Buying a home « Hunziker & Associates, REALTORS Blog

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2011 Wrap-Up

Monday, January 30th, 2012

The Ames real estate market posted gains in 2011:

12.5% more homes sold for a total of 527

Average sale price increased 0.7% to $181,580

It continues to be a buyer’s market:

Average supply of homes on the market: 6.7 months of inventory

55% of homes sold below assessed value

Hunziker & Associates agents outperformed the market:

Average list-to-sale price ratio for Hunziker & Associates agents: 94.7%

Average list-to-sale price ratio for all other agents in our MLS: 93.9%

Data from the Central Iowa Board of Realtors for Ames only.

By: Tabitha Zesch, Relocation Director

Posted in Ames, Buying a home, Financial Information, Market Conditions | No Comments »

Tax Breaks for Homeowners

Friday, January 27th, 2012

From Inman News….

“Top 5 tax breaks for homeowners

Q: We bought a house this year! We put $33,000 down and the bank financed $28,000. Can I write this off on my 2011 taxes? How much of it?”

Read the article

Posted in Buying a home, Current Homeowners, Financial Information | No Comments »

Housing Affordability at an All-time High

Friday, January 20th, 2012

From DSNews.com….

“With property values across the country at depressed levels and interest rates dancing around historical lows for months now, housing affordability has hit an all-time high. That affordability inched even higher this week, as mortgage interest rates broke through their previous record lows to fall further still.

Freddie Mac says all loan products covered in its regular weekly market survey eased to set new all-time lows for the week ending January 12, 2011. The average rate for the 30-year fixed mortgage has been below 4.00 percent for six consecutive weeks…”

Read the article

Posted in Buying a home, Market Conditions | No Comments »

Des Moines Home Sales Up in 2011

Friday, January 13th, 2012

From Des Moines Business Record…..

In December 2011, 642 homes were sold in Greater Des Moines, a 13 percent increase from the previous year. For all of last year, 7,877 homes were sold, an increase of 200 from the previous year, the Des Moines Area Association of Realtors said today.

http://www.businessrecord.com/main.asp?FromHome=1&TypeID=1&ArticleID=16196&SectionID=37&SubSectionID=100

Tags: des moines home sales 2011
Posted in Ankeny, Buying a home, Financial Information, Iowa, Market Conditions, Selling a home, Uncategorized | No Comments »

New Year, New Home Resolution

Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012

If your goals for the year include finding a new home, we just want you to know that we will be here to help you achieve that goal.

Buying and or selling a house often involves months of considering your options, preparing your finances, or sprucing up your property. Anytime you have a question or would like advice about your specific situation, give your Hunziker agent a call.

If you don’t have an agent yet, call any of our 4 offices to speak with an agent right away. Helping you get that new home is always part of our New Year’s resolutions.

http://hunzikerrealty.com/

Posted in Buying a home, Financial Information, Home Improvement, Selling a home | No Comments »

$1500 Closing Costs Paid on Hunziker Listings

Wednesday, December 28th, 2011

Hunziker & Associates, REALTORS is pleased to announce our new special promotion. From now through January 31st, purchase an eligible Hunziker & Associates listing through a participating lender, and receive a rebate of up to $1500 in closing costs!

Click for details and to start searching for a home

Posted in Ames, Ankeny, Boone, Buying a home, Community News & Events, Financial Information, Iowa, Nevada, Uncategorized | No Comments »

More Buyers Paying All Cash for Homes

Friday, December 16th, 2011

The Des Moines Register reports that homes sold for all cash, verses those who used traditional financing, increased to 22% of home sales in Des Moines this year. Cash buyers are often investors purchasing inexpensive properties for an investment. However, more parents are helping their grown children purchase a home by fronting the money for the house.

Low rates of return on certificates of deposit and similar investments is one reason for the trend. Many parents consider loaning their children the money they need to buy a home as a win-win investment opportunity for them and their children. They reap a higher rate of return secured by a property purchased in a buyer’s market, and their children are able to break into the housing market and start building equity.

In the words of a father interviewed for the article, “You can rent and waste money, or you can buy and wake up in 20 years and find your home is mostly paid for.” We would love to hear what you think. Visit our comment area below.

Click to read the complete article.

Post by Tabitha Zesch, Relocation Director

Posted in Buying a home, Community News & Events, Financial Information, Iowa | No Comments »

Owning now costs less than renting in many markets

Friday, December 9th, 2011

From the Wall Street Journal….

“Home prices and mortgage rates have fallen so far that the monthly cost of owning a home is more affordable than at any point in the past 15 years and is less expensive than renting in a growing number of cities.

The Wall Street Journal’s third-quarter survey of housing-market conditions in 28 of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas found that…monthly mortgage payments on the median priced home—including taxes and insurance—are lower than the average rent levels in 12 metro areas.”

Read the entire article

Posted in Buying a home, Financial Information, Market Conditions | No Comments »