Blog

Here are five reasons we aren’t likely to see a market crash anytime soon.

Buying a home these days is like playing competitive sports. You’re going to need to be in shape and know the rules to win the game in this crazy market! MORE BUYERS THAN HOMES FOR SALES For 2021, the market has been absolutely on fire! There are more buyers than sellers which creates a supply […]

Friends and Clients— U.S. home prices are swelling, and anxious buyers and sellers are worried about a real estate market crash. However, today’s market bears little resemblance to the one that fueled 2008’s crisis. Market watchers are wary because the median sale price in the U.S. in February was $313,000, an increase of almost 16% […]

We hear that from time to time and while we have our own opinions on this (NO) – it’s nice to hear it coming from someone like finance personality, Dave Ramsey. Watch the video below to hear his take! We’re proud to be one of Dave Ramsey’s ELPs (Endorsed Local Providers) – a prestigious title […]

The Waiting Game: An $80,000 Mistake We saw housing prices gain north of 12% along the Wasatch Front and the state of Utah in 2020. That’s remarkable given the circumstances. We know that Utah currently has the lowest unemployment rate in the country. We’re #2 in terms of in-migration, or families relocating to work in […]

5 Realities Your Buyers and Sellers Should Prepare for in 2021. Today I wanted to share 5 realities for home buyers and home sellers that they should prepare for in 2021. There are a lot of unknowns that we’ll see develop throughout 2021 such as: people moving out of overpriced metropolitan areas due to work-from-home […]

Turn Your Home into a Safe Haven-Air Quality What’s your favorite way to protect your indoor airspace? Winter marks the beginning of the cold and flu and inversion season for Utah and the Wasatch Front. Add a pandemic, lingering wildfire pollution, and seasonal allergies to the mix, and you can see why it’s so important […]

Meet the team and listen to how amazing the 2020 real estate market really was! Hi guys! Well, what a whirlwind the 2020 real estate market was!! Here’s a video that our team put together to talk about the market broken down by each country! The bottom line was 2020 was an excellent year for […]

Unemployment, COVID, and our economy…

We know that COVID is going to continue to be around and at a higher level than we’d all like to see for months to come.

Today I look at the broader question of “Will Housing Prices Cancel Out Low Mortgage Rates?” I stumbled upon a great Realtor.com article that I’d like to share with you. This article covers the national economy and the real estate economy.

The first thing you need to do is hire a highly experienced buyer’s only agent

Remember that mortgage insurance benefits the lender

What is an iBuyer?

FHA loans have the highest delinquency rates on record, going back to 1979.

Low supply and rock bottom mortgage rates are keeping the housing market highly competitive even during the ongoing pandemic.

Did you know that an average home buyer is currently paying $83 per month for every $100k of loan they have on their home toward mortgage insurance?

While renegotiating your mortgage loan with your lender may sound daunting, it’s important to act quickly to keep missed payments from getting out of hand.

There has been some recovery since the shutdown, however, the velocity of that recovery has slowed greatly in recent weeks

Our housing market is currently healthier than the majority of our nation.

Mandi Henriod with Intercap Lending explains in detail some things you need to be aware of if you’re going to purchase or refinance in the next 90-180 days.

The real estate market is on a much stronger footing which will serve it well in any future recessions.

Thinking of selling your home? It can be overwhelming during good times, not to mention the uncertain times we’ve experienced lately. It’s surprising how our housing market has reacted to COVID-19 over the last couple months.

The National Association of Realtors has released their annual report of Home Buyers and Home Sellers.  There’s some interesting information here that we felt was pertinent and worthy of sharing. We’ll cover this in two parts.  First will be the Home Buyers. • So The first thing I noticed here was that 78% of non-home owners […]

The National Association of Realtors has released their annual report of Home Buyers and Home Sellers.  This is our second segment, if you missed the Home Buyer report, please visit www.SternTeam.org, there’s a lot of valuable insight.  Today we’re going to cover the NAR’s 2019 profile of home sellers. • Remember that the typical home buyer […]

Today we want to introduce to you The Stern Team’s Love it or Leave program, the ultimate buyer protection plan for uncertain times.   Buying a home is a big decision, and one that you literally have to live with.  We strive to find you the perfect home, a home that you will love for years […]

How is COVID-19 Affecting the Mortgage Market? Today we want to talk about the mortgage market and how COVID is changing the mortgage landscape. JPMorgan Chase just announced that it has stopped accepted HELOC applications as of April 14th, 2020. Of course, they’re calling this a temporary pause. In addition to that, JPMorgan Chase is requiring 20% […]

What’s Happening in the Wasatch Market During COVID-19? Since Governor Herbert declared a State of Emergency for Utah in early March: • 4,195 homes became active.  • 5,294 have moved into under contract statuses.  • 5,601 have sold.   Active listings are down 22.5% year-over-year.   • 8,370 beginning January 1st, 2019.   • 6,493 beginning January 1st, […]

We hope you and your loved ones continue to stay safe and healthy.  COVID-19 continues to be the topic of conversation and the dominating force in our lives.  With all the volatility in the stock market and uncertainty about the length of time this may last, a lot of folks are rightfully concerned about another […]

Learn about our “Virtual Home Buyer Program” We realize that it’s a different sort of time, but the real estate market continues to be going strong! Serious buyers are out there and taking advantage of this opportunity to find their perfect home! We always strive to offer only the best in client experiences so we […]

Fannie Mae Assistance Options for Homeowners Impacted by COVID-19 Today we’re going to talk about Fannie Mae assistance options for homeowners impacted by COVID-19. A recent article put together by PRNewswire stated that Fannie Mae wants to help ensure families are given options in these uncertain times in the case of job loss, a reduction in work […]

How Can We Continue to Support Our Local Economy? Today we’re going to talk about the back doorway we can help our housing market.  That’s by helping our local economy which in turn keeps our housing market healthy.   With the recent COVID-19 pandemic, Salt Lake County and our neighboring counties Health Departments are prohibiting restaurants, […]

Sequestered at home? Get moving! One of the ways I’m getting through this crazy time is first, keeping a schedule and second making sure that schedule includes an exercise routine.  I’ve been working out with my trainer Steve Pizza the owner of SLC Strength and Conditioning for a number of years. I asked him what […]

How Will the Fed’s New Interest Rate Affect Home Mortgage Rates? What does the Federal Reserve cutting its target interest rate to near zero percent mean for mortgages? This is the second emergency rate cut in two weeks and brings the federal funds rate to between 0% and 0.25%. It’s designed to stimulate the economy […]

First and foremost we are taking the COVID-19 pandemic very seriously. We are seeing a lot of communities come together and help for those unable to do so for themselves.  We love to thank each of you for pitching in. However, if you are one who is in the high risk category, you are in […]

Home Improvements You May Want to Avoid Are you thinking of putting your home on the market? Making some upgrades is a great way to boost its value and make it more sellable, but not all upgrades are created equal. In fact, some improvements won’t increase your home’s value, and today I have an article […]