Mortgage Interest Rates 20% Lower Than Last January
Mortgage interest rates are currently 20% below where they were one year ago, perhaps a signal that the housing market could push higher.
Contrarily, the supply of homes for sale in Tallahassee is also 20% lower than in January 2019, which could easily lead to the slowing of the market as buyers await new inventory.
Whether you own a home or are thinking of buying a home, current conditions suggest you should take action.
Don't Market These Mortgage Mistakes!
When we look at mortgage rates going back to 1971, we see that today's rates are very, very close to the lowest they have ever been.
Historic Mortgage Interest Rates
The fifty-year average mortgage interest rate has dropped to an even 8.00%, which means today's rates remain below 1/2 of the historical norm! Whether you are buying a home today or you just are considering a refinance, you should definitely speak with a local mortgage lender to determine your options.
For those with homes already, look at what they will offer you for a no-cost refinance (which is merely a refinance where they roll closing costs into the loan but you end up with a lower rate). History suggests that rates will move higher, so grab some of this cheap money while you still can, if it makes sense.
If you are in the process of buying a home, the prudent move is to move fast. We've seen rates move slightly higher over the past three months, and every tick higher either means a higher monthly payment or a lower buying power.
But that's not all. Let's look at how mortgage interest rates and the declining supply of homes for sale will impact buyers in 2020.
Have You Heard About Our Long-Term Shop & Lock Mortgage Program?
In this crazy seller's market, it can be tough to get a home under contract when so many other buyers are bidding on the same home as you. In fact, there are many buyers who have tried and failed multiple times to get homes under contract, and they are facing a problem we have not seen in the past.
Mortgage interest rates are moving higher, and many buyers have found that the rate has grown so much since they first began their home search that they no longer can afford to buy at the price they have been shopping. This is why for many buyers we recommend they evaluate a long-term rate lock that will allow them to shop for up to NINE (9) months without losing their loan commitment.
Simply provide your contact information below and we will help you evaluate the best time and way to utilize a mortgage interest rate lock.
If we make the assumption that rates are going to rise and inventory is going to remain tight, then I can share with you what will happen to many buyers.
They are going to take the wrong approach to the home buying process and end up taking too long to get the right home under contract.
How Rising Mortgage Interest Rates Impact Buying Power
Let's say you go out and start shopping for homes that you can purchase with a $300,000 loan. You spend your time and you don't make any rash decisions. When you find "the one," you make what you feel like is a good offer.
After you submit your offer, you are told that yours is one of several offers and you are asked to sweeten the offer if you want a chance at the home. So what do you do? Who do you get advice from? Do you ask your lender? Your real estate buyer's agent? Who has the experience, as well as your trust, to guide you on this?
Well, if you are like most buyers, you did not choose your buyer's agent wisely and you now are in a no-win situation. In fact, most buyers in today's market fail on their first offer because they did not have a negotiation strategy that was based upon market conditions. They started the process all wrong and it ended poorly.
In this example, you fail to get the first home, time is lost, and mortgage interest rates have risen
The table on the right demonstrates the impact of a delay in purchasing when mortgage interest rates are rising. A 1/2% move in rates means you now have to bring an additional $18K in cash to closing in order to qualify for the same home.
In other words, you have lost 6% of your buying power because of the delay caused by your lack of understanding of the home buying process in today's market.
Now, another way to view this same scenario under different conditions is to look at the impact of your monthly mortgage payment. Let's change the assumption above to one where you can afford a more expensive home, you just want to keep your home price around $300,000.
All of the processes and events unfold in this scenario as they did in the one prior, and thus you find yourself delayed in the purchase of your new home.
Since you can afford to spend more on the home, it has not truly impacted your buying power, rather it will now cause you to spend more on your monthly mortgage payment due to the higher rate.
The table on the left shows with an increase of the mortgage interest rate of 1/2%, your payment will go up 6% (in this case $87 per month or $1,044 per year, which is $31,320 of the life of the mortgage). Remember, current rates are near historic lows, and one of these days we will see them move higher (likely above today's rate for the remainder of our lives).
So how quickly can mortgage interest rates change? Take a look at the graph above. In 1971, rates were 7 1/8% and in less than 3 years, they were topping 10%! So what would an increase of 3% do to for a buyer or refinance today?
Instead of being able to afford $300,000, a buyer would see buying-power reduced 29% to $214,079! And remember, low inventory means that values are moving much higher, so that $214K home was likely $200K when the buyer first started shopping 3 years prior!
Another way to view the impact is with the mortgage payment. A 3% increase in the mortgage interest rate would move the payment 40% higher! Instead of paying $1,384 per month, the higher payment would now be $1,940 per month.
That is $556 more per month, $6,672 more per year, and a whopping $200K more during the life of the loan. Seriously, this could happen, and it has several times before in the past 50 years.
Whether buying or refinancing, lock-in to today's cheap money before it's gone.
Your Local Expert In Tallahassee
When moving to, in, or from Tallahassee, you will fare better if you work with a local expert. We are here to help. If you have further questions on the Tallahassee real estate market, you can leave a comment below, give us a call at (850) 366-8917, or drop us a note and we'll give you the local information needed to ensure a successful, smooth transaction.
As a local born and raised in Tallahassee with a focus on customer service, I promise you'll find great success when working with Joe Manausa Real Estate, just as have our past customers. You can read thousands of their reviews reported on Google, Facebook and Zillow right here: Real Estate Agent Reviews Tallahassee.
Have you heard about my new book "The Business of Getting Business?" It's a comprehensive guide for small businesses to help them make the move to digital. For those of us who want to survive and thrive in a world where large corporations are taking over, it is a must-read. It's also the perfect guide for how to sell a home in the digital age. You can find The Business Of Getting Business by clicking on any of the trusted retailers below.
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Think all REALTORS are alike?
Read what people are saying about working with Joe Manausa Real Estate! You can see thousands of real customer reviews reported on Google, Facebook and Zillow at this link: CLICK HERE FOR REAL ESTATE AGENT REVIEWS.
Did our mortgage interest rate report leave you with unanswered questions? If so, you can give us a call at (850) 366-8917 or drop us a note and we'll help you with your specific Tallahassee real estate needs.
As a local born and raised in Tallahassee, with a focus on customer service, I promise you'll find great success when working with Joe Manausa Real Estate, just as have our past customers. You can thousands of their reviews reported on Google, Facebook and Zillow right here: Real Estate Agent Reviews Tallahassee.
Have you heard about my new book "The Business of Getting Business?" It's a comprehensive guide for small businesses to help them make the move to digital. For those of us who want to survive and thrive in a world where large corporations are taking over, it is a must-read.
You can find it on Amazon (It will be published in Feb 2020, reserve your copy today at a pre-published rate).
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Very interesting post.
This is a very interesting and informative post.
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