So you've been searching for that perfect house to call a "home," and you finally found one! The price is right, and in such a competitive market that you want to make sure you make a good offer so that you can guarantee your dream of making this dream house of yours come true!

Here are 4 tips that will help your offer be highly desirable:

Understand How Much You Can Afford
"While it's not nearly as fun as house hunting, fully understanding your finances is critical in making an offer."

As we've mentioned before, getting pre-approved is one of many steps that will show home sellers that you are serious about buying, and will allow you to make your offer with the confidence of knowing that you have already been approved for a mortgage for that amount. You will also need to know if you are prepared to make any repairs that may need to be made to the house. (For Example: new roof, new furnace).
Act Fast
"Even though there are fewer investors, the inventory of homes for sale is also low and competition for housing continues to heat up in many parts of the country."

According to the latest Existing Home Sales Report, the inventory of homes for sale is currently at a 3.6-month supply; This is well below the 6-month supply that is needed for a 'normal' market. Buyer demand has continued to outpace the supply of homes for sale, causing buyers to compete with each other for their dream homes.

Make sure that as soon as you decide that you want to make an offer, you work with your agent to present is as soon as possible.
Make a Solid Offer
"Your strongest offer will be comparable with other sales and listings in the neighborhood. A licensed real estate agent active in the neighborhoods you are considering will be instrumental in helping you put in a solid offer based on their experience and other key considerations such as recent sales of similar homes, the condition of the house and what you can afford."

Consider ways of making your offer stand out! Many buyers write a personal letter to the seller letting them know how much they would love to be the new homeowners. Your agent will be able to help you determine if there any other ways your offer could stand out above the rest.
Be Prepared to Negotiate
"It's likely that you'll get at least one counteroffer from the sellers so be prepared. The two things most likely to be negotiated are the selling price and closing date. Given that, you'll be glad you did your homework first to understand how much you can afford. Your agent will also be key in the negotiation process, giving you guidance on the counteroffer and making sure that the agreed-to contact terms are met."

If your offer is approved, Freddie Mac urges you to "always get an independent home inspection, so you know the true condition of the home." If the inspection uncovers undisclosed problems or issues, you can discuss any repairs that may need to be made, with the seller.

Whether buying your first home or your fifth, having a local professional on your side who is an expert in their market is your best bet to make sure the process goes smoothly. Windermere Tower Properties can help!
Happy House Hunting!

by Brea Broten

Housing Market Expected To “Spring Forward” This Year

Just like our clocks this weekend in the majority of the country, the housing market will soon “spring forward!” Similar to tension in a spring, the lack of inventory available for sale in the market right now is what is holding back the market.

Many potential sellers believe that waiting until Spring is in their best interest, and traditionally they would have been right.

Buyer demand has seasonality to it, which usually falls off in the winter months, especially in areas of the country impacted by arctic temperatures and conditions.

That hasn’t happened this year.

Demand for housing has remained strong as mortgage rates have remained near historic lows. Even with the recent increase in rates, buyers are still able to lock in an affordable monthly payment. Many more buyers are jumping off the fence and into the market to secure a lower rate.

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) recently reported that the top 10 dates sellers listed their homes in 2017 all fell in April, May, or June.

Those who act quickly and list now could benefit greatly from additional exposure to buyers prior to a flood of more competition coming to market in the next few months.

If you are planning on selling your home in 2018, meet with a local real estate professional to evaluate the opportunities in your market.

by Brea Broten

Getting Pre-Approved Should Always Be Your First Step

In many markets across the country, the number of buyers searching for their dream homes greatly outnumbers the number of homes for sale. This has led to a competitive marketplace where buyers often need to stand out. One way to show you are serious about buying your dream home is to get pre-qualified or pre-approved for a mortgage before starting your search.

Even if you are in a market that is not as competitive, understanding your budget will give you the confidence of knowing if your dream home is within your reach.

Freddie Mac lays out the advantages of pre-approval in the ‘My Home’ section of their website:

“It’s highly recommended that you work with your lender to get pre-approved before you begin house hunting. Pre-approval will tell you how much home you can afford and can help you move faster, and with greater confidence, in competitive markets.”

One of the many advantages of working with a local real estate professional is that many have relationships with lenders who will be able to help you with this process. Once you have selected a lender, you will need to fill out their loan application and provide them with important information regarding “your credit, debt, work history, down payment and residential history.”

Freddie Mac describes the ‘4 Cs’ that help determine the amount you will be qualified to borrow:

Capacity: Your current and future ability to make your payments
Capital or cash reserves: The money, savings, and investments you have that can be sold quickly for cash
Collateral: The home, or type of home, that you would like to purchase
Credit: Your history of paying bills and other debts on time

Getting pre-approved is one of many steps that will show home sellers that you are serious about buying, and it often helps speed up the process once your offer has been accepted.

Many potential home buyers overestimate the down payment and credit scores needed to qualify for a mortgage today. If you are ready and willing to buy, you may be pleasantly surprised at your ability to do so.

Source: Keeping Current Matters

by Brea Broten

First Comes Love, Then Comes....Mortgage?

Love and marriage is the traditional pairing, but now there’s a step in between for many couples: a mortgage. While marriage may come eventually for unmarried couples who buy a home together, for many millennials (those aged 18-34), down payments have taken precedence over heading down the aisle.

According to the National Association of REALTORS most recent Profile of Home Buyers & Sellers, married couples once again dominated the first-time homebuyer statistics in 2016 at 58% of all buyers. It is no surprise that having two incomes to save for down payments and contribute to monthly housing costs makes buying a home more attainable.

But, many couples are also deciding to buy a home before spending what would be a down payment on a wedding, as unmarried couples made up 14% of all first-time buyers last year.

If you’re single, don’t fret! Single women made up 18% of first-time buyers in 2016, while single men accounted for 8% of buyers. One recent article pointed to a sense of responsibility and commitment that drives many single women to want to own their home, rather than rent.

Make this Valentine's Day stand out with buying your dream home!

by Brea Broten

Is This the Year to Move Up to Your Dream Home? If So, Do It Early!

If you are considering moving up to your dream home, it may be better to do it earlier in the year than later. It usually means good news for the housing market when the country sees an optimistic future. People begin to dream again about the home their family has always wanted, and some make plans to finally make that dream come true.

The two components of your monthly mortgage payment (home prices and interest rates) are both projected to increase as the year moves forward, and interest rates may increase rather dramatically. Here are a few reasons why considering now is better than later:

Demand is Strong

The latest Buyer Traffic Report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) shows that buyer demand remains very strong! Buyers are ready, willing and able to purchase! Take advantage of the buyer activity currently in the market.

There is Less Competition

Housing inventory is under the 6-month supply that is needed for a normal housing market. This simply means there are not enough homes for sale to satisfy the number of buyers in the market.

There Will Never be a Better Time to Move up to Luxury

Now is the time to move up into premium or luxury home! The inventory of homes for sale at these higher price ranges has forced these markets into a buyer’s market. Prices are projected to appreciate by just about 5% over the next year according to CoreLogic. If you are moving to a higher-priced home, it will wind up costing you more in raw dollars (both in down payment and mortgage payment) if you wait.

Only you know the answers to the questions above. You have the power to take control, making the decision of putting your home on the market. Perhaps the time has come for you and your family to move on and start living the life you desire!

Making the decision to sell your home represents a big change in your life - emotions, fond memories, and excitement about the future all come together - at a time when thinking clearly is of the utmost importance. You need a team of high integrity who will guide you through each step of the process.

If you are feeling good about your family’s economic future and are considering making a move to your dream home, doing it sooner rather than later makes the most sense.

by Brea Broten

New Year's Resolutions - I Want to Buy a Home!

It’s a New Year – which means, everyone has a long list of New Years Resolutions. Whether it be wanting to travel across the world, wanting to save more money, wanting to lose weight, you name it, its probably on someones list. Every year, we make our resolutions; Career Resolutions, Personal Resolutions, Health Resolutions. The best way to reach a goal is by writing them out, re-reading them throughout the year, and making them attainable and within reach.

Is your goal to buy a home in 2017?

If so, we would highly recommend getting started NOW versus waiting. Why now? January and February tend to be months when more homes are going on the market with more people wanting to make that big move going into the new year! Get started on your home hunt now!

First Step: Get Pre-Approved

Before you start looking for your dream home, you need to know what’s actually within your price range. Most buyers spend hours perusing homes on Zillow, Realtor.com, Redfin, and online resources. Some, even go out and tour homes, yet, they have not been pre-approved. We highly recommend – Talk to a local lender. This is the most important step in the initial home search. Get Approved. NOT Pre-Qualified. Getting pre-qualified, simply gives you an estimate of how much a lender may be willing to lend based on your income and debts. But as you get closer to buying a home, it’s smart to get a pre-approval, where the lender thoroughly examines your finances and confirms in writing how much it’s willing to lend you and at what terms.

Second Step: Make a List (Wants/Needs)

Searching for a home can be exciting. But deciding what you truly want and need—and can afford—can be challenging. Making these decisions begins with setting priorities among many different preferences. Our agent's can play a key role in helping you sort out your options and can also offer important insights specific to your local market.

First and Foremost you need to ask yourself - What is important to YOU in a Home? Everyone has different needs/and wants. What may be important to you is completely different than your spouse.

What we recommend is that clients make a Needs/Wants List. Write it down, what is important to YOU in a Home? Location, Price, Style, Size, etc. For some it may look something like this:

1. Price – Home under $400K

2. Size – 1500+ Sq. Ft.,

3. Min. 3 Bedroom

4. Detached Garage

5. Living Room off of Kitchen

6. 5 miles or less from the nearest freeway, shopping mall, schools

Third Step: Start the Search!

When you have taken the proper steps in getting pre-approved and getting the financing in order, the hunt for your perfect home is the fun part!

What happens after you find the home, is a whole separate article.

Ready to get started on your 2017 New Years Resolution of Buying a Home?

We would love to help you.

by Brea Broten

2017 in Review - Here's to a Wonderful 2018!

As 2017 comes to a close, we're reflecting on how lucky we are to have shared the year with you during each exciting new chapter in your lives! Nearly 600 families we have had the opportunity in working with this year! To our clients, thank you for trusting us, for your referrals and for the opportunity to serve you! We truly appreciate your support and trust in Windermere Tower Properties!

If 2018 is YOUR year to buy your dream home, to purchase an investment property or buy your first home - we would love the opportunity to help you!

Wishing you a happy new year, and a great year ahead!

Sincerely,

Windermere Tower Properties

by Brea Broten

5 Ways to Relax and Unwind

We all know the holiday season to be the most 'wonderful' time of the year but, once Christmas is over it's a free-for-all to get ready for the new year. The short amount of time in-between the 26th and the 1st doesn't allow us a lot of time to breath but, it does have everyone rushing to prepare for a new set of parties and put their 'Christmas spirit' behind them while not missing a beat with their everyday work/family life.

Basically, vacation is over, you might be jet-lagged, and the house all of a sudden seems too cluttered. Tasks such as taking down lights and removing decorations from the tree can snap just about anyone's patience if it's wearing thin to begin with. So how do we avoid getting too worked up?

While everyone has their own methods, these are 5 things I do to keep myself in balance on any average day- and I hope they work for you this season.

[Picture credit: 360 Flex]

1.) Aromatherapy

One of the easiest (and my personal favorite) things I do to unwind is put some essential oils in a diffuser (can be found cheap at most local department stores), preferably lavender due to its calming qualities, and place it where I spend most of my time (which happens to be my office).

If you do not want an entire space smelling like essential oils, putting a few drops directly on your skin can do the trick. Take anywhere from 1-2 drops and rub into your temples in slow, circular motions. For this method I usually use peppermint oil due to its relation of curing (or minimizing) headaches.

[Picture credit: Tumblr]

2.) Drink a hot beverage

This might seem silly but, it works every time I'm feeling stressed. When I am in a rush to do what feels like a million things at once, I make a stop at a local coffee shop and order a hot beverage (which for me is chai tea). From there I usually have to wait approximately 10 minutes for it to cool down enough to drink it comfortably. While the drink itself is rewarding, a 'treat yourself ' moment if you will, the real magic happens in that 10 minute wait time. Though it may be short lived, I fully allow myself to decompress and take a step back to map out the chaos I tend to create for myself. It may not be a well known fact but, hot beverages have the power to slow people down- which is what we all need at the end of the year.

[Picture credit: Tumblr]

3.) Yoga

Sometimes all it takes is five minutes of stretching to loosen up (both physically and mentally). Try finding at least three different positions you feel most comfortable in and rotate between them. A few of my personal favorites, which are also beginner friendly, are; supported corpse pose, legs up the wall, child's pose, and wide angle fold. All four of these poses posses qualities that help relax the mind, body, and soul and will give you a refreshing feeling while not amping you up more.

If you allow yourself more than five minutes to relax, I would highly suggest enrolling in a yoga class or even picking up a video to follow along with at home. Seriously, yoga is a game changer.

[Picture credit: Pinterest]

4.) Look out the window

This is probably the most humbling way to calm down in my opinion. As I watch the world blur past me, it makes me realize just how much I overlook or take for granted. I notice how much happens when I'm usually not looking- I notice that I'm not the only one having issues. I realize the world is ever-changing and that if I don't take the time to slow down and look around to really soak in my environment, the things I have grown so accustomed to seeing/experiencing subconsciously will one day be gone before I consciously realize it.

In a sense, looking out a window, for any period of time, sobers me up.

[Picture credit: Favim.com]

5.) Spend time with friends & family

Do not isolate yourself. You do not need to feel as though you are taking on everything alone because that's one way to stress yourself out even more- and for no reason at all. Remember, you do not need to wait for a special occasion to have fun. There might be a lot on your plate but, you do not have to eat it all at once nor do you have to eat it alone. Allow others to help you especially when they offer. No one is going to look down on you for accepting help.

You do not need to dedicate the whole day to spending time with others but, make an effort to spend at least an hour. Forget that laundry list of things to do at home and take a step back. Immerse yourself in laughter (rumor has it it's the best medicine).

by Windermere Tower

Riverside at a Glance: Humble Beginnings and Huge Returns

Riverside past and present

In 1870, John North and a group of Easterners set out to establish a colony they could dedicate to furthering education and culture. What they found was land once belonging to a Spanish rancho along side the Santa Anna River. From then on, that land became known as Riverside.

Riverside has provided a list of firsts for Southern California since its beginnings. Investors from Canada and England incorporated traditions and activities resulting in the first golf course and polo field being built in the area. But, perhaps the most important event was in 1871 when the first orange trees were planted foreshadowing the blossoming wealth that was soon to come.

Eliza Tibbets- an early American settler among the founders of Riverside, CA

In 1873, Eliza Tibbets received two Brazilian navel orange trees from a friend working for the Department of Agriculture in Washington. Due to the climate in Southern California, the trees flourished and the citrus industry took off at rapid speed.

"Within a few years, the successful cultivation of the newly discovered navel orange led to a California Gold Rush of a different kind: the establishment of the citrus industry, which is commemorated in the landscapes and exhibits of the California Citrus State Historic Park and the restored packing houses in the Downtown's Marketplace district. By 1882, there were more more than half a million citrus trees in California, almost half of which were in Riverside. The development of refrigerated railroad cars and innovative irrigation systems established Riverside as the wealthiest city per capita by 1895." - Riverside, CA Gov

Picture of Frank Augustus Miller

As the city grew, so did the amount of visitors. Captain Christopher Columbus Miller, Riverside resident as 1874, built what was first known as the Glenwood Tavern to capitalize on the fortune. Years later Christopher's son, Frank Miller whom had a lasting passion for arts and culture, took over the tavern and expanded it into what is now known as The Mission Inn Hotel and Spa.

The Mission Inn Hotel and Spa aerial view

"Over the years he [Frank Miller] embellished and expanded it into a unique resort known all over the world. It has played host to numerous movie stars, musicians and heads of state. Ronald and Nancy Reagan honeymooned there, and Richard and Pat Nixon were married on its grounds. Teddy Roosevelt planted a tree in its courtyard, and a special chair, built for President William Howard Taft when he visited, is still in the Inn's collection." - Riverside, CA Gov

Downtown Riverside, California

Today, Riverside is known as The City of Arts and Innovation due to the dedication those first settlers put into their vision and the continued progress from everyone then on. In the midst of all the hustle and bustle in this city, cultures from all around the world feel welcomed and at home. When you take a step back, you will come to realize that it's more than just a city here- it's a community.

by Windermere Tower