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Posts Tagged ‘Realtors Columbia MO’

Mortgage Rates

While the Federal Reserve has promised to keep rates “low” until 2013, it is clear to many experts that the current historical lows we are experiencing will not last.

According to the latest projections from the National Association of Realtors® (NAR), interest rates should gradually rise out of historic lows as we move through 2012.

The NAR reports that current surveys reflect the tight credit conditions. They report that recent buyers are staying well within their means, with higher incomes and higher downpayments.

Richard Peach, Senior Vice President at the Federal Reserve Board of New York, who said the economy is under-performing, reports, “Nearly two-and-a-half years since the end of ‘the great recession,’ the economy continues to operate well below its potential. Among the significant structural impediments are the legacy of the housing boom and bust, and fiscal contrition at the state and local level.”

Lawrence Yun, chief economist of the National Association of Realtors®, said home sales should be stronger. “Tight mortgage credit conditions have been holding back home buyers all year, and consumer confidence has been shaky recently,” he said. “Nonetheless, there is a sizable pent-up demand based on population growth, employment levels and a doubling-up phenomenon that can’t continue indefinitely. This demand could quickly stimulate the market when conditions improve.”

It is this improving jobs markets that many analysts are waiting for. Yun projects the GDP will grow 1.8 percent this year and 2.2 percent in 2012. The unemployment rate should decline, albeit modestly, to around 8.7 percent by the end of 2012.

Around this same time, experts expect that “mortgage interest rates should gradually rise from recent record lows and reach 4.5 percent by the middle of 2012.”

This is still an incredibly low rate and many experts feel that housing market, while still struggling, will improve throughout next year and after. In fact, the NAR expects new home sales to reach 372,000 next year. Existing home sales could fare just as well, rising 4 to 5 percent in 2012.

“Housing affordability conditions, based on the relationship between median home prices, mortgage interest rates, and median family income, have been at a record high this year,” Yun said. “Very favorable affordability conditions will dominate next year as well, which will probably be the second best year on record dating back to 1970. Our hope is that credit restrictions will ease and allow more home buyers to take advantage of current opportunities.” The bottom line is that the housing market should improve over the next year and along with that improvement will come higher interest rates. Buyers interested in making a move should take head of today’s historically low rates and high levels of affordability.

If you are looking to join the Columbia Real Estate market, please feel free to call us.  Prudential Vision Properties can be reached at 573.449.6200. Prudential Vision Properties is an independently owned and operated member of Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc., a Prudential company. Equal Housing Opportunity.

November 16, 2011 — Realty Times Feature Article by Carla Hill

Christmas Tree Disposal

It is that time of year when people tear down their Christmas trees.  Instead of throwing them on your curb for pick up, consider this option!

The Department of Conservation as well as Boone Electric agree people should turn those trees into mulch.  It is as easy as dropping your tree off at Boone Electric at 1413 Rangeline Street.  The drop off site is on the south side of the building.  In exchange for your Christmas tree, you will receive a FREE bag of woodchips.

The woodchips made from the collected Christmas trees will be put into animal habitats by the Conservation Department.

If you are looking to join the Columbia Real Estate market, please feel free to call us.  Prudential Vision Properties can be reached at 573.449.6200. Prudential Vision Properties is an independently owned and operated member of Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc., a Prudential company. Equal Housing Opportunity.

For those of us who lack the ability to wrap those special gifts for those loved ones in our lives, here are step by step instructions.  When you are done, show off your mad skills by posting pictures of your masterpiece on Prudential Vision Properties’ Facebook page!

Step One

Center the box on a rectangle of wrapping paper (big enough to go around the box, with an inch of overlap). Fold one side lengthwise toward center and tape to box. Fold the other side up and adhere with tape.

Step Two

For the sides: Fold paper down from top, then fold sides in towards each other.

Step Three

Pull remaining triangle of paper up and secure with tape.

Step Four

Embellish with various types of ribbon. Wrap each length of ribbon once around the box, and secure on the underside with tape.

Step Five

Using metallic thread or additional ribbon, fasten a bow to the ribbon, knotting to secure.

Step Six

Attach a small ornament to the bow with thread. Keep adding ornaments until package achieves desired look.

(Instructions courtesy of ABC Carpet & Home)

If you are looking to join the Columbia Real Estate market, please feel free to call us.  Prudential Vision Properties can be reached at 573.449.6200. Prudential Vision Properties is an independently owned and operated member of Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc., a Prudential company. Equal Housing Opportunity.

Good Signs for the New Year

By Lawrence Yun, NAR Chief Economist

Here’s a change. Lately most of the dire economic news has been coming out of Europe: talk about the future of the Eurozone, whether or not the EU will hold together as an entity, and even some predictions that the euro may not survive as a currency. Some analysts in the U.S. are suggesting that problems in Europe are contagious and will doom our economy to another recession. But despite those European currency and economic troubles, a possibility of an economic recession in the upcoming year here in the U.S. looks less and less likely.

The key reason is the housing market recovery. After six years of a demoralizing and protracted housing market recession, a light is finally appearing at the end of the tunnel – and it is not a headlight from a freight-train. It is a genuine warm sunny glow. The latest pending home sales index – which reflects contract signings to purchase a home – rose more than 10 percent in October from the previous month and more than 9 percent from one year ago. Because the wide swings in sales related to the homebuyer tax credit are largely over, that year over year increase is a clean jump and not just a rise due to some artificially low comps of the past year. Clearly the data implies something is brewing out there. Yes, there are still cancellation issues related to appraisals, tight underwriting, and other issues. But buyers are evidently recognizing the great opportunity to own real estate and acting accordingly. Let’s examine several of the factors that suggest the worst is over.

First, existing home inventory has been trending downward consistently. The total number of homes listed for sale at the end of October was 3.3 million, down from 4.5 million in the middle of 2008. Remember, there are seasonal swings in the number of listings – with spring/summer months reflecting more home sellers (more listings) and autumn/winter months reflecting fewer sellers (fewer listings), so we still need to make proper seasonal adjustment comparisons. When we look just at the month of October during the past several years, this October registered the lowest inventory since 2005. The same was true for the month of September; September 2011 registered the lowest September inventory since 2005. Again, similar stories are seen for July and August of this year. In short, inventory has been running at six-year lows for several consecutive months. That is important to note, because lower inventory is a signal that price declines are coming to an end. In fact, the government measurement of home prices – from the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) – has risen in five out of the past six months, and home prices according to the FHFA are up two percent from their low point in March of this year. Other price data, such as that from Case-Shiller and NAR, have been moving both up and down with no consistent direction since 2009. In other words: prices have been roughly stable for the past three years.

Second, rents are rising and rent increases accelerating. The primary rent component of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) is up 2.4 percent from 12 months ago, but has been accelerating at 4.8 percent in the most recent monthly reading on an annualized basis. Rising rents will tip some renters into home buying, while real estate investors will have an added reason to own another property. According to The Economist magazine, the rent metric in the U.S. is such that home values are eight percent below justifiable levels.

Third, jobs are being added to the economy. Since the low point in early 2009, the economy has added 2.5 million net new jobs. Generally more jobs mean more home sales. So far, the extra jobs have not led to higher home sales. But to view it another way, pent up demand for housing has been growing and it is inevitable that home sales will have to tick higher with more jobs.

Fourth, mortgage rates are too low to pass up. While some financially qualified buyers are strategizing about the perfect time to enter the market in term of rates and home prices, these considerations are like picking up nickels and dimes when viewed from a far-off horizon. Consider what has happened in the past 30 years regarding the prices of consumer goods. On a broad basis, consumer prices have risen 160 percent from 1981 to 2011. Rent – and coincidentally gasoline prices – rose 200 percent. Home values rose 220 percent, even after accounting for the price declines during the recent housing downturn years. Medical care costs increased a whopping 400 percent. But even that increase was bested by the increase in college tuition which rose nearly 700 percent (which raises a number of questions about where the tuition monies go). One consumer item that did not rise in cost was the average monthly mortgage payment for those who took out a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage back in 1981.

What will happen over the next 30 years? If the cost of some of the above consumer items rises at a similar pace as in the past 30 years, then gasoline prices will run around $9 per gallon while the $20,000 college tuition of today will reach $140,000 per year. But one item which the consumer will not pay a nickel more is on their monthly mortgage payment. At the current median home price and current mortgage rate, the monthly mortgage payment would be fixed at $698 per month for the next 30 years. At the same time, home values likely will have tripled.

So, as we approach the end of 2011, I am fairly hopeful that our housing recovery is on the right track. Jobs are coming back, people are buying homes, home prices are stabilizing. All in all, not a bad way to end the old year, and start the new. Happy holidays!

For daily commentary on economic and housing conditions and trends from Dr. Yun and other NAR Research staff, go to NAR’s Research blog at http://economistsoutlook.blogs.realtor.org/ or visit NAR Research via social media sites Facebook (www.facebook.com/narresearchgroup) and Twitter (http://twitter.com/#!/NAR_Research).

If you are looking to join the Columbia Real Estate market, please feel free to call us.  Prudential Vision Properties can be reached at 573.449.6200. Prudential Vision Properties is an independently owned and operated member of Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc., a Prudential company. Equal Housing Opportunity.

Activities to Keep Your Kids From Driving You Crazy

The children are stirring because it is that time of year where they are trapped in the house.  Here are some great indoor activities to keep them busy when it is too cold to go outside.

Marshmallow Snowmen Activity

YUMMY SNOWMEN–  Take 3 marshmallows and stack them using icing in between each marshmallow to hold them together.  Use you imagination to decorate your snowmen.  Here are some of our suggestions…. Arms= pretzel sticks, Eyes= Either Red Hots or Mini M&M’s, Hair= Pull apart licorice, Brim of hat= thin cracker, Top of hat= gum drop, Buttons= raisins.  Hold of the items in place with more icing!

DECORATE WINTER GEAR– Are you kids tired of their old stockings, mittens, etc?  Give them new life (even if they have holes)!  For patches you can hot glue or stitch on fun patterned thick fabric.  The kids will love decorating their winter gear with glitter, sequins, buttons, felt, googly eyes, fabric markers, etc!

INDOOR SNOW SCENES– Give each child a piece of paper, and ask them to draw and color a scene of their idea of the “Best Snow Day Ever”.  Then give them cotton balls and glue to make the snow.  They will love pulling and stretching the cotton balls!

Check out the outdoor fun!

ICE ORNAMENT– Gather 4-5 disposable pie pans.  Fill them with water (leaving enough room that the water won’t overflow during movement).  Have the children add some of their favorite craft items in the water such as glitter, sequins, buttons, etc.  A few drops of food coloring is another great item that will dazzle up this ice ornament.  Then place some twine, fishing line, or yarn in a loop in the water to create the “hook” for the ornament.  Carefully place the pie pans in the freezer or outside if the temperatures allow for it to freeze overnight.  The next day, remove the ice from the pans and you have beautiful ornaments to hang outside (at least until they start to melt)!

PAPER SNOWFLAKES– A true classic activity.  Fold a piece of paper many times, then cut out small shapes along the edges.  Unfold, and VOILA!  A beautiful snowflake.  You can also use glue and glitter after it is unfolded to make a shinning snowflake.  You can turn these into ornaments for your tree, garland, wreaths, etc.

DRESS THE SNOWMAN– Cut out a snowman out of poster board and tape it on a wall.  Have the children make the clothing, eyes, nose, mouth, arms, etc for the snowman out of construction paper, markers, etc.  If your children are old enough, they can cut out the items otherwise help/guide your child to cut them out.  Then blind fold each child giving them a different item to “pin” or tape onto the snowman.  They will love seeing where they put each part!

Paper Snowflake Activity

If you are looking to join the Columbia Real Estate market, please feel free to call us.  Prudential Vision Properties can be reached at 573.449.6200. Prudential Vision Properties is an independently owned and operated member of Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc., a Prudential company. Equal Housing Opportunity.