Blog - Syed Ahmed

Keeping Current Matters

How to Make a Winning Offer on a Home

March 15, 2021 Today’s homebuyers are faced with a strong sellers’ market, which means there are a lot of active buyers competing for a relatively low number of available homes. As a result, it’s essential to understand how to make a confident and competitive offer on your dream home. Here are five tips for success in this critical […]
Keeping Current Matters

How to Be a Competitive Buyer in Today’s Housing Market [INFOGRAPHIC]

March 12, 2021 Some Highlights With so few houses for sale today, it’s important to be prepared when you’re ready to buy a home. Meeting with your lender early, knowing your must-haves and nice-to-haves, preparing for a bidding war, and keeping your emotions in check are all ways to gain confidence in the homebuying process. If you’re looking for […]
Keeping Current Matters

Will the Housing Market Bloom This Spring?

March 11, 2021 Spring is almost here, and many are wondering what it will bring for the housing market. Even though the pandemic continues on, it’s certain to be very different from the spring we experienced at this time last year. Here’s what a few industry experts have to say about the housing market and […]
Keeping Current Matters

6 Simple Graphs Proving This Is Nothing Like Last Time

March 10, 2021 Last March, many involved in the residential housing industry feared the market would be crushed under the pressure of a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic. Instead, real estate had one of its best years ever. Home sales and prices were both up substantially over the year before. 2020 was so strong that many now fear the […]

Keeping Current Matters How to Make a Winning Offer on a Home March 15, 2021 Today’s homebuyers are faced with a strong sellers’ market, which means there are a lot of active buyers competing for a relatively low number of available homes. As a result, it’s essential to understand how to make a confident and competitive offer on your dream home. Here are five tips for success in this critical […]

Keeping Current Matters How to Be a Competitive Buyer in Today’s Housing Market [INFOGRAPHIC] March 12, 2021 Some Highlights With so few houses for sale today, it’s important to be prepared when you’re ready to buy a home. Meeting with your lender early, knowing your must-haves and nice-to-haves, preparing for a bidding war, and keeping your emotions in check are all ways to gain confidence in the homebuying process. If you’re looking for […]

Keeping Current Matters Will the Housing Market Bloom This Spring? March 11, 2021 Spring is almost here, and many are wondering what it will bring for the housing market. Even though the pandemic continues on, it’s certain to be very different from the spring we experienced at this time last year. Here’s what a few industry experts have to say about the housing market and […]

Keeping Current Matters 6 Simple Graphs Proving This Is Nothing Like Last Time March 10, 2021 Last March, many involved in the residential housing industry feared the market would be crushed under the pressure of a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic. Instead, real estate had one of its best years ever. Home sales and prices were both up substantially over the year before. 2020 was so strong that many now fear the […]

Keeping Current Matters How Upset Should You Be about 3% Mortgage Rates? March 9, 2021 Last Thursday, Freddie Mac announced that their 30-year fixed mortgage rate was over 3% (3.02%) for the first time since last July. That news dominated real estate headlines that day and the next. Articles talked about the “negative impact” it may have on the housing market. However, we should realize two things: 1. The bump-up […]

Keeping Current Matters 5 Reasons to Sell Your House This Spring March 8, 2021 When selling a house, most homeowners hope for a quick and profitable transaction that puts them in a position to make a great move. If you’re waiting for the best time to win as a seller, the market is calling your name this spring. Here are five reasons why this is the […]

Keeping Current Matters How to Prepare Your House for a Winning Sale This Spring [INFOGRAPHIC]

Keeping Current Matters How Smart Is It to Buy a Home Today? March 3, 2021 Whether you’re buying your first home or selling your current house, if your needs are changing and you think you need to move, the decision can be complicated. You may have to take personal or professional considerations into account, and only you can judge what impact those factors should have on your […]

Keeping Current Matters Home Prices: What Happened in 2020? What Will Happen This Year? March 2, 2021 The real estate market was on fire during the second half of 2020. Buyer demand was way up, and the supply of homes available for sale hit record lows. The price of anything is determined by the supply and demand ratio, so home prices skyrocketed last year. Dr. Lynn Fisher, Deputy Director of the Federal […]

Keeping Current Matters What Are the Benefits of a 20% Down Payment? March 1, 2021 If you’re thinking of buying a home this year, you may be wondering how much money you need to come up with for your down payment. Many people may think it’s 20% of the loan to secure a mortgage. While there are plenty of lower down payment options available for qualified buyers who don’t […]

Keeping Current Matters It’s a Sellers’ Market [INFOGRAPHIC]

Keeping Current Matters Are There Going to Be More Homes to Buy This Year? February 25, 2021 If you’re looking for a home to purchase right now and having trouble finding one, you’re not alone. At a time like this when there are so few houses for sale, it’s normal to wonder if you’ll actually find one to buy. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), across the country, inventory of available […]

Keeping Current Matters How Much Leverage Do Today’s House Sellers Have? February 24, 2021 The housing market has been scorching hot over the last twelve months. Buyers and their high demand have far outnumbered sellers and a short supply of houses. According to the latest Existing Home Sales Report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), sales are up 23.7% from the same time last year while the inventory of […]

Keeping Current Matters The Reason Mortgage Rates Are Projected to Increase and What It Means for You February 23, 2021 We’re currently experiencing historically low mortgage rates. Over the last fifty years, the average on a Freddie Mac 30-year fixed-rate mortgage has been 7.76%. Today, that rate is 2.81%. Flocks of homebuyers have been taking advantage of these remarkably low rates over the last twelve months. However, there’s no guarantee rates will remain this low much longer. […]

Keeping Current Matters Where Have All the Houses Gone? February 22, 2021 In today’s housing market, it seems harder than ever to find a home to buy. Before the health crisis hit us a year ago, there was already a shortage of homes for sale. When many homeowners delayed their plans to sell at the same time that more buyers aimed to take advantage […]

Keeping Current Matters Home Mortgage Rates by Decade [INFOGRAPHIC] February 19, 2021 Some Highlights · Mortgage interest rates have dropped considerably over the past year, and compared to what we’ve seen in recent decades, it’s a great time to buy a home. · Locking in a low rate today could save you thousands of dollars over the lifetime of your home loan, but these low rates […]

Keeping Current Matters Will Low Mortgage Rates Continue through 2021? February 18, 2021 With mortgage interest rates hitting record lows so many times recently, some are wondering if we’ll see low rates continue throughout 2021, or if they’ll start to rise. Recently, Freddie Mac released their quarterly forecast, noting: “The average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage hit a record low over a dozen times in 2020 and the low interest rate environment is […]

Keeping Current Matters 3 Ways Home Equity Can Have a Major Impact on Your Life February 17, 2021 There have been a lot of headlines reporting on how homeowner equity (the difference between the current market value of your home and the amount you owe on your mortgage) has dramatically increased over the past few years. CoreLogic indicated that equity increased for the average homeowner by $17,000 in the last year alone. ATTOM Data Solutions, […]