Thinking of purchasing a home warranty? Watch this before heading to the check out

When I bought my home I was gifted my own home warranty and needless to say, it was not all it was cracked up to be

Do you have your own home warranty nightmare? or do you have questions? Just reply to this email - we would love to help!

Do you know anyone who is looking to buy or sell this year?

There has never been a better opportunity for investors and we have a lofty goal to help over 100 families in 2023! If you have any family, friends or colleagues that might be in the market, we'd love an introduction so we can help them!

The 3 Factors That Affect Home Affordability

If you’ve been following the housing market over the last couple of years, you’ve likely heard about growing affordability challenges. But according to experts, the key factors that determine housing affordability are projected to improve this year. 

“. . . with slowly improving affordability and a more optimistic economic outlook than previously believed, the housing market could show resilience in 2023.”

The three measures used to establish home affordability are home prices, mortgage rates, and wages. Here’s a closer look at each one.

Here are a few questions you can start thinking through as you fine tune your goals for 2023.

1. Mortgage Rates

Mortgage rates shot up to over 7% last year, causing many buyers to put their plans on hold. But things are looking different today as rates are starting to come down. George Ratiu, Senior Economist at realtor.com, explains:

“Let’s celebrate some good news. . . . mortgage rates are down. With inflation showing a tangible slowdown, I do expect mortgage rates to follow suit in the months ahead.” 

Even a small change in rates can impact your purchasing power. Nadia Evangelou, Director of Forecasting for the National Association of Realtors (NAR), gives this context:

“With a 6% rate instead of 7%, buyers pay about $2,700 less every year on their mortgage. As a result, owning a home becomes affordable to about 1.4 million more renters and 4.3 million more homeowners.” 

If 7% rates paused your homebuying plans last year, this could be the opportunity you need to get back in the game. Be sure to work with a team of experts who know the latest on mortgage rates and can give you the best advice for the current market.

2. Home Prices

The second factor at play is home prices. Home prices have made headlines over the past few years because they skyrocketed during the pandemic. When discussing home prices in 2023, Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist at NAR, says:

“After a big boom over the past two years, there will essentially be no change nationally . . . Half of the country may experience small price gains, while the other half may see slight price declines.” 

So, while prices will likely be flat this year in some markets, others could see small gains or slight declines. It all depends on your local area. For insight into what’s happening in your market and how prices are impacting affordability, reach out to a trusted real estate professional.

3. Wages

The final component in the affordability equation is wages. The graph below uses data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to show how wages have increased over time:

When you think about affordability, remember the full picture includes more than just mortgage rates and prices. Wages need to be factored in as well. Because wages have been rising, many buyers have renewed opportunity in the market. While affordability hurdles are not completely going away this year, based on current trends and projections, 2023 should bring some sense of relief to homebuyers who have faced growing challenges. As Mike Fratantoni, Chief Economist at the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), says:

“Rates are expected to move lower for the year, and home price growth is expected to cool, both of which will help affordability challenges.”

Bottom Line 

If you have questions, let’s connect.

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As first time homebuyers navigating the crazy San Francisco housing market, we couldn't have done it without Olivia. She was proactive about letting us know when we needed to do something, walking us through the process and making sure we didn't miss any requirements or deadlines.

She set realistic expectations about what we could get within our budget, and about how competitive it would be. She asked us all about what we were looking for (budget, location, preferences) and she found us places that fit it and helped us explore them to narrow it down further.

Olivia was super on-the-ball, pulling the late nights to get our bids in on time despite the incredibly tight timelines. We bid on 3 houses and got the third one, and we're moving into it this weekend(!!)

- B. M. 

We are a boutique residential real estate team helping clients achieve their real estate goals in the Bay Area. We are a group of women who specialize in different markets across the Bay Area, while following a custom process that allows us to help buyers and sellers achieve their real estate goals efficiently. Our team is top 1% of all realtors in San Mateo County and San Francisco with a total of $340M+ lifetime sales. We take pride in knowing that our clients become friends and refer us to their friends and family members because we work to make dreams become a reality. Once our clients speak to us for an initial call, they understand why we are different and why they want to work with us. We are your personal real estate concierge in one of the most dynamic real estate markets in the world.