Category — Home Values

Home sellers and home buyers often have far different ideas of the value of a home. Sellers are almost always asking too much for a home, and buyers typically have a good idea of the home’s actual value. How do you bridge the gap between buyers and sellers to get the home you want at a reasonable price?  

Median home prices are something you’ll hear about over and over again when you’re home shopping. Your Realtor may tell you about median home prices, and use it as a way to compare potential houses in your marketplace. Unfortunately, median home prices aren’t the ultimate evaluator of homes in your area. Educate yourself about the myth of median home prices.  

One thing you’ll probably see in your home-buying process is a comparable market analysis. When you’re nearing the offer stages, your real estate agent should be able to provide you a CMA to help you make your decision. What’s a comparable market analysis, and what does it tell you?  

So you’ve narrowed your search down to a few homes in neighborhoods you like. They have comparable amenities and the features you want. How do you select the right house? Now it’s time to make use of the principle of progression to find the home that’s going to provide the best deal for you.  

Lender Processing Services (LPS) released the results of its recent housing survey. What were the results? LPS believes, based on its findings, that there is a direct link between the number of real-estate owned foreclosures being sold and the prices of houses. In essence, the fact that there are so many foreclosed homes being sold at drastically reduced prices, it’s dragging the value and cost of the other houses selling on the market down with it.  

Finding the right time to buy a home is challenging. As with any investment, people want to buy low and sell high. You want to make a profit when you buy a home, and you want to enjoy the benefits of getting a good deal when you buy. However, you shouldn’t worry too much about your timing, as home prices fluctuate significantly over time. 

Say you’re looking for the right place to buy; a place where home values are likely to expand over the years, and you’re well-positioned to make a tidy profit from your investment. What factors should you consider? The job market is a big part of what makes a community a good investment, so consider employment in your area when you’re shopping for a house. 

While housing sales prices continue to fall, the Federal Housing Finance Agency reported that it was at a much lower rate in the first quarter of 2009 than it was in the fourth quarter of 2008. This data may support the theory that housing markets are starting to stabilize in certain areas of the country. A recent study shows that certain cities in Texas began to see increases in house values, while California is continuing to struggle the most with getting its housing prices steady.