Marlowe Clark – Page 15 – www.BeachChatter.com

For Those Unable to Buy, Renovation is the Next Best Thing

We know that the wildly high post-lockdown demand was in large part driven by fear of missing out, or FOMO. People definitely took notice of the low interest rates and decided to take advantage of them. Interest rates are no longer low, and home purchasing demand has slowed. However, home renovations are still in high demand for just a bit longer. Renovating is not as expensive as buying, so homeowners with FOMO who could not afford to buy instead sought to remodel their current homes to better suit their needs.

In turn, though, home renovation costs have also increased rapidly in response to demand. By the last quarter of 2021, the year-over-year change in home remodeling costs had risen to 9.4%, about 2.5 times the expected 3.8% increase. Current projections have the Q3 2022 increase at an incredible 19.7%. But just like with rising home prices, increasing home remodeling costs will begin to price out even those affected by FOMO. Q3 is predicted to be the peak, with the prices starting to slow again by Q4 2022.

Photo by Milivoj Kuhar on Unsplash

More: https://journal.firsttuesday.us/californias-home-remodeling-boom-set-to-peak-in-2022/83020/

Millennials May Be Looking to Upsize

The Millennials are currently the generation that makes up most first-time homebuyers, and they’ve certainly been looking for homes with home offices so they can work from home, or extra rooms for their young kids. But there are also many Millennials that already own a home, and they’re probably aiming for the same thing. They will also want to make sure the home has a layout suitable to their needs.

For those Millennials that aren’t first-time buyers, it’s likely they’ll want to upsize. Even though they’re likely rather cash-poor due to the economic circumstances both in their early adulthood and now, some of them may have good equity in their homes because home prices are so high right now. That could help them to purchase something larger by selling their current home.

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Six California Cities Fail to Meet RHNA Submission Requirements

Under California’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) laws, each local government is required to work with the state government to establish what is called a housing element. The housing element identifies sites that can be redeveloped to meet regional housing needs, within an eight year timeframe. If the city can’t find a usable site under their current zoning laws, the zoning laws need to be modified. In Southern California, the housing element deadline was October 15, 2021. The deadline for Northern California is later this year.

Five cities — Bradbury, La Habra Heights, Laguna Hills, South Pasadena, and Vernon — failed to submit a housing element altogether prior to the deadline, and a sixth, Manhattan Beach, submitted a plan that indicated a site that could not be redeveloped in a reasonable timeframe. The site indicated was the Manhattan Country Club, which was purchased in 2017 and the City of Manhattan Beach cannot guarantee its availability by 2029. Without the 149 units provided by this redevelopment, Manhattan Beach fails to meet its regional housing needs. In response, the nonprofit organization Californians for Homeownership has sued all six of these cities.

Photo by Romson Preechawit on Unsplash

More: https://www.car.org/aboutus/mediacenter/newsreleases/2022releases/ca4housingelements

Cities Attempting to Bypass Duplex Allowance with Local Ordinances

A California law allowing duplexes to be built on lots zoned for single-family residences, SB 9, passed in 2021. However, the law doesn’t have much in the way of enforcement. Cities are finding it relatively easy to avoid this with local ordinances that make it effectively impossible, since they can’t legally ban it. The same sort of thing happened with the struggles with building ADUs, which actually became legal nationwide in 1982, but weren’t feasible in most states prior to 2016.

One example is the town of Woodside claiming that the entire town is a mountain lion habitat, and is therefore excluded from the requirement because it’s a habitat for a protected species. Once this reached the news, Attorney General Rob Bonta got on their case and forced them to reverse the decision. All the AG’s office needs is proof that municipalities are attempting to skirt the requirement, and then they can take action. Without an enforcement agency, though, they’re reliant on the spread of information through media, including social media.

Photo by Taneli Lahtinen on Unsplash

More: https://calmatters.org/housing/2022/04/california-duplex-housing/

How Many Meals Should You Eat Per Day?

Conventional wisdom says you should eat three meals per day, one when you wake up, one at midday, and one in the evening. This convention, though, is actually rather new. And not at all backed by science — it’s based around standard work schedules more than anything. You eat before work, you have a meal during your lunch break, and you come home and eat with your family. However, your meal times should be limited to a smaller window.

Fasting is actually a very necessary process to help repair damage to the body. Of course, this can include the normal eight hours of sleep. But for a healthy body, eight hours should actually be the time that you’re eating, and you should fast the rest of the day, or at least twelve hours. It is possible to do this while still eating three meals, but the standard work schedule makes this difficult. You don’t need as much food as you’re probably eating, though, and you could even just eat one meal per day if you really wanted to. Breakfast in the morning used to be reserved for wealthy people who could afford to eat that often. Skipping breakfast and waiting until your lunch break to eat is actually not a bad idea, even if many people nowadays only do so because they lack the time. For a while, you’re going to be hungry in the mornings, but this is a psychological effect because your body is used to eating at that time, and is temporary. The same thing would happen if you shifted to a new work schedule and had different meal times. It doesn’t actually mean your body needs food.

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More: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220412-should-we-be-eating-three-meals-a-day

Has Homeowner Tenure Reached Its Peak?

Over approximately the past decade, the average length of time homeowners have stayed in their home has steadily increased, from 10.1 years in 2012 to the peak of 13.5 years in 2020. Until last year. The figure actually dipped in 2021, decreasing to 13.2 years, even slightly below the 2019 average of 13.3 years.

Much of this can be attributed to the economic aftermath of the pandemic, as relocations increased dramatically in 2021 as a result of work-from-home opportunities and low mortgage rates. It’s unclear whether this is a temporary decline, or 2020 was the peak of homeowner tenure and it’s going to continue to decrease. Analyzing the reasons for the decrease and why it’s been increasing in the first place suggests it’s probably going to go back up. Work-from-home is still happening; however, mortgage rates are no longer low and are still going up. Meanwhile, the initial reasons for the increase over the past decade include increased propensity for aging in place and a desire to keep one’s property tax base low. Neither of these are changing much, even with the ability to transfer your property tax base in some cases.

Photo by Joaquin Paz y Miño on Unsplash

More: https://www.redfin.com/news/2021-homeowner-tenure/

How to Become a Property Manager

Property management is a practical field to enter if you are worried about economic stability. It’s incredibly recession proof, as housing is a necessity and therefore people will be renting properties regardless of the economic conditions. But you can’t just decide on a whim to be a property manager — it has legal requirements and best practices.

In the vast majority of cases, being a property manager requires a broker’s license. There are certain cases in which it doesn’t, but they would not apply for rental properties, which are the bulk of managed properties. If you don’t want to get a broker’s license, though, you can consider managing commercial properties, but there would still be many restrictions.

First Tuesday, a real estate journal, has assembled a Property Management 101 infographic, complete with links to articles and PDFs for additional explication. This contains more specific details about the legal requirements, other applicable laws, and market information. You can find the infographic here: https://journal.firsttuesday.us/property-management-101/82682/

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CA Bills Up For Vote This Week

Among the California State bills that the Assembly is voting on this week are four bills related to real estate. These are AB 2050, AB 2469, AB 2710, and AB 2053. Most of these bills are aimed at protecting tenant rights, while AB 2053 is designed to create revenue-neutral affordable housing. The voting will take place on April 19th and 20th.

AB 2050 modifies the Ellis Act, which allows landlords to evict tenants in order to stop renting the property altogether. AB 2050 would require a landlord to rent out their property for at least 5 years before invoking the Ellis Act. AB 2469 establishes a mandatory statewide rental registry, which prohibits landlords from raising rents or evicting tenants without submitting information to the registry each time the lease is initiated, altered, or terminated. AB 2710 establishes Right of First Offer legislation, requiring owners of currently tenant-occupied property to offer sale to certain qualified entities, including the tenants, before accepting an offer. The seller does not need to accept an offer from qualified entities, but must give them ten days to match any accepted offer. AB 2053 establishes the California Housing Authority, which is designed to build and acquire mixed-use affordable rental housing, which would be publicly owned.

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Younger Generations Look to Social Media to Find Agents

You’ve heard of first-time homebuyers. You don’t hear as much about first-time homesellers, even though of course they must exist. But now there’s reason for them to make the news. It turns out a significant number of homeowners in the younger generations — Gen Z and Millennials — are already looking to sell, despite also being the predominant first-time homebuyer generations. This includes 44% of Gen Z homeowners and 35% of Millennial homeowners.

With both first-time homebuyers and first-time homesellers being mainly between the ages of 18 and 41, agents really need to focus their marketing efforts if they want to do business with them. That requires knowing what people in this age category are looking at in terms of marketing. 59% of Gen Zers and 65% of Millennials consider social media marketing to be important for a real estate agent. Fortunately, this isn’t likely to ostracize other cohorts, since 58% of Gen Xers and 60% of Baby Boomers are in agreement. Agents that don’t have social media presence and are struggling to find deals may want to rethink their strategy.

Photo by Bram Naus on Unsplash

More: https://blog.coldwellbanker.com/genz-millennial-homebuyers/

Stagnant Wages Major Struggle for First-Time Homebuyers

Many older people think of Millennials as being young kids who have no life experience and no financial know-how. The reality is Millennials are in the normal age range for first-time homebuyers, and some are even older. Their financial problems are not due to lack of knowledge. It’s due to a series of economic struggles that were completely out of their control.

Most Millennials came to age during the Great Recession, and so employment simply wasn’t available during the years when they were expected to find a job. That has made it more difficult to find one even after the Great Recession ended, as employers are expecting someone their age to have more experience. The 2020 recession, during a time when society expects their age group to be looking for a house, hit Millennials yet again.

In addition, inflation has far outpaced wage growth. Even those Millennials who have a job are not earning nearly as much adjusted for inflation as older generations were at the same age. Only about half of Millennials are employed full-time, and less than two-thirds are employed at all. Even though wages are increasing, they are still stagnant because of how quickly prices are increasing. Between 2012, when the market was finally recovering from the Great Recession, and 2020, when the most recent recession started, wage growth was at 24%. Home prices, however, went up over 3.5 times as much, by 86%.

Photo by Jp Valery on Unsplash

More: https://journal.firsttuesday.us/employment-and-wages-highest-hurdles-for-millennial-first-time-homebuyers/82778/

Mortgage Rates Approaching 5%

After a period of low mortgage rates, they’re going back up quickly. That is the expected effect of current Fed policy, but we may hit 5% faster than expected, possibly as early as next month. As of the beginning of April, the average 30-year fixed rate was 4.59%. If they do hit 5%, it would be highest rate in the past decade, though they did get close in November of 2018 at 4.94%.

The increasing rates are definitely going to slow down the real estate market. That may be a good thing for the market, given how hot it’s been, but it’s definitely not good for buyers. Demand isn’t going to disappear completely, though. And the effect is probably mostly psychological. Historically speaking, 5% isn’t a particularly high rate. It’s just that rates have been trending downward for quite some time, so it isn’t going to be familiar territory for the new generations of buyers.

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More: https://www.marketwatch.com/picks/inevitable-in-the-very-near-future-4-economists-and-real-estate-pros-on-exactly-when-mortgage-rates-will-hit-5-01648838969

Despite Work-From-Home, Many Relocations Are Local

It’s true that some people have taken work-from-home as an opportunity to travel far and wide, but it could be that most buyers still want to be relatively near where they already are. They also aren’t looking for major changes in community type, whether urban, suburban, or rural. Nor are their motivations primarily financial, except in cases in which they changed jobs.

In a small survey of 514 respondents who were actively searching for a home, just over 40% of them were looking between 6 and 50 miles away, and over a quarter were searching between 2-5 miles away. However, it is important to note that of those looking more than 50 miles away, most were looking over 500 miles away. Between 63% and 77% of respondents wanted to stay in the same community type, and if they wanted a switchup, it would probably be to a suburban area. The primary reasons for moving were either lifestyle fit or major life events, not a growing wanderlust prompted by the possibility of a work-from-home model.

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More: https://email.ojo.com/is-there-really-a-great-migration-happening

Major Obstacles to FSBO Success

Attempting to sell your home yourself, without paying an agent, may seem tempting. Especially if this isn’t your first sale, you may think you know everything. The fact of the matter is, you probably don’t; moreover, FSBO presents problems even if you understand the process.

In order to sell your home, you’ll need to take time out of your day to show your home to prospective buyers. This could be a colossal waste of time if the buyers aren’t actually interested and just want to look. There’s also a large amount of paperwork involved. That also takes time, and it’s easy to make mistakes. Maybe you think you’ve done all the paperwork before and know how it works, but the laws could have changed or this sale could involve paperwork the previous sale didn’t require. Even professional agents make mistakes sometimes — but they have errors and omissions insurance. You probably don’t. That can lead to lawsuits. In the unlikely situation that you’ve done all your research and know exactly what to do, it’s still likely that you’ll receive fewer or lower offers. Agents tend to be wary of FBSO sales because of all the issues they can present, and so are unlikely to show them to their clients.

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Eviction Protections Extended for ERA Applicants

Many people are still delinquent on rent payments as a result of the recent recession. Some relief came in the form of emergency rental assistance (ERA), which also required landlords take additional steps before being able to evict for nonpayment. The additional protections were set to expire on March 31st, but there was a last minute change to the law.

Under the new regulations, while the protection will still only apply to delinquencies on rent payments owed before March 31st, it will now continue to apply to those delinquencies through July 30th if the ERA application is still being processed. Tenants will still owe rent for April and subsequent months, even if their ERA application for earlier payments is still being processed.

Photo by Sheldon Kennedy on Unsplash

More: https://journal.firsttuesday.us/covid-19-eviction-noticing-rules-extended-for-era-applicants/82649/

Staying Competitive as a Buyer in a Hot Market

Spring tends to be the hottest season for the real estate market, which means heavy buyer competition, especially while inventory is still recovering. These tips, including some lesser-known ones, can help you stay in the running.

It’s not unusual for homes to be listed low in order to garner interest. While this may not be necessary with higher demand than supply, it’s good to know that you may want to look lower than your expected budget. Even if an offer is accepted near the list price, that just means you have a bit extra for repairs or updates. Alternatively, you could put it towards a higher earnest money deposit, which shows the seller you’re actually serious. Getting an actual approval letter, and not just a pre-approval, will do the same thing.

There are also a few contract terms you can change to appeal more to sellers. A good agent can advise you on matters related to your current situation to see which contract terms are best for you. These include various waivers, particularly an inspection waiver; a lease-back for sellers who are also prospective buyers; and a relatively unknown thing called an escalation clause. An escalation clause, also called an escalator, lets the seller know as soon as they receive your offer that you are willing to increase the offer if outbid, and defines an upper limit. This can prevent a situation in which the seller sees your offer, sees an offer higher than yours, and accepts the higher offer, without realizing that the higher offer is actually lower than what you are willing to pay.

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More: https://www.realtor.com/advice/buy/secrets-thatll-help-you-buy-a-house-today/

Buyers Want to Bring the Outdoors Into Their Home

What buyers want and what they’re able to get isn’t always the same thing. Buyers nowadays are frequently settling, due to high prices. However, their search keywords are a decent indicator of what they want, even if it’s just wishful thinking. And what they want right now is outdoor living, except from the comfort of their home.

The number 1 most searched home feature is a swimming pool. In fact, buyers currently seem rather obsessed with water. If they can’t get a pool or hot tub, many are happy with a view of the water, and it doesn’t necessarily need to be an ocean view. The second most searched term is a view of rivers, and beaches, waterfronts, lakes, or really any kind of water is a popular view. Buyers are also looking for other types of outdoor amenities, such as horse facilities, boating facilities, golf, tennis, and basketball. And of course, they search for a large lot or outbuildings to accommodate all these features.

Photo by Kristina Laskova on Unsplash

More: https://www.realtor.com/news/trends/the-top-amenities-homebuyers-are-looking-for-ahead-of-spring-buying-season/

Tax Tips for Homeowners

Tax season is upon us. You may have already started working on your taxes. But perhaps you haven’t thought about everything you may be able to deduct. Some of the most significant costs of homeownership can be tax-deductible.

Many people are aware that their property taxes may be tax deductible — if you didn’t, well, now you do. But did you know that the interest on your mortgage always is? Your lender should have this line separated out, so it’s easy to find and deduct from your taxes. Another homeownership cost that is sometimes tax deductible is home repairs. Significant repairs are probably tax deductible. Be sure to check with a tax professional to determine which of these you can actually deduct. They may even be able to find more tax-deductible expenses you weren’t thinking of.

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Qualifying For a Loan on a Single Income

With home prices as high as they are, qualifying for a loan becomes more difficult. This is especially true if your household is single-income. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. There are options available for low-income households.

As always, it’s important to check your credit score before attempting to get a loan. You can check it for free once per year from any major credit bureau. If your credit looks good enough to qualify for a loan, you can advance to searching for loans. For low-income households, the best place to look is government loans, since these usually have lower thresholds for down payments. Some FHA loans require only 3.5% down. Your specific region may also have government loan programs. If your credit score is low, however, consider looking for a co-signer for your loans. The co-signer doesn’t necessarily need to be the one paying, but if their credit score is better than yours, it will help improve your chances of loan approval and possibly even get you a lower interest rate on the loan.

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Mid-April Could Be the Sweet Spot for Sellers

Realtor.com has released their Best Time to Sell Report for 2022, and the predictions land on April 10-16. Spring is usually a hot season for the real estate market, and this year is no different. Demand is going up, prices are still high, and inventory is still low. Homes are already selling quickly after listing.

It’s not going to last for too much longer, though, which is why the window is so small. Mortgage rates are increasing, which will reduce buyer demand or cause them to look for lower priced listings. Inventory is also starting to recover as construction is accelerating. Also, if you are planning to sell in order to buy a new home, keep in mind that the best time to sell is frequently not a good time to buy.

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More: https://news.move.com/2022-03-14-Let-the-Countdown-to-Realtor-com-R-Listapalooza-Begin-April-10-16-Is-the-Best-Week-to-List-a-Home-in-2022

What is a Multigenerational Home?

Multigenerational homes are becoming more common recently. But what exactly does that mean? And why? A multigenerational home has a rather simple definition. It includes any home in which two or more generations of adults live in the same building. This doesn’t include children, but children can be present as well.

Common examples of multigenerational homes are parents of young children living with the children’s grandparents and adult children moving in with their parents. The former is frequently in order to give parents some extra help raising their kids. Moving back in with your parents, or vice versa, can be done for a couple reasons. A common one is recent college graduates wanting to have a place to stay while they pay down their student loans. Sometimes older parents move in with their children because they need help taking care of themselves.

Photo by 𝔥𝔦𝔩𝔩𝔞𝔯𝔶 𝔭𝔢𝔯𝔞𝔩𝔱𝔞 on Unsplash