Consumer Confidence in Economy & Housing is Soaring

The success of the housing market is strongly tied to the consumer’s confidence in the overall economy. For that reason, we believe 2017 will be a great year for real estate. Here is just a touch of the news coverage on the subject.
source: Real Estate Tips with Keith Kreis

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Home Buying Checklist

Looking to Move-Up to a Luxury Home? Now’s the Time!

The best time to sell anything is when demand is high and supply is low. If you are currently in a starter or trade-up house that no longer fits your needs, and are looking to step into a luxury home… Now’s the time to list your house for sale and make your dreams come true. source: Real Estate News with Keith Kreis

Time to buy real estate in Aurora

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Millionaire to Millennials: Buy Now!

Whenever a well-respected millionaire gives investment advice, people usually clamor to hear it. This millionaire gave simple advice – if you don’t yet live in your own home, go buy one.

source: Real Estate News with Keith Kreis

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Renting or Buying… Either Way You’re Paying a Mortgage

There are some people who have not purchased homes because they are uncomfortable taking on the obligation of a mortgage. Everyone should realize that, unless you are living with your parents rent-free, you are paying a mortgage - either yours or your landlord’s. As Entrepreneur Magazine, a premier source for small business, explained this month in their article, “12 Practical Steps to Getting Rich”:

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How Low Supply & High Demand Impacts the Real Estate Market

The concept of Supply & Demand is a simple one. The best time to sell something is when the supply of that item is low & the demand for that item is high! Anything under a 6-month supply is a Seller’s Market! READMORE: Real Estate News with Keith Kreis

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The Foreclosure Crisis: 10 Years Later

CoreLogic recently released a report entitled, United States Residential Foreclosure Crisis: 10 Years Later, in which they examined the years leading up to the crisis all the way through to present day. With a peak in 2010 when nearly 1.2 million homes were foreclosed on, over 7.7 million families lost their homes throughout the entire foreclosure crisis. Dr. Frank Nothaft, Chief Economist for CoreLogic, had this to say,

“The country experienced a wild ride in the mortgage market between 2008 and 2012, with the foreclosure peak occurring in 2010. As we look back over 10 years of the foreclosure crisis, we cannot ignore the connection between jobs and homeownership. A healthy economy is driven by jobs coupled with consumer confidence that usually leads to homeownership.”

As the economy continues to improve, and employment numbers increase, the number of completed foreclosures should continue to decrease. source: Real Estate with Keith Kreis

Steps to Buying a Home

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What Are the Experts Saying about Mortgage Rates?

Are you intrigued by the notion of real estate investing? Do you know others who have made money in the real estate market? It really is possible to generate profits by getting involved with real estate deals. You just have to educate yourself. Here are some suggestions to get you started.

Stay with categories in which you are comfortable. You can successful invest if you focus on that market segment. Get to know your market type and continue with it for repeated success.

Mortgage interest rates have risen over the last few months and projections are that they will continue their upswing throughout 2017... For complete information continue reading here - Process of Buying a House

It's easy to see now why so many folks love real estate investing. Follow the tips presented here to find your own success. Choose properties wisely. After a while you'll be able to comfortably deal with these things. You'll be enjoying the extra money you'll make before you know it.

Make your neighbors disappear with privacy landscaping

When looking at homes for sale, how much is privacy worth to you? If you place a premium on not feeling like you live in a fishbowl, but can only afford to purchase a home in developments where the builder obviously tried to cram as many homes onto the parcel as possible, we may just have a solution for you: landscaping. Or, to be more precise, creative landscaping that assures privacy.

How much privacy do you want? CLICK HERE

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It's a Seller's Market! Should I Downsize Now?

A study by Edelman Berland reveals that 33% of homeowners who are contemplating selling their houses in the near future are planning to scale down. Let’s look at a few reasons why this might make sense for many homeowners, as the majority of the country is currently experiencing a seller’s market.
In a blog, Dave Ramsey, the financial guru, highlighted the advantages of selling your current house and downsizing into a smaller home that better serves your current needs. Ramsey explains three potential financial advantages to downsizing:

1. A smaller home means less space, but it also means less time, stress and money spent on upkeep.
2. Let’s assume you save $500 a month on your mortgage payment. In 30 years, you could have an additional $1–1.6 million in the bank to get you through your golden years.
3. Use the proceeds from selling your current home to pay cash for a smaller one. Just imagine what you could do with no mortgage holding you down! If you can’t pay cash, aim for a 15-year fixed rate mortgage and put at least 10–20% down on your new home. Apply the $500 you saved from downsizing to your new monthly payment. At 3% interest, you could pay off a $200,000 mortgage in less than 10.5 years, saving almost $16,000 in the process.

Realtor.com also addressed downsizing in an article. They suggest that you ask yourself some questions before deciding if downsizing is right for you and your family. Here are two of their questions followed by their answers (in italics) and some additional information that could help.

Q: What kind of lifestyle do I want after I downsize? It's a Seller's Market! Should I Downsize Now?

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4 Great Reasons to Buy This Spring!

If the right thing for you and your family is to purchase a home this year, buying sooner rather than later could lead to substantial savings. Click the image to read full content

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Selling Your Home? Here Is Some Advice To Help You Out

There are a few things that you have to keep in mind about selling your home. While it may be tempting to just rush through the process so that it can be over with, you need to take your time and make sure all bases are covered to assure a smooth sale.

If you own a specialized piece of property such as multi-family or rural land, you will want to hire a Realtor who specializes in the sale of that type of property. While any agent could do it, you will have more success with someone who has done that specific type many many times.

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Prepare your home before you put it on the market. Cleaning, organizing, and neutralizing the property can make it much easier to find a buyer quickly. By decluttering the home, the potential buyer will be able to more easily picture their belongings in it. Avoid bright colors and give the walls a fresh coat of neutral paint if necessary.

Make sure your house is move-in ready. The last thing a buyer wants to do when they move into their new home is start fixing things. If the house needs work, do it before you put it on the market. If a buyer sees too many things that need to be changed or replaced, they will quickly lose interest.

HOME BUYING PROCESS

Just as the beginning of this article stated, selling a home needs to be a careful process. Make sure that you do the best you can to make the process flow. If you do the right thing on your side, then the only thing left to worry about will be everyone else doing theirs.

A Tale of Two Markets: Inventory Mismatch Paints a More Detailed Picture

Knowing the best practices for selling real estate successfully, can really give you a great start and future in the industry. There are many things that you want to know and understand as you pursue new prospects for real estate. This article can ensure that you know the things that really count.

A Tale of Two Markets: Inventory Mismatch Paints a More Detailed Picture

The inventory of existing homes for sale in today’s market was recently reported to be at a 3.6-month supply according to the National Association of Realtors latest Existing Home Sales Report. Inventory is now 7.1% lower than this time last year, marking the 20th consecutive month of year-over-year drops.

Before you put hour house on the market, consider installing some energy-saving elements that will appeal to purchasers. Get LED bulbs, solar-powered outdoor lights or an energy monitor to convince buyers that they will save money on their energy bills after moving in.

If you can utilize the tips provided in this article correctly, you can easily find an increase in your real estate selling power. Not only will more prospects be attracted to you, but you will find that you gain a greater percentage of conversions, with keen practices for selling real estate on your side.

Which Homes Have Appreciated the Most?

Selling real estate is a profession. There is a reason that not just anyone can be a real estate agent. There is lots of information you have to know. For this reason, being the non-agent person in a real estate sale can be scary and overwhelming. This article will give you some great advice on how to stay focused and understand the best ways to make your sale. 

Home values have risen dramatically over the last twelve months. The latest Existing Home Sales Report from the National Association of Realtors puts the annual increase in the median existing-home price at 7.1%. CoreLogic, in their most recent Home Price Insights Report, reveals that national home prices have increased by 6.9% year-over-year. Which Homes Have Appreciated the Most?

Have your real estate agent do a rough estimate of everything that would have to be paid for by you at the time of closing. This is important, because it will show you how low you can drop your price without having to bring your own money to the table. Sometimes, there are costs that a first time seller is not aware of.

As you can see, there is some great advice here. You don't have to take it all, and not all may apply to your situation, but you will feel better about the sale of your property if you are more knowledgeable about the decisions you are making and the process as a whole.

Answers To Common Home Mortgage Questions

Though you may have missed getting the lowest mortgage rate ever offered, you can still get a better interest rate than your older brother or sister did ten years ago, a lower rate than your parents did twenty years ago, and a better rate than your grandparents did forty years ago.

Getting a great deal on your home mortgages is not easy. Paying it off in a timely manner also takes quite a bit of work. Doing your research before you sign the mortgage papers is your best bet. Follow the helpful home mortgage tips listed below to make sure you have the upper hand when signing the papers for a home mortgage.- Mortgage Interest Rates Went Up Again… Should I Wait to Buy? 

Regardless of how much of a loan you're pre-approved for, know how much you can afford to spend on a home. Write out your budget. Include all your known expenses and leave a little extra for unforeseeable expenses that may pop up. Do not buy a more expensive home than you can afford.

As stated above, there is nothing simple about finding the best home mortgage for your circumstances. Just like anything important in life, it takes some time and energy to understand the details. Use the advice listed in the article above to choose the best home mortgage options available to you.

How to Get the Most Money When Selling Your Home

Every homeowner wants to make sure they get the best price when selling their home. But how do you guarantee that you receive maximum value for your house? Here are two keys to ensuring you get the highest price possible.

1. Price it a LITTLE LOW 

This may seem counterintuitive. However, let’s look at this concept for a moment. Many homeowners think that pricing their home a little OVER market value will leave them room for negotiation. In reality, this just dramatically lessens the demand for their house (see chart below). Instead of the seller trying to ‘win’ the negotiation with one buyer, they should price it so that demand for the home is maximized. By doing this, the seller will not be fighting with a buyer over the price, but will instead have multiple buyers fighting with each other over the house. Realtor.com gives this advice:

“Aim to price your property at or just slightly below the going rate. Today’s buyers are highly informed, so if they sense they’re getting a deal, they’re likely to bid up a property that’s slightly underpriced, especially in areas with low inventory.”

2. Use a Real Estate Professional

This, too, may seem counterintuitive, as the seller likely believes that he or she will net more money if they don’t have to pay a real estate commission. With that being said, studies have shown that homes typically sell for more money when handled by a real estate professional. Research posted by the National Association of Realtors revealed that:

“The median selling price for all FSBO homes was $185,000 last year. When the buyer knew the seller in FSBO sales, the number sinks to the median selling price of $163,800. However, homes that were sold with the assistance of an agent had a median selling price of $245,000 – nearly $60,000 more for the typical home sale.”

Bottom Line

Price your house at or slightly below the current market value and hire a professional. This will guarantee that you maximize the price you get for your house. 

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The Difference An Hour Makes

Don’t forget to set your clocks forward this Sunday, March 12th at 2:00 AM EST in observance of Daylight Savings Time. Unless of course, you are a resident of Arizona or Hawaii! Every hour in the United States: 649 homes are sold, 177 homes regain equity (meaning they are no longer underwater on their mortgage), and the median home price rises $1.86!

READ FULL CONTENT AT WWW.KEITHKREIS.COM

Spring Forward: The Difference An Hour Makes [INFOGRAPHIC]

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Builder Confidence Hits 11-Year High

In many areas of the country, there are not enough homes for sale to satisfy the number of buyers looking to purchase their dream homes. Experts have long proposed that a ramp-up in new, single-family home construction would be one of the many ways to overcome this inventory shortage.

According to a recent survey conducted by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and Wells Fargo, housing market confidence amongst builders reached an 11-year high last month. steps in buying a house - FULL CONTENT CLICK HERE

Housing Market Expected to “Spring Forward”

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Thinking of Selling? Do it TODAY!!

With demand increasing and supply dropping, this may be the perfect time to get the best price for your home. Let’s get together and discuss the inventory levels in your neighborhood to determine your next steps.

source: www.keithkreis.com

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Find Success In Your Search For Secrets Regarding Real Estate Investing By Reading This

Investing in real estate can seem like a huge undertaking, but it's not only for experts or millionaires. Property values often go up over time, and can make a house more valuable when you decide to sell it. Read on for some more great tips on investing in real estate!

WHY YOU SHOULD BUYHOME

(Shorewood, Woodridge, Lisle, Downers Grove, Oswego, Downers Grove, Naperville, Yorkville, Bolingbrook, Plainfield, Aurora) 

Never give up if you ever experience a setback with your plan and strategy. The real estate market is filled with many great and bad times, so make sure to stay strong if you hit a lull in your search. Persistence is the key to success when dealing with real estate.

Make sure you have a budget when you invest in real estate that includes how much you're going to have to pay to fix the home you're buying up. You don't want to blow all of your money on getting real estate just to find out that you can't afford to fix it up.

When To Buy A House

Think long-term when investing in real estate. While some investors seek to make quick turnovers by buying cheap and flipping within weeks or months, your better bet is a longer view. Look for safe properties where you can park a big sum of money and get investment return via monthly income like rent.

Real estate investments have a lot to consider, but informing yourself is the best way to go. You've made a great start with this article, but there's never too much to know! Remember these tips and learn more before you begin to invest in a great and valuable piece of property.

Mortgage Rates Impact on 2017 Home Values

READ Keith Kreis FULL CONTENT CLICK HERE by keithkreis

What retirees need to consider about their homeowners insurance

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Over Half of All Buyers Are Surprised by Closing Costs

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Real Estate Listings: You Can’t Sell What You Don’t Have

Some housing experts are concerned that the housing recovery seems to be stalling. Some are blaming the one percent increase in mortgage interest rates since the first quarter of last year. Others are pointing at an economy that is improving but only at a snail’s pace. Still, others are questioning whether homeownership is even considered by some to still be part of the American Dream.

However, there is great evidence that the true reason home sales aren’t stronger is because we lack inventory in the vast majority of markets across the country.

Here are a few reasons why we believe this to be true:

Buyers Are Searching the Internet for Homes in Record Numbers

Trulia, a major online residential real estate site for home buyers that lists properties for sale, recently reported that it is experiencing record levels of traffic as the spring buying season kicks into high gear. The site reached a record number of unique visitors in April with nearly 50 million.

Buyers Are Physically Out Shopping

The number of potential home buyers physically looking at homes is increasing. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) measures this each month in a data point they call “foot traffic”. Foot traffic measures the number of homes being shown by agents. That number has increased for each of the last three months and has doubled over that period of time.

Inventory Levels are BELOW Historic Norms

History shows us that a balanced real estate market requires a six month supply of available housing inventory. We have not reached that mark in over two years. Though inventory numbers are improving, the recent increase in buyers now looking will again put a strain on this number.

Bottom Line

While inventory levels remain below historic norms, it will remain a seller’s market. This being the case, if you are considering selling your home, now may be the time to list it for sale.

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How Long Do Most Families Stay in Their Home?

National Association of Realtors (NAR) keeps historical data on many aspects of homeownership. One of the data points that has changed dramatically is the median tenure of a family in a home. As the graph below shows, for over twenty years (1985-2008), the median tenure averaged exactly six years. However, since 2008, that average is almost nine years – an increase of almost 50%. Read the full Article Click Here

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