Home Buyers

  For the first time this year, the Federal Reserve cut its short-term interest rate by a quarter point. And while mortgage rates did drop this week, continuing a recent trend, some hopeful home buyers may have been expecting deeper cuts in response to the Fed’s long-anticipated move. Full article here: Why Didn’t Mortgage Rates Fall More After the Fed Rate Cut? (512) 853-0110...

There’s a trend taking hold in real estate right now: more buyers are choosing newly built homes. And it’s not just about getting the latest technology or modern floorplans. It’s because they may be able to get a better deal. Builders are offering serious incentives today, and people are jumping on them. In fact, new home sales just hit their highest level in over two years. Full article here:...

  In a housing market where rising costs have driven the median age of homebuyers to 56 years old, many younger Americans are turning to a new strategy to buy their dream homes: partnering up, platonically, with friends. This tactic, known as “co-buying,” is becoming increasingly popular, with one study saying nearly 15% of Americans have purchased a home with someone who is not a romantic partner...

  If you’ve been watching from the sidelines, now’s the time to lean in. It’s officially the best time to buy this year. According to Realtor.com, this October will have the most buyer-friendly conditions of any month in 2025: “By mid-October, buyers across much of the country may finally find the combination of inventory, pricing, and negotiating power they’ve been waiting for—a rare...

  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? The 3 maps show how the split is playing out across the country.  Full article here: Why Buyers and Sellers Face Very Different Conditions Today (512) 853-0110...

  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. Full article here: Downsizing Without...

  For the past couple of years, it’s been tough for a lot of homebuyers to make the numbers work. Home prices shot up. Mortgage rates too. And a number of people hit pause because it just didn’t feel possible. Maybe you were one of them. But there’s some encouraging news. If you’ve been waiting for a better time to jump back in, affordability may finally be showing signs of improvement this...

Waiting for interest rates to drop when looking for a home  A while back, I penned a piece here on this particular site telling a story about a longtime friend who was preapproved for a mortgage before rates started to jump but she waited too long and the rates had moved to a point where she could no longer qualify. Fortunately, she had the assets to be able to put more down therefore borrowing less....

  Single-family built-for-rent construction fell back in the second quarter, as a higher cost of financing crowded out development activity. Over the last four quarters, 71,000 such homes began construction, which is a 16% decrease compared to the 85,000 estimated SFBFR starts in the four quarters prior to that period. This is great news as these large institutional investors buying up homes the past 10...

  Home buyers today are navigating elevated mortgage rates and high prices that have been blamed for straining budgets. At first glance, new construction—which often carries a premium over resale homes—may seem out of reach. But a new study from realtor.com® shows the price gap between newly built and existing homes has fallen to a record low.Prospective Buyers Rush for Loans as Rates Drop Full...