Richard Wamsat’s Real Estate News & Views

Local market updates, buyer and seller tips, and homeowner resources for Orange County and Irvine.

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Home Equity Gives Sellers Options in Today’s Market

By Richard Wamsat | Sep 24, 2020

Homeownership is one of the best ways to invest in your financial future, especially as your home equity grows. Home equity is a form of forced savings that can work to your advantage as the value of your home appreciates. Across the country, home equity was increasing before the health crisis swept our nation, and […]

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Home Builder Confidence Hits All-Time Record

By Richard Wamsat | Sep 23, 2020

Last week, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) reported their Housing Market Index (HMI) hit an all-time high in the 35-year history of the series with a score of 83. The index gauges builder perceptions of current single-family home sales and sale expectations for the next six months, as well as the traffic of […]

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The Cost of a Home Is Far More Important than the Price

By Richard Wamsat | Sep 22, 2020

Housing inventory is at an all-time low. There are 39% fewer homes for sale today than at this time last year, and buyer demand continues to set records. Zillow recently reported: “Newly pending sales are up 25.5% compared to the same week last year, the highest year-over-year increase in the weekly Zillow database.” Whenever there […]

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Is the Economic Recovery Beating All Projections?

By Richard Wamsat | Sep 21, 2020

Earlier this year, many economists and market analysts were predicting an apocalyptic financial downturn that would potentially rattle the U.S. economy for years to come. They immediately started to compare it to the Great Depression of a century ago. Six months later, the economy is still trying to stabilize, but it is evident that the […]

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Homes Across the Country Are Selling Fast [INFOGRAPHIC]

By Richard Wamsat | Sep 18, 2020

Some Highlights Buyers are actively searching for and purchasing homes at a record-breaking pace. According to the latest report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), in July, 68% of homes were on the market for less than a month. With homes moving from listing day to pending sale in an average of just 22 […]

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How Low Inventory May Impact the Housing Market This Fall

By Richard Wamsat | Sep 17, 2020

Real estate continues to be called the ‘bright spot’ in the current economy, but there’s one thing that may hold the housing market back from achieving its full potential this year: the lack of homes for sale. Buyers are actively searching for and purchasing homes, looking to capitalize on today’s historically low interest rates, but […]

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The Surging Real Estate Market Continues to Climb

By Richard Wamsat | Sep 16, 2020

Earlier this year, realtor.com announced the release of the Housing Recovery Index, a weekly guide showing how the pandemic has impacted the residential real estate market. The index leverages a weighted average of four key components of the housing industry by tracking each of the following: Housing Demand – Growth in online search activity Home […]

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Is Now a Good Time to Move?

By Richard Wamsat | Sep 15, 2020

How long have you lived in your current home? If it’s been a while, you may be thinking about moving. According to the latest Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), in 2019, homeowners were living in their homes for an average of 10 years. That’s a long time […]

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Two New Surveys Indicate Urban to Suburban Lean

By Richard Wamsat | Sep 14, 2020

There has been much talk around the possibility that Americans are feeling less enamored with the benefits of living in a large city and now may be longing for the open spaces that suburban and rural areas provide. In a recent Realtor Magazine article, they discussed the issue and addressed comments made by Lawrence Yun, […]

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