Mortgage Market Update for the Week of November 18, 2024

This week’s episode includes what’s going on with mortgage rates, rent vs buy reports and credit tips to help you with holiday shopping.

If you or anyone you know are considering buying, refinancing or selling a home, please contact me! I am always happy to help.

How to Improve Your Odds of Getting YOUR Offer Accepted

How to Get Your Offer Accepted to Buy a Home in WashingtonThe housing market in the Pacific Northwest remains competitive with the continued lack of inventory. Homebuyers need to be patient and prepared for the process to possibly take a while.

 Here are some actions that you can implement to help improve your odds of having your offer accepted over other offers. [Read more…]

What if mortgage rates don’t hit 5%?

Fannie Mae and the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) released their monthly updated forecast for mortgage rates through 2025. This June update no longer shows predicted rates for the 30-year fixed conforming to hit the 5% range. MBA, who tends to be the most optimistic, forecasts that in the 4th quarter of 2025, we’ll see 6.0% for a rate with the homes of 5.8% in 2026.

Should you hold out on Fannie Mae and MBA’s forecast for lower rates in two years? It depends. [Read more…]

Visiting Open Houses? You Need to Be Fully Preapproved

pre-underwritten preapproved homebuyerIt’s fun to visit open houses on the weekends. You may be picturing yourself living in the home, enjoying the backyard or perhaps making a few home improvements to really make it “yours”.

If you’re even thinking about buying a home, I strongly encourage you to get fully preapproved before you find yourself at an open house wanting to present an offer.

Here are some steps I recommend for anyone considering buying a home. [Read more…]

Does Zillow’s Gloomy Article on Buying Now Pencil Out?

Zillow’s recent gloomy attention grabbing headline stating “If you buy now, it can take 13.5 years to make a profit on your home sale” has been creating quite a buzz with various media outlets. I thought I’d run some scenarios to compare. [Read more…]