December Housing Stats- INVENTORY IS LOW!

Good morning Sunshine!

I am so sorry we’ve been so absent on the blog lately, but Ashley had her baby! Wyatt Christopher McLaren is here and we are so in love with him! That being said, we are back and ready for action and to HELP YOU SAVE MONEY when listing/buying your home! See below for the December housing report from St. Louis Realtors Board of Association. Single Family Housing Inventory IS DOWN 21.9%! Holy Cow! That means, you guessed it, it is a sellers market. Inventory is low and you have WAY less competition currently. To find out more about how we can help get you started and save you THOUSANDS of dollars along the way, reach out to Ashley at ashley@sunshinerealtystl.com or call us at 636-336-1330. Here is the rest of the report findings from the board,

“In 2019 home prices were up again in most markets. Buyer demand continues to be strong but with tepid seller activity still in many locations, total sales are lower than they would normally be in a more balanced market. While up from their recent lows a few months ago, mortgage rates end the year close to three-quarters of a percent lower than a year ago, helping to improve affordability and offset rising home prices. New listings increased five percent for residential homes and 22.5 percent for townhouse/condo homes. Pending sales decreased 5.6 percent for residential homes and 15.3 percent for townhouse/condo homes. Inventory decreased 21.9 percent for residential homes and 9.4 percent for townhouse/condo homes. Median sales price increased 11 percent to $205,700 for residential homes and 9.3 percent to $167,300 for townhouse/condo homes. Days on market remained flat for residential homes but increased 14.6 percent for townhouse/condo properties. Months supply of inventory decreased 20.0 percent for residential homes and 9.7 percent for townhouse/condo homes. With low mortgage rates, low unemployment, and continued wage growth, home buyer activity is expected to remain healthy into the new year. New construction has been on the rise in 2019 and is expected to continue into 2020, but many experts note that the country is still not building enough new units to quench demand. It remains to be seen whether existing homeowners will be enticed to sell by higher home prices, which could finally bring the overall housing market into greater balance.”

Have an amazing day!

-The Sunshine Team

Ashley, Evelyn & Dana

 

Declutter Craze Help!

With all of the Marie Kondo fanatics out there lately, and since we get this question ALL the time, we thought we’d post a helpful guide for decluttering that we recently saw on Pinterest. We hope this helps you in your spring cleaning phase, and remember, if you are in St. Louis, Jefferson, St. Charles, Warren or Lincoln County, MO, we can help you list and sell your home and save you THOUSANDS in the process with commissions! Reach out today to find out how we can help make this process a fun and smooth one!

Have a Sunshine rest of your Hump Day everyone!

-The Sunshine Team

Ashley, Evelyn & Dana

Fees You May NOT Have Prepared For…

Happy February Sunshine!

Today, and lately actually, we have been working with a lot of sellers and buyers that don’t know about certain fees/costs that are involved in the home buying process. Particularly, closing fees, title fees, inspections both government and home, etc. We found a FANTASTIC article written by houselogic.com discussing a lot of these “unknowns” that many people, especially first time home buyers, may not know about.

Check it out here: Unknown fees for a Buyer

To recap a lot of it here, a buyer has many fees when it comes to buying a home ON TOP of the actual purchase price. These costs can include an appraisal ordered by the lender, lender fees, title company and search fees that help provide clear title, possible survey fee if you want to know where your property ends and begins, home inspection fees including radon, sewer, pest & overall home, etc. ALL THINGS TO THINK ABOUT before you take the plunge into the home buying process :). We hope this helps brighten your day just a bit and gives you just a little more insight into the home purchase process and what to plan ahead for!

Have a Sunshine Day everyone! And remember, if you need help in selling, buying or both, we are here for you! Give us a call today at 636-336-1330 and ask for Ashley to get your simplified process started :). Everyone needs a little help every once in a while 😉

-The Sunshine Team

Ashley, Evelyn & Dana

Repairs to make before listing your home

Hey Sunshine!

Today, I saw a really great article on houselogic.com about repairs to make before selling your home. Here is the link…has some great info in there including fixing outdated grout, damaged yard, pet damage, floor damage and water stain damage!

Houselogic article: repairs to make before selling your home

Those are all fantastic recommendations…especially the info on water stains. Those scare buyers! Fix them, especially if what caused them are already taken care of! Easy and SO SO worth it!

Here are a few other things we recommend sellers do before listing their home:

*Paint over dark colors with neutral tones to brighten your space.

*Service your AC/Heater if you haven’t done so in over a year.

*Clean and stretch any carpeting that looks outdated to give it a new look!

*Paint/repair baseboards/doors

These recommendations plus the other great ideas in the houselogic.com article are great starters to getting your home ready to list and meet with a listing agent! Call us today for a free consult to learn about these and MUCH MORE!

Happy Monday!

The Sunshine Team

Ashley, Evelyn & Dana

 

 

 

Prados & Roasted come to Lake St Louis

Two of our very dear friends helped open up these two gems in The Meadows in Lake Saint Louis. Roasted is a coffee and wine bar ready to feed any quench you may have. Prados is an upscale restaurant serving Mexican and Spanish cuisine bound to impress even the pickiest foodie! Check them out and check out this awesome article STLmag published on their site! The Meadows continues to grow in Lake Saint Louis offering more stores, walking/shopping and restaurants for every occasion. Don’t miss out on this awesome establishment!

Is the Economy a positive factor in YOUR buying decision currently?

Apparently, according to Fannie Mae, the economy is a positive uptick in American’s decision to purchase a home currently. How do you feel about the economy and home sales right now? Give us a call today to see how we can help you save EVEN more with all star and recognized service!

“WASHINGTON, DC – The Fannie Mae Home Purchase Sentiment Index® (HPSI) decreased slightly in September, falling 0.3 points to 87.7, reversing August’s increase. The dip can be attributed to decreases in three of the six components, including the mortgage rate and household income components. The net share of Americans who said it is a good time to buy a home rose by 5 percentage points, while the net share who said it is a good time to sell a home remained unchanged. However, the net share who expect mortgage rates to go down over the next 12 months fell 4 percentage points, and the net share of survey respondents who said their household income is significantly higher than it was 12 months ago decreased 3 percentage points. Respondents also expressed a slightly more pessimistic view on job security, with the net share confident about not losing their job falling by 1 percentage point. Finally, the net share of respondents who said that home prices will go up in the next 12 months increased 1 percentage point.”

read more of this article about the economy, rates and homebuyers thoughts here:

http://fanniemae.com/portal/media/corporate-news/2018/september-home-purchase-sentiment-index-6772.html?utm_source=AKZO+Media+Subscribers&utm_campaign=b806c45fd5-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_10_09_09_03&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_134f701abc-b806c45fd5-276542805

Have a Sunshine Friday everyone!

Posted by Ashley Murphy McLaren with Sunshine Realty. Reach out to Ashley!

636-336-1330 ask for Ashley Or ashley@sunshinrealtystl.com

Home Sales Decrease as Interest Rate Increases

Heads up! Great article on the declining home sales due to the inevitable increase in interest rates. Read up!

“Existing home sales fell 3.4% in September causing home sales to tumble more than 4% from a year ago this time, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Sales are now clocking in at a seasonally adjusted rate of 5.1 million, down from 5.37 million in September of 2017.

“This is the lowest existing home sales level since November 2015,” said Lawrence Yun, chief economist at NAR. “A decade’s high mortgage rates are preventing consumers from making quick decisions on home purchases. All the while, affordable home listings remain low, continuing to spur under-performing sales activity across the country.”

Interest rates are on the rise. Mortgage interest rates averaged 4.85% on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage for the week ending October 18, according to Freddie Mac. The 15-year adjustable rate mortgage averaged 4.26% while the 5-year ARM averaged 4.1%. Last year, this time, mortgage rates were under 4%.”

Read more here : https://gateless.com/articles/close-buyers/existing-home-sales-down-as-interest-rates-rise?CampaignId=492

Need to save money in the home buying and selling process?! WE CAN HELP with OUR commission structure! Call us today to find out how!

Have a Sunshine Day!

Ashley, Evelyn & Dana

Know your rates!

HERE ARE YOUR CURRENT RATES in St. Louis! Thanks to our friends at CapGrow Home Mortgage for the update!

Conventional 30 year fixed                            4.625%           0 pts

Conventional 30 year fixed 3% Down           4.625%           0 pts

Conventional 20 year fixed                            4.500%           0 pts

Conventional 15 year fixed                            4.250%           0 pts

Conventional 5 year ARM                            4.375%           0 pts

FHA/USDA/VA 30 year fixed                      4.625%           0 pts

Have a Sunshine Day everyone!

-Sunshine Realty STL

Inspections=Negotiation Process #2!

Good morning Sunshine and Happy Monday!

It’s a Friday for us, so we just wanted to wrap up something we’ve come across lately with our sellers/buyers. INSPECTIONS! Anytime I put a buyer under contract on their new dream home, I always, ALWAYS warn them not to get TOO excited until inspection is performed and the inspection notice is signed, sealed & delivered!

So many people don’t understand how crucial the inspection process is. Luckily, one of our favorite inspectors, Zac Lavoi (owner of Greystone Inspection Services), is phenomenal at performing the process & drafting a comprehensible report easy for buyers and sellers to read! Many things can fall apart at inspections that can kill a deal. For example, hidden moisture in walls, foundation issues, roof issues where insurance was claimed but the roof was never replaced, AND SO MUCH MORE!

We recommend doing your research on any inspection company before you hire them. They will be the people that help find ANY and ALL issues with the home you are about to move into. Lord knows you don’t want any surprises AFTER the fact! So this fun meme is for that time Realtors have waiting for that report to come in! LOL! Have a Sunshine week everyone! We hope this helps make it a little brighter!

The Sunshine Team

Ashley, Evelyn & Dana

June Infographic

Here are the top trends in St. Louis real estate for June 2018. Thanks St. Louis Realtors Association for always helping keep our buyers and sellers knowlegable in the current home trends! Have a good night everyone!