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Some home features are necessities and others are luxuries. For example, kitchens are a must. You’re not going to find many homes for sale that don’t have a kitchen. On the other hand, garages aren’t. Not all homes come with a garage. But while they might not be an absolute must, garages – depending on where you live – may be a luxury buyers are willing to pay more for. But just how much do buyers value garages? Well, according to one recent analysis, homes with garages sell for nearly $25,000 more than homes without – an approximately 12 percent premium. But, like a lot of things, where you are is a big factor in determining how valuable a garage might be. For example, homes with garages sell for 38 percent more than homes without them in Chicago, where the winters can be harsh and snowy. But in warmer weather areas like Los Angeles or Miami, garages aren’t as desirable. In fact, in some cities, only around half the homes sold last year even had a garage, which is quite a difference from Midwestern cities like Cleveland, where over 90 percent of homes had one. More here.

Determining when it’s a good time to for you to buy a house means thinking about things like market conditions, your life goals, job security, and personal finances. That’s why Fannie Mae’s monthly Home Purchase Sentiment Index surveys Americans about those things in an effort to gauge perceptions of the current housing market. And, according to the most recent results, Americans are becoming more enthusiastic. In fact, there was a 13 percent month-over-month increase in the number of respondents who said now is a good time to buy a house. Doug Duncan, Fannie Mae’s chief economist, says there are a lot of positive trends currently supporting buying sentiment, though there are also some remaining concerns. “Another sharp rebound in the ‘Good Time To Buy’ component lifted the HPSI nearer its survey high set during last year’s home buying season, though several uncertainties remain,” Duncan said. “While consumers’ more favorable mortgage rate outlook suggests continued support for housing affordability, potential home buyers still face supply constraints. Additionally, while the survey recently resumed its upward trend, consumers’ sense of income growth and job security have moved lower from the highs established earlier in the year, which, if sustained, could weigh on the housing market in the second half of the year.” More here.

Housing market conditions are largely location based. What’s true in one neighborhood might not be true in another. But a lot of what causes those differences is rooted in home values. In other words, conditions on the high end of the market can sometimes look very different than those on the lower end of the market. That’s certainly true today. For example, recent data shows that the number of homes for sale above $750,000 was up 11 percent in April, while, at the same time, the number of available homes below $200,000 fell 8 percent. Combine that with the fact that a significant share of buyer demand is coming from first-time home buyers who are likely looking for something affordable and you can begin to see the problem. The high end of the market is currently cooling off, with an increasing number of available homes and fewer active buyers. At the same time, the market for affordable, starter homes continues to be competitive, with more buyers than homes for sale. This disparity explains why, though recent indicators show improving conditions for buyers, home sales numbers have not yet shown a corresponding increase. As more affordable homes become available, the market will balance and sales will begin to climb. More here.

According to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Applications Survey, average mortgage rates fell last week across all loan categories, including 30-year fixed-rate loans with both conforming and jumbo balances, loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration, and 15-year fixed-rate mortgages. The drop brought rates to their lowest point since the first week of 2018. Mike Fratantoni, MBA’s senior vice president and chief economist, said rates are decreasing because of concerns over trade tensions. “Mortgage rates dropped to their lowest level since the first week of 2018, driven by increasing concerns regarding the ongoing trade tensions with China and Mexico,” Fratantoni said. “Some borrowers, particularly those with larger loans, jumped at the opportunity to refinance, bringing the index and average refinance loan size to their highest levels since early April.” Unfortunately, purchase application demand didn’t see a similar bounce. In fact, demand for applications for loans to buy homes fell from one week earlier. Fratantoni suspects the decline was due in part to the Memorial Day holiday. More here.

Buying a house is a major financial transaction. So, it makes sense that you’d want to take your time and not rush into anything. Unfortunately, though, buying a house also requires you to act fast, especially in a competitive market. If you spend too much time deliberating, you may lose the house to a buyer who’s quicker than you and makes an offer while you’re still thinking it over. In other words, the home buying process can sometimes make you feel like you have to rush. This is particularly true for buyers who haven’t been through the experience before and don’t know exactly what to expect. That’s what a recent survey of homeowners found, anyway, The survey – which asked homeowners for their views on homeownership and their regrets and expectations – found that the vast majority of young homeowners (between 18 and 34 years old) had at least one regret about their home. And, among those regrets, feeling like they rushed their decision and didn’t have a chance to consider all the options earned the top spot. In fact, 29 percent of young homeowners said they regret rushing the process. By comparison, just 12 percent of older buyers said they felt rushed. More here.

There are a lot of numbers to keep in mind when considering how much house you can afford. For starters, there’s the home’s price, your potential down payment, current mortgage rates, and the monthly payment. From just those numbers alone, you can get an idea of what is within your reach and what will bust your budget. Fortunately for today’s home buyers, new data shows that, if you’re a potential buyer currently calculating what you might be able to buy, you’re likely to find affordability conditions are more favorable than they’ve been in more than a year. In fact, Black Knight’s latest Mortgage Monitor Reports shows that, not only is home price growth now below its 25-year average, the monthly payment required for an average-priced house with 20 percent down is $1,173. That’s a six percent decline from where it was just six months ago. In other words, there are a number of positive trends that have made buying a home as affordable as it’s been in over a year and, in most markets, home buyers can expect to find improved conditions as we enter the summer sales season. More here.

Americans consistently rank proximity to family among the factors they consider when choosing a home to buy. After all, it’s only natural that we want to live near the people we love. But, according to one new survey, though we want to live close to our family, we don’t want to be too close. In fact, the vast majority of respondents said that there should be some driving distance between where they live and where their parents do. More specifically, participants said they’d prefer somewhere between 15 and 45 minutes of driving distance between them and their family members. In other words, close enough to visit regularly but not close enough for unannounced pop-ins. But whether you’d prefer your family to be right down the street or an hour away, it is something to consider. While it’s easy to get caught up in the specs and details of the home you’re thinking of buying, considering how its location works with your life and lifestyle can be just as important to making a good choice as getting the right number of bedrooms. More here.

The number of signed contracts to buy homes fell 1.5 percent in April, according to new numbers from the National Association of Realtors. The decline follows a nearly 4 percent increase in March. Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist, says home sales numbers have yet to reflect favorable trends, such as lower mortgage rates and growing consumer confidence. That may soon change. “Though the latest monthly figure shows a mild decline in contract signings, mortgage applications and consumer confidence have been steadily rising,†Yun said. “It’s inevitable for sales to turn higher in a few months.†So why haven’t home sales risen yet, if buying conditions have become more favorable? Well, one reason is the fact that there are fewer homes available for sale in affordable price ranges than there are on the high end of the market. In fact, according to Yun, there are now nearly three times the number of homes available for sale over $1 million as there are homes $250,000 and below. As the market becomes more balanced, home prices will moderate further and provide more Americans an opportunity to buy.

According to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Applications Survey, average mortgage rates were mostly flat last week after four weeks of consecutive declines. In fact, rates for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances were unchanged from the week before, while rates for jumbo loans, loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration, and 15-year mortgages all fell slightly. But despite favorable mortgage rates, demand for loans declined 3.3 percent. Joel Kan, MBA’s vice president of economic and industry forecasting, said demand may have stalled due to economic uncertainty. “Purchase applications decreased for the third straight week, but remained more than 7 percent higher than a year ago,†Kan said. “It is possible that the trade dispute is causing potential homeowners to hold off on buying, with the fear that further escalation – or the lack of resolution – may have adverse impacts on the economy and housing market.†The MBA’s weekly survey has been conducted since 1990 and covers 75 percent of all retail residential mortgage applications.

When selling a house, there are a number of things you can do to make your listing more attractive to prospective buyers. Some obvious examples include staging and getting good photos. But the number one thing you can do to make sure your home gets a good response from buyers is to price it right. After all, even a perfectly staged house with professional photos isn’t going to sell quickly if it’s priced way too high. And, according to a recent analysis, lowering your price after your home’s been on the market a while isn’t necessarily as effective as setting the price correctly the first time. In fact, when comparing the number of online views a home gets the day it’s listed to the day of a price drop, the initial listing gets almost three and a half times the number of views. In other words, you’ll never get another chance to make a first impression. And the longer your home has been listed without selling, the more likely buyers will assume there’s a reason no one’s bought it yet. The good news is there’s an easy way to avoid falling into this trap. Simply follow the guidance of the pros you’ve hired to help sell your house. They’ll be able to give you an accurate assessment of your home’s current market value and help you avoid pricing it too high for interested buyers. More here.