Skip to main content

Someday is Today (Posted December 26, 2016)





I’m not exactly sure why the new year is what prompts so many of us to draw up a list of “resolutions” that might include losing 15 lbs., being nicer to the dog, and beating out Brad Pitt and George Clooney on the “Sexiest Man Alive” list, but this time of year seems to be when we look at our lives and think, “We need to make some changes.”  On the plus side, such an exercise sort of forces us to take those things we want to do “someday” and give them a timeline.  Well, ladies and gentlemen, someday is TODAY.  Take a look at this:

If you’ve been waiting for things to “settle down” before you purchase a house, the graphic above should settle things for you.  Interest rates aren’t going to skyrocket tomorrow, and they don’t need to in order to keep you from being able to afford the house you want they just need to creep up by a half or full point, and you could be out of the game.  When they increase by half a point, your ability to pay a mortgage drops by $25,000 another half point, and you’re down almost $50,000.  The Fed has signaled that they’re going to raise rates probably three times in the coming year.

When you have your eye on that perfect house and so do three other people are you going to have that extra $25,000 wiggle room to knock out the competition?  Don’t let someday sideline you.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

An Age-Old Concept Reaping Future Rewards

W hy are social media like Facebook and Instagram so darn popular among real estate and mortgage folks?   Hint: the top reason might be an endless supply of memes, cat videos, and the chance to be snarky, but the other reason runs a VERY CLOSE second.   Give up?   Answer:   They’re free – and they really help even the playing field by enabling a one-person shop look and market like an organization who employs an army of wordsmiths and graphic artists. This new century is glorious, right?   With that in mind, let me re-introduce you to a centuries-old concept that is equally glorious – and can help IMPROVE the playing field for you, regardless of the size of your team: karma.   On the subject of “free”, I’m not suggesting that you work for free, but when you freely give of yourself and your knowledge, you’ll see a greater payoff, I promise! Recently, an agent came to us with a question: she has a client who is looking to sell his condo.   It...

Get to the Point (Posted February 29, 2016)

As you may have already noticed, there’s some amateur art included in this week’s newsletter.   While it’s certainly better than a crayon drawing that might grace a refrigerator that’s supposed to be “mommy” but looks more like a B-movie creature, we all acknowledge there’s a reason the guy in our office who drew this . . . i s still working in our office rather than making a living elsewhere.   Be that as it may, there’s a point to the picture: is this how you’re allowing your client to choose their mortgage company?   In many cases, it’s probably not too far off.   Agreed, it’s wise to stay on the right side of the law and be sure you’re never accused of “steering”.   With that in mind, many agents tell their clients that it’s completely their decision as to what mortgage company they use (and it is, of course) and effectively step back from the entire conversation – using the illustration to the left, they’re putting the blindfold ...

Bubbles: History or Hysteria?

Whether you’re a flipper of TV channels or a die-hard fan of one particular news source (television, radio, internet, or some weird thing called a newspaper), you can’t help but come across a story or twelve on a semi-regular basis about the housing market and whether we’re on a “bubble”.   There are thos e pundits who claim everything points toward the market being on a bubble and how close we are to it bursting, and there’s an equal number who blow off the idea like that’s the most ridiculous thing they’ve ever heard.   What you don’t hear, though, is actual data supporting their arguments concerning a “bubble” in the housing market because it makes for a better story to watch people wring their hands and make emotional pleas and/or flash artificially whitened and perfectly aligned teeth at the camera and say these end-of-days kooks have it all wrong.   Well, buckle up, kids!   THIS is about to become your favorite news source (at least for the next two or thre...