Blog - Kara Brem

Interest Rates, Real Estate

Today’s Real Estate Market: The ‘Unicorns’ Have Galloped Off

Comparing real estate metrics from one year to another can be challenging in a normal housing market. That’s due to possible variability in the market making the comparison less meaningful or accurate. Unpredictable events can have a significant impact on the circumstances and outcomes being compared. Comparing this year’s numbers to the two ‘unicorn’ years […]
Real Estate

Careful to Price it Right When Selling

Over the last year, the housing market’s gone through significant change. While it’s still a sellers’ market, homes that are priced right are selling, and they get the most attention from buyers right now. If you’re thinking of selling your house this spring, it’s important to lean on your expert real estate advisor when it […]
Real Estate

California Dream for All Homebuyer Assistance Program – 20% Shared Appreciation

The California Dream for All homebuyer assistance program is a shared appreciation down payment assistance program that provides 20% down payment of assistance, in the form of a silent second loan, to qualified first time buyers. Assistance can be used to pay down payment and/or closing costs. The DFA fund homebuyer assistance program is not a handout or […]
Real Estate

Here’s Why the Housing Market Isn’t Going To Crash

Highlights: Today’s housing market is different than it was in 2008. Lending standards have tightened, foreclosures have declined, home inventory is much lower, and homeowners have far more equity. If you’re concerned about a crash, meet with a local real estate professional to discuss why this isn’t like last time.

Interest Rates Today’s Real Estate Market: The ‘Unicorns’ Have Galloped Off Comparing real estate metrics from one year to another can be challenging in a normal housing market. That’s due to possible variability in the market making the comparison less meaningful or accurate. Unpredictable events can have a significant impact on the circumstances and outcomes being compared. Comparing this year’s numbers to the two ‘unicorn’ years […]

Real Estate Careful to Price it Right When Selling Over the last year, the housing market’s gone through significant change. While it’s still a sellers’ market, homes that are priced right are selling, and they get the most attention from buyers right now. If you’re thinking of selling your house this spring, it’s important to lean on your expert real estate advisor when it […]

Real Estate California Dream for All Homebuyer Assistance Program – 20% Shared Appreciation The California Dream for All homebuyer assistance program is a shared appreciation down payment assistance program that provides 20% down payment of assistance, in the form of a silent second loan, to qualified first time buyers. Assistance can be used to pay down payment and/or closing costs. The DFA fund homebuyer assistance program is not a handout or […]

Real Estate Here’s Why the Housing Market Isn’t Going To Crash Highlights: Today’s housing market is different than it was in 2008. Lending standards have tightened, foreclosures have declined, home inventory is much lower, and homeowners have far more equity. If you’re concerned about a crash, meet with a local real estate professional to discuss why this isn’t like last time.

Real Estate One Major Benefit of Investing in a Home One of the many reasons to buy a home is that it’s a major way to build wealth and gain financial stability. According to Freddie Mac: “Building equity through your monthly principal payments and appreciation is a critical part of homeownership that can help you create financial stability.” With spring approaching, now’s a great time […]

Real Estate You May Not Need as Much as You Think for Your Down Payment Some Highlights Many people believe you need to put down 20% of the purchase price when you buy a home. But recent homebuyers actually put down far less on their purchase. And with programs like FHA loans, VA loans, and USDA loans, some qualified buyers are able to put down as little as 0-3.5%. Let’s connect to make sure you have a […]

Real Estate Lower Mortgage Rates Are Bringing Buyers Back to the Market As mortgage rates rose last year, activity in the housing market slowed down. And as a result, homes started seeing fewer offers and stayed on the market longer. That meant some homeowners decided to press pause on selling. Now, however, rates are beginning to come down—and buyers are starting to reenter the market. In fact, the […]

Real Estate Don’t Wait for Mortgage Rates to Drop to 3% Last year, the Federal Reserve took action to try to bring down inflation. In response to those efforts, mortgage rates jumped up rapidly from the record lows we saw in 2021, peaking at just over 7% last October. Hopeful buyers experienced a hit to their purchasing power as a result, and some decided to press pause on their plans. Today, the […]

Real Estate What Experts Are Saying About the 2023 Housing Market If you’re thinking about buying or selling a home soon, you probably want to know what you can expect from the housing market this year. In 2022, the market underwent a major shift as economic uncertainty and higher mortgage rates reduced buyer demand, slowed the pace of home sales, and moderated home prices. But what about 2023? An article from HousingWire offers this […]

Real Estate 5 Interior Design Trends for 2023 The interior design trends of 2022 included a renaissance of colorful decorating, a preference for sustainable materials, and incorporating nature throughout the home. They reflected the continued evolution of our lifestyles in recent years and showed an overall desire for our homes to be somewhere we can relax, decompress, and focus on our wellbeing. With 2023 just […]

Interest Rates Mortgage Rates Will Come Down, It’s Just a Matter of Time This past year, rising mortgage rates have slowed the red-hot housing market. Over the past nine months, we’ve seen fewer homes sold than the previous month as home price growth has slowed. All of this is due to the fact that the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate has doubled this year, severely limiting homebuying power for […]

Real Estate 3 Trends That Are Good News for Today’s Homebuyers While higher mortgage rates are creating affordability challenges for homebuyers this year, there is some good news for those people still looking to buy a home. As the market has cooled this year, some of the intensity buyers faced during the peak frenzy of the pandemic has cooled too. Here are just a few trends […]

Real Estate Mortgage Rate Forecast for October 2022 by Forbes Rates for home loans are caught in a tug-of-war between rising inflation and the Federal Reserve’s actions to restrain inflation which has indirectly pushed rates higher. The Federal Reserve began hiking its benchmark interest rate in March and then in June, it raised the rate by 75 basis points—the largest increase since 1994—only to repeat that step again in […]

Real Estate Buyers Are Regaining Some of Their Negotiation Power in Today’s Housing Market If you’re thinking about buying a home today, there’s welcome news. Even though it’s still a sellers’ market, it’s a more moderate sellers’ market than last year. And the days of feeling like you may need to waive contingencies or pay drastically over asking price to get your offer considered may be coming to a close. […]

Real Estate Why Today’s Housing Inventory Proves the Market Isn’t Headed for a Crash Whether or not you owned a home in 2008, you likely remember the housing crash that took place back then. And news about an economic slowdown happening today may bring all those concerns back to the surface. While those feelings are understandable, data can help reassure you the situation today is nothing like it was in 2008. […]

Real Estate The shift has begun — but rate hikes won’t be housing’s Achilles’ heel Experts told Inman they expect home sales and price growth to slow down, but they don’t think rising rates will knock everyone out of the market krisanapong detraphiphat, jayk7 and Getty Images BY JIM DALRYMPLE II The housing market is on the cusp of an “inflection point” right now. That at least, is the takeaway from […]

Real Estate How Homeownership Can Help Shield You from Inflation If you’re following along with the news today, you’ve likely heard about rising inflation. You’re also likely feeling the impact in your day-to-day life as prices go up for gas, groceries, and more. These rising consumer costs can put a pinch on your wallet and make you re-evaluate any big purchases you have planned to […]

Real Estate The Future of Home Price Appreciation and What It Means for You Many consumers are wondering what will happen with home values over the next few years. Some are concerned that the recent run-up in home prices will lead to a situation similar to the housing crash 15 years ago. However, experts say the market is totally different today. For example, Odeta Kushi, Deputy Chief Economist at First American, tweeted just last week […]

Real Estate Sellers: Don’t Wait Until Spring To Make Your Move As you plan out your goals for the year, moving up to your dream home may top the list. But, how do you know when to make your move? You want to time it just right so you can get the most out of the sale of your current house. You also want to know you’re […]

Real Estate Expert Insights on the 2022 Housing Market As we move into 2022, both buyers and sellers are wondering, what’s next? Will there be more homes available to buy? Will prices keep climbing? How high will mortgage rates go? For the answer to those questions and more, we turn to the experts. Here’s a look at what they say we can expect in 2022. Odeta Kushi, Deputy […]