Our founder, Steve Harney, occasionally asks to do a personal post on what he sees as important to our industry. Today is one of those days. Enjoy! – The KCM Crew Many believe the housing market is in a full out recovery. Others are questioning that assumption. To find out, maybe the only thing we […]
A recent study revealed that the number of existing home owners planning to buy a home this year is about to increase dramatically. Some are moving up, some are downsizing and others are making a lateral move. Another study shows that over 75% of these buyers will, in fact, be in that first category: a move-up buyer. […]
Whenever real estate professionals think about prospecting Millennials with a college degree, four objections immediately pop up: They don’t have a job If they do have a job, it’s working at McDonalds They have hundreds of thousands of dollars in student debt They are living at home with their parents because they can’t afford to […]
Here is one simple chart that explains why we think buying a home makes more sense than renting one. KCM Members: You can now login to download this and all bonus slides moving forward by visiting the Infographics page under the Content drop down menu inside the Member Area. Not a KCM Member yet? Click Here to […]
The members of the KCM Crew are big fans of branding guru Seth Godin. We are looking forward to seeing Seth deliver his Keynote address at the InfusionCon marketing conference in April in Arizona. Today, we want to share some of his thoughts on the real estate profession. In a blog post last week, Quality […]
Some industry gurus are questioning whether the housing momentum we saw early in 2013 began to dissipate later in the year. The more dramatic have claimed the housing sector is still on shaky ground. Others have blamed the slowdown in sales on a lack of consumer confidence or rising interest rates. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) […]
It is projected that if the Fed continues to cut back on bond purchases that long term mortgage rates would start to climb. Many experts felt that Janet Yellen, who replaced Ben Bernanke as Fed Chair, was going to be less inclined to continue tapering bond purchases at the level established. However, in her testimony in front […]
The Home Price Expectation Survey was released last week by Pulsenomics. They survey a nationwide panel of over one hundred economists, real estate experts and investment & market strategists asking them to project home prices moving forward. Here is a graph showing what percentage appreciation they expect in each of the next five years. Obviously some of the […]
Last week, Fannie Mae released their January 2014 National Housing Survey results. Two categories reported all-time survey highs. 52% of respondents thought it would be easy for them to get a home mortgage today 70% of respondents said they would buy if they were going to move Doug Duncan, senior vice president and chief economist at Fannie Mae explained […]
Today we are happy to have Nikki Buckelew back as our guest blogger. Nikki is the Founder and CEO of the Seniors Real Estate Institute. – The KCM Crew Expanding into the seniors real estate niche: Good business sense for teams More and more real estate teams – both small and large – are beginning […]
We have previously talked about the diminishing supply of housing inventory and how it is impacting the real estate market. The situation might be about to change dramatically according to a recent survey by Lending Tree. The survey revealed three interesting findings. Of those surveyed: 63% have a positive outlook on the economy this year […]
Last month, the Federal Reserve, in a unanimous vote, decided to further decrease its bond purchasing. The bond purchases were the government’s stimulus package created to keep long term mortgage interest rates artificially low in order to help drive the housing market. Most experts believe that tapering will cause interest rates to increase as we […]
There has been much speculation about what is causing the falling sales numbers in the most recent Existing Home Sales Reports (EHS) from the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Some have claimed that rising interest rates have scared buyers out of the market. Others have claimed that consumers are just losing confidence in the housing […]
There has been a major reduction in the number of homeowners who are seriously delinquent on their mortgage payments. This bodes well for the housing industry as delinquency rates are a precursor to foreclosure rates. As we proceed forward, home appraisals will not be burdened to the extent they have been over the last several […]
We are pleased to welcome Phil Georgiades as our guest blogger today. Phil is the Chief Loan Steward for VA Home Loan Centers, a veteran and active duty military services organization. – The KCM Crew VA loans are the most misunderstood mortgage program in America. Industry professionals and consumers often receive incorrect data when they inquire […]
Some homeowners consider trying to sell their home on their own, known in the industry as a For Sale by Owner (FSBO). We think there are several reasons this might not be a good idea for the vast majority of sellers. Here are five of our reasons: 1. There Are Too Many People to Negotiate […]
Based on prices, mortgage rates and soaring rents, there may have never been a better time in real estate history to purchase a home than right now. Here are five reasons purchasers should consider buying before the spring market arrives: Supply Is Shrinking With inventory declining in many regions, finding a home of your dreams […]
We are often asked if it makes sense to hire a real estate professional when buying or selling a home. We always emphatically answer – YES! Here are five reasons why: PAPERWORK An agent will help with all disclosures and paperwork necessary in today’s heavily regulated environment. This helps remove much of the liability a […]
Last week, the Federal Reserve, in a unanimous vote, decided to further decrease its bond purchasing. The bond purchases were the government’s stimulus package created to keep long term mortgage interest rates artificially low in order to help drive the housing market. Most experts believe that tapering will cause interest rates to increase as we […]
We are excited to have Gary Acosta as our guest blogger today! Gary is a 20-year veteran of the mortgage banking industry and the co-founder and CEO of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP). – The KCM Crew “We come in peace…but we have you surrounded”. Cheech Marin, referring to the massive population […]
You’ve decided to sell your house. You begin to interview potential real estate agents to help you through the process. You need someone you trust enough to: Set the market value on possibly the largest asset your family owns (your home) Set the time schedule for the successful liquidation of that asset Set the fee […]
