What FICO® Score Do You Need to Qualify for a Mortgage? While a recent announcement from CNBC shares that the average national FICO® score has reached an all-time high of 706, the good news for potential buyers is that you don’t need a score that high to qualify for a...

What Is the Cost of Waiting Until Next Year to Buy? Some Highlights: The “cost of waiting to buy” is defined as the additional funds necessary to buy a home if prices and interest rates were to increase over a period of time. Freddie Mac forecasts interest rates will...

Is Your House “Priced to Sell Immediately”? In today’s real estate market, more houses are coming to market every day. Eager buyers are searching for their dream homes, so setting the right price for your house is one of the most important things you can do. According...

Utah had the second highest house-price appreciation of all states in the second quarter year-over-year Utah had the second highest house-price appreciation of all states in the second quarter year-over-year, according to a new report by the Federal Housing Finance...

Utah Realty 4 Reasons to Sell This Fall Some Highlights: Buyers are active in the market and often competing with one another for available listings. Housing inventory is still under the 6-month supply found in a normal housing market. Homes are still selling...

Experts Predict a Strong Housing Market for the Rest of 2019 We’re in the back half of the year, and with a decline in interest rates as well as home price and wage appreciation, many are wondering what the predictions are for the remainder of 2019. Here’s what some...

The Benefits of Growing Equity in Your Home Over the last couple of years, we’ve heard quite a bit about rising home prices. Today, expert projections still forecast continued growth, just at a slower pace. One of the often-overlooked benefits of rising home prices is...

Utah Mortgage Rates at a 3 Year Low

How to Increase Your Equity Over the Next 5 Years Many of the questions currently surrounding the real estate industry focus on home prices and where they are heading. The most recent Home Price Expectation Survey (HPES) helps target these projected answers. Here are...

If you are Thinking about Selling and Live in Utah? You should read this first! Why Now Is the Perfect Time to Sell Your House As a homeowner, it’s always tempting to dream about the next big project you’re going to tackle. The possibilities are endless. Should I...

3 Expert Insights On Inventory In The Current Market The current housing landscape presents greater home values, low interest rates, and high buyer demand. All of these factors point to the strong market forecasted to continue throughout the rest of the year. There...

What Experts are Saying About the Current Housing Market We’re halfway through the year, and with a decline in interest rates as well as home price and wage appreciation, many are wondering what the experts predict for the second half of 2019. Here’s what some have to...

Home Prices Up 5.05% Across the Country [INFOGRAPHIC] Some Highlights: The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) recently released their latest Quarterly Home Price Index report. In the report, home prices are compared both regionally and by state. Based on the latest...

Wasatch Front median home prices bottomed in 2011, years after The Great Recession ended. Since then, home prices (all housing types) have been on the rise. The median price of Wasatch Front homes sold in the first quarter of this year was $308,000, 75 percent higher...

Some Highlights: Interest rates are projected to increase steadily heading into 2020. The higher your interest rate, the more money you will end up paying for your home and the higher your monthly payment will be. Rates are still low right now – don’t wait until they...

Is Your First Home Now Within Your Grasp? Some Highlights: According to the US Census Bureau, “millennials” are defined as 18-36-year-olds. According to NAR’s latest Profile of Home Buyers & Sellers, the median age of all first-time home buyers is 32. More and...

Utah is No. 3 in the nation in house-price appreciation. In the first quarter, prices in the Beehive state increased 8.94 percent, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Idaho was No. 1 in price increases. Maryland came in last place. Home prices there...

4 Tips to Sell Your Home Faster Since June of last year, we have seen an increase in the inventory of homes for sale month per month. Every spring and summer, the inventory increases because people want to sell their home. For those with children, they may want to be...

Now’s the Time to Move-Up and Upgrade Your Current Home! Homes priced at the top 25% of the price range for a particular area of the country are considered "premium homes." In today’s real estate market, there are deals to be had at the higher end! This is great news...

10 Steps to Buying a Home This Summer [INFOGRAPHIC] Some Highlights: If you are thinking of buying a home, you may not know where to start. Here is a simple list of 10 steps that you will go through to purchase a home. Make sure to ask your agent for details about...

Happy Independence Day! Wishing you & yours a safe & Happy 4th of July!

Stop Wondering What Your Budget Is & Get Pre-Approved! In many markets across the country, the number of buyers searching for their dream homes outnumbers the number of homes for sale. This has led to a competitive marketplace where buyers often need to stand out....

What You Need to Know About Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI)  Courtesy of Utah Realty Whether it is your first time or your fifth, it is always important to know all the facts when it comes to buying a home. With the large number of mortgage programs available that...

5 Reasons to Sell Your House This Summer with Utah Realty Here are 5 compelling reasons listing your home for sale this summer makes sense. 1. Demand Is Strong The latest Buyer Traffic Index  from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) shows that buyer demand...

Time for Your Dream Home, Gen X! During the housing market crash, Gen X homeowners lost more wealth than other generations. However, things are changing now! A strong economy, increasing home prices, and the recovery of the housing market are helping this generation...

3 Things to Know in the Housing Market Today! A lot is happening in the world, and it’s having a direct impact on the housing market. The reality is this: some of it is positive and some of it may be negative. Some we just don’t know yet. The following three areas of...

2 Myths Holding Back Home Buyers Freddie Mac recently released a report entitled, “Perceptions of Down Payment Consumer Research.” Their research revealed that, “For many prospective homebuyers, saving for a down payment is the largest barrier to achieving the goal of...

What is Important to Boomers when Selling their House? If you are a “baby boomer” (born between 1946 and 1964), you may be thinking about selling your current home. Your children may have finally moved out. Your large, four-bedroom house with three bathrooms no longer...

The Feeling You Get from Owning Your Home We often talk about the financial reasons why buying a home makes sense. But, more often than not, the emotional reasons are the more powerful and compelling ones. No matter what shape or size your living space is, the concept...

Some Highlights: June is National Homeownership Month! Now is a great time to reflect on the many benefits of homeownership that go way beyond the financial. What reasons do you have to own your own home?

The Ultimate Truth about Housing Affordability Courtesy of Marty Gale Utah Realty  There have been many headlines decrying an “affordability crisis” in the residential real estate market. While it is true that buying a home is less affordable than it had been over the...

2 Things You Need to Know to Properly Price Your Home In today’s housing market, home prices are increasing at a slower pace (3.7%) than they have over the last eight years (6-7%). However, they are still are above historical norms. Low supply of listed homes and high...

All Gave Some. Some Gave All. The Memorial Day of May 27th 2019 We remember, today and always.

The Impact Staging Your Home Has On Your Sale Price. Utah Realty educational blog of the day Some Highlights: The National Association of Realtors surveyed their members & released the findings of their Profile of Home Staging. 62% of seller’s agents say that...

Top Days to List Your Home for Sale Some Highlights: ATTOM Data Solutions conducted an analysis of more than 29 million single family home and condo sales over the past eight years to determine the top days to list your home for sale. The top five days to list your...

Are Older Generations Really Not Selling Their Homes? Many studies suggest one of the main reasons for the inventory shortage in today’s market of homes for sale is that older generations have chosen to “age in place” over moving. The 2019 Home Buyers & Sellers...

Starting the Search for Your Dream Home? Here Are 5 Tips! In today’s real estate market, low inventory dominates the conversation in many areas of the country. It can often be frustrating to be a first-time homebuyer if you aren’t prepared. In...

Salt Lake City's Home Prices Keep Climbing   Salt Lake home prices have increased nearly 47 percent over the past five years, and more than 371 percent since 1991, according to a recent report by the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Nationwide, home prices have...

Utah Realty Presents A Tale of Two Markets [INFOGRAPHIC] Some Highlights: An emerging trend for some time now has been the difference between available inventory and demand in the premium and luxury markets and that in the starter and trade-up markets and what those...

Home Buyers are Optimistic About Homeownership! When we consider buying an item, we naturally go through a research process prior to making our decision. We ask our friends and family members who have made similar purchases about their experience, we get opinions and...

Why Access Is One of the Most Important Factors in Getting Your House Sold! So, you’ve decided to sell your house. You’ve hired a real estate professional to help you through the entire process, and they have asked you what level of access you want to provide to your...

The Cost of Renting vs. Buying This Spring Some Highlights: Historically, the choice between renting or buying a home has been a tough decision. Looking at the percentage of income needed to rent a median-priced home today (27.7%) vs. the percentage needed to buy a...

Your Fabulous New Dream Home is Now Available Over the last several years, many “baby boomers” have undergone a metamorphosis. Their children have finally moved out and they can now dream about their own future. For many, a change in lifestyle might necessitate a...

How Quickly Can You Save Your Down Payment? Saving for a down payment is often the biggest hurdle for a first-time homebuyer. Depending on where you live, median income, median rents, and home prices all vary. So, we set out to find out how long it would take to save...

With Inventory Low: Will Your Dream Home Need Some TLC? According to a new survey from Move.com, the wave of first-time homebuyers hitting the market this summer has resulted in an interesting statistic. Nearly 60% of buyers searching for a home this spring are...

Selling Your House: Here’s Why You Need A Pro In Your Corner! With home prices on the rise and buyer demand still strong, some sellers may be tempted to try to sell their homes on their own rather than using the services of a real estate professional. Real estate...

Homeowners: Now Is A Good Time To Sell Your House Every month, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) releases their Seller Traffic Index as a part of their Realtors Confidence Index. In the latest release, NAR reported that homeowners have been reluctant to sell...

Buyer Demand Surging in Utah as Spring Market Begins Last fall, some predicted that the 2019 residential real estate market would be a disaster. There was even belief we might experience a housing crash like the one that occurred during the last decade. However,...

Are Low Interest Rates Here to Stay? Interest rates for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage have been on the decline since November, now reaching lows last seen in January 2018. According to Freddie Mac’s latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey, rates came in at 4.12% last...

3 Questions You Need To Ask Before Buying A Home If you are debating purchasing a home right now, you are probably getting a lot of advice. Though your friends and family have your best interests at heart, they may not be fully aware of your needs and what is...

Home Value Appreciation Stops Falling, Begins to Stabilize The percentage of home price appreciation on a year-over-year basis has decreased each month for over a year. The question was how far annual appreciation would fall. It seems we may now have the answer. In a...

Yvonne is celebrating the purchase of her lovely rambler home. Congratulations Yvonne!

Home Buyer Demand Will Be Strong for Years to Come There has been a lot written about millennials and their preference to live in city centers above their favorite pizza place. Some have even gone so far as to say that millennials are a “Renter-Generation”. And while...

Why Pet-Friendly Homes Are in High Demand One of the many benefits of owning your own home is the freedom to find your ‘furever’ friend. By pointing out the aspects of your home that make it ‘pet-friendly’ in your listing, you’ll attract these buyers, rather than...

Selling Your Family Home is a Type of Loss It’s easy to tell yourself that your house is just a building made of walls and ceilings and light fixtures and flooring, but when it comes time to sell, you may start to feel the sting of grief. After all, you don’t know if...

3 Graphs that Show What You Need to Know About Today’s Real Estate Market The Housing Market has been a hot-topic in the news lately. Depending on which media outlet you watch, it can start to be a bit confusing to understand what’s really going on with interest rates...

Looking to Upgrade Your Current Home? Now’s the Time to Move-Up! In every area of the country, homes that are priced at the top 25% of the price range for that area are considered to be Premium Homes. In today’s real estate market there are deals to be had at the...

Utah home prices increased 9.80 percent in the fourth quarter year-over-year, giving the state the third fastest growing home prices nationally, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Idaho was No. 1, with prices there rising 11.93 percent. North Dakota was...

What Credit Score Do You Need To Buy A House? There are many misconceptions about the credit score needed to buy a house. Recently, it was reported that 24% of renters believe they need a 780-800 credit score to be considered for a mortgage. The reality is they are...

3 Reasons Why We Are Not Heading Toward Another Housing Crash With home prices softening, some are concerned that we may be headed toward the next housing crash. However, it is important to remember that today’s market is quite different than the bubble market of...

How To List Your Home for the Best Price If your plan for 2019 includes selling your home, you will want to pay attention to where experts believe home values are headed. According to the latest Home Price Index from CoreLogic, home prices increased by 4.7% over the...

Why It Makes No Sense to Wait for Spring to Sell The price of any item (including residential real estate) is determined by the theory of ‘supply and demand.’ If many people are looking to buy an item and the supply of that item is limited, the price of that item...

The Difference Having a Professional on Your Side Makes In today’s fast-paced world, where answers are a Google search away, there are some who may wonder what the benefits of hiring a real estate professional to help them in their home search are. The truth is, with...

Did you know? Utah Housing has made some changes to our Loan Programs; these changes will become effective with Mortgage Purchase Agreements (interest rate locks) issued on or after February 11, 2019.  https://utahhousingcorp.org/   HomeAgain: May include an...

Housing Market Statistics for December of 2018  

With interest rates still around 4.5%, now is a great time to look back at where rates have been over the last 40 years. Rates are projected to climb to 5.0% by this time next year according to Freddie Mac. The impact your interest rate makes on your monthly mortgage...

Want to Get the Most Money from The Sale of Your Home? Use These 2 Tips! Every homeowner wants to make sure they maximize their financial reward when selling their home. But how do you guarantee that you receive the maximum value for your house? Here are two keys to...