Bellingham Homes & Real Estate

         The results of countless studies have shown that potential home buyers, and even current homeowners, have an inflated view of what is really required to qualify for a mortgage in today’s market. One such study by the  Wharton School of Business  at the  University of Pennsylvania revealed that many millennials have not yet considered purchasing homes simply because they don’t believe they can qualify for a mortgage. A recent article about millennials by Realtor.com explained that: “ About 72% of aspiring millennial buyers said they’re waiting because they can’t afford to buy… ” The article also explained that 29% of millennials believe their credit scores are too low to buy .The problem here is the fact that they think they will be denied a mortgage is keeping them from even attempting to apply. Ellie Mae’s Vice President Jonas Moe encouraged buyers to know their options before assuming that they won’t qualify for a mortgage: “

One of the main reasons why For Sale By Owners (FSBOs) don’t use a real estate agent is because they believe they will save the commission an agent charges for getting their house on the market and selling it. A new study by Collateral Analytics , however, reveals that FSBOs don’t actually save anything, and in some cases may be costing themselves more, by not listing with an agent. In the study, they analyzed home sales in a variety of markets in 2016 and the first half of 2017. The data showed that: “FSBOs tend to sell for lower prices than comparable home sales, and in many cases below the average differential represented by the prevailing commission rate .” (emphasis added) Why would FSBOs net less money than if they used an agent? The study makes several suggestions: “There could be systematic bias on the buyer side as well. FSBO sales might attract more strategic buyers than MLS sales, particularly buyers who rationalize lower-priced bids on with th