Both Seller's & Buyer's Markets in Lancaster , PA  ? Some Highlights: A trend that has been emerging for some time now is the contrast between inventory & demand in the Premium & Luxury Markets vs. the Starter & Trade-Up Home Markets and what that’s, in turn, doing to prices! Inventory continues to rise in the luxury & premium home markets which is causing prices to cool. Demand continues to rise with low inventory in the starter & trade-up home markets, causing prices to rise! Buyers - you will need Representation to navigate through a Very Competitive Market in most local Price Points ! Higher Ended Sellers - You Need This to Succeed !   Text me to explore all of your options !   05/14/2018

    SELLERS - Now is the time to obtain TOP DOLLAR for your property BUYERS - You will need skilled Representation to navigate your way through this very competitive Sellers Market !  Text or email me to get started mikeperrykw@gmail.com  The PERRY PROPERTY GROUP is a PAID Vender Account on NextDoor.com  FOLLOW us on FB !  05/13/2018

VA Loans by the Historical Numbers , Lancaster, PA  Some Highlights: Since the creation of the VA Home Loans Program, 22 million veterans have been able to achieve the American Dream of homeownership. In 2017, $188 billion was loaned to veterans and their families through the program. VA Purchase Loans are on the rise in 46 out of 50 states and Washington, DC.   Vets, your first step is obtaining Mortgage Pre- Approval ! Text me to get started !      05/12/2018

Be Thankful You Don’t Have to Pay Your Parents’ Interest Rate! Interest rates hovered around 4% for the majority of 2017, which gave many buyers relief from rising home prices and helped with affordability. In the first quarter of 2018, rates have increased from 3.95% up to 4.45% and experts predict that rates will increase even more by the end of the year. The rate you secure greatly impacts your monthly mortgage payment and the amount you will ultimately pay for your home. Don’t let the prediction that rates will increase stop you from purchasing your dream home this year. Let’s take a look at a historical view of interest rates over the last 45 years.   Bottom Line Be thankful that you can still get a better interest rate than your older brother or sister did ten years ago, a lower r... 05/12/2018

The Cost of Renting vs. Buying Today in Lancaster Some Highlights: Historically, the choice between renting or buying a home has been a tough decision. Looking at the percentage of income needed to rent a median-priced home today (28.9%) vs. the percentage needed to buy a median-priced home (15.7%), the choice becomes obvious. Every market is different. Before you renew your lease again, find out if you can put your housing costs to work by buying this year!    Your first step to end the Rent Cycle is obtaining Mortgage Pre-Approval .    Email  mikeperrykw@gmail.com  to get started !     04/01/2018

Buyer Demand Still Outpacing the Supply of Homes for Sale The price of any item is determined by the supply of that item, as well as market demand. The National Association of REALTORS (NAR) surveys “over 50,000 real estate practitioners about their expectations for home sales, prices and market conditions” for their monthly REALTORS Confidence Index. Their latest edition sheds some light on the relationship between Seller Traffic (supply) and Buyer Traffic (demand). Buyer Demand The map below was created after asking the question: “How would you rate buyer traffic in your area?” The darker the blue, the stronger the demand for homes in that area. Only four states had a ‘stable’ demand level. Seller Supply The index also asked: “How would you rate seller traffic in your area?” As you ca... 03/27/2018

Freddie Mac: Rising Mortgage Rates DO NOT Lead to Falling Home Prices Recently, Freddie Mac published an Insight Report titled Nowhere to go but up? How increasing mortgage rates could affect housing. The report focused on the impact the projected rise in mortgage rates might have on the housing market this year. Many believe that an increase in mortgage rates will cause a slowdown in purchases which would, in turn, lead to a fall in house values. Ultimately, however, prices are determined by supply and demand and while rising mortgage rates may slow demand, they also affect supply. From the report:  “For current homeowners, the decision to buy a new home is typically linked to their decision to sell their current home… Because of this link, the financing costs of the existing mortgage ... 03/26/2018

20 Tips for Preparing Your House for Sale This Spring  Highlights: When listing your house for sale your top goal will be to get the home sold for the best price possible! There are many small projects that you can do to ensure this happens! Your real estate agent will have a list of specific suggestions for getting your house ready for market and is a great resource for finding local contractors who can help! Inventory is still very low ! Email mikeperrykw@gmail.com  to update your Current Market Value .   03/24/2018

A New Housing Bubble Forming…Not Before 2024! A recent report by CoreLogic revealed that U.S. home values appreciated by more than 37% over the last five years. Some are concerned that this is evidence we may be on the verge of another housing “boom & bust” like the one we experienced from 2006-2008. Recently, several housing experts weighed in on the subject to alleviate these fears. Sean Becketti, Freddie Mac Chief Economist  “The evidence indicates there currently is no house price bubble in the U.S., despite the rapid increase of house prices over the last five years.” Edward Golding, a Senior Fellow at the Urban Institute’s Housing Finance Policy Center  “There is not likely to be a national bubble in the way that we saw the first decade of the century.” Christopher Thornberg, Part... 03/16/2018

You Can Save for a Down Payment Faster Than You Think! Saving for a down payment is often the biggest hurdle for a first-time homebuyer. Depending on where you live, median income, median rents, and home prices all vary. So, we set out to find out how long it would take to save for a down payment in each state. Using data from the United States Census Bureau and Zillow, we determined how long it would take, nationwide, for a first-time buyer to save enough money for a down payment on their dream home. There is a long-standing ‘rule’ that a household should not pay more than 28% of their income on their monthly housing expense. By determining the percentage of income spent renting in each state, and the amount needed for a 10% down payment, we were able to establish how long (in years) i... 03/13/2018

  Home Prices: The Difference 5 Years Makes The economists at CoreLogic recently released a special report entitled, Evaluating the Housing Market Since the Great Recession. The goal of the report was to look at economic recovery since the Great Recession of December 2007 through June 2009. One of the key indicators used in the report to determine the health of the housing market was home price appreciation. CoreLogic focused on appreciation from December 2012 to December 2017 to show how prices over the last five years have fared. Frank Nothaft, Chief Economist at CoreLogic, commented on the importance of breaking out the data by state, “Homeowners in the United States experienced a run-up in prices from the early 2000s to 2006, and then saw the trend reverse with steady declines throu... 03/12/2018

Housing Market Expected To “Spring Forward” This Year in Lancaster,PA Just like our clocks this weekend in the majority of the country, the housing market will soon “spring forward!” Similar to tension in a spring, the lack of inventory available for sale in the market right now is what is holding back the market. Many potential sellers believe that waiting until Spring is in their best interest, and traditionally they would have been right. Buyer demand has seasonality to it, which usually falls off in the winter months, especially in areas of the country impacted by arctic temperatures and conditions. That hasn’t happened this year. Demand for housing has remained strong as mortgage rates have remained near historic lows. Even with the recent increase in rates, buyers are still able t... 03/09/2018

  Competition is Coming, Are You Thinking of Selling Your Lancaster Home? The number of building permits issued for single-family homes is the best indicator of how many newly built homes will rise over the next few months. According to the latest U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development Residential Sales Report, the number of these permits were up 7.4% over last year. How will this impact buyers? More inventory means more options. Lawrence Yun, NAR’s Chief Economist, explained this is good news for the housing market – especially for those looking to buy: “This rise in single-family housing construction will help tame home price growth, and the increase in multifamily units should continue to help slow rent growth.” How will this impact sellers? More invent... 03/07/2018

  Latest NAR Data Shows Now Is a Great Time to Sell Your Lancaster Home ! We all realize that the best time to sell anything is when demand for that item is high, and the supply of that item is limited. Two major reports released by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) revealed information that suggests that now is a great time to sell your house. Let’s look at the data covered in the latest REALTORS® Confidence Index and Existing Home Sales Report. REALTORS® CONFIDENCE INDEX Every month, NAR surveys “over 50,000 real estate practitioners about their expectations for home sales, prices and market conditions.” This month, the index showed (again) that homebuying demand continued to outpace the supply of homes available in January. The map below illustrates buyer demand broken down ... 03/05/2018

   Are Lancaster's Home Values Really Overinflated? Last week, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) released their most recent Existing Home Sales Report. According to the report: “The median existing-home price for all housing types in January was $240,500, up 5.8 percent from January 2017 ($227,300). January’s price increase marks the 71st straight month of year-over-year gains.” Seventy-one consecutive months of price increases may have some concerned that current home values may be overinflated. However, at the same time, Zillow issued a press release which revealed: “If the housing bubble and bust had not happened, and home values had instead appreciated at a steady pace, the median home value would be higher than its current value.” Here are two graphs that help show why hom... 03/04/2018

  Is Now a Good Time to Rent in Lancaster ? People often ask if now is a good time to buy a home, but nobody ever asks when it’s a good time to rent. Regardless, we want to make certain that everyone understands that today is NOT a good time to rent. The Census Bureau recently released their 2017 fourth quarter median rent numbers. Here is a graph showing rent increases from 1988 until today: As you can see, rents have steadily increased and are showing no signs of slowing down. If you are faced with making the decision of whether or not you should renew your lease, you might be pleasantly surprised at your ability to buy a home of your own instead. Bottom Line One way to protect yourself from rising rents is to lock in your housing expense by buying a home. If you are ready and willing... 03/03/2018

  It’s Tax Season… Use Your Refund to Jump Start Your Down Payment Savings! According to data released by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Americans can expect an estimated average refund of $2,840 this year when filing their taxes. This is down slightly from the average refund of $2,895, last year. Tax refunds are often thought of as ‘extra money’ that can be used toward larger goals; for anyone looking to buy a home in 2018, this can be a great jump start toward a down payment! The map below shows the average tax refund Americans received last year by state. (The refunds received for the 2017 tax year should continue to reflect these numbers as the new tax code will go into effect for 2018 tax filings.) Many first-time buyers believe that a 20% down payment is required to qualify f... 03/02/2018

Top 5 Reasons to Hire the Perry Property Group to Represent You ! Whether you are buying or selling a home it can be quite the adventure, which is why you need an experienced real estate professional to guide you on the path to achieving your ultimate goal. But in this world of instant gratification and internet searches, many sellers think that they can ‘For Sale by Owner’ or ‘FSBO.’ The 5 reasons you NEED a real estate professional in your corner haven’t changed but have rather been strengthened by the projections of higher mortgage interest rates & home prices as the market continues to pick up steam. 1. What do you do with all this paperwork? Each state has different regulations regarding the contracts required for a successful sale, and these regulations are constantly changing. A ... 02/27/2018

Mortgage Rates on FIRE! Lancaster Home Prices Up in Smoke? Mortgage interest rates have already risen by over a quarter of a percentage point in 2018. Many are projecting that rates could increase to 5% by the end of the year. What impact will rising rates have on house values? Many quickly jump to the conclusion that an increase in mortgage rates will have a detrimental impact on real estate prices as fewer buyers will be able to qualify for a loan. This seems logical; if there is less demand for housing then prices will drop. However, in a good economy, rising mortgage rates increase demand as many prospective purchasers immediately jump off the fence to guarantee they get the lower rate. Let’s look at home prices the last four times mortgage rates increased dramatically. In each case... 02/26/2018

80% of Lancaster Renters Believe Home Ownership is a Part of Their American Dream According to the latest Aspiring Home Buyers Profile by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), 82% of surveyed renters desire to own a home in the future, with 80% believing homeownership is a big part of achieving their American Dream. The profile went on to state that 50% of millennials believe that their rent will increase, with 20% believing that an increase in rent will be the catalyst that pushes them to consider buying a home vs. renewing their lease. So, what is holding renters back? What would make renters take the plunge? NAR’s Chief Economist, Lawrence Yun believes that, “Housing demand in 2018 will be fueled by more millennials finally deciding to marry and have kids and the expectations t... 02/25/2018