Everyone has their own specific set of factors that that can motivate them to jump into the housing market.
For those potential buyers still on the fence about whether they want to buy, LendingTree outlined four reasons why people may want to start their homebuying process this summer.
Four reasons you should consider buying a home now:
1. Interest rates are not going down anytime soon.
Interest rates are currently hovering slightly below 4% for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage. However, Zillow is expecting interest rates to rise to 5% by the end of the year, which is a huge difference from the nearly 4% interest rate we are currently experiencing.
Interest rates are not expected to stay at historic lows anytime in the near future, so buying a home sooner rather than later may mean that you may be able to save a few thousand dollars each year, depending on the amount of the mortgage you plan on taking out.
According to the most recent Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Rate Survey, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 4.02% with an average 0.7 point for the week ending June 25, 2015, up from last week when it averaged 4.00%. A year ago at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 4.14%.
2. There are cheaper mortgage insurance premiums in effect.
Due to there being cheaper mortgage insurance premiums, in some cases it may be a better idea to buy a home sooner due to all of the other benefits of buying now, instead of waiting later when housing may be more expensive and interest rates may be higher. Yes, saving for a larger down payment may be a great idea, but when you combine all of the factors in this article, you may actually find yourself losing money over the long-term.
Back in January, The Obama Administration directed, via executive action, the Federal Housing Administration to reduce annual mortgage insurance premiums by 50 basis points, from 1.35% to 0.85%.
3. Home values are expected to increase.
Home prices are said to be increasing and they are only expected to keep increasing in the future. Inventory is down and is expected to shrink further, homes are being sold above asking price, and interest rates are climbing. Also, according to Freddie Mac, home prices are expected to see a price gain of 4.5% in 2015 alone, and they’re expected to keep increasing in the following years.
The latest house price index from the Federal Housing Finance Agency said home prices slightly increased in April, inching up 0.3% from March.
4. Rent prices are increasing.
Rent prices are increasing month after month in the United States. In many areas in the U.S., you may even find yourself paying a higher amount towards rent each month than you would if you had a monthly mortgage payment.
According to Zillow’s most recent real estate market report, rents for residential housing in the United States grew at their fastest pace in two years in April, surpassing home values. Rents outpaced home values in 20 of the 35 largest U.S. housing markets.
