Hope Leitner, Realtor®, CRS

When homes near you come on the market and sell quickly, it’s tempting to wonder how the new buyers were able to purchase that home. Were they lucky? Did their parents lend them the down payment? Did the ball simply roll their way? Some people believe that fortune is subject to luck. Experience shows that it’s not. Only about 10% of our lives are completely out of our control. The rest is defined by the choices we make and the actions we take. Lucky people tend to be open to new things. Rather than approaching the unknown with an abundance of caution, they take risks, and feel relaxed enough to see the opportunities that exist. You may know someone, right now, who has the ability to buy an investment or a vacation property, or possibly their first home, but don’t yet know how lucky they are. Give me a call and together we’ll show them the real role that luck plays in home ownership.

Imagine the feeling of peering through the doorway of your next home, make-believe you are able to catch a glimpse of the size, shape and colors of the rooms visible from your perspective. Next, step inside and get a sense for the texture of the flooring beneath your feet. With your hands, trace the countertop surfaces. Feel the temperature of the room around you. Now ask yourself, is it time to change or modify my current home layout, design or feel? This is how I invite new home buyers to experience their next home before we find it together. Imagination differs for everybody. What is universal however, is the value of clarity combined with action. The trick is to align your values and expectations with what you want, then patiently moving towards your goal.  The fall and winter is a great time to take stock and update your current home or plan your next move. I am fortunate to work with the finest decorators, contractors and installers in real estate. If you know someone w...

From a purely economic perspective, this is one of the best times in American history to buy a home . Black Night Financial Services discusses this in their most recent  Monthly Mortgage Monitor . Here are two of the report’s revelations: The average U.S. home value increased by $13,500 from last year, but low interest rates have kept the monthly principal & interest payment needed to purchase a median-priced home almost equal to one year ago. Home affordability still remains favorable compared to long-term historic norms. The report explains: “Even though the value of the average home in the U.S. increased by about $13,500 over the last year, thanks to declining interest rates it actually costs almost exactly the same in principal and interest each month to purchase as it did this time last year. Even taking into account the fact that affordability can vary – sometimes significantly – across the country based upon the different rates of home price appreciati...