Tuesday, July 16, 2019 / by Greg Langhaim
Should I Refinance My Home?
With the recent lower interest rates, many homeowners are wondering if they should refinance.
To decide if refinancing is the best option for your family, start by asking yourself these questions:
Why do you want to refinance?
There are many reasons to refinance, but here are three of the most common ones:
Lower your interest rate and payment – This is the most popular reason. If you have a 5% interest rate or higher, it might be worth seeing if you can take advantage of the current lower interest rates, hovering below 4%, to reduce your monthly payment and overall cost of the loan.
Shorten the term of your loan – If you have a 30-year loan, it may be advantageous to change it to a 15 or 20-year loan to pay off your mortgage sooner.
Cash-out refinance – With home prices increasing, you might have enough equity to cash out and invest in something else, like your children’s education, a vacation home, or a new bu ...
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Thursday, July 11, 2019 / by Greg Langhaim
Now’s the Time to Move-Up and Upgrade Your Current Boise Home!
Homes priced at the top 25% of the price range for a particular area of the country are considered "premium homes." In today’s real estate market, there are deals to be had at the higher end! This is great news for homeowners wanting to upgrade from their current house.
Much of the demand for housing over the past couple of years has come from first-time buyers looking for their starter home. Many of the more expensive homes listed for sale have not seen as much interest.
According to ILHM’s Luxury Report, this mismatch in demand and inventory of luxury and premium homes has created a Buyer’s Market. For the purpose of the report, a luxury home was defined as one that costs $1 million or more.
“A Buyer’s Market indicates that buyers have greater control over the price point. This market type is demonstrated by a substantial number of homes on the market and few sales ...
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boise home group, boise state, buying a home in idaho, greg langhaim, idaho, idaho real estate, moving to idaho, relocating to idaho, buyers, home buyers, housing economy, market crash, mortgage loans, mortgage rates, real estate, realtor, idaho.gov, realtor.com
Friday, June 21, 2019 / by Greg Langhaim
Some Boise Happenings This Weekend
June 21-23, 2019
Like most, come summer people want to be out and about, and this weekend doesn't let you down! To kick things off we have the Boise Music Festival with some big artists rolling out.
All the Details are linked right here
Next Up we have another great event!
Boise Water Lantern Festival
For the Artist/Cultural Side of You
All the details here
Weather Report
Bottom Line: Boise is an incredible place to live! It's no secret people want to be here for a better quality of life. I'd love to discuss this with you and help you with your real estate needs.
You can always search for homes here on the website.
Greg Langhaim
Associate Broker
Keller Williams Realty Boise
greg@greglanghaim.com ...
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Friday, June 21, 2019 / by Greg Langhaim
What You Need to Know About Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI)
Whether it is your first time or your fifth, it is always important to know all the facts when it comes to buying a home. With the large number of mortgage programs available that allow buyers to purchase homes with down payments below 20%, you can never have too much information about Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI).
What is PMI?
Freddie Mac defines PMI as:
“An insurance policy that protects the lender if you are unable to pay your mortgage. It's a monthly fee, rolled into your mortgage payment, that is required for all conforming, conventional loans that have down payments less than 20%.
Once you've built equity of 20% in your home, you can cancel your PMI and remove that expense from your mortgage payment.”
As the borrower, you pay the monthly premiums for the insurance policy, and the lender is the beneficiary. Freddie Mac goes on to explain that:
“The cost of PMI ...
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boise home group, boise state, buying a home in idaho, greg langhaim, idaho, idaho real estate, moving to idaho, relocating to idaho, buyers, home buyers, housing economy, market crash, mortgage loans, mortgage rates, real estate, realtor, idaho.gov, realtor.com
Friday, June 14, 2019 / by Greg Langhaim
Time for Your Dream Home, Gen X!
During the housing market crash, Gen X homeowners lost more wealth than other generations. However, things are changing now! A strong economy, increasing home prices, and the recovery of the housing market are helping this generation to regain their lost wealth.
According to Pew Research Center,
“Their fortunes have rebounded more than those of other generations during the post-recession economic expansion and as home and stock prices have risen. Since 2010, the median net worth of Gen X households has risen 115%. In fact, in 2016, the most recent year with available data, the net worth of a typical Gen X household had surpassed what it was in 2007 ($84,200 vs. $63,400)”.
The same report also mentioned,
“15% of Gen X’s homeowners were ‘underwater’ on their homes in 2010 (meaning they owed more than they owned). By 2016 only 3% were underwater.”
As a result of homes regaining market value and ...
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boise home group, boise state, buying a home in idaho, greg langhaim, idaho, idaho real estate, moving to idaho, relocating to idaho, buyers, home buyers, housing economy, market crash, mortgage loans, mortgage rates, real estate, realtor
