St. Cloud MN Real Estate Video Blog with Chris Hauck

How Accurate Are Online Pricing Models?

There are many great St. Cloud area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (320) 240-3363 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Just about everybody starts their real estate venture online nowadays. While there are a lot of useful resources on the web, there are just as many misleading ones. For instance, we compare Zillow's pricing with every single home we put on the market. Our software actually pulls up Zestimates for every comparable home sale in the area and every home on the market. We've found that there is a huge spread of inaccuracy on Zillow. Often, the Zillow estimate is as much as 20% over or under the actual value of the home. What's the point of that?

If you want to know the exact value of your home in today's market, we would love to help you out. We can give you a careful, detailed market analysis, so you can prepare to sell your home. If you plan on waiting until spring, we have a quick reminder: the spring selling season starts in January here in the St. Cloud area. We would love to meet with you and do two things: let you know what your home is actually worth and help you develop a selling strategy - what you can do to get top dollar, what your competition is doing, and what buyers are expecting to see in the spring.

Does this sound like the kind of expert advice that could make your life a whole lot easier? If so, don't hesitate to give us a call or shoot us an email. We look forward to helping you maximize your home sale!

Exciting News for Those Looking to Move!

We're very excited to share some recent news. Mortgage rates in the St. Cloud area have dropped unexpectedly. Rates are now as close to record lows as they've been all year. 30-year fixed-rate mortgages can be financed for under 4% interest and 15-year loans can be found for under 3%!

This development presents an incredible opportunity for home buyers. There are three distinct benefits of making your move now: lower payments, more home for less money, and the ability to pay your home off twice as fast. Sound like a sweet deal? We're not sure how much longer these conditions will last, so give us a call or shoot us an email. We'll help you explore your options and take advantage of this fantastic opportunity!

What's Going on in St. Cloud?

Many people in Central Minnesota have been wondering whether we're on the verge of another housing bubble. Luckily, it's not looking like it.

We currently have a stable market that is continuing to expand. We're seeing stable prices that are rising, but not dramatically. We're not seeing the kind of rapid price increases here like many metropolitan areas are. Currently, we have 6 months of inventory, which means we have a balanced market - neither buyers nor sellers have an advantage.

The reason some people think we may be on the verge of a bubble is the cost of new construction is increasing substantially. As the market gets tighter and inventory starts to decline, the price of used homes is going to rise.

Right now is a great time to make your move. Interest rates are still low and home values are continuing to appreciate. If you would like to take advantage of these fantastic conditions before they start to change, give us a call. We would love to help you achieve your real estate dreams!

What can waiting to buy or sell cost you?

Is it better to wait until you save a large down payment before buying? If you are selling, should you wait for the value of your home to go up before you put it on the market?

As a general rule, it's better to move soon than to wait. If you are trying to save up for a larger down payment, your monthly payment will only change by about $5 a month for every thousand dollars you save in today's market. If you wait to save up more money and interest rates rise, as they're expected to, your monthly payments could increase by hundreds of dollars.

If you are waiting for your home to go up in value, you may not have much luck either. Let's say you are selling for $150,000 in today's market, and looking to buy another home at $300,000. If both homes appreciate by 1%, your current home's value increases by $1,500, while the new home you plan to buy increases by $3,000. In this case, your new home's value has gone up more than you were able to save by waiting for your current home to appreciate.

As you can see, there aren't any upsides if you wait to buy or sell. If you have any questions about conditions in your specific area, or need assistance taking advantage of these ideal conditions, give us a call. We look forward to hearing from you soon!