Black Working Man Lifestyle Free Preview | Page 33

REAL ESTATE ’ S

MOST

IMPORTANT TIPS

REAL ESTATE by Tracye Robison
Tracye Robinson 248-939-1419 tracyerobinson @ ebby . com
While we ’ re seeing continued strengthening in employment , consumer optimism toward the economy is growing and appears to be contributing to further improvement in overall housing sentiment . The share of respondents who believe the economy is headed in the right direction increased 3 percentage points last month to an all-time survey high of 47 percent , while the share who believes it is headed in the wrong direction decreased to 45 percent , a new survey low . Additionally , the share who believe it would be easy to get a home mortgage today increased to a record-high 54 percent while a survey low 43 percent think it would be difficult to get a mortgage .
“ Continuing improvements in consumer attitudes in this month ’ s National Housing Survey lend support to our expectation that 2015 will be a year of the economy dragging housing upward ,” said Doug Duncan , senior vice president and chief economist at Fannie Mae . “ The share of consumers who think the economy is on the right track rose to a record high since the inception of the survey nearly five years ago and for the first time exceeded the share who believe it ’ s on the wrong track . Consumer confidence seems to be getting a boost from employment growth . This is reflected in their views on the ease of getting a mortgage today , which also reached a survey high in February . We continue to see strength in attitudes about the current home buying and selling environment and consistently high shares of consumers saying they expect to buy a home on their next move . At the same time , we still need to see further growth in consumer optimism toward personal finances and income for more robust improvement in housing market attitudes .”
Valuable Tips for Buyers 1 . Think long-term and think re-sale 2 . Make a list of items that are “ must have ” and “ would like to have ” 3 . Look at ALL the expenses when you are budgeting for the house 4 . Ask for the homeowners association contact before you make a decision 5 . Research grants and other sources of funding and financing 6 . Be sure to read and understand your contract before you sign it 7 . Learn about the neighborhood demographics 8 . Look beyond the staging
Valuable tips for sellers 9 . Prepare for your own purchase and understand the timing 10 . Get your home move-in ready 11 . When thinking about your home ’ s potential value , understand your competition
12 . Take the emotion out of selling your home
13 . Enlist the help of a great real estate agent
BLACK WORKING MAN 33