Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Real Estate Trends for 2012



Looking ahead these Real Estate trends will be here for a while. Find out what types of Real Estate investing is on the forefront of buyer's minds and pocket books!

1. Housing recovery: unlikely, however cautious optimism remains. A few more foreclosures have yet to flush through the market(s).

2. Mc Mansions are out: compact housing is it. Baby boomers are downsizing to more manageable homes. Generation "x'' is interested in vibrant, walkable neighborhoods, smaller compact homes. smaller homes with more pizzazz..

3. Home buyers are thinking longterm: 1st time home buyers are now thinking a decade in advance. Repeat buyers 15 years in advance. Homeowners are simply planning on staying longer.

4. Prices still have further to drop: 7-10% Increase in foreclosures. The 500,000 plus market (larger older homes)and conditionally and location challenged unsold properties will still need to adjust price or condition or both in order to sell. Price competitively or price it to compel a buyer to choose your property over the gazillion other choices they may have.

5. More foreclosure to come: still shaking out the over bought/over extended home owners from the boom of 2005-07. Some home owners that bought in 2005-07 are now needing to sell/move for one reason or another. Some can't afford to move because their mortgages are worth more than what the market will bear for their home and that leads to more foreclosures.

6. Mortgage rates to remain low: Long term rates will begin to rise mid to late 2012. Rates will eventually have to go up in order for governments to begin to recover their own debt loads.

7. Mortgage Rules/Standards taking on new shape: Shorter amortization periods: no more 50 year mortgages, now down to 25 year mortgages as the norm. Increase minimum downs: more and more lenders are tightening their purse strings and will be requiring more money for down payments in order to secure financing. Longer probation periods: stricter qualifying standards over all, especially the self- employed.

8. New Construction concerns: lower new construction starts in this market (2011) could lead to a housing shortage in the future.

9. Investor opportunity: CASH investors will rock especially for bank /foreclosure sales.

10. Housing recovery dependent on employment rate: housing recovery maybe delayed due to in part of current employment rate.