Home Purchasing For Coaches: Your Top Five Indicators

No matter where you are as a coach on your journey as a homeowner, it’s always smart to understand the play-by-play action of applying for a mortgage, refinancing or selling a home. This is especially important if you are relocating from one job to the next as coaches often do and need to purchase a new home.

The more informed you are, the better position you’ll be in to negotiate, get great rates, and save a ton of potential frustration. While you can look at how many homes have recently sold in an area or are pending, these stats are more of a glimpse into the past than they are for the future. Instead, here’s a handy list of five leading economic “indicators” you should watch when looking at moving.

Indicator No. 1: Supply Of New Listings

Like many parts of the economy, the real estate market relies heavily on supply and demand. If you’re in the market for a new home, for example, and the area you’re moving to has a low supply of housing options, this of course could lead to bidding wars that will force you to offer a higher price or have to look elsewhere.

The good news for the entire country’s real estate market right now, is that despite COVID-19 being an ongoing issue, the supply of new listings is moving in the right direction.

Indicator No. 2: Demand For Homes

On the one hand, there is an ongoing issue with inventory in most states, but this has been a concern for years, way before COVID-19 hit the headlines. Depending on where you live, you may have personally experienced this first-hand.

The good news? Demand is strong, even in these uncertain times.

Many states are beginning to explore lighter lock-down restrictions, mortgage rates are generously low, and you’ll find a lot of agents have doubled-down on using technology to show homes and complete contracts. All of this is helping housing demand to stay on the uptick.

Indicator No. 3: Time On The Market

If you’ve put your plans to buy or sell on hold recently, you’re not alone.

There was a new survey done by The National Association of Realtors (NAR) that found 40 percent of real estate agents said clients looking to buy decided to wait a couple of months. However, that’s not always an option, especially if you have to relocate for a new position.

If you live in a large urban area, another survey, this time from Realtor.com, found properties for sale in the 99 largest U.S. metropolitan areas have been on the market a bit longer than usual. Compared to a year ago, they have been listed 13 days longer before selling.

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Whether or not a home’s price will or “should” be set at a slight discount as a result of this really goes back to the supply and demand in your area. Selling your home to move, or move-up, has to be a part of your short-term and long-term financial plan.

Overall though, recent data shows you shouldn’t expect any low-balling to take place.

Indicator No. 4: Home Prices

You can often tell a lot about the current state and potential future of the real estate market in your desired area by looking at pricing trends.

Zillow.com offers a lot of useful info at a glance, and you can also search any location for more specific data.

The reality is, it’s too soon to really know what will ultimately happen to prices by the end of 2020. In general, home values tend to rise over time, but events like COVID-19 can obviously impact this. However, the coronavirus hasn’t really put a negative dent in home prices, so far.

In fact, in March, prices had risen 4.4 percent on average and as of May, prices are still 1.4 percent higher than a year ago. NAR found in another survey that 72 percent of real estate agents’ clients had not lowered prices at all.

Also, if you’re looking to buy a home or needing to relocate, Realtor.com has noted the continued trend of available homes shifting toward pricier options. With homes continuing to get bigger and bigger, and inflation meaning the cost of building materials is always rising, it makes sense.

Indicator No. 5: Unemployment Rate And Jobless Claims

Naturally, if people aren’t working or are concerned about job security, priorities for buying or selling a home may change. Even if you’re still looking to apply for a mortgage, depending where unemployment rates are headed, sellers could go one of two directions.

Some sellers might take their home off the market to avoid having to find a new home themselves. Other sellers might want to sell faster to have some liquid cash on hand and also not have to worry about monthly mortgage payments.

Putting It All Together

Researching the five indicators listed above will give you everything you need to start figuring out where the real estate market – including your local area – may be headed at any given time, to help you purchase your next home.

On average, as a coach, you move every three to five years, so keep these indicators in mind, regardless of where you live or where you might be headed.

This article was written by Rosa Ivey. When you’re ready to take that next step, Rosa can help. She can help you find the right type of mortgage to match your current needs and future goals. Plus, she can help you in any state across the U.S.

Rosa Ivey
Sales Manager | Senior Loan Advisor
NMLS 546384
Cell: (239) 290-3753
10200 Forest Green Blvd, Suite 112, Louisville, KY 40223
9649 Highway 105 S Banner Elk NC 28604

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