in 2017–2019. For sellers, that means one thing:Your house needs to stand out and grab attention from day one.That’s especially true when you consider why the number of homes for sale is up. Here’s how it works. Available inventory is a mix of: Active Listings: homes that have been sitting on the market, but haven’t sold yetNew Listings: homes that...

What Buyers Say They Need Most (And How the Market’s Responding)

Written by Miramar Beach FL Mortgage Syndicated User on October 1, 2025. Posted in Affordability, First-Time Buyers, For Buyers, Home Prices, Miramar Beach Mortgage, Mortgage Miramar Beach FL, Mortgage Rates.

A recent survey from Bank of America asked would-be homebuyers what would help them feel better about making a move, and it’s no surprise the answers have a clear theme. They want affordability to improve, specifically prices and rates (see below):Here’s the good news. While the broader economy may still feel uncertain, there are signs the housing market is showing some changes in both of those areas. Let’s break it down so you know what you’re working with.Prices Are ModeratingOver the past few years, home prices climbed fast, sometimes so fast it left many buyers feeling shut out. But...

Closing Costs Unpacked: State-by-State Breakdowns for Today’s Buyers

Written by Miramar Beach FL Mortgage Syndicated User on October 1, 2025. Posted in First-Time Buyers, For Buyers, Miramar Beach Mortgage, Mortgage Miramar Beach FL.

If you’re planning to buy a home this year, there’s one expense you can’t afford to overlook: closing costs.Almost every buyer knows they exist, but not that many know exactly what they cover, or how different they can be based on where you’re buying. So, let’s break them down.What Are Closing Costs?Your closing costs are the additional fees and payments you make when finalizing your home purchase. Every buyer has them. According to Freddie Mac, they typically include things like homeowner insurance and title insurance, as well as various fees for your:Loan applicationCredit...

Downsizing Without Debt: How More Homeowners Are Buying Their Next House in Cash

Written by Miramar Beach FL Mortgage Syndicated User on October 1, 2025. Posted in Downsize, Equity, For Sellers, Miramar Beach Mortgage, Mortgage Miramar Beach FL, Selling Tips.

If you’ve been thinking about downsizing to lower your expenses, be closer to family, or just make life easier, here’s a trend worth paying attention to:More homeowners are buying their next house outright, without taking on a new mortgage. And, if you’ve owned your home for a while, you may be able to do the same. No mortgage. No monthly housing payments.A Record Share of Homeowners Are Mortgage-FreeAccording to analysis from ResiClub of Census data, more than 40% of U.S. owner-occupied homes are mortgage-free – an all-time high for this data series. That means 4 in 10 homeowners own...

Why Buyers and Sellers Face Very Different Conditions Today

Written by Miramar Beach FL Mortgage Syndicated User on October 1, 2025. Posted in For Buyers, For Sellers, Home Prices, Inventory, Miramar Beach Mortgage, Mortgage Miramar Beach FL.

There’s a new divide in housing right now. In some states, buyers are gaining ground. In others, sellers still have the upper hand. It all depends on where you live. Curious what’s happening in your state?These 3 maps show how the split is playing out across the country. In each one:Darker Shades of Blue = Buyer friendlyLighter Shades of Blue = Seller strongInventory Sets the StageWhile the number of homes for sale has improved pretty much across the board, how much growth we’ve seen can look dramatically different based on where you live. And that impacts who has the leverage...

Thinking About Renting Your House Instead of Selling? Read This First.

Written by Miramar Beach FL Mortgage Syndicated User on September 1, 2025. Posted in For Sellers, Miramar Beach Mortgage, Mortgage Miramar Beach FL.

If your house is on the market but you haven’t gotten any offers you’re comfortable with, you may be wondering: what do I do if it doesn’t sell? And for a growing number of homeowners, that’s turning into a new dilemma: should I just rent it instead?There’s a term for this in the industry, and it’s called an accidental landlord. Here’s how Yahoo Finance defines it:“These ‘accidental landlords’ are homeowners who tried to sell but couldn’t fetch the price they wanted — and instead have decided to rent out their homes until conditions improve.”Why This Is Happening More Often Right NowAnd...

What Everyone’s Getting Wrong About the Rise in New Home Inventory

Written by Miramar Beach FL Mortgage Syndicated User on September 1, 2025. Posted in For Buyers, Miramar Beach Mortgage, Mortgage Miramar Beach FL, New Construction.

You may have seen talk online that new home inventory is at its highest level since the crash. And if you lived through the crash back in 2008, seeing new construction is up again may feel a little scary.But here’s what you need to remember: a lot of what you see online is designed to get clicks. So, you may not be getting the full story. A closer look at the data and a little expert insight can change your perspective completely.Why This Isn’t Like 2008While it’s true the number of new homes on the market hit its highest level since the crash, that’s not a reason to worry. That’s because...

History Shows the Housing Market Always Recovers

Written by Miramar Beach FL Mortgage Syndicated User on September 1, 2025. Posted in Economy, For Sellers, Forecasts, Miramar Beach Mortgage, Mortgage Miramar Beach FL, Selling Tips.

Now that the market is slowing down, homeowners who haven’t sold at the price they were hoping for are increasingly pulling their homes off the market. According to the latest data from Realtor.com, the number of homeowners taking their homes off the market is up 38% since the start of this year and 48% since the same time last June. For every 100 new listings in June, about 21 homes were taken off the market.And if you’ve made that same choice, you’re probably frustrated things didn’t go the way you wanted. It’s hard when you feel like the market isn’t working with you. But while slowdowns...

Author: Miramar Beach FL Mortgage Syndicated User