When Not to sell Your Home

PODCAST SERIES

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Real estate markets are cyclical and can last ten years as we’ve recently seen, but even within a cycle there are better times during each year in which to sell.

The short answer is the worst time is in the winter, with the best times being in the spring and fall but here’s why. Psychologically, it appears buyers are more motivated to get a home early on in the year. Writing a huge check to Uncle Sam in April could be one incentive, and fulfilling one’s New Year’s resolutions could be another—both are frequently mentioned. Whatever the reason more buyers come out in the spring and tend to pay more for a home (as a percent of asking) than any other time.

The year’s spring market started off rather unremarkable due to the uncertainty of real estate as a holding while many buyers took (and continue to take) a wait and see attitude.

This graph illustrates the favorable fall selling conditions with the seller receiving a high percentage of their asking price. Notice that in October the amount a seller receives typically bounces back up? We call this phenomenon the “fall bounce” as October sales are consummated in September/October.

That could make this fall a prime time to sell in this year’s cycle. Fall is typically another window of opportunity to sell and obtain the most money for your home and this one appears to be shaping up quite nicely. The market has been rebounding steadily since the beginning of the year, and appears it may crescendo this fall, at least for the year.

We wrote a series on our blog at BeautifulMountainBlog.org about when’s the best time to sell where we analyze the important market indicators to determine favorable selling conditions. Some of which are::

·         The month’s supply of homes for sale

·         The amount a seller received of asking

·         The days it takes to sell a home, or DOM

If you are considering moving this fall we’d be glad to answer any questions you may have about the process.

Download when_not_to_sell_a_home.mp3

First Time Homebuyer Credit Set to Expire

Well the housing reform bills’ $7,500 credit for first time home buyers is going to be a let-down for most Bay Area buyers. Here’s the real kicker—it phases out for individuals whose income is needed to purchase the median price home on the Peninsula.

Also, contrary to any hope of getting a credit at the close of escrow, this is merely taken as a deduction on you tax filing so leveraging it to buy down points at the close of escrow and lower your interest rate is a no go.

Still, it will help take the sting out of the first year of property taxes for people who are able to qualify for this interest free loan.

We received an update from our accountant, who gave us the following information:

First-Time Homebuyer Credit 

·         A first-time homebuyer is allowed a refundable credit up to 10% of the purchase price of a home, not to exceed $7,500 per family. A first-time homebuyer is a homebuyer (including the spouse) who has not held an interest in a residence during the past 3 years.

·         The credit applies for home purchases after April 8, 2008, and before July 1, 2009. You can treat a residence purchased after December, 2008 as purchased on December 31, 2008 so that you can claim the credit on your 2008 return. The credit phases out for individuals with modified adjusted gross incomes between $75,000 and $95,000 ($150,000 – $170,000 for joint filers) in the year of purchase.

·         The credit amounts to an interest free loan. The credit is paid back at $500 per year beginning in the second year after the taxable year in which the home is purchased. For example, if you purchase a home in 2008, the credit is allowed on the 2008 tax return, and the repayments begin with the 2010 return. If you sell the home or stop using it as your principal residence, any unpaid credit is due on the tax return for the year of the sale or when the property stops being used as your principal residence.

·         You cannot claim the credit if your financing is from tax-exempt mortgage revenue bonds, if you are a nonresident alien, if you dispose of the residence before the close of the taxable year in which you purchased the home, or if you are eligible for the District of Columbia first-time home buyer credit.”

By the way, if you need a good accountant his name is Frederick Thompson and he’s in San Mateo. We’ve used him for the last several years and he’s very informative and helpful.

 

The information contained in this article is educational and intended for informational purposes only. It does not constitute real estate, tax or legal advice, nor does it substitute for advice specific to your situation. Always consult an appropriate professional familiar with your scenario.

Part III Housing Reform Bill Ramifications

In part 1&2 of our three part series on the hosing bill HR 3221 we discuss some of the ramifications and limitations contained in the new law. You can subscribe to our Podcast by clicking in the above left column and click here to start at part I.

Part III-Housing Refrom Bill HR3221

This could be the best part of the housing reform Bill for new homebuyers!

Due to the high cost of homes in th Bay Area, the housing reform bills $7,500 (max) tax credit for first-time home buyers on the surface my seem to do little to spur home buying in California, let alone on the Peninsula. The details have yet to be ironed out as far as how the buyer can actually receive the credit. In other words, will the buyer be able to use it as part of their down payment, or for closing costs and if so will it be eligible for recurring closing costs such as property taxes as well as non-recurring costs such as escrow fees? It’s important to remember that this is actually a loan, not a gift, and must be repaid in 15 years in equal installments. However it is interest free and anytime someone is loaning you money at no interest it’s a done deal as far as whether you should accept it or not.

 

Sure you could pay all or most of your closing costs but what about buying down your loan? On a conforming loan of $729,750 using this free government loan of $7,500 you could buy down the loan rate with $7,290 in points (1 point) and save over $37,000 in 15 years in interest payments! Not bad for investing someone else’s money.

This has been updated with new information.

*The information contained in this blog is educational and intended for informational purposes only. It does not constitute real estate tax or legal advice, nor does it substitute for advice specific to your situation. Always consult an appropriate professional familiar with your scenario.

MorganHomes.com

Part II Housing Reform Bill Ramifications

In part I we discuss an overview of the housing reform bill’s impact on your decision to buy, sell or even refinance a home.

Housing_bill

Part II

Changes to the tax code that effect rental properties:

Prior to the new Housing Reform bill of 2009, an owner of two homes could live in one and rent the other out and in order to maximize the profits from the sale of the two properties, the owner could sell their principle residence and receive a tax free gain of up to $250,000– $500,000 for married couples. They could then occupy the second home for two years, and sell it enjoying the same tax free advantage. However, the new formula is not so kind to investors–or second home owners. Here’s how it now works: If you purchased a second home after December 31, 2008 there will be “qualified” and “unqualified” usage. Any rental period of a second home prior to January 1, 2009 will be grandfathered in as qualified occupancy, but from January 1st on it’s a new ball game. Essentially the amount of tax free gain will be calculated as a percentage of the time your second home was a rental. If you owned said home for four years, and rented it out for two, then moved in, made it your principle residence and sold it, you’d be able to apply the $250,000/$500,000 tax free exclusion to the percentage you lived in the property–50%. Let’s say you bought the home for $500,000 and sold it four years later for $800,000. Prior to this new rule if you lived in the home two of the last five years you could claim it as your principle residence and enjoy a $250,000/$500,000 and so you’d pay no gain on the $300,000 profit. Under the new rules, you’re only be able to offset 50% of the $300,000 or $150,000 and the remaining $150,000 you’ll be taxed on.

Many people used loophole this to their advantage when cashing out of multiple properties. They’d move into each home–reside there for two years then sell and move into the next. It was a great way to liquidate investments or rental property from one’s portfolio while enjoying huge tax benefits. Doing away with this practice began in 2009 and this lonely bit of tax code finally managed to find a home.

“Housing bill” picture–cute huh?

*The information contained in this blog is educational and intended for informational purposes only. It does not constitute real estate tax or legal advice, nor does it substitute for advice specific to your situation. Always consult an appropriate professional familiar with your scenario.

Housing Reform Bill Ramifications

Housing reform and what it could mean for you. In our three part series on the housing reform bill we discuss three major changes that could impact your decision to buy, sell or refinance your home. Congress

Part 1

Listen to this short introduction in the player or subscribe to the full Podcast Download housing_reform.mp3

If you can imagine a ball of Silly Putty rolling down the aisles of the senate floor and how much unwanted stuff would stick to it, you can imagine what happened to the housing reform bill as it made its way through congress. Some of what was tacked onto the bill had nothing to do with the current lending issues at all.

At over 700 pages long, it will take awhile to discern what the ramifications will be in the housing or financial markets, but suffice to say we’ve found some interesting changes in existing laws that will have an unexpected, and in most cases, unwanted result. We figure the government wanted to find a way to fund some of these reforms so hang-on…

Most important to remember is the deadline—December 31, 2008. That date is important in two scenarios—buying or refinancing or purchasing a rental property. The first scenario we’ll deal with is purchasing a new home or refinancing your current residence. As it stands, the conforming loan cap which was $417,000 has been raised in high cost areas to $729,750 (125% of median home value for a particular area) will drop back down to $625,500 for the foreseeable future after December 31, 2008. Why is it nice to have a conforming loan? Rates are cheaper since these loans fall under Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac guidelines and are easily sold as securities in the secondary market. What if I’m buying a home for more than $729,750? It doesn’t actually work that way. The maximum loan amount for a conforming loan is $729,750. If one were to put down 20% the home value could not exceed $912,187 in order to stay under the cap—that’s hard to do in the Bay Area. But if you’re buying a home that costs over that amount you can still get a first loan (conforming) for $729,750 and a second for the difference—at a higher rate of course, or elect to make up the difference in cash. Another ramification is there may be some impact to the value of homes near the $912,187 threshold. For instance, a seller may choose to lower their price to $910,000 instead of $920,000 to attract more buyers. In this case the seemingly small differential in price is exacerbated when interest is calculated over 30 years at the higher non-conforming rate.

Here’s an example between buying a home that qualifies for a conforming rate vs. one which is just slightly over the limit.

Sale Price             $912,187              $920,000

Loan                      $729,750              $736,000

Rate                       6.625%                  8.250% (30 year fixed rate as of August 14, 2008)

Monthly               $4,672.67             $5,529.32             diff $856.65

Total interest     $952,410.93        $1,254,555.99     diff $302,145

Notice that the seller asking just slightly over the price threshold of $912,187 will cost the buyer $856.65 per month for a grand total over 30 years of $302,000! Which house would you buy? Based on this example, it’s clear to see why sellers may choose to lower the price of their home to get under this price point if they are even remotely close to the $912,187 threshold. Of course buyers are free to make up the difference in cash to keep their loan at conforming levels.

After December 31, 2008, when the conforming cap reverts to the $625,500, the choice becomes to buy a home worth less in order to qualify for a conforming loan–$819,375, or get a second loan at a much higher rate for the difference. Here’s what that would look like assuming rates remain unchanged and the buyer is purchasing the same home for $912,187. As compared to the above example, the monthly payment would go to $4788.35, or $115.68 more per month, and for a total of $41,641.65 more in interest over 30 years.

Clearly, buying before the year runs out has its distinct advantages—all other factors remaining equal.

Check back to read about the second reason December 31st deadline is importnat and read the second of our three part series on Housing Reform Bill HR3221.

MorganHomes.com

The end of the MLS as we know it

Search_bar_3

Launching the latest and greatest real estate search engine seems to be the new dot com venture. It feels like every time I turn around Inman News is sending me a list of newly launched search engines targeted at the eyes of would-be home shoppers. The latest email alert on August 8th was an article titled, “20 Online Real Estate Sites You Don’t Know About… But Should”.

That’s great I thought. Add that to the 1000+ other real estate search engines and you realize that all this information is a giant step backward—not forward.

Consumers want to be able to do their own legwork—like when I’m looking for a car. I peruse all of the available models on-line, run a compare search, limit it to a few possibilities then go visit the showroom. People looking for a home want the same information and once their interest is piqued, they want to see some homes in person.

One good search engine could do that just fine; one that has all of the available homes for sale in the area they’re searching, offers interactive mapping (with aerial views), and while we’re at it a comparison page, a place to save your viewed properties, and just to add more value a list of homes that recently sold nearby.

Our local Multiple Listing Service offers only a few of these features. It does provide for the most current and accurate information on listings listed by local cooperating brokers. And albeit a small fraction of the inventory, what it lacks is for-sale by owner properties. It also lacks many of the trick features these mashed-up web pages offer like property comparisons and a personal profile to store past searches.

What the MLS’s need to do is step-up to the plate and provide more information to the consumer. No consumer wants to search ten different web pages to get the entire inventory and most consumers don’t need a national database of homes for sale. Typically, buyers have narrowed down their search radius to a few miles and boasting of a national database of homes for sale seems more about bragging rights than valuable information.

Will any of these search engines put Joe real estate agent out of business? They had better hope they don’t. Because what they are offering is essentially a data feed and interface—and without real estate agents actually in-putting data into the MLS—which is in turn fed into the secondary web search market—there would be little inventory to view.

Imagine every seller uploading their own data. First, they’d have to make sure they hit all 1000+ search engines since there would be no centralized database to draw from. Second, who would police this data for accuracy, timeliness and authenticity? What about confidential information—how would that be handled? When a home is vacant should the seller input “we’re going on vacation so show our home anytime” on the internet? What type of lock boxes would a seller use and if so would they put the combination on the internet along with their home phone number for showings?

Don’t get me wrong. I love web sites like Zillow who offer fun interactive tools that make home buying more interesting. Let’s face it they have cool maps and fun algorithms and I enjoy looking at them to see the values they come up with. But they aren’t a substitute for people in the trenches gathering data at street level and reporting back to the Mother ship.

I’d like to see a web site that had all the features the consumer wants—then sell it to the local real estate boards since they can’t seem to think of these ideas on their own.

Real Estate Fees REVEALED!

Be sure and get our Podcast where we discuss how to negotiate the best listing fee with your agent and how our variable rate fee structure works. Download Fees.mp3


This chart illustrates the correlation between the price a seller receives of their asking price and the days their home is on the market. Note that the optimum time to sell a home is in the first 14 days. Listen to our complete Podcast for a detailed explanation on how pricing your home right can net you more for your home and reduce the fees we charge!



Belmont Real Estate–Values are holding steady.

Anyone trying to understand the wild fluctuations in Belmont’s median home price need look no further than this chart.

We’ve tracked the median home price in Belmont over the last year—ever since the mortgage crises. What we were looking for was the impact it would have on home values. We sure were stunned to see a $200,000 median price increase last December, which lead us to go back and track the median size home selling too; this way, we could adjust for larger or smaller homes selling in a particular month.

Now that we’ve plotted the data, it’s easy to see that the dramatic swings in median value correspond directly to the large fluctuations in the size of the homes sold during a particular month.

Belmont only has 20 or so sales a month—sometimes far less—so just a few larger than average homes selling can really skew the true median price.

(click on the graph for a larger view)

Data retreived from the Multiple Listing Service–ProListing of San Mateo County

Belmont’s Month’s Supply of Homes

The month’s supply of homes is a great indicator of whether it’s a seller’s or buyer’s market, and how bullish the market is in general. This barometer is calculated by dividing the number of homes available for sale by the number of sales per month.

We’ve tried to smooth out monthly anomalies by taking a three month moving average. Still, it’s clear that the beginning of the year was eventful. What made it so was not an unusual number of new listings but an abnormally low number of sales. So long as sales keep pace with the inventory of homes this line should be straight.

Anytime the month’s supply of homes is greater than two (months), it tends to indicate a buyer’s market. Note that for Belmont it’s currently at 3.25—clearly into Buyers market territory. To help put this number into perspective, for San Mateo County as a whole this number stands at 5.3 months and the national rate is over 10 months of inventory.

Belmont’s Weekly Housing Update-8.01.2008

Altura 

The Belmont Housing inventory is down to only 40 active single family residences for sale. That’s low for this time of year.

There are currently 24 homes pending sale which has helped drive the number of available homes down—last week added another seven to the list.

These are the six new listings that hit the market last week.

â–º2105 CIPRIANI BL
Detached Single Family (Class

4 bed(s) /3 1/2 bath(s)

5,580 sq ft 

Belmont (Belmont) 

$1,199,000

MLS: 80824979

Nice home. Busy street.

â–º2602 CARLMONT DR
Attached Single Family

Carlmont

These are nice (technically attached) homes in one of Belmont’s premiere canyons. Large lots but sometimes small usable yards.

4 bed(s) /2 1/2 bath(s)

17,380 sq ft 

Belmont (Belmont) 

$1,049,000

MLS: 80824689

â–º905 AVON ST
Detached Single Family

Sorry, there appears to be no uploaded pictures for this home. Hmm.

4 bed(s) /2 1/2 bath(s)

8,580 sq ft 

Belmont (Belmont) 

$999,000

MLS: 80825395

â–º80 EDGEWOOD PL
Attached Single Family

This townhome appears fairly priced for the complex.

3 bed(s) /2 1/2 bath(s)

1,932 sq ft 

Belmont (Belmont) 

$998,000

MLS: 80825408

â–º1907 OAK KNOLL DR
Detached Single Family

Oak_knoll

This was our “Best Deal for Belmont” this week. It’s got a nice feel, nice backyard, and it’s located atop one of Belmont’s best locations with a micro-climate protected southern exposure.

3 bed(s) /2 bath(s)

8,250 sq ft 

Belmont (Belmont) 

$988,000

MLS: 80824402

â–º101 FARALLON DR
Townhouse (Class 2)

3 bed(s) /2 1/2 bath(s)

2,389 sq ft 

Belmont (Belmont) 

$839,000

MLS: 80825321

Last week only five homes closed escrow. That’s very strange in that typically buyers try and close escrow at the end of the month to save on pre-paid mortgage interest. These are the five homes which closed escrow this week:

 

â–º140 VIRGINIA AV
Detached Single Family (Class

3 bed(s) /3 bath(s)

5,850 sq ft 

Belmont (Belmont) 

$1,089,000

MLS: 80810712

It’s nice to have this home off of the books. It was listed for $1,089,000 and finally sold 105 days later for $1,025,000–$64K less.

â–º1505 ALTURA WY
Detached Single Family

Someone got a good deal on this home we believe—even though they had to pay $53,000 OVER asking to do so. It sold for $849,000 in 9 days.

3 bed(s) /2 bath(s)

7,800 sq ft 

Belmont (Belmont) 

$799,000

MLS: 80810640

â–º2424 CORONET BL
Detached Single Family

This home had nice southern peninsula views but was TINY. Still, a good buy for the nice neighborhood. This home closed $30K under the seller’s asking price at $769,000.

2 bed(s) /2 bath(s)

5,700 sq ft 

Belmont (Belmont) 

$769,000

MLS: 80817167

â–º1121 GRANADA ST
Detached Single Family

This starter home on the east side sold for $715,000–$10K under the seller’s asking price and in only 14 days.

3 bed(s) /1 bath(s)

4,968 sq ft 

Belmont (Belmont) 

$725,000

MLS: 80812144

â–º817 COVINGTON RD
Detached Single Family

Talk about good value. To be in the Belmont Hills for under $600,000! That’s a nice price point.

2 bed(s) /2 bath(s)

5,150 sq ft 

Belmont (Belmont) 

$589,900

MLS: 80816502