Hope Leitner, Realtor®, CRS

  Now that spring is here, more and more buyers are jumping back into the market, and competition is heating up. If you’re serious about landing a home you’ll love, you need more than just a wish list. You need a smart strategy – and that starts with working with a great agent who can help you put together a strong offer. Here are some top tips your agent will share with you that are helping buyers stand out (and win) in today’s market. 1. Don’t Lowball on Price It’s tempting to start with a super low offer in an attempt to save money. But in a competitive spring market, that could backfire. If the price isn’t reasonable, you could offend the seller and lose out to a better bid. As  NerdWallet  says: “If you really want the property, you should avoid offending the seller. So, be wary of placing a so-called lowball offer. One of the most obvious risks of making a lowball offer is outright rejection. . .  As a buyer, you’ll need to find a balance between making a fair ...

  You’ve been working on your savings and dreaming of that moment when you finally have keys to a place that’s truly yours. What you might not realize is that your tax return could give you a little extra cash to help you get there sooner. As  Freddie Mac   notes : “ . . . your tax refund from the IRS can be a useful supplement to your homebuying budget.”  So, if you’re getting a tax refund this year, you can use it to help you pay for some of the upfront costs that come with buying a home, like the down payment and closing costs. And here’s the best part. On average, people are getting even more money back in their refunds than they did last year. While it’s not a big increase, the visual below uses  data  from the  Internal Revenue Service  (IRS) to show the average individual’s refund is 3.9% higher this year: Of course, how much money you may get in your tax refund is going to vary. But when it comes to buying a home, any extra cash can help m...

If you’ve been frustrated by the lack of homes for sale over the past few years, here’s some good news. You have more options, so it may finally be time to kick off your home search again. As Daryl Fairweather, Chief Economist at  Redfin , explains: “ Now is the best time to buy in the last two years.  Mortgage rates are comparable to what they were two years ago, and prices remain high. However,  there is significantly more inventory . . . ” The number of homes for sale has grown compared to last year, and even more options are on the way. While this is typical for the busy  spring season , here’s why this is so important right now. Homeowners are listing their houses at the highest pace we’ve seen in a while. New Listings Are on the Rise Over the past few months, the number of  new listings , or homes that have recently been put on the market for sale, has been steadily rising ( see graph below ): Basically, more people are putting their homes on the market ea...

  Buying your  first home  in today’s market can feel tough. Between high home prices and mortgage rates, affordability is still a big challenge. And some buyers are making one simple trade-off that’s getting them in the door faster: square footage. According to the  National Association of Home Builders  (NAHB),  35%  of buyers are willing to purchase something smaller  to make homeownership happen. And one place you can usually find a smaller footprint (and sometimes better affordability) is in townhomes. Why Townhomes Are Gaining Popularity Townhomes typically   cost less than single-family homes due to their more limited size.   And that’s a big plus for today’s budget-conscious buyer. As  Realtor.com  says: "In today's market, affordability remains a key priority for homebuyers, making townhomes an attractive option because  they are often priced more reasonably than single-family homes . It makes them especially appe...