ECONOMIC UPDATE FROM OUR PRESIDENT, JONATHAN CASTELEYN: The inhumanity of Hurricanes on our infrastructure, communities, and the American family can not be overstated. With the recent tragedy of Ian hitting the West Coast of Florida, the real estate patch has been buzzing about what it means for displaced families, state budgets, and broader real estate prices. We will leave the really important...
One benefit of owning a home or property is your ability to build equity and use that to fund other projects – like a home renovation, pay off debt, or even send your kid to college. But what is equity and how does it work? Let’s do a quick dive into home equity. What is equity in a home or property? Equity is the value YOU own in property, like a house. It’s the difference between what’s OWED...
There’s nothing to be afraid of, but there are several issues that can delay a house closing. Knowing the pitfalls beforehand will keep your deal going smoothly. We’re going to treat you to the secrets that will ensure a smooth transaction from beginning to end. It’s all about the money. Financing delays are the number one reason for delays. Making sure you give your lender all the...
Deciding to buy a home is so exciting! Congratulations on taking the first step. Now take a deep breath and get ready to jump into applying for a home loan. The process can feel overwhelming, but with some preparation, you’ll keep any problems from slowing down the mortgage process. Let’s dive into how to successfully apply for a home loan. What documents do I need to get a mortgage? For every mortgage...
Millennials, the demographic group aged between 26 and 41, appear to have their eyes wide open when it comes to home ownership. Statistics show that they have less interest in the American Dream than either the generation before them, Generation X or even the Baby Boomers at the same age. The reasons are varied. At some level complicated, and to me, rather surprising. Millennials are the largest...
Yup, it’s called the roller coaster of life. Roller coasters aren’t for everyone, especially if you’re not in Disney World or another theme park. I think it’s safe to say that the pandemic turned the real estate market as a whole upside down and sideways. It resembled nothing less than a rollercoaster ride for everyone involved – buyers, sellers, real estate agents, mortgage brokers, et al....
Whether you’re looking at your credit card, applying for a loan, or watching the news, you’ve probably heard the term “prime rate.” Prime is a common financial term that affects many of us from how much interest we pay on a loan to the interest rate of a new credit card. So, what is “prime rate”? Prime rate is also referred to as “prime lending rate,” “prime interest rate,” or just...
When given the choice of being indoors or outside I will always choose to be outdoors. Is there anything better than a simple meal of wine, a crusty baguette, and some cheeses spread out on a blanket either in Sheep Meadow, Central Park, or under an umbrella on the beach? My answer is always the same – absolutely not! Food seems to taste better; I inherently feel more relaxed and at one with the...
We can all probably cite examples of irrational exuberance over the years: when home prices soared in the mid-2000s banks threw all caution to the wind and offered nothing down loans the dot.com era of the 1990’s involving the tech industry the times leading up to the stock market crash in 1929 and of course, the tulip mania in the 1600s I’m certain that at least one of the above examples...
Keeping a roof over our heads isn’t as simple as it used to be and it’s certainly getting more expensive by the day. We’re all experiencing the same frustration and it’s worth asking ourselves why, and if there is anything to be done about it. Florida’s tumultuous property insurance market amounts to nothing less than a perfect storm according to lawmakers. We will attempt to summarize the...