Hope Leitner, Realtor®, CRS

  "Opportunities don’t happen. You create them—especially in real estate.” I truly believe that the right time and place can make all the difference. Whether you're thinking about buying or selling. I believe every step in the process, from exploring your options to finding the perfect home, is a chance to create something amazing. ✨ R eal estate isn’t just about buying and selling properties; it’s about creating new beginnings and making dreams a reality. Let’s talk and see what’s possible. 🏡✨ Follow and DM me today! Hope Leitner Berkshire Hathaway Home Services 📞 858-382-3763 📧 hope@cdhorn.com

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...

  Retirement isn’t just a milestone. It's the beginning of something really special. After years of hard work, it’s finally time to slow down, explore new passions, and live life on your own terms. But with this exciting chapter comes some big choices. And one of the biggest is this: does your current home still make sense for the lifestyle (and budget) you want in this next phase of life? That’s an especially important question right now. Just in the past five years, the cost of living has jumped by  23%  according to the  Bureau of Labor Statistics  (BLS). That’s based on the  Consumer Price Index  (CPI), which is how changes are tracked in the average price consumers pay for goods and services ( see graph below ): When you’re thinking about how to make your retirement savings last, those rising expenses matter. And if you’ve started to wonder whether your money will stretch as far as you need it to go, don’t worry. You may have more control than you...

  When you finally find the home you want to buy, it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement. You’ve toured the place, imagined your furniture in it, maybe even pictured your morning coffee on the porch. The last thing you want is to slow down the process with more steps or lose out to another buyer’s offer because they skipped their inspection. But here’s the thing. Buying a home is one of the biggest financial decisions you’ll ever make. And no matter how perfect that house seems, skipping a home inspection is a risk that could cost you a lot more than just time. What Exactly Is a Home Inspection? A home inspection gives you a detailed look at the home’s condition, usually after your offer’s accepted but before closing. While what’s covered varies by state, an inspector usually goes over the home’s major systems and structure, including things like the roof, foundation, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, and more. Why an Inspection Is Worth It Here’s a quick rundown of some of the big...

  Headlines are talking about the inventory of new homes and how we’re back at the levels not seen since 2009. And maybe you’re reading that and thinking: oh no, here we go again. That’s because you remember the housing crash of the late 2000s and you’re worried we’re repeating the same mistakes. But before you let fear take hold, remember: headlines are designed to be clickbait. And a lot of the time, they do more to terrify than clarify. That’s because they don’t always give you all the context you need. So, let’s take a step back and look at what the data really says. Why This Isn’t Like 2008 While it’s true the number of new homes on the market has reached its highest level since 2009, that’s not a cause for alarm. Here’s the context that matters most. When the  data  is turned into a graph, it’s clear the amount seen in 2009 wasn’t the peak of oversupply – not even close. That high point came earlier in 2007-2008. If anything, 2009 was when the number of new homes be...