
| Blog |
| DON'T MISS YOUR WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY! |
| February 05th 2009 |
If you have ever dreamed of living the good life on the sunny Southern Oregon Coast now is the time to make your dream a reality. Prices have plunged, interest rates are fabulous and the selection is broad. Buyer's who couldn't afford the high prices during the run-up of home values in the 2004-2006 era can find bargains galore. But heed my warning- don't wait too long. The first sign that we have hit bottom and are starting to level out is when investors begin buying. That is starting to happen. The other thing to watch is although interest rates are good now, with the fed's printing money at an alarming rate, we may start experiencing inflation. When that happens interest rates will climb. Let's look at an example: Joe wanted a home that was priced a t $200,000. Let's say interest rates are now 5%. If he puts 20% down his monthly mortgage (interest and principal) would be $858.91 If he wanted to wait until the price dropped to $190,000 and put the same 20% down but interest rates went up to 5.5% his monthly payment would be $863.04. If interest went up a whole point his payment would be $911.32. So watch those rates and if they start climbing it might be the time to take action. The other thing to watch is that savvy buyers are now starting to cherry pick the best homes out of the market. Now that prices have come so far down they know that it is time to grab that nice one before they are all gone. Buyer's- it's an incredible market for you out there right now. If this is something you are really considering then you need at the very least to start developing a relationship with a great agent that will help you to become familiar with the local market, help you find a trustworthy lender and ease you through the process of home buying. Someone who will communicate with you, explain things in regular english and really listen to your needs. It's good news even for sellers if the bought before the run-up and are looking to buy another home. They may make less on their home when they sell it but they will pay less on their new one. Especially if you're moving up to a bigger or better home. If your home was worth $200,000 on the market in 2005 but the value has dropped 20% you have lost $40,000 you thought you would net. But if the new house you want to buy was $350,000 on the market in 2005 and it has dropped 20% you will save $75,000! Your net savings is $35,000. What a deal. If you have any questions or comments about the market here please contact me. I would love to talk to you about our local market. Warmly, Debby |