March 2012 Updates to All of Our 9 County Real Estate Statistics Charts
Statistics Updated March 14, 2012. Our February 2012 Real Estate Price Trend Chart is a graph that compares the changes of average sold prices on a month-by-month basis for 9 central Maryland counties over the last 7+ years. As with the other graphs, it is representative of all residential property types, e.g. it is a consolidation of condos, townhomes and detached single-family homes. The graph was updated on March 14th, and it now encompasses a date range from July 2004 thru the end of February 2012. The chart is updated every month, usually by no later than the 15th, so you might want to bookmark the site (http://home-sweet-home.us) to keep current on sold pricing trends.
We’ve also updated the current Market Minute reports, which may be directly accessed here. Once you arrive, you’ll be able to “drill down” into the data by county, town, zipcode, etc.
We’ve also updated the Annual YOY charts, which show year over year average and median price trends across 9 central Maryland counties. Be sure to review these charts, as they contain a wealth of information. The Annual Average YOY Chart may be accessed by clicking right here and the Annual Median YOY Chart may be accessed by clicking right here.
Boiling down the statistics, Montgomery and Howard counties appear to be leading a small market recovery with a +2% and +.15% YOY GAIN to average sold prices and a 0% and +1.11% YOY GAIN to median sold prices, respectively. This is obviously great news, not only to prospective home buyers, but to existing home owners as well. This may very well mean that a point of relative market stability has been reached, and hopefully this “bottoming-out” will continue and extend to other surrounding counties this spring.
If you need to obtain an in-depth, personal analysis of specific real estate market data, you can always contact Art via email: associatebroker “at” home-sweet-home.us or call him directly at 443-812-2604.
PLEASE NOTE: you must have Adobe Reader installed on your computer in order to view the graphs.
New HARP Refinance Video
As I revealed in the previous post, “New HARP Refinancing Program for Underwater Homeowners”, you can obtain the latest description of the program by downloading the .pdf document direct from the government’s website.
For those folks who would rather view a video broadcast from a commercial television station, I’ve included one that I ran across below.
New HARP Refinancing Program for Underwater Homeowners
As you probably know, the Administration has announced a new HARP refinancing program, designed to help homeowners whose mortgages exceed the value of their homes. The program hasn’t yet launched, and is expected to on November 15, 2011.
To help you determine whether you might qualify for this HARP refinancing program, here is a direct link that will give you all the details of the plan:
FHFA HARP News Release: (Note: It’s a pdf file, so it will download to your computer!)
http://www.fhfa.gov/webfiles/22721/HARP_release_102411_Final.pdf
Please note that you must have Adobe Reader installed on your computer to read this announcement.
Also note that if you do not qualify, you are not alone. Pundits have stated, and the government actually acknowledges in the announcement, that no one knows exactly how many homeowners may qualify. In fact, this may just be a politically motivated move by the Administration to garner support. However, there will be some people who actually do qualify, and as a result, you should at least read the document to see if that someone is YOU!
QRM What’s all the hubbub about?
Since late last month I’ve been following all the hubbub about QRM, which is short for Qualified Residential Mortgage (requirements). Many real estate bloggers are claiming that the sky is about to fall on home buyers should the Dodd-Frank legislation allow the FDIC to change the mortgage down payment rules.
While I am in no way, shape or form a proponent of legislation to solve our free market woes, I think many other players in the real estate industry are sounding an overly alarmist siren.
For example, I received this “run for the hills” email today from Harris Real Estate University, entitled:
“20% Down Payment Rule Starts April 2011 | Mortgages for the Few, Renting for the Many”
The article goes on to state:
“Agents, are you aware of the fact that new lending requirements (Starting NEXT MONTH) will require 20% down payments on mortgages. Yes, you read that correctly…20% down will be the new minimum requirement thanks to the new QRW Lending Rules.
Welcome to the new world of QRM: Qualified Residential Mortgage
The new QRM requirements exclude FHA mortgages. However, as you will learn in this video the NAR believes that higher downpayment loan requirements will trickle down to FHA loans as well. With non-FHA mortgages putting less than 20% down will require a very nasty interest rate and other added fees. Bottom line agents, unless something dramatic changes in the next 12 months you will see the mortgage products requiring less than 20% down disappearing.
In this housing market…the worst ever…does it make sense to require substantially higher down payments?
Bottom line, the new QRW rules may become the new rule April 2011 and be in full effect April 2012.”
Many Realtors are copying this text and inserting it into their blogs verbatim, and in doing so are causing what I believe is unnecessary alarm.
In reality, although Congress is currently reviewing the legislation and comments on the proposal are due June 10, 2011, there is NO 20% down rule starting this month, as clearly depicted in the article’s title. In fact, even if enacted, the ruling would not take effect until the abolishment of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, something that isn’t going to happen any time soon.
For an more in-depth discussion of where this legislation actually stands, please go to:
Should I Rent or Should I Buy?
Should I rent or should I buy? That’s an age-old question. The answer is, “It depends”. Several factors should be weighed.
1. What is your employment situation? Is it stable, or is there a reasonable chance of a lay-off? If the latter, renting is probably the way to go for the foreseeable future.
2. What is your horizon? If you are sure that you’ll be in the same property for at least 7-10 years, then buying a home might be a good consideration. Over the short term, prices may fall, especially if there’s a general, nationwide double dip. With a longer time horizon, you’ll be better positioned to weather the storm.
3. Are your finances truly in order? Do you have the cash reserves and required credit rating to secure a decent loan? Be honest in your assessment, because mortgage lending continues to be a hoop that everyone must jump through.
4. What is your local market factor? Ask your Realtor for the median sold price point for the type of property you’re anticipating to purchase. Then, ask them for the median leased price point for similar properties. By dividing the sold price by the annualized (monthly rent x 12) price, you’ll obtain a factor. For example, if the median sold price is $360,000 and the annualized leased price for a comparable home is $20,000, the factor is 18. Statisticians and industry experts are currently identifying a factor of 15 as the break point. In other words, if the factor is below 15, then strongly consider buying; if the factor is above 15, then lean toward renting.
Ultimately, there may be additional considerations. Reflect carefully. Only you can make a responsible decision.
E.H.L.P. should be named H.E.L.P.
HUD calls it “E.H.L.P.”
Isn’t it just like a bureaucrat to miss an opportunity?
Folks, if you or someone you know is behind at least 3 months in their mortgage payments, and they financially qualify for this newly hatched “fix”, they can get up to $50,000 in government assistance, which NEVER has to be paid back — EVER — provided that when the home is sold, the owner does not receive any proceeds (e.g. a short sale, which most assuredly would be the case).
You can view full details by clicking here. (opens new window as video introduction)
I’ve also uploaded a companion HUD document (.pdf) that describes all the details behind this give-away.
ehlp_guidelines (opens new window as .pdf)
What are they thinking?
Finally! A Clear & Concise Explanation of the Fed’s Quantitative Easing Policy
Trick or treat from the Obama Administration
At first I thought this was a Halloween trick, but it could evolve into a nasty trick on all homeowners throughout the U.S., not to mention future chances of a housing recovery. The Administration is now -seriously- considering the elimination of the home mortgage interest deduction. No, I’m not kidding.
First, view this video.
When you still haven’t quite believed what you heard, click here to go directly to the story in the Wall Street journal.
This is just absurd, and only points out just how disconnected the Administration really is when it comes to sound fiscal policy and plain common sense. Maybe this is their way of spanking us all for the mid-term elections. Ya think?
Foreclosure Fiasco
What does the current foreclosure fiasco mean to you? What does it portend for the banking industry?
Find out some essentials right here. (opens new window)
FORECLOSURE FIASCO IN A NUTSHELL
Are you confused as to what is happening? Let me boil it down for you:
The manner in which banks have transacted loans has essentially separated the loan paperwork from the chain of title, e.g. who owns the property. Repayment of the mortgage is the responsibility of the homeowner, but if the bank does not hold title to the property, they have no recourse to foreclose. Thus, many banks have halted foreclosures until they can thoroughly review the paperwork and determine if they have the right. If a banking institution cannot prove that it has title to a given property, they cannot foreclose on it. If this is the case, the loan is no longer secured by the property, and that’s a major problem.
2D – 3D Floorplan Software at No Cost
It’s always fun to discover no-cost solutions. Just today, I found an online program that allows you to design 2D or 3D floorplans and even place furniture in it. To fully appreciate the power of this freely accessible program, just go to:
You can either download the software to run locally on your computer or you can use it online via your internet browser. The online resource does require pre-registration.
For anyone who needs the versatility of placing furniture in a floorplan, this is a great solution. For new buyers, if you want to visualize what your rooms will look like BEFORE committing to purchase, this program is a must-have. And, the price is right — it’s free!
Metro Referral Associates, Inc.
