Mortgage Interest Rates - How Much Do They Affect Buying A Home?

by Stan Jones, Keller Williams Realty 678.467.7554

The Federal Reserve has lifted interest rates, and Chairman Jerome Powell signaled that the U.S. economy wasn’t in danger of overheating. 

What do interest rates do to your monthly mortgage payment?

A $250,000 mortgage amount would look like this

If interest rates rise from 4.5% to 5.5% and the mortgage is for 30 years the total increase in payment for the life of the loan would be approx. $55,185.  

Call us today at 678.467.7554 to learn more how to get qualified for a mortgage and best practice to purchase a home today!

A little about Jerome Powell...

Jerome Powell was confirmed by the Senate in January to become the 16th chair of the Federal Reserve, and occupied his new post on Feb. 3, replacing the successful and widely admired Janet Yellen. The March FOMC meeting will be his first as Fed chair.

The former ...

Real Estate Careers with the Stan Jones Team

The Stan Jones Team is expanding. Full time positions in our organization include benefits, a fun atmosphere, and a strong compensation plan. Our company has great culture and is committed to your success through accountability and training. We are goal oriented professionals who are committed to our clients needs and will do what it takes to achieve the highest customer service for our valued clients and exceed our goals for success

Buyer Specialist

We are seeking a driven, achiever with a track record of success to join our growing sales team. If you are persuasive, enjoy meeting new people and have real estate experience - let's talk! Our Exclusive Buyer’s agents earn well over $100,000 and there is no ceiling on how much you can earn. We offer a unique, unmatched opportunity for you to be mentored & learn from some of the best in the real estate industry. Our ideal candidate is conscientious, articulate, committed, results-oriented, loves to learn & is teachable.

Interested candidates send resume to [email protected]

Listing Agent

We are seeking a driven, high performer with a track record of success to join our growing sales team. The right candidate will desire to be a leader and earn the right to be the Lead Listing Agent. The right person is ready to take the next step in their career to partner with us and grow an organization.

Our team is systematic and fast-paced. If you are a team-player and thrive in this type of environment we are looking for you! Stan will share her systematic approach to getting homes sold faster and for a higher price than the average agent. For the right candidate, the opportunity to leverage our existing systems, staff and reputation will result in a high number of listings taken and sold. The primary focus will be to contact...

Moving your family from one city to another can be a great way to change things up and get a fresh perspective on life. You may be tempted to start organizing all of your things and packing up boxes right away, but you should first do a little research. Knowing which area that you plan to move to and the potential benefits for your family is a critical part of making a successful relocation. For example, would a move to Monroe, Georgia be in your best interest? 

Your life will be completely changed by a potential move, including your children’s schools, the recreational activities nearby, and possibly even your finances. It’s only wise to take the time to thoroughly research these changes so you can anticipate the potential outcome.

Take a short break from your weekend frenzy of cleaning out closets and preparing for your upcoming move to find out what you can really expect from a move to Monroe, Georgia.

About Monroe Schools

Remember: In rural communities where there is a wide diversity of affluence as well as relatively small sample size, it's increasingly difficult to score well on online portal information.  

One of the first things that parents consider before making a major move is the quality of the local public-school district. Every child is entitled to a free and appropriate public-school education, so it makes sense to consider what each area has to offer in advance. Your child’s basic education could be the gateway directly to their future.

Georgia doesn’t exactly rank as one of the best states in the nation for education. It comes in solidly in the middle of the pack, so it’s imperative that parents find a school district that has good ratings to make the most...

Just Listed Homes

  For more information about the newest listed homes for sale in Atlanta, or to get a qualified Realtor with local knowledge of Atlanta working for you, contact Stan Jones Team @ 678.467.7554 or send us an email at [email protected]

1092 Pathview Court, Dacula                                          3960 Triton Ives Drive, Auburn

2629 White Aster Lane, Dacula                                     85 Benson Street, Lawrenceville

...

Have you been considering making a move to Dacula, Georgia? Many families are drawn to the southern way of life in 30019. The south tends to represent days that are long and slow with summers that never end. You can enjoy the warm weather, clear sunshine, and a friendlier way of life by moving to the southern parts of the United States. 

Unfortunately, deciding to relocate to Dacula, GA does require a lot of research before making a final decision. You wouldn’t want to uproot your family from their beloved hometown without knowing beyond the shadow of a doubt that your new town is the perfect place for everyone. The school system, recreational activities available, and the projected cost of living are all incredibly important factors to think about before you make a move. 

You can hold off on taping those boxes shut just yet. First, you need to find all of the information you should know about moving to Dacula, GA.

DACULA School Information

Academics should be one of your top priorities if you have children and plan to make a major move with your family in the upcoming years. There is no substitute for an excellent education, regardless of what extracurricular activities or parks and recreation departments may be available in the area. The public-school system can be a clear indicator of your child’s future academic success in higher education through college and potentially even grad school. 

How do the schools in Dacula, Georgia compare to others around the country? 

ATLANTA RELOCATION GUIDE

If you're relocating to Atlanta from Florida, California or the North East you are not alone!   Atlanta is a very transient city and many large corporations like IBM and Publix will fly families into Atlanta to be trained and then send them back out to their other locations.

Step 1:  Determine The "general" Location.

Based On Work

The best first step is to narrow down where you want to live.  You might think to yourself that Atlanta traffic can't be that bad, but you have no idea.  What looks like a 20-minute commute is an hour, it's always an hour.   Proximity to your employer is huge.  If you get to telecommute and you want to stretch out to the suburbs then you can move to refine this a bit. 

Typically there's options in Atlanta proper, but also in Duluth, Marietta and Alpharetta (which incidentally is where many of the best schools are).

Based On Schools

If you want to search by the best schools you're looking at the top half of metro Atlanta.  Luckily, there are a few good schools in every county, but Cobb and Gwinnett County boast the top schools and Gwinnett is the largest school system in the state.  If you would like to search by schools, just look below. 

Based On Play

When preparing this blog to answer the question, "Is Winter The Worst Time To Sell My Home?" I googled and found a variety of answer.  One national brokerage suggests that summer is the worst time to sell and that winter is the best.  Everyone's favorite real estate miss-information site suggest that Spring is the best time to sell.   With all these different opinions how is one to know when is the best time to actually sell your Dacula home?   

Note:  Many times these national outlets use national numbers vs local numbers, so it could be like comparing Detroit real estate to say Snellville real estate.  They are likely to behave completely differently. 

Before we answer this question (don't peak), it's worth noting that we believe the best time to sell is when your family needs to move.  Trying to time the sale of your home can be a scary ordeal.  The reason is that the information we have regarding the market is usually 90 days behind.  By the time we notice the market shifting it's already shifted. 

In addition, (if you didn't read ahead) when you look below you'll see what has actually closed.  Real Estate closings do not happen overnight or within 30 days.  Rather, they can take 60 to 90 days.  So a closing in December likely started in November or October.  

The first thing you'll notice here is that the worst time to expect a closing is actually in...

This question comes up from time to time in various forms, from, "how much money should I save before buying a house" to "how much money do I need to put down?" or "How Much Money Do You Need To Buy A Home In Atlanta, GA?"  While there are financial entertainers out there that will give you a different opinion there is a "facts-based" answer to this.   One such entertainer, Dave Ramsey, suggests 20% down.  He's so popular that even popular websites like credit.com and forbes.com recommend this same amount.  If you put 20% you'll be way ahead of the game and that's outstanding, however, with a median price of $330,000 in Atlanta, GA, that's $66,000 cash that most don't have.

So, How Much Money Do You Need To Buy A Home In Atlanta, GA?

Fortunately for you, the answer is far less than 20%.  If you're looking for what is required to buy a home for the average American, it's about 4% of the purchase price.   On a $330,000 median price point home, that's roughly $11,550.   This amount includes a 3.5% down payment as well as money for incidentals, appraisals, and inspections while using an FHA mortgage. 

Keep in mind we're talking about Atlanta real estate here which includes areas like Buckhead.  So there's more affordable homes all over the city as well as the suburbs.  Take Loganville real estate for example, with a median price point of $194,000, you have a better example that matches the infographic below.

 So...

Top 10 Reasons to List Your Home During the Holidays...

It's getting close to the end of the year and we thought it would be an excellent time to look back on the last 6 months and see what are the Best Selling Neighborhoods In Dacula GA For 2017. You might remember that we looked at the Dacula GA Real Estate market earlier.   As a courtesy to you we include more than a top 10 because Hamilton Mill and Apalachee Farms will likely also lead the pack due to the number of homes for sale that they have at any given time in Dacula, GA.

Best Selling Neighborhoods In Dacula GA For 2017

Hamilton Mill - This the perennial leader in home sales of course.  With 77 homes sold in Hamilton Mill in the past 6 months, it's the clear winner.  The average price of homes for sale in Hamilton Mill that sold was $386K.  Which also tops this list. 

Apalachee Farms - Seemingly playing second fiddle to Hamilton Mill in terms of sales and quantity and frankly publiciity, Apalachee Farms sold 25 in 6 months with an average price of homes for sale in Apalachee Farms coming to $347

Best Selling Neighborhoods In Dacula GA For 2017 NOT Named Hamilton Mill

1. Daniel Park - We often refer to Daniel Park as Dacula's best kept secret but after reviewing the numbers, it's clearly not a secret to anyone.  With 18 homes sales in 6 months and an average price of homes for sale in Daniel Park at $305K... the cat is out...

Whether you're thinking of selling now or later, it's worth while to know What's The Real Estate Market Like In Dacula, GA.

Today's real estate market is still going strong!  Homes for sale in 30019 are still selling strong!  Even with all the positve news it's worth looking at a couple of real estate statistics though.  Let's dive into Dacula Real Estate.

Dacula Market Report

Dacula Sales Volume

Sales in September 2016 compared to Sales in September 2017 show a few changes.  Sales Volume September 2016 was $20,292,373 and September 2017 was $21,901,391.  That's increase in sales volume. With this, however, number of homes for sale in Dacula went down from 80 sales in 2016 to 77 sales in 2017. This is the first decline in number of sales in September in the past five years.  

For a list of the sales for the last 6 months you can check out our blog post titled:  Best Selling Neighborhoods In Dacula GA For 2017

Dacula GA Days On Market

Total days of market also increased from 43 days on market September 2016 to 50 days on market September 2017.  Although 50 days on market shows a very healthy market and sales turnaround it is something to take note that number of days on market has increased.

Dacula GA Absorption...

The Stan Jones Team has gained some momentum in the month of June. The team is projected to close 16 homes this month. The members worked extremely hard to reach their personal goals. This number wouldn’t be possible without their hard work each and everyday.  According to Homesnap, the Gwinnett County Real Estate market, the overall sales numbers in the last 30 days have remained above the monthly average (2,098.9) with 2,329 homes sold. Prices have begun to increase from price medians $225,900 to $227,000 in the Greater Atlanta Area. If you are on the search for a new home, or looking to sell your current home, our team would love to connect with you. Interest rates will begin to rise as we approach July and August. If you have any questions about the real estate market, our current listings, or how buying or selling right now could best benefit you rather than waiting, call us at 678-542-1380. We look forward to connecting with you soon!

The Stan Jones Team has listed a handful of homes already for the month of June!

Our team has listed some great homes & outstanding pieces of land over the last two months. Potential buyers should note that prices on inventory planned to to increase as time moves forward into the months of July and August. If you are considering to buy or sell your home, right now would be the best time! Interest rates are low, but will begin to rise.  Don’t lose out on the opportunity to be a part of this market. To view all of our listings, visit our home page at www.AtlantaHomesToday.com

We have a team of agents that are ready to help serve you into your dream home.

If you have any questions or want to connect with one of our agents to begin your search for a new home or to get your home sold, we would love to help you! Call us today at 678-249-9635.

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. We want to keep you in the know!

www.facebook.com/stanjonesteam & www.instagram.com/stanjones_team

Keller Williams Realty - Stan Jones & Associates Realty Team Invites you to apply!

< Experience Required >

Do you enjoy helping the team run smoothly, and that everything is done “right”? Stan Jones & Associates Realty Team - a division of Keller Williams Realty is seeking an executive level Administrator who is passionate about providing world-class customer service and ensuring a successful and enjoyable transaction for our valued home buyers and sellers. This is your opportunity to join a hyper-successful team where you won’t just earn a living, but be part of a growing family that invests as much in each other as we do our clients. We are fully engaged in your professional and personal growth in a way that few others offer. We would love to have you join the family! Responsibilities

• Supports the sales agents in the maintenance, documentation and follow-up of all their escrow related paperwork.
• Managing all aspects of real estate transactions process from processing sales in our database to auditing and maintain the related transactions file.
• Responsible for verifying all properties have been entered into the closing system
• Creating Clients for life
• Work closely with escrow and the selling agent to retrieve any and all documents needed to close the files
• Verify and sign off on all documents received for correct signatures and dates
• Follow up with agents for missing documents.
• Contact buyer's agent to request disclosures to be returned
• Support Listing Team in getting listings live.
• Communicate with clients to ensure a smooth process until close.
• Run errands for team lead
• Monitor Social media and post closings and listings
• Manager leads calendar, maintain leads schedule and event calendar
• Open,...

The Stan Jones Team listed 3 homes during the month of April!

There has been some great inventory come into the market the past few months here in the Gwinnett County area. Approximately 1,969 homes sold in the month of April and that number is increasing by the day. Don’t lose out on the opportunity to be a part of this market. To view all of our listings, visit our home page at www.AtlantaHomesToday.com

We have a team of agents that are ready to help serve you into your dream home. Call us today at 678-542-1380 and follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay in the know!

www.facebook.com/stanjonesteam  & www.instagram.com/stanjones_team

The market is HOT and the Stan Jones Team has sold many homes this month!

Our agents are working closely with our clients to make sure they receive the satisfaction they deserve. Whether it be listing appointments, showing appointments, or hosting an open house, our agents do what it takes to serve each client well. Our focus is to help educate and offer resources to our clients and community. We understand that purchasing a home can be very difficult and stressful at times. By choosing to list with The Stan Jones Team, Your agent will do their best to guide and advise you to meet your every possible need you may have, and grant you their input by helping educate you, increasing your awareness for every circumstance, and also answering any questions or concerns you may have in relation to selling your home. Contact us today and lets get your home sold! For information on our current listings, visit our home page. Homes are flying off the market quick, so call us! We look forward to Serving You Home.

Connect with us on Instagram and Facebook!

wwww.facebook.com/stanjonesteam & instagram.com/stanjones_team

Appraisals! They can be great and they can be a nightmare!  The most important items to know are the basics of how it all works.  

So, what does an appraiser do and what are the guidelines he has to follow?  

http://www.grec.state.ga.us/PDFS/About/newsarticles/2012DECGRECRENews.pdf

A definition that is important is - Gross Living Area.  Scott Murphy from the appraisers association stated the article below about living area.  (this helps to understand how square feet are calculated)

Probably one of the most important elements of a home, in terms of value, is the overall living space or gross living area (GLA). It is probably one of the most misunderstood elements as well. There are a number of standards for calculating GLA but the one that is used by appraisers is the “ANSI” – American National Standard Institute. The ANSI standards define "finished area" as “an enclosed area in a house suitable for yearround use, embodying walls, floors, and ceilings that are similar to the rest of the house.” Measurements must be taken to the nearest inch or tenth of a foot, and floor area must be reported to the nearest square foot. Garages are specifically excluded. The way I explain it is that if you put your foot on the floor of any given level and any portion of that floor is below the grade of the ground, it is considered below grade space and CAN NOT be included in GLA. Another way to think of it is that if you could not put a door on any part of the perimeter than it is below grade space. This comes into play in parts of the country where there are homes with basements and other home styles such as split level and split foyer homes where some levels are below the grade of the ground. The appraiser then will take the areas above grade and count the rooms. The appraiser will count the total number...

There is no doubt that mortgage credit availability is expanding, meaning it is easier to finance a home today than it was last year. However, the mortgage market is still much tighter than it was prior to the housing boom and bust experienced between 2003 - 2006.

The Housing Financing Policy Center at the Urban Institute just released data revealing two reasons for the current exceptionally high credit standards:

1. Additional restrictions lenders put on borrowing because of concerns that they will be forced to repurchase failed loans from the government-sponsored enterprises or Federal Housing Administration (FHA).
2. The concern about potential litigation for imperfect loans.

What has been the result of these concerns?

6.3 Million Less Mortgages

The Policy Center report went on to say:

“It was so hard to get a mortgage in 2015 that lenders failed to make about 1.1 million mortgages that they would have made if reasonable lending standards had been in place. From 2009 to 2014, lenders failed to make about 5.2 million mortgages thanks to overly tight credit. In total, lenders would have issued 6.3 million additional mortgages between 2009 and 2015 if lending standards had been more reasonable.”

In an interview with DSNews, Laurie Goodman and Alanna McCargo of the Policy Center further explained:

“Our Housing Credit Availability Index (HCAI)* measures the probability that mortgage borrowers will become delinquent...

If you are debating purchasing a home right now, you are probably getting a lot of advice. Though your friends and family will have your best interest at heart, they may not be fully aware of your needs and what is currently happening in the real estate market.

Ask yourself the following 3 questions to help determine if now is actually a good time for you to buy in today’s market.

1. Why am I buying a home in the first place?

This truly is the most important question to answer. Forget the finances for a minute. Why did you even begin to consider purchasing a home? For most, the reason has nothing to do with money.

For example, a recent survey by Braun showed that over 75% of parents say “their child’s education is an important part of the search for a new home.”

This survey supports a study by the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University which revealed that the four major reasons people buy a home have nothing to do with money. They are:

• A good place to raise children and for them to get a good education
• A place where you and your family feel safe
• More space for you and your family
• Control of that space

What does owning a home mean to you? What non-financial benefits will you and your family gain from owning a home? The answer to that question should be the biggest reason you decide to purchase or not.

2. Where are home values headed?

According to the latest Home Price Index from CoreLogic, home values are projected to increase by 5.3% over the next 12 months.

What does that mean to you?

Simply...