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Want A Thriving Business? Focus On Waterfront!

There is a version of the housing market story that gets told over and over, and it goes like this: prices are high, rates are high, nothing is affordable, and the only people buying are the ones with cash. That version is not wrong, exactly. It is just incomplete.

The arithmetic here is brutal and worth understanding clearly. A buyer who financed a $400,000 home at three percent in 2021 pays roughly $1,686 per month on principal and interest. That same loan at a seven percent rate costs $2,661. That gap of nearly a thousand dollars a month is why transaction volume has fallen to levels not seen in decades. Volume collapsed. Prices mostly did not.

Douglas is a name you might hear from a lot of agents right now, because the buyers getting deals done tend to have clear budgets and stick to them. That is not a personality trait. It is a preparation habit.

Shop multiple loan officers to compare rates and fees. A seemingly small rate difference adds up to around twenty thousand dollars over a thirty-year loan on a four hundred thousand dollar mortgage. Lender fees vary too. Ask each lender for a Loan Estimate document, which breaks down all costs in a standardized format.

The appraisal is the lender’s check, not yours. If the home appraises below the contract price, the lender will only finance against the appraised value. Ask your agent whether recent comparable sales support the price you are offering.

Budget two to four percent of the purchase price for closing costs, on top of your down payment. First-time buyers often do not see the full closing cost picture until the Closing Disclosure arrives three days before settlement. Ask your lender for a Loan Estimate with a realistic purchase price so the numbers reflect what you are actually going to face.

For buyers with the financial cushion to handle a repair bill without panic, this market is workable, even if it is not cheap or easy. The homes that meet real criteria at a realistic price are still moving. They are moving to buyers who showed up prepared.

Real estate rewards preparation more than it rewards timing. Waiting for a better market is a reasonable position only if your personal situation supports it, otherwise you are just paying rent while prices hold. A look at real estate listings and pricing data in your target area costs nothing and tells you a great deal.