Luxe Austin Homes - seller

"What To Expect in Mortgage Rates and Savings Accounts in 2025"

Realtor.com writes, "With 2025 underway and with the presidential inauguration on the horizon, speculation is rife about the direction of interest rates.

Here are some of the main outlooks for where they might be headed:

Mortgage rates

Last week, the Freddie Mac rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage rose to 6.91%, its highest level since July.

But Realtor.com® economists predict that mortgage rates will take a tumble in 2025.

According to our 2025 Housing Forecast, we will see an average mortgage rate of 6.3% in 2025.

Home equity loans and HELOCs

Home equity loan and HELOC rates are also expected to fall.

Bankrate predicts that in 2025, the average home equity loan rate will go from 8.41% to 7.9%, and the average HELOC rate will…

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"What Is an Assumable Mortgage? Major Savings If Your Loan Makes the Cut"

Realtor.co shares, "true to its name, an assumable mortgage a type of home loan where the buyer takes over the seller’s mortgage, rather than applying for a new loan. Assumable mortgages offer an array of advantages over traditional loans, but not all mortgages can be passed along in this manner. Here’s how to tell if an assumable mortgage is something you should consider, as a homebuyer or seller.

What to know about an assumable mortgage

Conventional loans are not eligible for assumption; they require the loan be paid in full—and a new one issued—whenever a property is sold or transferred to a new owner.

The three types of loans that are assumable include the following:

• FHA loans: These loans are backed by the Federal Housing…

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"What Is an Escalation Clause in Real Estate and When Should You Use One?"

Realtor.com shares, "when you’re deciding on what price to offer on a home, the situation might call for a single price or, in some cases, numerous prices via an escalation clause.

In a fast-paced, competitive market, having an escalation clause as part of your offer on a house can benefit the homebuyer and seller alike. But it does come with some downsides, so it’s important to know the pros and cons before you include one in an offer (or accept one as a seller).

Here’s what to know about an escalation clause, and when it’s a smart tactic for your real estate deal.

The basics of an escalation clause

An escalation clause is a real estate contract, sometimes called an escalator, that lets a home buyer say: “I will pay X price for this home,…

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"The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Homebuyers Today"

Realtor.com shares, "there was a point, not too long ago, when buying a house was fairly straightforward: You’d schedule some tours, make an offer, and boom, you’re in the house before you know it.

Today, though, the housing market is a very different animal—fast, ferocious, and ever-changing. In such an environment, it’s no longer a given that all homebuyers will easily find a house and seal the deal. And even more surprisingly, those lucky folks who do succeed aren’t just sitting on piles of cash. On the contrary, real estate agents and other experts we spoke to say that successful homebuyers today simply possess a particular mindset and behaviors that help them persevere in today’s market.

So what are these qualities, you might ask?

1.…

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"Mortgage rates drop again, creating opportunity for homebuyers: Freddie Mac"

Fox Business reports, "mortgage rates dropped back down again last week and even though it was slight, the decrease had an impact on homebuyer demand, according to Freddie Mac.

The average rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell to 6.33% for the week ending Jan. 12, according to Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey. This was a decrease from the previous week when it averaged 6.48% but remains significantly higher than last year when it was 3.45%.

The average rate for a 15-year mortgage was 5.52% last week, down from 5.73% the week before and up from 2.62% last year.  

Mortgage rates have fluctuated in the 6% to 7% range since September, Freddie Mac's data shows. Even though the changes are incremental from week-to-week, the…

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"Austin's hottest real estate stories of 2022: Dramatic market shift and big developments"

CultureMap Austin writes, "as 2022 comes to a close, we're looking back at the stories that defined Austin this year, starting with the red-hot topic of real estate. Following unprecedented growth during the pandemic, Austin's market is poised for a dramatic swing, but that's not all that happened this year. From massive mansions to tall towers and the first "residential winery" in the state, here are the hottest real estate headlines of 2022.

1. $45 million Lake Travis mansion makes a splash as most expensive home for sale in Texas. A Lake Travis estate fit for a celebrity hit the market at $45 million this spring. The property came with big-as-Texas bragging rights, as it was the priciest home on the market in Texas at the time. In 2013, the…

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The Austin Real Estate Market: Stats & Trends for 2023

The Austin real estate market is in the middle of a shift.  While the housing market in Austin is still a seller's market, the trend is changing. More would-be buyers are now renting, thanks to a cooling down market. Next year, the market will shift from a seller's to a buyer's market.

Austin's Housing Market Pushed More Would-be Buyers Into Renting During Covid-19 Pandemic

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Austin's housing market was tight, with rents rising by about 5% annually. In Austin alone, there are nearly 125 people moving every day. In addition, builders haven't kept up with demand, and city zoning laws limit the building of new multifamily housing. As a result, home prices have reached new peaks. In May alone, the median sale price in Austin…

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How Owning a Home Builds Your Net Worth

Owning a home is a major financial milestone and an achievement to take pride in. One major reason: the equity you build as a homeowner gives your net worth a big boost. And with high inflation right now, the link between owning your home and building your wealth is especially important.

If you’re looking to increase your financial security, here’s why now could be a good time to start on your journey toward homeownership.

Owning a Home Is a Key Ingredient for Financial Success

A report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) details several homeownership trends, including a significant gap in net worth between homeowners and renters. It finds:

“. . . the net worth of a homeowner was about $300,000 while that of a…

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5 Austin suburbs that unlock affordable homes for first-time buyers

Any hopes of ever buying an “affordable” house in the city of Austin are quickly fading, especially for first-time homebuyers.

In January 2022, the median sale price of a home within the city limits climbed to $550,000, up 20.9 percent from the same time a year earlier, according to the Austin Board of Realtors. Even the median sale price for the entire Austin metro area is increasingly out of reach for many first-time homebuyers — $476,000 in January 2022, up 30.4 percent from a year earlier.

However, some Austin suburbs enable first-time buyers to get more bang for the buck. While they might be a fair distance from Austin itself, a number of suburbs offer home prices at least $100,000 below the region’s median price.

In alphabetical order,…

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