Housing Market: a matter of perspective.

Just as with the stock market, there are “Bearish Articles”, authors who indicate the market is or could be over valued, and “Bullish Articles”, authors who indicate the market is going or will go up.

In my view, a home is primarily a place to live and over time it will increase with the rate of inflation provided household income and population growth are positive.  If someone buys a home and holds it for the long run, the investment will be a good one.  In essence, for buyers, small short term oscillations in the market are somewhat unimportant.

However, for someone who is considering selling a home, I believe it is very important to be aware of market conditions and the goal would always be to “catch the wave” of favorable selling conditions or at the minimum avoid “soft periods” of the market which may be a correction that takes place after a period of strong appreciation.

So, it is primarily for home sellers that I scan the market and try to point out articles on a regular basis that are representative of the “Bulls & Bears” who are writing opinion articles and projections.  Here are the articles I found that are worth sharing with you this week at DSnews and Inman.com:

Articles written by a BEARs:

California Coastal Housing Unaffordable Again

One of the earliest phenomenon of the housing bubble was the ascension of home prices, making housing unaffordable relative to incomes. Markets across the nation cascaded from affordable to unaffordable–a key signal that prompted us to warn of the coming housing downturn. And it now appears that this symptom has cropped up once again, as almost all of California’s coastal cities are now unaffordable. » Read More

Housing Momentum Stalled by Cautious Consumers

According to Fannie Mae’s November National Housing Survey, positive momentum in the housing market has slowed as Americans remain cautious about their personal finances and the overall state of the economy. Nearly two-thirds of those surveyed believe the economy is on the wrong track. Within the next year, 22 percent expect their personal finances to worsen and only 45 percent expect home prices to increase. » Read More

Articles written by Bulls:

Home Values will Stabilize, mortgages will be easier to get in 2014

Zillow is making four “bold” predictions for 2014: U.S. home values will increase by 3 percent; mortgage rates will crack 5 percent; borrowers will have easier access to a mortgage; and the homeownership rate will drop to its lowest level in 20 years. … Read More »

Jobs report points toward improving market conditions

Employment in November improved in several areas closely tied to housing, with residential construction employment and young adult employment in areas pummeled by the housing crisis all increasing…- Read More>>

I hope you learned some useful new information about the market which helps you in your decision & timing to sell your home.  If you want to talk more about the market, please do not hesitate to contact me.

For a FREE Special Property Analysis, go to http://homes.annachild.com/idx/homevaluation