Danielle Groeneweg
Home Affordability @ highest level in 20 years!
A lot of home buying activity is due to the affordability now out there. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a major bank reported their index shows home affordability in Q4 of 2010 at its highest level in 20 years. Their measure found that 73.9% of the new and existing homes sold in Q4 were affordable to families making the national median income of $64,400.
~Courtest of Liz Standow
Sterling Savings
Couple this with the unheard of interest rates we are still seeing today and you have a perfect combination to buy your first, second, or even third home. Just in the last 2 months, the market has sped up considerably with buyers beating the pavement and homes pending left and right. Don’t miss your opportunity, call me today to get started! 360-483-6490
Existing Home Sales Forecast 2011
New home sales are forecast to come back more briskly, up 17.7% in 2011, following their 15.5% drop in 2010. The 2012 projection is for a strong 51.1% sales gain, to 565,000 homes. The median price for new homes, which gained 2.2% last year, should go up another 1.8% in 2011, to $224,700, then 1.9% in 2012, to $229,000. The NAR’s chief economist says this rebound in home sales does depend on an improvement in the jobs market. Affordability also matters and in Q4 of 2010 housing was the most affordable on record, according to NAR numbers going back to 1971. The NAR feels the current situation of low home prices along with low interest rates should continue.
Near New home w/Gorgeous Bay Views!

Existing Home Sales rise 12% in Dec. 2010
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Sales of existing homes rose 12.3 percent in December, which was well above expectations. Gains were broad-based with increases in both single-family and condo sales. Distressed transactions, however, still account for a significant portion of total sales at 36 percent, which is an increase from 33 percent in November. Investors accounted for 20 percent of transactions. All-cash sales also remain elevated at 29 percent.
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A look at Interest Rates
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4 Weeks Ago
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Mortgage Rates
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30-year Fixed
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15-yr Fixed
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Source: Freddie Mac, Mortgage Bankers Association and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC
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Short Sale Tidbit #2
i) Short Sale tax consequences
(a) Seller will be taxed for deficit as income if
(i) Seller’s debt is result of large equity refi and equity wasn’t used to improve property
(ii) If home is not owner occupied, then deficit is taxed as income
(iii) Seller will still be taxed on deficit as income even if the deficit has not been forgiven and is still owed (unless forgiven under DR Act)
Existing Home Sales up 5.6%
~Courtesy of Liz Standow
Short Sale Tidbit #1
i) If short sale deficiency not discharged fully by bank, there can be: