[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$f3o3wqvt1iw1ts":3,"$ffeh0925h8cuz":47,"$fbwk2pqjjqsc7":51},{"item":4,"previous":35,"next":41},{"id":5,"slug":6,"title":7,"description":8,"excerpt":9,"contentType":10,"featuredImage":11,"bannerImage":9,"body":12,"agentsBottomLine":13,"bodyImage":14,"isInfographic":15,"categories":16,"isVideo":15,"videoThumbnail":9,"videoSource":9,"publishedAt":33,"updatedAt":34},470,"thinking-of-buying-a-home-3-questions-every-buyer-should-answer-first","Thinking of Buying a Home? 3 Questions Every Buyer Should Answer First","If you are debating purchasing a home right now, you are probably getting a lot of advice. Though your friends and family will have your best interest at heart, they may not be fully aware of your needs and what is currently happening in the real estate market.\r\n\r\nAnswering the following 3 questions will help you determine if now is \u003Cem>actually\u003C\u002Fem> a good time for you to buy in today’s market.\r\n\r\n","","blog","https:\u002F\u002Fsimplifyingmedia\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F01\u002F01161819\u002F3-Questions-STM.jpg","If you are debating purchasing a home right now, you are probably getting a lot of advice. Though your friends and family will have your best interest at heart, they may not be fully aware of your needs and what is currently happening in the real estate market.\r\n\r\nAnswering the following 3 questions will help you determine if now is \u003Cem>actually\u003C\u002Fem> a good time for you to buy in today’s market.\r\n\r\n\u003C!--more-->\r\n\u003Ch3>\u003Cstrong style=\"line-height: 1.5;\">1. Why am I buying a home in the first place?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh3>\r\nThis truly is the most important question to answer. Forget the finances for a minute. Why did you even begin to consider purchasing a home? For most, the reason has nothing to do with money.\r\n\r\nA study by the \u003Cem>Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University\u003C\u002Fem> reveals that the four major reasons people buy a home have nothing to do with money. They are:\r\n\u003Cul>\r\n\t\u003Cli>A good place to raise children and for them to get a good education\u003C\u002Fli>\r\n\t\u003Cli>A place where you and your family feel safe\u003C\u002Fli>\r\n\t\u003Cli>More space for you and your family\u003C\u002Fli>\r\n\t\u003Cli>Control of that space\u003C\u002Fli>\r\n\u003C\u002Ful>\r\nWhat does owning a home mean to you? What non-financial benefits will you and your family gain from owning a home? The answer to that question should be the biggest reason you decide to purchase or not.\r\n\u003Ch3>\u003Cstrong>2. Where are home values headed?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh3>\r\nAccording to the latest \u003Cem>Home Price Index\u003C\u002Fem> from \u003Cem>CoreLogic\u003C\u002Fem>, home values are projected to increase by 5.3% over the next 12 months.\r\n\r\n\u003Cstrong>What does that mean to you? \u003C\u002Fstrong>\r\n\r\nSimply put, if you are planning on buying a home that costs $250,000 today, that same home will cost you an additional $13,250 if you wait till next year. Your down payment will need to be higher as well to account for the higher home price.\r\n\u003Ch3>\u003Cstrong style=\"line-height: 1.5;\">3. Where are mortgage interest rates headed?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh3>\r\nA buyer must be concerned about more than just prices. The ‘long term cost’ of a home can be dramatically impacted by even a small increase in mortgage rates.\r\n\r\n\u003Cem>The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), the National Association of Realtors and Freddie Mac \u003C\u002Fem>have all projected that mortgage interest rates will increase by approximately three-quarters of a percent over the next twelve months as you can see in the chart below:\r\n\r\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.keepingcurrentmatters.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F01\u002FSlide2.jpg\">\u003Cimg class=\"alignnone wp-image-47636\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.keepingcurrentmatters.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F01\u002FSlide2.jpg\" alt=\"Mortgage Rate Projections | Keeping Current Matters\" width=\"550\" height=\"413\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Fa>\r\n\u003Ch3>\u003Cstrong>Bottom Line\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh3>\r\nOnly you and your family will know for certain if now is the right time to purchase a home. Answering these questions will help you make that decision.","\r\nOnly you and your family will know for certain if now is the right time to purchase a home. Answering these questions will help you make that decision.","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.keepingcurrentmatters.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F01\u002FSlide2.jpg",false,[17,21,25,29],{"id":18,"name":19,"slug":20},5,"For Buyers","buyers",{"id":22,"name":23,"slug":24},9,"Home Prices","home-prices",{"id":26,"name":27,"slug":28},11,"First-Time Buyers","first-time-buyers",{"id":30,"name":31,"slug":32},35,"Mortgage Rates","mortgage-rates","2016-01-11T10:00:33Z","2016-01-08T15:49:25Z",{"id":36,"slug":37,"title":38,"featuredImage":39,"publishedAt":40,"contentType":10,"isVideo":15},469,"change-in-home-sales-by-price-range-infographic","Change in Home Sales by Price Range [INFOGRAPHIC]","https:\u002F\u002F\u002F","2016-01-08T10:00:49Z",{"id":42,"slug":43,"title":44,"featuredImage":45,"publishedAt":46,"contentType":10,"isVideo":15},471,"when-is-it-a-good-time-to-rent-not-now","When Is It A Good Time To Rent? 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