Christian Penner | My Real Estate Blog

Measuring Your Ability to Achieve the American Dream Forbes.com recently released the results of their new American Dream Index, in which they measure “the prosperity of the middle class, and…examine which states best support the American Dream.” The monthly index measures several different econo...

US Housing Market Continues the Move into ‘Buy Territory’!According to the Beracha, Hardin & Johnson Buy vs. Rent (BH&J) Index, the U.S. housing market has continued to move deeper into buy territory, supporting the belief that housing markets across the country remain a sound investment.The BH&J...

Thinking of Selling? Now Is the Time to Act If you thought about selling your house this year, now may be the time to do it. The inventory of homes for sale is well below historic norms and buyer demand is skyrocketing. We were still in high school when we learned the concept of supply and demand...

Mortgage Market Guide: Home Loan Rates Hit 2017 Lows   In This Issue         Last Week in Review: Consumers pull back on retail spending, while home loan rates hit their lowest levels of the year. Forecast for the Week: Housing and manufacturing will fight for a headline in the midst of geopoliti...

Home Mortgages: Rates Up, Requirements Easing The media has extensively covered the rise in mortgage interest rates since last fall (from 3.42% last September to the current 4.1% according to Freddie Mac). However, a less covered aspect of the mortgage market is that requirements to get a mortgag...

Millennials Flock to Low Down Payment Programs A recent report released by Down Payment Resource shows that 65% of first-time homebuyers purchased their homes with a down payment of 6% or less in the month of January. The trend continued through all buyers with a mortgage, as 62% made a down paym...

Careful…Don’t Get Caught in the Rental Trap! There are many benefits to homeownership. One of the top benefits is being able to protect yourself from rising rents by locking in your housing cost for the life of your mortgage. Don’t Become Trapped  Jonathan Smoke, Chief Economist at realtor.com, r...

  Send to a Friend   Follow Me On: Mortgage Market Guide: Job Growth Slips. Unemployment Hits 10-Year Low.   In This Issue           Last Week in Review: The March Jobs Report had good and bad news to share.Forecast for the Week: Inflation and Retail Sales will highlight a holiday-shortened week....

  Follow Me On:     IN THIS ISSUE…         “Now you see me, now you don’t.” Green Day. Low housing inventory remains a reality in many parts of the country. We’ll reveal the secret behind this story and more, including: Housing Highlights – A peek at home sales, inventory levels, construction, p...

The Importance of Using a Professional to Sell Your Home When a homeowner decides to sell their house, they obviously want the best possible price for it with the least amount of hassles along the way. However, for the vast majority of sellers, the most important result is actually getting their ...