Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving weekend!

I've been meaning to start a Monday blog where I answer real estate questions I get asked all the time or sometimes inboxed to my email, facebook, etc. To start, I'd like to answer a very common question that I get asked all the time..."How is the real estate market?"

The answer...It's GREAT! Really, it is!

FOR BUYERS:
There has never been a better time to buy a home, interest rates are at historic lows, rates have never been this low! As of today, the rate for a 30 year mortgage is at 3.45%! (bankrate.com) With rates being so low and rents on the rise, many renters are now considering buying a home than continue renting. You can't go wrong with buying a home since you will always need a place to live. Besides a shelter, you also get tax breaks when you invest in a home. As far a financing goes, the guidelines to qualify have become more flexible to encourage more people to invest in real estate. For example, for an FHA loan all you need is a 640+ FICO score out of 850, not bad at all! And, a minimum of 2 years at the same job or in the same field of work. I always encourage my clients to get pre-approved for a home loan, if for any reason they do not qualify, the loan officer will let them know what they need to do to be ready in a few months, or a year, etc. No matter how long it may take they will be provided with a road-map to help them successfully own their own home in the very, very near future. As we all know...Time flies! If you are considering buying a home or investment property, please contact me for your Free personalized buyer consultation to get you on the road-map to successful home ownership.

FOR SELLERS:
If you need to sell, RIGHT NOW is a great time! With inventory being so low many properties for sale are receiving multiple offers, which is causing them sell for higher than the list price! Although home values have not increased as high as 6-7 years ago, prices are staring to rise, slowly but surely. If you are considering selling your home, please contact me for a Free market analysis to determine the value of your home and a personalized marketing plan to help you sell in less than 30 days!

If you have any questions about buying, selling or investing, feel free to email me at nancy@nancyzelada.com, and I'd be happy to answer them.