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Are home sellers finally coming back to the market?

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The defining characteristic of the 2023 housing market has been dramatically fewer home sellers than any recent year.

That’s one reason total sales volume has been so low, but it looks now like that’s starting to change.

The inventory picture

There are now 539,000 single-family homes on the market unsold, which is up 3.2% than last year at this time. Housing inventory climbed late in the year as mortgage rates rose. Rates are falling now and if that continues, buyers will jump and inventory will fall well into the first quarter of 2024.

Could we see new inventory from distressed sellers if we see a deep recession? Yes, demand will slow if unemployment climbs, but it’s probably 2025 before we see the bulk of that.

More home sellers enter the market

There were 11% more new sellers this week than last year at this time. All year there have been 10-20-30% fewer sellers, so the tide is starting to turn. These sellers have been matched by an increase in buyers, too, so there were 10% more immediate sales than last year. 

As of now, there are no signs of increased sellers growing out of balance with the number of buyers. There are still far fewer sellers each week than in the pre-pandemic era.

Contracts growing

We continue to see the new contracts grow each week: There were 7.7% more new contracts started this week than the same week a year ago. The market was contracting all the way until October, but is now reliably expanding. This is growth of very low numbers: This isn’t a boom market, of course, but it’s a turn.

Home prices will finish the year up 2-3%

Home prices will finish 2023 with 2%-3% gains over last year. The median price of single-family homes in the U.S. is now $420,000. The leading indicators here show another year of flat home-price change in 2024.

The price reductions data tells us that while demand is still weak, it’s better than last year at this time. We had 37.6% of the homes on the market get a price cut this week, which is still above normal, but should drop into the normal range in January. 

What will the housing market look like in 2024? If mortgage rates were to plummet early in the year, buyers would jump in quickly, inventory would drop and competition would push prices higher. That’s a big if. On the other hand, price reductions show enough weakness that if supply were to surge, prices would correct down very quickly. Supply isn’t surging, but it’s worth watching.

Read more at HousingWire.com

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As Featured in West + Main Home Magazine: Southern Charm Meets Southwest Style

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West + Main Agent Ashley Busch

 
 
 
“When my husband Drake and I purchased our home we knew that the kitchen would need to be remodeled. ”
— Ashley Busch

"It was dark and dated and desperately needed a refresh. We started the process by hiring a designer. I think we have great taste but I wanted to ensure that if we're spending this much money, it should be perfect. We met with Christine at HouseHome and explained to her what we were looking for. I'm originally from Alabama and moved to New Mexico for over a decade so I wanted to incorporate many aspects from the South as well as the Southwest. Christine created a design board (South Meets West) and after seeing her renderings we knew  we had made the right decision. Next we hired our friends Casey and Libby Grimes at Grimes Home Concepts to be the general contractors for the project. They met with us as well as Christine multiple times prior to beginning the project.  They were detailed and organized from the beginning and unlike many other contractors, their timeline was spot on. The entire project took 2.5 months and they were at our home every day ensuring that everything went as planned. We moved the laundry room to the basement and removed the formal dining room altogether to extend the kitchen the entire length of the house."

 
 
 
 

Designer: Christine Rapert HouseHome

General Contractor: Casey Grimes Grimes Home Concepts

Flooring: Elevated Flooring Patrick Mullaney

Countertops: White Lux Quartzite, Arizona Tile

Countertop Fabricator: Brian Beavers, The Stone Broker

Cabinets: Quarter Sawn White Oak - Sander & Sons

Hardware: Rio Grande Co.

Wallpaper: Anthropologie

Light Fixtures: Crate & Barrel, Etsy and Pottery Barn

Jenn-Air Appliances

 
 

“It turned out exactly how we imagined and we couldn't be happier with the results. The kitchen is an absolute dream and I wouldn't change a single thing. My favorite thing(s) are the arched bar, the appliance garage, the drop zone where our kids can hide all their things (it even includes outlets inside for charging their electronics) and the built-in icemaker has been key for hosting! Oh and Drake’s favorite thing is the toe kick lighting!”

 
 
 

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Mortgage refinance demand jumps 19% after rates hit lowest level since July

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Homeowners looking to refinance are finding savings after mortgage rates dropped again last week.

The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances ($726,200 or less) decreased to 7.07% from 7.17%, with points falling to 0.59 from 0.60 (including the origination fee) for loans with a 20% down payment, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. That was the lowest level since July.

“Mortgage rates dropped last week, as incoming data point to a slowing economy and support a pivot by
the Federal Reserve to begin cutting rates next year,” said Mike Fratantoni, MBA senior vice president and chief economist.

As a result, applications to refinance a home loan increased 19% last week from the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s seasonally adjusted index. Refinance demand was 27% higher than the same week one year ago.

“Borrowers who had seen rates near 8% earlier this fall are now seeing some lenders quote rates below 7%. Refinance volume picked up in response to this drop in rates, with a particularly notable increase for FHA and VA refinance applications,” Fratantoni added.

Applications for a mortgage to purchase a home rose 4% for the week but were still 18% lower than the same week one year ago. Homebuyers today may be getting a break from lower mortgage rates, but there is still tough competition in a market with high prices and few homes for sale.

Mortgage rates have not moved much this week, as economic data so far has come in aligned with expectations. That could change Wednesday, depending on the outcome of the latest Federal Reserve meeting and comments from Chair Jerome Powell. Markets expect the Fed to hold steady on its benchmark rate while anticipating cuts next year.

Read more at CNBC.com

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Don’t Throw Out Broken Christmas Lights — Here Are 7 Ways to Recycle Them

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When I asked my child to grab an empty plastic bin from the basement, I did not at all mean, “Please go to the basement, pour out a container of Christmas decorations onto the hard concrete floor, and bring the empty bin to me.”

Clearly, my communication skills were at fault.

All this to say, I fully expect that at least a few strands of our Christmas lights will be broken when we decorate the tree next week. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to recycle the malfunctioning lights, and my favorite option could not be easier. 

Visit participating hardware stores.

This method is a win-win. Drop your broken lights at participating hardware stores, such as The Home Depot, during their recycling windows. The best part? You can pick up replacements while you’re there. Be sure to call ahead, as some locations offer this recycling service and others do not. 

Try a grocery store.

If you’re lucky enough to live near a MOM’s Organic Market, you can drop off your broken string lights when you pick up cranberry sauce and holiday pies.

Visit a local recycler.

I live in Portland, Oregon, where lots of people are committed to recycling. If you live in a similarly green metro area, look for a Find a Recycler search tool on your city’s website. My “holiday lights” query had more than a dozen local results, including Free Geek and Pride Disposal Company. If your city doesn’t offer a Find a Recycler program, try the Green Directory search tool from Green Citizen instead, and use the search term “Christmas lights.” 

Head to the thrift store.

Select Habitat for Humanity ReStore locations offer an onsite metal recycling program and will strip holiday lights for copper. Contact your local store to make sure they accept string lights before you go. Goodwill and Salvation Army will accept *working* holiday lights. This is a great option if you decide to go with a new color this year and need to find a home for last year’s functional lights. 

Recycle by mail.

I find mailing packages inexplicably difficult, but if a trip to the post office, FedEx, or UPS store feels like a breeze to you, simply mail your old Christmas lights to Holiday LEDS at this address: Holiday LEDS Recycling, W227N6225 Sussex Road, Door No. 12, Sussex, WI 53089. Once you’ve mailed your lights, complete this online form to receive a coupon for new lights! Green Citizen also offers string light recycling by mail, although they charge a small fee in addition to shipping costs. 

Reuse them (really!).

If you use vintage-style strands with large bulbs, you can spray paint the bulbs silver or gold to create a DIY holiday garland. They also make great gift decorations in lieu of a bow, or you can add them to a napkin ring for a DIY seasonal touch. It’s harder to reuse standard strands with small bulbs, but if only a few lights are out, you can use them to decorate a holiday wreath or place them in a jar for a festive night light.

Put broken holiday lights in your Ridwell bin. 

This is my favorite method of them all because it requires almost no effort. I pay a small fee for twice-monthly recycling pick-ups from Ridwell. Every December or January, one of their rotating categories is “holiday lights.” I drop broken strings in the cute “Featured Category” canvas bag and move on with my day. Find out if Ridwell serves your neighborhood here. 

Whether your lights met their end on a concrete floor like mine (sigh) or they finally burned out after years of service, the good news is you have plenty of options for disposing of them safely. Wherever you live, you can avoid sending all of that plastic, copper, and glass to a landfill.

Read more at ApartmentTherapy.com

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3 Valuable Lessons for Anyone Entering Their Homeowner Era in 2024

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The past few years have brought some unprecedented changes to the world of real estate — hello, record low inventory, record high prices, and mortgage rates the likes of which we haven’t seen in decades — which means a lot of people are dealing with totally new situations that wouldn’t have been common even as recently as a year ago, especially first-time homebuyers.

Fortunately, they’re willing to share what they’ve learned so that if you’re shopping for a home, you can go into the 2024 buying season with your eyes open and be a little better armed for what’s in store for next year.

There Is Such Thing as “Too Good to Be True”

When Sherrie Adams was shopping for a home to be near her 84-year-old father, she faced a situation that a lot of other people had become familiar with over the years: homes were going under contract faster than she could get to come in and see them. Finally, after a lot of searching, she found one within walking distance of her dad that Adams called “magazine perfect.” Her higher-than-asking price offer was accepted and it wasn’t long before she, her daughter, and her two grandchildren found themselves in the perfect setup. At least, that’s what she thought. 

“Day after closing, my family room flooded,” she recalls, saying that the outdoor sump pump had been full of leaves, something the previous homeowner said had never happened before. After reevaluating her new home, she discovered that the driveway had been redone, giving the yard just enough of a slant that all the water pooled at her backdoor, which she didn’t open during the initial tour.

“I would advise anyone to look really close at everything,” she said of her regrets. “Backyards, opened and closed doors, cabinets, washer and dryers, dishwashers,” she says, noting that she never expected to have to take on all this extra work in her picture-perfect house. 

Your Down Payment Might Not Be the Biggest Expense

Jarred Schlottman said he’d always assumed that the hardest part of buying his first house was going to be saving the money he needed for his down payment. Instead, he was shocked to learn that the closing costs were the most expensive part of the process. “People fixate on not having enough for a down payment, but the closing costs were a huge shocker,” he said, adding that he didn’t even receive the final figures — which ended up being 12 percent of his total loan amount — until the morning of his closing. 

There’s Nothing “Fast” or “Perfect” About Buying a Home

When Danielle Payton, founder of health and wellness website kuudose, started looking for a house, she thought she’d have no trouble quickly finding the “perfect home” right away. Instead, she says that she learned that there’s nothing “perfect” about the process and it does take awhile. She discovered that she needed to fall in love with her home’s possibilities. “I learned that your ‘perfect’ home might not exist right away, but it’s important to see the potential your home has,” she explains, noting that factors such as size, location, and amenities are key, but the rest can be updated and upgraded over time. 

Payton says she also learned that there’s nothing fast about the home-buying experience and she was surprised by just how long it took from start to finish, adding that “it’s all worth it in the end to be a homeowner.”

While 2023 may have been a year of lessons for some, we have a hunch 2024 is going to be full of a whole new set of challenges and rewards for hopeful homeowners.

Read more at ApartmentTherapy.com

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