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All Blog Entries by Marjorie Dick Stuart

Found 696 blog entries published by Marjorie Dick Stuart.

Thinking of Selling? Now Is the Time to Act | Simplifying The Market

If you thought about selling your house this year, now may be the time to do it. The inventory of homes for sale is well below historic norms and buyer demand is skyrocketing. We were still in high school when we learned the concept of supply and demand: the best time to sell something is when supply of that item is low and demand for that item is high. That defines today’s real estate market.

Jonathan Smoke, Chief Economist at realtor.com, revealed in a recent article that:

“The biggest challenge to buyers this spring will be simply finding a home to buy and getting it successfully under contract. That’s because the supply of homes for sale is at an all-time low, and yet demand is strong and getting stronger.”

Smoke goes on to say:

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Please stop by...OPEN 1-4pm Sunday, April 16th

3620 Warren Street NW

Fabulous brick, semi-detached home with front porch, entry, living room with fireplace, formal dining room, updated kitchen, powder room & sunroom. Three bedrooms and two full baths upstairs, finished in-law suite with bedroom, kitchen, full bath and family room on lower level. Partially fenced back yard and detached garage. Great location walk to Metro, restaurants & shops.

Visit www.3620Warren.com for architectural photos and color floor plan.

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Please stop by...OPEN 1-4pm Saturday, April 15th

 

3127 Yuma Street NW, Washington, DC 20016

Updated & expanded brick colonial with 2 story addition. Entry foyer,  living room with gas fireplace, formal dining room, powder room, large chef's kitchen with breakfast room, mudroom, lovely screened porch, Trex deck, slate patio and huge, flat back yard.  Upstairs, spacious master bedroom suite with gorgeous marble bath, two more bedrooms and another full bath. Bright, unfinished walk out basement with laundry, closets, half bath and storage. High ceilings, central air, recessed lighting, new HVAC system and more.  Amazing location! Between 2 Metro's, restaurants, grocery stores & shops.

Visit www.3721Yuma.com for architectural photos and color

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The media has extensively covered the rise in mortgage interest rates since last fall (from 3.42% last September to the current 4.1% according to Freddie Mac). However, a less covered aspect of the mortgage market is that requirements to get a mortgage have eased while rates have risen.

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) quantifies the availability of mortgage credit each month with their Mortgage Credit Availability Index (MCAI). According to the MBA, the MCAI is:

“A summary measure which indicates the availability of mortgage credit at a point in time.”

The higher the index, the easier it is to get a mortgage. Here is a chart showing the MCAI over the last several months as rates have increased.

Home Mortgages: Rates Up, Requirements Easing | Simplifying The Market

Have requirements for

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Careful…Don’t Get Caught in the Rental Trap! | Simplifying The Market

There are many benefits to homeownership. One of the top benefits is being able to protect yourself from rising rents by locking in your housing cost for the life of your mortgage.

Don’t Become Trapped 

Jonathan Smoke, Chief Economist at realtor.com, reported on what he calls a “Rental Affordability Crisis.” He warns that,

“Low rental vacancies and a lack of new rental construction are pushing up rents, and we expect that they’ll outpace home price appreciation in the year ahead.”

In the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University's 2016 State of the Nation’s Housing Report, they revealed that “The number of cost-burdened households rose to 21.3 million. Even more troubling, the number with severe burdens (paying more

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The Importance of Using a Professional to Sell Your Home | Simplifying The Market

When a homeowner decides to sell their house, they obviously want the best possible price for it with the least amount of hassles along the way. However, for the vast majority of sellers, the most important result is actually getting their homes sold.

In order to accomplish all three goals, a seller should realize the importance of using a real estate professional. We realize that technology has changed the purchaser’s behavior during the home buying process. According to the National Association of Realtors’ 2016 Profile of Home Buyers & Sellers, the percentage of buyers who used the internet in their home search increased to 94%.

However, the report also revealed that 96% of buyers who used the internet when searching for homes purchased their

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OPEN 2-4pm Sunday, April 9th

5301 Westbard Circle #247

Sunny, large one bedroom, one bath condo, updated kitchen with table space, bright living room & dining area. Building amenities include fitness center, outdoor pool, rooftop lounge and party room. Steps to Giant, Starbucks, shopping, restaurants & Whole Foods. Move right in!

Monthly condo fee: $481 includes water, sewer, heat, electricity, building maintenance, maintenance of common areas, professional management, master insurance policy, reserve funds, pool, snow removal & trash removal.

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OPEN 1-4pm Saturday, April 8th.

2939 Van Ness Street NW #1008

Large 1 bedroom with open floor plan, great closets, tree views, parking & extra storage. First class building with 24-hour front desk, 2 pools, party/social room, fitness center, laundry room on each floor, cats ok. Underground access to Giant, steps to METRO, restaurants and shops.

Monthly Condo fee: $700.00 includes gas, electric, water, sewer, heat/AC, reserve funds, professional management, maintenance of commons areas, trash removal, condo liability insurance & building amenities.

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Why Millennials Choose to Buy [INFOGRAPHIC] | Simplifying The Market

Some Highlights:

  • “The majority of millennials said they consider owning a home more sensible than renting for both financial and lifestyle reasons — including control of living space, flexibility in future decisions, privacy and security, and living in a nice home.”
  • At 93%, the top reason Millennials choose to buy is to have control over their living space.
  • Many Millennials who rent a home or apartment prior to buying their own homes dream of the day that they will be able to paint the walls whatever color they'd like, or renovate an outdated part of their living space.

Thinking about buying or selling? You probably have questions. CLICK the link below for a free, confidential 17 minute conversation... LET'S TALK! 

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The 'REAL' News about Housing Affordability | Simplifying The Market

Some industry experts are claiming that the housing market may be headed for a slowdown as we proceed through 2017, based on rising home prices and a potential jump in mortgage interest rates. One of the data points they use is the Housing Affordability Index, as reported by the National Association of Realtors (NAR).

Here is how NAR defines the index:

“The Housing Affordability Index measures whether or not a typical family earns enough income to qualify for a mortgage loan on a typical home at the national level based on the most recent price and income data.”

Basically, a value of 100 means a family earning the median income earns enough to qualify for a mortgage on a median-priced home, based on the price and mortgage interest rates

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