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All Blog Entries by Marjorie Dick Stuart

Found 677 blog entries published by Marjorie Dick Stuart.

Americans Believe Real Estate is Best Long-Term Investment | Simplifying The Market

According to Bankrate’s latest Financial Security Index Poll, Americans who have money to set aside for the next 10 years would rather invest in real estate than any other type of investment.

Bankrate asked Americans to answer the following question:

“Which would be the best way to invest money you did not need for more than 10 years?”

Real Estate came in as the top choice with 25% of all respondents, while cash investments (such as savings accounts and CD’s) came in second with 23%. The chart below shows the full results:

Americans Believe Real Estate is Best Long-Term Investment | Simplifying The Market

Sterling White, co-founder of Holdfolio, gave one reason as to why real estate may have ranked so high.

"Houses are tangible. You can physically see and feel the product. So you know where your money is

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The Top Reason to List Your House For Sale Now! | Simplifying The Market

If you are debating listing your house for sale this year, here is the #1 reason not to wait! 

Buyer Demand Continues to Outpace the Supply of Homes For Sale

The National Association of REALTORS’ (NAR) Chief Economist, Lawrence Yun recently commented on the inventory shortage:

“With demand holding firm and homes selling even faster than a year ago, the notable increase in closings in recent months took a dent out of what was available for sale.

Realtors are acknowledging, with increasing frequency lately, that buyers continue to be frustrated by the tense competition and lack of affordable homes for sale in their market.”

The latest Existing Home Sales Report shows that there is currently a 4.6-month supply of homes for sale.

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Brexit 1 Month Later: The Impact on Mortgage Rates | My KCM

Just over a month ago, the United Kingdom decided to withdraw from the European Union in a decision commonly known as Brexit. At that time there was a lot of speculation on how that decision would impact the U.S. residential mortgage market. Today, we want to look at the impact of the first 30 days.

Most believed that the Brexit decision would drive mortgage rates down and keep them down for some time. As CoreLogic reported:

 “First-time buyers can count on continued low mortgage rates to help with affordability issues. Similarly, re-setting adjustable rate loans will have less of a rate shock, and in some cases may even go down.”

What has actually happened?

Initially, rates did fall. However, Freddie Mac has reported that rates have

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Please stop by...OPEN 1-4pm Saturday, July 23rd SUNDAY open house CANCELLED!

1912 37th Street NW

Fabulous 3-4 bedroom with 2 full baths, living room with fireplace, separate dining room, open kitchen to 2 story family room addition with floor to ceiling windows, sliding doors to stone patio & lovely fenced garden.  Wood floors throughout, central air conditioning & 3 skylights.  Separate 1,050 sq. ft. lot conveys, abundant parking.  Great location steps to Georgetown! 

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Please stop by...OPEN 1-4pm Satruday, July 23rd

3970 Langley Court #E617

Sparkling, updated one bedroom plus loft on top floor with cathedral ceiling, skylights, park views and wood floors in excellent condition! Washer/dryer and central air. Outdoor pool and tot lot. Walk to tennis, dog park, playground, parks, gardens, Giant, CVS, restaurants, post office and more!

Condo fee: $494.87 per month includes management, general maintenance of common areas, landscaping, trash & snow removal, master insurance policy, reserves, gas, water & sewer.

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Baby Boomers Are On the Move | Simplifying The Market

According to a Merrill Lynch study, “an estimated 4.2 million retirees moved into a new home last year alone.” Two-thirds of retirees say that they are likely to move at least once during retirement.

As one participant in the study stated:

“In retirement, you have the chance to live anywhere you want. Or you can just stay where you are. There hasn’t been another time in life when we’ve had that kind of freedom.”

The top reason to relocate cited was “wanting to be closer to family” at 29%, a close second was “wanting to reduce home expenses” at 26%.

A recent Freddie Mac study found similar results, as “nearly 20 percent of Boomers said they would move closer to their grandchildren/children compared to 13 percent who said they would

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Rent Set to Exceed $535 Billion Paid Last Year | Simplifying The Market

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) was released by the Labor Department last week. An analysis by Market Watch revealed the cost of rent was 3.8% higher than a year ago for the second straight month in June. That’s the strongest yearly price gain since 2007.

This coincides with a report released earlier this month in which AxioMetrics announced that rents are continuing to increase in 2016. The report revealed:

  • There was a 3.7% increase in effective rents in the second quarter of 2016 as compared to the same period last year.
  • That the effective rent growth this quarter compared to last quarter was 2.3%.
  • Annual effective rent growth was positive in 49 of the top 50 markets, based on number of units. Only Houston was negative, at -1.4%, as
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A Homeowner’s Net Worth is 45x Greater Than a Renter’s! | Simplifying The Market

Every three years, the Federal Reserve conducts a Survey of Consumer Finances in which they collect data across all economic and social groups. The latest survey, which includes data from 2010-2013, reports that a homeowner’s net worth is 36 times greater than that of a renter ($194,500 vs. $5,400).

In a Forbes article, the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) Chief Economist Lawrence Yun predicts that in 2016 the net worth gap will widen even further to 45 times greater.

The graph below demonstrates the results of the last two Federal Reserve studies and Yun’s prediction:

A Homeowner’s Net Worth is 45x Greater Than a Renter’s! | Simplifying The Market

 

Put Your Housing Cost to Work for You

Simply put, homeownership is a form of ‘forced savings.’ Every time you pay your mortgage, you are contributing to your

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Washington's Best Real Estate Agents

In one of the nations hottest housing markets, which is home to thousands of real estate agents, arriving at a list of 101 names was no simple feat. First, we surveyed nearly 50,000 local Washingtonian subscribers, plus the more than 1,000 agents who made last year's Best Agents and Top Producers lists.

We asked both groups whom they most enjoyed working with, based on a number of criteria including market knowledge,integrity, communication skills, and closing preparation.

We further vetted those results by contacting still more real estate industry professionals, among them mortgage brokers, additional agents, and home
inspectors. For those house-hunting in particular, we've included neighborhoods where

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