Las Vegas Million Dollar Homes For Sale | Millennials Are Increasing the Demand for Condominiums

Home sellers have lots of options when is time to sell their properties, however there is no magic formula that will guarantee in achieving the best and highest price possible for their homes. This is why I like to partner with my clients to guide them through the complexities of selling their homes. I assembled a team of true professionals with experience, dedication and strong communication skills to help ensure a successful and profitable sale of your home.

Today I want to bring a very important point that relates to the sale of your home, Study Shows Home Prices: Millennials Are Increasing the Demand for Condominiums

When deciding to buy a home, people are presented with many different options. The type of home you buy depends on your needs, budget, and in many cases, the desired maintenance level. For many millennials, their choice has been buying a condominium!

According to CoreLogic,

“Last year about 43% of all condo home-purchase mortgage applications were submitted by FTHBs… Similarly, the data show condos were more popular with young homebuyers and empty nesters. For instance, 21% of all condo home-purchase mortgage applications were submitted by buyers aged 18 to 30, compared with just 17% of all single-family home-purchase mortgage applications by the same group in 2018.”

With home prices increasing year-over-year, it makes sense millennials are buying condos instead of a single-family house. As a result, the demand for this type of home has been increasing.

As this graph explains,

“The younger millennials are the largest cohort and are likely to drive much of the condo demand in the coming years”.

Bottom Line

If you are a millennial considering buying a home, understand that there are many options available. You may find yourself in a condominium as your first home. If you would like to determine which type of home best fits your needs, let’s get together to evaluate your options!

Source.. KCM Bill & Fran Jenkins Blog

To purchase your dream home or a great foreclosure property, is about being educated, thorough and patient with the process. The most important aspect of finding the perfect home is working with a real estate agent who is highly skilled in negotiation and understanding of your expectations!  

For more information or assistance to help you find a home in the Las Vegas and Henderson area please call us at 702–845–8540.

Las Vegas Million Dollar Homes For Sale | Having a Professional on Your Side Makes All the Difference!

Home sellers have lots of options when is time to sell their properties, however there is no magic formula that will guarantee in achieving the best and highest price possible for their homes. This is why I like to partner with my clients to guide them through the complexities of selling their homes. I assembled a team of true professionals with experience, dedication and strong communication skills to help ensure a successful and profitable sale of your home.

Today I want to bring a very important point that relates to the sale of your home, Study Shows Home Prices: Having a Professional on Your Side Makes All the Difference!

In today’s fast-paced world where answers are a Google search away, there are some who may wonder what the benefits of hiring a real estate professional to help them in their home search are. The truth is, the addition of more information causes more confusion.

Shows like Property Brothers, Fixer Upper, and dozens more on HGTV have given many a false sense of what it’s like to buy and sell a home.

Now more than ever, you need an expert on your side who is going to guide you toward your dreams and not let anything get in the way of achieving them. Buying and/or selling a home is definitely not something you want to DIY (Do It Yourself)!

Here are just some of the reasons you need a real estate professional in your corner:

There’s more to real estate than finding a house you like online!

There are over 230 possible steps that need to take place during every successful real estate transaction. Don’t you want someone who has been there before, someone who knows what these actions are, to ensure you achieve your dream?

You Need a Skilled Negotiator

In today’s market, hiring a talented negotiator could save you thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of dollars. Each step of the way – from the original offer, to the possible renegotiation of that offer after a home inspection, to the possible cancellation of the deal based on a troubled appraisal – you need someone who can keep the deal together until it closes.

What is the home you’re buying or selling worth in today’s market?

There is so much information on the news and on the Internet about home sales, prices, and mortgage rates; how do you know what’s going on specifically in your area? Who do you turn to in order to competitively and correctly price your home at the beginning of the selling process? How do you know what to offer on your dream home without paying too much, or offending the seller with a lowball offer?

Dave Ramsey, the financial guru, advises:

“When getting help with money, whether it’s insurance, real estate or investments, you should always look for someone with the heart of a teacher, not the heart of a salesman.”

Hiring an agent who has his or her finger on the pulse of the market will make your buying or selling experience an educated one. You need someone who is going to tell you the truth, not just what they think you want to hear.

Bottom Line

Today’s real estate market is highly competitive. Having a professional who’s been there before to guide you through the process is a simple step that will give you a huge advantage!

Source.. KCM Bill & Fran Jenkins Blog

To purchase your dream home or a great foreclosure property, is about being educated, thorough and patient with the process. The most important aspect of finding the perfect home is working with a real estate agent who is highly skilled in negotiation and understanding of your expectations!  

For more information or assistance to help you find a home in the Las Vegas and Henderson area please call us at 702–845–8540.

Las Vegas Million Dollar Homes For Sale | Why Is So Much Paperwork Required to Get a Mortgage?

Home sellers have lots of options when is time to sell their properties, however there is no magic formula that will guarantee in achieving the best and highest price possible for their homes. This is why I like to partner with my clients to guide them through the complexities of selling their homes. I assembled a team of true professionals with experience, dedication and strong communication skills to help ensure a successful and profitable sale of your home.

Today I want to bring a very important point that relates to the sale of your home, Study Shows Home Prices: Why Is So Much Paperwork Required to Get a Mortgage?

When buying a home today, why is there so much paperwork mandated by the lenders for a mortgage loan application? It seems like they need to know everything about you. Furthermore, it requires three separate sources to validate each and every entry on the application form. Many buyers are being told by friends and family that the process was a hundred times easier when they bought their home ten to twenty years ago.

There are two very good reasons that the loan process is much more onerous on today’s buyer than perhaps any other time in history.

1. The government has set new guidelines that now demand that the bank proves beyond any doubt that you are indeed capable of paying the mortgage.

During the run-up to the housing crisis, many people ‘qualified’ for mortgages that they could never pay back. This led to millions of families losing their home. The government wants to make sure this can’t happen again.

2. The banks don’t want to be in the real estate business.

Over the last several years, banks were forced to take on the responsibility of liquidating millions of foreclosures and negotiating an additional million plus short sales. Just like the government, they don’t want more foreclosures. For that reason, they have to double (maybe even triple) check everything on the application.

However, there is some good news in this situation.

The housing crash that mandated that banks be extremely strict on paperwork requirements also allowed you to get a low mortgage interest rate.

The friends and family who bought homes ten or twenty years ago experienced a simpler mortgage application process, but also paid a higher interest rate (the average 30-year fixed rate mortgage was 8.12% in the 1990s and 6.29% in the 2000s).

If you went to the bank and offered to pay 7% instead of around 4%, they would probably bend over backward to make the process much easier.

Bottom Line

Instead of concentrating on the additional paperwork required, let’s be thankful that we are able to buy a home at historically low rates.

Source.. KCM Bill & Fran Jenkins Blog

To purchase your dream home or a great foreclosure property, is about being educated, thorough and patient with the process. The most important aspect of finding the perfect home is working with a real estate agent who is highly skilled in negotiation and understanding of your expectations!  

For more information or assistance to help you find a home in the Las Vegas and Henderson area please call us at 702–845–8540.

Las Vegas Million Dollar Homes For Sale | Renting or Owning, What Is Better for You?

Home sellers have lots of options when is time to sell their properties, however there is no magic formula that will guarantee in achieving the best and highest price possible for their homes. This is why I like to partner with my clients to guide them through the complexities of selling their homes. I assembled a team of true professionals with experience, dedication and strong communication skills to help ensure a successful and profitable sale of your home.

Today I want to bring a very important point that relates to the sale of your home, Study Shows Home Prices: Renting or Owning, What Is Better for You?

In a real estate market where home prices are rising, many have begun to reexamine the idea of buying a home, choosing instead, to rent for a while. But often, there is a dilemma: should you keep paying rent, knowing that rent is rising too, or should you lock in your housing cost and buy a home?

Let’s look at both scenarios and analyze the pros and cons of each:

Renting

With the housing market crash in 2008, many homeowners lost their homes and became renters. According to Iproperty Management, “the number of households renting their home … rose from 31.2% of households in 2006 to 36.6% in 2016”.

Some choose to rent because it is more convenient for their lifestyle. Those whose job requires frequent moves need the flexibility that a 6-12 month lease agreement gives them so they can move to their next assignment!

Many renters believe that renting is cheaper because they do not have to pay for maintenance and repairs. (Not true! Landlords work those expenses into your rent and other fees). Another reason many rent is that they feel like they cannot afford the down payment and closing costs required to buy a house, due to their inability to save much after paying their monthly expenses.

That can be true! Nearly 1 in 4 renters spend at least half their household income on rent. In 2017 the “severely” burdened renters’ rate was 24.7% with 24.9% reporting they were “moderately” burdened.

Renting also brings some financial disadvantages. Homeowners can take advantage of tax deductions that let them claim their property taxes and mortgage interest. Additionally, there is a big risk that your rent will go up every time you renew your lease, as we know the median asking rent has been increased steadily since 1988!

One of the major challenges with renting is that you don’t have a space to call your own. When you rent, you are paying your landlord’s mortgage, and therefore they are the beneficiaries of the equity gained from paying that mortgage.

Now let’s explore the other side: Homeownership

In the past, we have mentioned the many financial and non-financial benefits of becoming a homeowner. So, let’s just focus on the one big difference between renting and owning, the ability to lock in your housing cost!

Assuming you will have a fixed-rate mortgage, your costs are predictable! You will know exactly what your mortgage payment will be for the next 15-30 years. The homeownership rate in 2018 was 64.4%, and has been on the rise. Those households locked in their housing cost rather than wait for their landlord to raise their rent again!

What are the disadvantages of owning a home? Well, it is a long-term financial commitment! It is not easy to pack quickly and move. You will need time and good planning to do it in a short amount of time.

You need to save your money! Getting a mortgage requires a down payment, closing costs, and moving expenses. Again, that will require some savings and planning!

Unless you have a homeowner’s association (HOA) (and you pay an HOA fee) or a home warranty, you will be responsible for maintenance and taking care of the home. This may range anywhere from regular landscaping to major repairs.

Bottom Line

Like everything in life, there are pros and cons. What is better for you depends on your situation! If you are interested in becoming a homeowner and want to discuss the pros and cons, let’s get together to help you review your current situation and answer any questions you may have!

Source.. KCM Bill & Fran Jenkins Blog

To purchase your dream home or a great foreclosure property, is about being educated, thorough and patient with the process. The most important aspect of finding the perfect home is working with a real estate agent who is highly skilled in negotiation and understanding of your expectations!  

For more information or assistance to help you find a home in the Las Vegas and Henderson area please call us at 702–845–8540.

Las Vegas Million Dollar Homes For Sale | How Homeownership Delivers Unsurpassed Family Wealth

Home sellers have lots of options when is time to sell their properties, however there is no magic formula that will guarantee in achieving the best and highest price possible for their homes. This is why I like to partner with my clients to guide them through the complexities of selling their homes. I assembled a team of true professionals with experience, dedication and strong communication skills to help ensure a successful and profitable sale of your home.

Today I want to bring a very important point that relates to the sale of your home, Study Shows Home Prices: How Homeownership Delivers Unsurpassed Family Wealth

There are many financial benefits to homeownership, but probably none more important than its ability to create family wealth.

How Housing Matters is a joint project of the Urban Land Institute and the MacArthur Foundation. It is an online resource for research and information on how homeownership contributes to individual and community success.

Their article, The First Rung on the Ladder to Economic Opportunity Is Housing, explains the importance of homeownership to a family’s financial health. In that article, they simply stated:

“The ladder to economic success can stretch only so high without the asset-building power of homeownership.”

To this point, National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) Economists’ Outlook Blog revealed in a recent post:

“Housing wealth contributes positively to the homeowner’s and children’s economic condition, because home equity can be tapped for expenditures such as investing in another property (which can generate rental income), home renovation (which further increases the home value), a child’s college education, emergency or major life events, or expenses in retirement…

Housing wealth (or net worth or equity) is built up over time via the home price appreciation and the principal payments that the homeowner makes on the loan.”

Here is a graph showing the build-up of wealth over time:

Just last month, NAR’s Chief Economist, Lawrence Yun, explained that even though home appreciation has slowed, homeowners are still building wealth:

“Homeowners in the majority of markets are continuing to enjoy price gains, albeit at a slower rate of growth. A typical homeowner accumulated $9,500 in wealth over the past year.”

Later in life, this wealth is crucial…

This wealth is important to a family’s retirement plans. In a recent report from the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University titled, Housing America’s Older Adults 2018, they revealed that a renter 65 years old or older has a net worth of $6,710. Meanwhile, a homeowner 65+ years old has a net worth of $319,200. That huge difference will allow for a dramatic upgrade in one’s lifestyle during your retirement years.

Bottom Line

Homeownership builds wealth. This, in turn, allows families to have more and better options when it comes to their children and their life in retirement.

Source.. KCM Bill & Fran Jenkins Blog

To purchase your dream home or a great foreclosure property, is about being educated, thorough and patient with the process. The most important aspect of finding the perfect home is working with a real estate agent who is highly skilled in negotiation and understanding of your expectations!  

For more information or assistance to help you find a home in the Las Vegas and Henderson area please call us at 702–845–8540.

Las Vegas Million Dollar Homes For Sale | 2 Things You Need to Know to Properly Price Your Home

Home sellers have lots of options when is time to sell their properties, however there is no magic formula that will guarantee in achieving the best and highest price possible for their homes. This is why I like to partner with my clients to guide them through the complexities of selling their homes. I assembled a team of true professionals with experience, dedication and strong communication skills to help ensure a successful and profitable sale of your home.

Today I want to bring a very important point that relates to the sale of your home, Study Shows Home Prices: 2 Things You Need to Know to Properly Price Your Home

In today’s housing market, home prices are increasing at a slower pace (3.7%) than they have over the last eight years (6-7%). However, they are still are above historical norms. Low supply of listed homes and high demand from buyers has pushed prices to rise rapidly.

In the mind of the homeowner, annual home price appreciation over 6% has become the new normal. This becomes a challenge when a homeowner looks to refinance or sell their home, as the expectation of what the homeowner believes the home should be worth does not always line up with the bank’s appraisal.

Every month, the Home Price Perception Index (HPPI) measures the disparity between what a homeowner seeking to refinance their home believes their house is worth and what an appraiser’s evaluation of that same home is.

Over the last five months, the gap between the homeowner’s opinion and the bank’s appraisal has widened to -0.78%. This is important for homeowners to note, as even a 0.78% difference in appraisal can mean thousands of dollars that a buyer or seller would have to come up with at closing (depending on the price of the home).

The chart below illustrates the changes in home price estimates over the last 12 months.

While the appraisal gap widens, another trend is also becoming more common.

According to realtor.com, “the share of homes which had their prices cut increased by 2% compared to last year”. Thirty-seven out of the 50 largest US housing markets saw an increase in overall price reductions.

In today’s market, you need an expert agent who can help price your house right from the start. Homeowners who make the mistake of overpricing their homes will eventually have to drop the price. This leaves buyers wondering if the price drop was caused by something wrong with the house. In reality, nothing is wrong- the price was just too high!

Bottom Line

If you are planning on selling your house in today’s market, let’s get together to set your listing price properly from the start!

Source.. KCM Bill & Fran Jenkins Blog

To purchase your dream home or a great foreclosure property, is about being educated, thorough and patient with the process. The most important aspect of finding the perfect home is working with a real estate agent who is highly skilled in negotiation and understanding of your expectations!  

For more information or assistance to help you find a home in the Las Vegas and Henderson area please call us at 702–845–8540.

Las Vegas Million Dollar Homes For Sale | Are Older Generations Really Not Selling Their Homes?

Home sellers have lots of options when is time to sell their properties, however there is no magic formula that will guarantee in achieving the best and highest price possible for their homes. This is why I like to partner with my clients to guide them through the complexities of selling their homes. I assembled a team of true professionals with experience, dedication and strong communication skills to help ensure a successful and profitable sale of your home.

Today I want to bring a very important point that relates to the sale of your home, Study Shows Home Prices: Are Older Generations Really Not Selling Their Homes?

Many studies suggest one of the main reasons for the inventory shortage in today’s market of homes for sale is that older generations have chosen to “age in place” over moving.

The 2019 Home Buyers & Sellers Generational Trend Report by NAR clarifies this point!

NAR’s findings show that Baby Boomers (43%) and the Silent Generation (12%) made up 56% of sellers in 2018! This means the majority of sellers last year were over the age of 54. This also shows these generations ARE moving!

The report also shared the reasons why they chose to move. According to the research, the top reason was a desire to be closer to friends and family. Below is a full breakdown:

As we can see, they have plenty of reasons to sell their current home! But what type of homes are they trading in?

Once again, the report demonstrated that older generations are not keeping that 3-bedroom, 2-bath colonial home. Instead, they are putting it on the market and moving on with their lives!

Bottom Line

If you are living in a house that no longer fits your needs, let’s get together to help you find a home that will!

Source.. KCM Bill & Fran Jenkins Blog

To purchase your dream home or a great foreclosure property, is about being educated, thorough and patient with the process. The most important aspect of finding the perfect home is working with a real estate agent who is highly skilled in negotiation and understanding of your expectations!  

For more information or assistance to help you find a home in the Las Vegas and Henderson area please call us at 702–845–8540.

Las Vegas Million Dollar Homes For Sale | New Research Shows Housing Is Affordable For First-Time Buyers

Home sellers have lots of options when is time to sell their properties, however there is no magic formula that will guarantee in achieving the best and highest price possible for their homes. This is why I like to partner with my clients to guide them through the complexities of selling their homes. I assembled a team of true professionals with experience, dedication and strong communication skills to help ensure a successful and profitable sale of your home.

Today I want to bring a very important point that relates to the sale of your home, Study Shows Home Prices: New Research Shows Housing Is Affordable For First-Time Buyers

Home prices have been on the rise for the last seven years, leading many housing market analysts to conclude that first-time homebuyers are being shut out of the market due to affordability concerns.

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reports on the percentage of First-Time Home Buyers (FTHB) on a monthly and yearly basis. Their latest report shows that FTHB’s made up 33% of buyers in March, which matches their reported share in 2018.

NAR uses survey data from their members to come up with this statistic, so their results do not include every transaction completed. Rather, they only the transactions reported by members who complete the survey.

The other entity that reports on FTHB share is the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). The AEI uses data from mortgage applications that define an FTHB as “any borrower who did not have a mortgage for the preceding three years.”

This means the AEI measurement also includes former homeowners who transitioned out of a home they previously owned and re-entered the market after at least 3 years. The latest FTHB share data from AEI shows that first-time buyers made up 57.5% of all mortgages in August 2018. NAR’s data shows a 31% share for the same time period.

New research from the New York Federal Reserve shows that these traditional reports on FTHB share have been unable to give an accurate depiction of this group’s involvement in the market.

The NY Fed was able to take consumer credit data and identify when a mortgage payment entered a consumer’s credit report to determine when a first-time home purchase was made. Using this data, they were able to show that AEI’s reported FTHB share was consistently 10% higher. The NAR reports were right on par with their findings until 2010, when NAR’s share dropped to the 11% gap seen today.

So, what does this all mean?

First-time home buyers have not disappeared from the market as many analysts had believed. Buying a home is very much a part of the American Dream for younger generations, just like it had been for their parents and grandparents.

This also means that rising prices have not scared buyers away from the market. Many first-time buyers are making sacrifices to save their down payment and make their dream a reality.

Bottom Line

If you are one of the many renters who is scrolling through listings on your phone every night dreaming of buying your own home, there are opportunities in every market to make that dream a reality!

Source.. KCM Bill & Fran Jenkins Blog

To purchase your dream home or a great foreclosure property, is about being educated, thorough and patient with the process. The most important aspect of finding the perfect home is working with a real estate agent who is highly skilled in negotiation and understanding of your expectations!  

For more information or assistance to help you find a home in the Las Vegas and Henderson area please call us at 702–845–8540.

Las Vegas Million Dollar Homes For Sale | Home Buyers are Optimistic About Homeownership!

Home sellers have lots of options when is time to sell their properties, however there is no magic formula that will guarantee in achieving the best and highest price possible for their homes. This is why I like to partner with my clients to guide them through the complexities of selling their homes. I assembled a team of true professionals with experience, dedication and strong communication skills to help ensure a successful and profitable sale of your home.

Today I want to bring a very important point that relates to the sale of your home, Study Shows Home Prices: Home Buyers are Optimistic About Homeownership!

When we consider buying an item, we naturally go through a research process prior to making our decision. We ask our friends and family members who have made similar purchases about their experience, we get opinions and insights, and we read reviews online. There’s no difference when considering a home purchase!

Most homebuyers start by listening to the news to hear what is being said about the real estate market. They check with family and friends about their experience. They spend time online reading reviews about their desired neighborhood.

The challenge is that comments from the news and those closest to us can contradict the data and reports. One source says one thing, while another source says something completely different.

There is a group of homebuyers that are not allowing comments about an upcoming recession to interfere with their decision to buy a home. According to a survey by realtor.com®,

“Nearly 70 percent of home shoppers this spring think the U.S. will enter a recession in the next three years, but that hasn’t stopped them from trying to close on a home…Despite the fact that they foresee an economic downturn, they generally expressed confidence that a future recession will be better than 2008 for the housing market.”

The report provides more insights from the survey:

 * Nearly 30% of the active home shoppers* surveyed expect the next recession to begin sometime in    2020.

 * 56% of shoppers believe home prices have hit their peak.

 * 41% believe housing will fare better than 2008.

 * 45% of home shoppers feel at least slightly more optimistic about homeownership.

 * 33% reported no impact on their feelings about homeownership.

Homebuyers are aware and making decisions with their eyes wide-open. As the report mentioned,

“The fact that some [36%] home shoppers expect the next recession to be harder on the housing market than the last recession suggests that they are buying homes with eyes wide-open and very sober, if not slightly pessimistic, views of the housing market.

This is a stark contrast to the years leading up to the last recession when ‘irrational exuberance’ was more common and yet another reason to expect that the next downturn will be very different for the housing market than the last.”

Bottom Line

If you are considering buying a home, let’s get together to help you understand our local market and determine if buying a home is the right choice for you now.

*Active home shoppers are those consumers who responded that they plan to purchase their next home in 1 year or less.

Source.. KCM Bill & Fran Jenkins Blog

To purchase your dream home or a great foreclosure property, is about being educated, thorough and patient with the process. The most important aspect of finding the perfect home is working with a real estate agent who is highly skilled in negotiation and understanding of your expectations!  

For more information or assistance to help you find a home in the Las Vegas and Henderson area please call us at 702–845–8540.

Las Vegas Million Dollar Homes For Sale | What Would Make You Sell Your House?

Home sellers have lots of options when is time to sell their properties, however there is no magic formula that will guarantee in achieving the best and highest price possible for their homes. This is why I like to partner with my clients to guide them through the complexities of selling their homes. I assembled a team of true professionals with experience, dedication and strong communication skills to help ensure a successful and profitable sale of your home.

Today I want to bring a very important point that relates to the sale of your home, Study Shows Home Prices: What Would Make You Sell Your House?

There are many reasons why a homeowner decides to sell their house and move. The latest Generational Trends Report from the National Association of Realtors asked recent home sellers to share their reason for moving.

The younger the respondents, the more likely their top response centered around needing a larger home (ages 29 to 53). Relocating for a job was the top reason for those ages 54 to 63 and the second most popular response for those under 53. The chart below shows the breakdown for these two reasons.

For homeowners over the age of 64, wanting to be closer to friends and family served as the top motivator to move. Downsizing to a smaller home or moving due to retirement came in as a close second and third.

Have you outgrown your current house? Are you a homeowner who can relate to wanting to be closer to family and friends? Is your house becoming a burden to clean now that the kids have moved out?

Bottom Line

Let’s get together to set you on the path to selling your current house and finding the home that fits your needs, today!

Source.. KCM Bill & Fran Jenkins Blog

To purchase your dream home or a great foreclosure property, is about being educated, thorough and patient with the process. The most important aspect of finding the perfect home is working with a real estate agent who is highly skilled in negotiation and understanding of your expectations!  

For more information or assistance to help you find a home in the Las Vegas and Henderson area please call us at 702–845–8540.