Help For High End Home Buyers

Required Down Payment For Jumbo Loans Lowered

Check out this article from the Wall Street Journal

http://m.us.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303936904579177643725556078?mg=reno64-wsj

This is great news for higher end home buyers. .... and sellers!

Higher Interest Rates Affecting Home Prices In Bend

Interest Rates Increase

After touching a low in the mid-3% range, the interest rate for a 30 year mortgage loan spiked above 4.5% this summer on speculation that the Federal Reserve would announce at its September meeting a tapering of its purchases of long-term US Treasuries and mortgage-backed bonds.

After retreating a bit following news that the Fed's bond buying would continue, the rate settled in the 4.5% range.  And while that's still low historically (see rate history below), the relatively higher rate has begun to impact home prices in the Bend area.

Price Paid Per Square Foot Falls

Buyers paid a median price of $150.02 per square foot for a house in the Bend area in September, down from $156.98/sf in August.  And the median price per square foot  paid last month was lower than the $152.67/sf paid in the 3rd quarter overall, and the $151.15/sf paid in Q2.

Higher Cost Of Money

Think of interest rates as the cost of money.  Like any other product or service, as the price increases, fewer people are willing or able to afford it.

To put this in perspective, the principal and interest payment on a $250,000 30 year loan at 3.5% is about $1123 per month. But at 4.5%, the monthly payment increases to about $1267.  That $144 monthly increase is the difference between some potential buyer's willingness or ability to purchase a home.

Silver lining for home sellers

It's not all bad news though.  The good news for those thinking of selling?   The median sale price in the 3rd quarter ($293,438) was 19.5% higher than a year earlier ($245,550).  And the dollar per square foot price increased even more.  At $152.67/sf, the Q3 median price per foot increased 20.2% from Q3 2012 ($127.03/sf).  For the owner of a 2000 square foot house, that's an increase in equity of more than $51,000!

As always, please forward, post and share this message.  And please let me know your thoughts by posting your comments below.

2012 Bend Home Sales Near 2006 Levels

After plateauing in 2011 following two years of notable improvement, the number of homes sold in Bend increased significantly last year, approaching levels not seen since the delirious days of 2006.

After peaking at 2,884 sales in 2005,  2,088 homes were sold in 2006 as the market began to teeter over the 2nd half of that year.  Home sales dropped precipitously in the following years, hitting a low of 1,121 in 2008.  But in 2009 buyers began to take advantage of  prices that were about 40% lower than they had been at the market's peak, and sales rebounded to 1,556 that year.  Sales volume increased again in 2010, but at a much slower rate, to 1,681 homes sold.    

But despite the number of sales in 2006 and 2012 being somewhat similar, that's where any real resemblance between the two years ends.  In 2006, the median sale price was $187.98/sf, or $350,581 for a 1865 square foot house.  Last year, that number was $118.91/sf ($222,000 for 1867sf).  That's a discount of 36.7%!  And let's not forget that the average interest rate for a 30 year fixed rate mortgage in 2006 was 6.41%, compared with 3.66% last year!  Now that's a breathtaking increase in purchasing power!

Let me know your thoughts on where you think the Bend real estate market is headed in 2013 and beyond by writing your comments below.  And please be sure to call me at 541.410.9060 for any real estate help or advice you, your family or friends may need.