Grand River (Richmond, TX)
By Shayne Stone, "Your Rock Solid Choice Realtor" RETIRED
(HomeSmart)
The Average Homeowner Gained More Than 55K in Equity over the Past YearIf you're a current homeowner, you should know your net worth just got a big boost. It comes in the form of rising home equity. Equity is the current value of your home minus what you owe on the loan. Today, you're building that equity far faster than you may expect and this gain is great news for you.Here's how it happened. Home values are on the rise thanks to low housing supply and high buyer demand. Basically, there aren't enough homes available to meet this high buyer interest, so bidding wars are driving home prices up. When you own a home, the rising prices mean your home is worth more in todays market. And as home values climb, your equity does too. As Dr. Frank Nothaft, Chief Economist at CoreLogic, explains...
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By Shayne Stone, "Your Rock Solid Choice Realtor" RETIRED
(HomeSmart)
The Perks of Owning More Than One HomeMany things have changed over the past couple of years, and real estate is no exception. One impact is an increased desire to own more than one home. According to the recent Luxury Market Report from Luxury Home Marketing:As trends such as remote working and flexi-hours took hold in 2021, so too did the flexibility of relocating as well as the growth of second homeownership.This may be because the pandemic has altered how we think about our homes. Where we live has become, more than ever, our safe space and our getaway. And with the rise in remote work, more people are reconsidering where they want to live and buying second homes to give them greater flexibility. If you fall in that category, here are just a few of the perks you'll enjoy, and how ow...
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By Shayne Stone, "Your Rock Solid Choice Realtor" RETIRED
(HomeSmart)
While todays supply of homes for sale is still low, the number of newly built homes is increasing. If you're ready to sell but have held off because you weren't sure you'd be able to find a home to move into, newly built homes and those under construction can provide the options you've been waiting for.The latest Census data shows the inventory of new homes is increasing this year (see graph below):With more new homes coming to the market, this means you'll have more options to choose from if you're ready to buy. Of course, if you do consider a newly built home, you'll want to keep timing in mind. The supply shown in the graph above includes homes at various stages of the construction process some are near completion while others may be months away.According to Robert Dietz, Chief Econo...
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By Shayne Stone, "Your Rock Solid Choice Realtor" RETIRED
(HomeSmart)
 Some Highlights When it comes to selling your house, you want it to look its best inside and out. Its important to focus on tasks that can make it inviting, show its cared for, and boost your curb appeal for prospective buyers. Lets connect to make sure your house shows well and catches a buyers eye.   
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By Shayne Stone, "Your Rock Solid Choice Realtor" RETIRED
(HomeSmart)
With forbearance plans about to come to an end, many are concerned the housing market will experience a wave of foreclosures like what happened after the housing bubble 15 years ago. Here are four reasons why that wont happen.1. There are fewer homeowners in trouble this timeAfter the last housing crash, about 9.3 million households lost their home to a foreclosure, short sale, or because they simply gave it back to the bank.As stay-at-home orders were issued early last year, the overwhelming fear was the pandemic would decimate the housing industry in a similar way. Many experts projected 30% of all mortgage holders would enter the forbearance program. Only 8.5% actually did, and that number is now down to 3.5%.As of last Friday, the total number of mortgages still in forbearance stood...
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By Shayne Stone, "Your Rock Solid Choice Realtor" RETIRED
(HomeSmart)
Whether it’s with knobs, pulls, handles, or some other hardware, you need to have some way to access your cabinets. If your cabinets are relatively new, that hardware is probably fairly modern. But for older cabinets, you may need to replace the hardware, and it might be kind of tricky to figure how to get it. This can make replacing old cabinet hardware stressful, especially if you’re not sure where to start. While your success will depend on the specific pieces that you’re looking for and how recently they were manufactured, here’s some info that will hopefully point you in the right direction if you find yourself on a hardware hunt.The Need to Match Hardware Why do you need to match old cabinet hardware, anyway? There are a few reasons. The most common is that handles and knobs somet...
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By Shayne Stone, "Your Rock Solid Choice Realtor" RETIRED
(HomeSmart)
The last year has put emphasis on the importance of ones home. As a result, some renters are making the jump into homeownership while some homeowners are re-evaluating their current house and considering a move to one that better fits their current lifestyle. Understanding how housing affordability works and the main market factors that impact it may help those who are ready to buy a home narrow down the optimal window of time in which to make a purchase.There are three main factors that go into determining how affordable homes are for buyers: Mortgage Rates Mortgage Payments as a Percentage of Income Home Prices The National Association of Realtors (NAR) produces a Housing Affordability Index. It takes these three factors into account and determines an overall affordability score for h...
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Richmond, TX Real Estate Professionals