The reality is that the unexpected plunge of real estate in Florida around 2009 sparked a nationwide real estate crisis. This, in turn, was one of the major flames to ignite our nation’s most recent recession. So it would appear only appropriate that the real estate industry suffer long after the recovery of every other aspect of our nation’s economy. The cause of our recession’s drought would inherently outlast the seemingly stable, progressing aspects of our pre-recession economy. Therefore, despite the various other regions of America’s economy now flourishing and returning to full vigilance, the market for selling and buying homes is supposed to linger in the arid economic desert until all signs of a healthy economy have been brought to light.

Which brings us to our next question: how much longer until the real estate market stabilizes as well? The answer, to the great enthrallment of homeowners still squatting in a vacant market, is not much longer. In fact, we might not have to wait at all. The economy is healthy, banks are recovering, jobs have been made, and homes are once more looking to be purchased.

Actually, little statistical evidence shows that the housing market is back on track. But for those hoping to get a head start, that doesn’t quite matter. Instead, the significant change has been the mood of potential buyers and sellers. That’s right: the attitude toward the housing market is changing, which is all the foreshadowing necessary to predict an upswing in the market for real estate. Think for a moment: with the economy stabilizing and the nations markets growing once more, people are anticipating that the housing market is going to bounce back as well. And rightly so. It’s a fact that it will only be a matter of time before the real estate industry recovers, and for potential home buyers looking to get the best deal on a selling home, now is the last chance to buy cheap.

But this isn’t just the biased perspective of a real estate blogger throwing out ideas. The Vice President and Chief Economist of Fannie Mae, Doug Duncan, claims that “conditions are coming together to encourage people to want to buy homes.” Duncan’s speculation comes from his understanding that “Americans’ rental price expectations for the next year continue to rise, reaching their record high level.” From these projections, Duncan predicts that some of America’s home renters might find home ownership as a more compelling option due to the rising rent prices.

Fannie Mae conducts a real estate survey every month, and the vibe emanating from the respondents are suggesting some interesting things. To start, the percent of respondents who think that it is a good time to buy has reach a high of 73%. To accompany this compelling statistic, the number of respondents who claimed it is a good time to sell also rose. This coupling suggests the market is ready to expand, as buyers and sellers come closer to reaching an agreement on the negotiated and offered prices. With more people looking to sell and more looking to buy, the market automatically grows. From there it’s only a matter of processing statistics to show that home sales are finally recovering.

Perhaps the dramatic increase of respondents looking to buy is an effect of projected rising home sales. In fact, regarding respondents’ expectations of home price increases over the next twelve months, the highest amount of respondents from this entire year claimed home prices would climb. Also, coinciding with Vice President Doug Duncan’s understanding, almost 50% of respondents are anticipating rental prices to go up.

For further encouragement regarding the real estate market, 66% of the respondents of Fannie Mae’s survey claimed that, if they were to move within the next year, they would buy a home. This is a strikingly encouraging prospect (assuming the opinions of Fannie Mae’s respondents are reflective of the overall population), and owners with homes on the market can certainly look forward to a steadily growing pool of potential home buyers.

All in all, Fannie Mae’s survey shows us not that the market for home real estate is already recovering, but rather that the opinions and attitudes of the public are gradually shifting in the favor of the real estate market. Rising renting costs are causing people to shift their interest back to home ownership. Low prices for homes, likely only to rise over the next years, are also encouraging prospects for potential home buyers. And the overall stabilization of the economy is assuring potential home owners that the value of their purchase will not plummet the moment after they purchase their new home. So while the statistics are showing very little in the means of a growing market for the real estate industry, it is clear that America is ready to trust home ownership once more. And because of this, the market for real estate will begin steadily restoring itself.

PS – Susan Hilton is Bryan College Station, Texas’ real estate specialist in foreclosure sales and real estate agent career building so if you need help – CALL! 979-219-3970

Fannie Mae is in fact the largest lender throughout the United States. And the current exponential growth of their real estate ownership is primarily due to the incredible number of recent foreclosures. It is a reality of the market that when a bank forecloses on a house, businesses like Fannie Mae stoop in to relieve the Bank of their loss, while turning a small profit of their own in return. However, with the drastic quantity of foreclosures across the nation, the prices and values of these homes have plummeted. And now more than ever these foreclosed homes that are being re-released into the market are selling at some of the lowest prices out there.

So what is this program? And how can a prospective home buyer use it?

The program is called HomePath, and can be used through navigation of the website address, www.homepath.com. This program offers many advantages, including the convenience of an online web page. However, it also gives buyers and lenders a more relaxed approach to the finance requirements. In other words, you’re not just buying the house through Fannie Mae: you’re also getting access to the HomePath mortgage and buying process.

The advantages of a loan through Fannie Mae’s HomePath program are surprisingly appealing. First, home buyers are required to make a down-payment of as little as 3% the total cost of the home. Along with this, neither mortgage insurance nor appraisals are required. And to top it all off, the requirements for credit scores are much more flexible than your average loan. So for potential home-owners, looking for a great deal as well as an opportunity to start over or begin fresh, this program is particularly appealing.

So how can you use this program? First off, if you go to the HomePath website and browse through the homes by location, price range, size, number of bedrooms and baths, etc., you will find a button that reads “Make an Offer.” Upon clicking this you will view a note explaining how all offers must be submitted by licensed real estate agents. As a licensed real estate agent, you will then have the opportunity to register for a profile through HomePath.

As a registered member of HomePath, a Realtor is allowed to place offers on homes and evaluate them in various ways. The program also offers assistance in finding homes of outstanding affordability through the “Great Buys” link. Some homes will be listed as “Needing Renovation.” Fannie Mae then allows for eligible home buyers to use the HomePath Renovation tool, which will actually help to finance the repairs on the home. This aspect of the program literally assists in financing the repairs for distressed properties that need a little help before they are entirely ready for people to be living in them.

When all is done, and properties have been weighed, examined, and inspected by home buyers and realtors alike, HomePath allows for the purchase of properties through the website itself. As stated before, there is the “Make an Offer” button, which requires the login of a licensed real estate professional. But then beyond that there is even a way to “Offer to Purchase.” This can be done conveniently and effectively through the website since HomePath actually offers the required documentation via upload. Many of these forms may then be submitted online through the Realtors account, or uploaded through the website immediately.

Once you have completed the forms and agreed to the terms and conditions required by the website, you have an opportunity to confirm your offer or cancel. Listing agents then have the option of receiving the offer, rejecting it, countering it, or entering it into a ‘multiple offers round.’ If the offer is accepted it is the buyer’s responsibility to contact the listing agent. If it is rejected, countered, or entered into a multiple offers round the buyer can then either revise their offer, or withdraw/rescind their offer.

The entire process of purchasing homes through HomePath is quite simple and will be a leading design for future online real estate. And through the knowledge and guidance of a licensed Realtor, nothing can be simpler. The only complication, perhaps, comes through the possibility of multiple offers. But all in all, the development of Fannie Mae’s new online program, HomePath, home buyers all over Texas and the United States have the opportunity to buy houses at lower prices and with better mortgage deals than ever before.

PS -  Susan Hilton is Bryan College Station,
Texas’ real estate specialist in foreclosure sales and real estate
agent career building so if you need help –
CALL!             979-219-3970

But, surprisingly, people buy homes without “test driving” the prospective neighborhood.  I’m not talking about just walking around the block, although that’s a good start.  I’m talking about pretending you’re a resident for a couple of hours.  Here are some ideas:

-Have your kids play in the neighborhood park

-Go for a bike ride and explore the surrounding streets and trails

-Drop by a local school

-Visit the shops on a nearby street

-Visit the local community center, fitness club, sports center or library

Investing some serious time in a neighborhood will give you a much better idea of what it’s like to live there on a day-to-day basis.

How much have other homes in my neighborhood sold for recently?  The key word here is “recently”.  We all know that prices have adjusted downward in the last couple of years, so it’s not really relevant what Mr. Smith sold his house for five years ago.  You need up to date information from current (usually the last 60-90 days) sales in your neighborhood.  In addition to knowing what homes have sold for, you should also take a look at what homes are currently listed for.  That will help you have a good idea where you should place yourself in the market as far as pricing goes.

What desirable special features and upgrades does your home have to offer?  With this consideration, keep in mind that we’re talking about upgrades, not maintenance issues.  If your home is 15 years old and you’ve recently put in new carpet, that is not an upgrade, that is a maintenance item.  If all the homes in your neighborhood have granite counter tops, that’s not really an upgrade, that’s a standard feature.  Everyone loves their home, but it’s best to be realistic about this consideration, because buyers certainly will.

A final consideration is does your home have any undesirable features?  Some examples could be that it backs up to a very busy highway, has just one bathroom, or has a strange floor plan.  You need to be brutally honest with yourself and understand that you might have to make some concessions in your price to make up for some of the things you just can’t control.

You might be surprised to find out what you could get for your home in today’s market.  To find out more, give me a call.

US News has rated Real Estate Agents as one of the best jobs of 2012, with high flexibility and a high employee satisfaction rate. And, if this isn’t surprising enough, the market for positions as a real estate agent is expected to grow at an unusually high rate of 12.2% over the next eight or so years. Luckily for up and coming employment seekers, obtaining a license has never been more simple. The only real requirements are a high school diploma, and a passing grade on a state administered written exam (although a college degree will assuredly help agents to move forward in their field). So we can be sure to see the expected growth in this industry over the next several years.

But how is all of this happening?

To begin with, the economy is recovering. In fact, recently revised employment data for Texas suggests that the State economy is undergoing
“a more solid economic recovery than before.” Unemployment rates in Texas are down to 7.2%, a full 2% decrease from the National average
just one year ago. And to top it all off, the annual growth rate of non-agricultural jobs in Texas increased 2.6% from last year (compared
with only a 1.6% increase across the nation). Texas’ economy is in good shape, and improving.

What myou can optimistically take this to mean is that the economy in Texas (and across the nation) is more stable than it was in the spring of
2011, when the first real signs of recovery started (ending in another brief market collapse). This only means good things for the real estate
industry: but, in laymen’s terms, it means there’s more money out there for people to buy homes. More money to buy homes means more homes sold.  And more homes sold means more business for Real Estate Agents.

However, this prospect does not only suggest that the market for real estate is returning to its previous state. Instead, research shows that the
industry is growing, making room for thousands of new positions over the next few years.

So let’s rationalize for a moment.

Over the span of the recession, and the several months before, the market for selling houses did not slow. Only the market for buying houses came to an abrupt halt, as people began conserving cash and deciding it in their best interest to postpone home ownership (as well as the process of obtaining loans became more difficult). Neglecting the percentage of investors who took full advantage of the reduced home sales, most homes have remained on the market since, as more homes have joined the market over the past few years. And now, as the economy climbs back to stability, people looking once again to own homes have entered a vast market. This means extra business for Real Estate Agents.  And as Texas’ economy is performing well above the national average, it is no wonder that the market for real estate agents has reached the Best Jobs list of 2012.

But, of course, homes are not the only aspect of real estate that agents thrive off of. Business real estate, as well, is a heavy factor of an agent’s success. And Texas, particularly the Brazos valley, is not short on business growth. For instance, College Station’s business district, Northgate, is experiencing a prime period of development as old business and real estate make way for new opportunities. New student housing complexes are leading the way, the first of which, called “The Stack,” being immediately followed up by a second new high-rise to be constructed just feet away. This second complex will be 18 stories tall, housing over 175 student apartments, as well as a grocery store in the
ground level and a 400 space parking garage. Construction for this new development should begin over the next few weeks, and marks only one aspect of a real estate explosion which is occurring all over the state.

In fact, evidence shows that all but four Texas Metropolitan areas have increased in the number of jobs available over the past year, and several of the lowest unemployment rates across the nation are in Texas cities. Exciting things are happening for the real estate industry,
especially in Texas: and real estate agents are (and will be) reaping the benefits. So when you are ready for a career in real estate…. CALL SUSAN HILTON!

PS -  Susan Hilton is Bryan College Station,
Texas’ real estate specialist in foreclosure sales and real estate
agent career building so if you need help –
CALL!             979-219-3970

Well, it’s actually term coined by a real estate broker in Dallas, David Winans. A few years ago, he had grown tired of all the bad news about the economy so he created a presentation for his office to remind them that things weren’t all that bad in Texas. I first heard the term a few years ago while visiting with a lender friend about the potential for a move back to College Station.

The Texaplex is an area of Texas, shaped sort of like a triangle, with the three points being Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, and San Antonio. Eighty percent of the population of Texas lives within this geographic area. Guess which cities are right in the middle of the Texaplex? Yep…College Station and Bryan.

Although B/CS is not specifically mentioned in the video, it’s clear that the future of our communities are closely tied with that of the Texaplex.

This partnership has produced the absolute best portfolio of Class A Student rental housing in Aggieland (College Station TX) AND some of the Best Real Estate investment opportunities on the planet!

Aggies, Check out www.aggieleasing.com

Investors, Check out some of these cash flow scenarios: www.barrackstownhomes.com

Call us anytime on our new hotline at 888-567-5757 or Text us at 313-Gig-Em-Ag

Thanks & Gig-Em’

The City of College Station is ranked by The Business Journals as the brainiest city in Texas among those with populations between 50,000 and 100,000. Some 28 percent of College Station residents hold a bachelor’s degree and another 28.23 percent have a graduate or professional degree. A lot of this has to do with Texas A&M faculty as well as so many Aggies staying here after graduation!

The Business Journals ranked 483 mid-sized U.S. cities using 2009 U.S. Census Data. The rankings were based on the percentage of population with each level of educational attainment.  Not only were we #1 in Texas, but College Station ranked No. 31 nationally.

So, next time someone makes an Aggie joke, make sure and let them know that they are actually making fun of the smartest city in all of Texas!

For more information about Castlegate and any home in Bryan/College Station, give me, Farrah Spears, a call at 979-229-0919.

Farrah Spears

979-229-0919

For more information about Castlegate and any home in Bryan/College Station, give me, Farrah Spears, a call at 979-229-0919.

Farrah Spears

979-229-0919