Eagle Idaho is a desireable, upscale community nestled along the base of the Boise
foothills. Eagle offers high-end, quality-crafted homes, fine dining, boutique shopping
and a friendly community. The Boise river meanders through Eagle and you'll often
find folks walking the greenbelt or enjoying a peaceful picnic along the banks.
Eagle offers convenient access to the entire Treasure Valley and provides direct
routes to northern ski areas, foothills hiking, river rafting and other fun Idaho
outdoor activities. If you prefer newer construction homes in an upscale market
then Eagle is the place for you. Pictured above is Rembrandt’s Coffee House in Eagle’s
quaint downtown area.
June 12, 2023
There’s a lot to consider when deciding if you should rent or buy a home, and in the current environment, it’s getting trickier to decide. Given economic uncertainty, recession fears, high interest rates, and conflicts/instability throughout the world, you may think now is not the time to invest in a home, but conside this:
• Idaho is the fourth most expensive state for renters, where renters have experienced an average 41% increase in prices over the past three years.?(MovingFeedback analyzed data from Zillow.com)
• Rents are expected to grow more than home prices in 2023, according to Realtor.com
• Mortgage rates are likely to decline through 2023, although they will remain volatile as the markets react to economic data on inflation and employment
• Investor activity is cooling off since the hot market of 2021
• Sellers are more flexible on price and other terms and conditions
Drilling Down
A 41% increase in rental prices equates to paying on average almost $475 per month over what you paid just 3 years ago. That’s a huge bite out of your income! Of course, asking prices for properties for sale have also dramatically increased during that same time period. The good news for Buyers is many Sellers are accepting offers below asking price with closing credits and cash incentives to buy down mortgage rates.
Rent prices may begin to stabilize during the next year, but don’t expect prices to drop quickly. “We are seeing moderation in construction costs and land costs, therefore there should be a corresponding rent stabilization in the near future,” Jeff Hess, development partner at Hawkins Homes and Communities, said. “However, some new multi-family projects are locked into old land and construction contracts, so the leveling off will still take some time. There is a slight uptick in inventory, but still in short supply for the near future.”
Although mortgage rates are expected to decline, they’re still high. The average fixed rate on a 30-year mortgage is expected to fluctuate between 6% and 6.5% this spring, according to housing economists interviewed by U.S. News.
Professional investors might be tapering down their home purchases, which could be a good development for frustrated homebuyers who find it hard to compete with investors’ lofty, quick-close, all-cash offers. “We have seen that investor activity has started to come down, which means that the typical homebuyer would be competing with fewer investors,” says Hannah Jones, an economic data analyst at Realtor.com. “We heard this over and over during the [COVID-19] pandemic. A family is looking to buy a home but they got outbid by investors.”
What Does This All Mean?
Market dynamics are changing so rapidly that most of us are at a loss on how to proceed. Shmuel Shayowitz, president and chief lending officer at Approved Funding, thinks anyone contemplating a home purchase this year needs to access personalized guidance and advice. That’s a fancy way of saying consult with a knowledgeable Realtor and Lender who can lay out your options so you can make an informed decision. If renting is the best option, your Realtor will tell you that. For instance, if you’re planning on staying in the area less than 2 years, you need to repair your credit, or other factors come into play, renting may be the best option. However, don’t be discouraged if you don’t have much money for a down payment, should you decide to buy. A good Realtor will connect you with a mortgage lender, if you don’t know one, who will have several loan options for your consideration. For example, Rocket Mortgage, the largest lender in the U.S. in 2022, announced its ONE+ program this week. United Wholesale Mortgage, the No. 2 lender, launched its Conventional 1% Down loans in April — then made them significantly more generous following Rocket’s announcement. The rival programs piggyback off of Fannie Mae’s HomeReady mortgages and Freddie Mac’s Home Possible loans. Those initiatives allow borrowers who make less than 80 percent of their neighborhoods’ median income to obtain a conventional loan with just 3 percent down.
Negotiating a cash incentive as part of your offer will give you money to buy down the mortgage interest rate, such as a 3-2-1 or a 2-1 buy down where the buyer can buy down the rate but needs a seller credit to do so,” Joshua Massieh, a mortgage broker at Pacwest Funding said. “The buydown would help the buyer get into the 4% rate range and that is a huge difference!” There are even O down programs available to first-time home buyers or military personnel. For the cost of what you pay to secure a rental property, you may be able to use that money to get into your own home.
Bottom Line
If all this information sounds Greek to you, don’t despair! A good Realtor can help you make sense of it all. They can even direct you to a credit repair agency that can help you repair your credit so you can get pre-qualified for a loan. The bottom line: renting vs. buying is a personal choice; only you can decide what’s right for you. Your Realtor can help guide you through the decision-making process so you can make an informed decision. The more you know, the easier your choice will be.
Kelly McCune
208-914-5724
kmccune@atova.com
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