Column: MC Dwyer Archives - San Lorenzo Valley Post

Late Summer Housing Market Update

September 5, 2024September 5, 2024 slvpost.com

By M.C. Dwyer As we move toward the end of summer, the housing market is showing resilience and adaptability. After peaking at 7.8% last fall, 30 year fixed mortgage rates fell dramatically. Lower inflation and softer national employment figures have led the Federal Reserve to hint at a potential rate decrease as early as September. While the Fed doesn’t directly… Read More

Column: MC Dwyer Columns Real Estate

Summer Housing Market Update

August 7, 2024August 29, 2024 slvpost.com0 comment

By MC Dwyer Consumer sentiment recently improved on two fronts: about 80% of consumers expressed improved job security while 66% feel it’s a good time to sell, but only 25% thought mortgage rates would decrease. After reaching a peak of 7.8% in October of ’23, 30 year fixed mortgage rates have settled into a range between 6.75% and 7.25%, rising… Read More

Column: MC Dwyer Columns Real Estate

Real Estate Market Update and Ben Lomond’s Valley Oak

July 1, 2024August 29, 2024 M.C. Dwyer0 comment

By M.C. Dwyer Remember the gorgeous valley oak that graced downtown Ben Lomond for over a century, in front of Scarborough Hardware store? A few years ago, the giant tree fell over as it succumbed to rot. Fortunately, there’s another heritage oak still standing in front of Henflings. Few people knew it would fall, because the tree still looked strong… Read More

Column: MC Dwyer Columns Real Estate

Could the Housing Market be Shifting?

June 11, 2024June 19, 2024 slvpost.com0 comment

By M.C. Dwyer For years, everyone in the housing market has been lamenting the housing shortage – not enough homes for sale to satisfy buyer demand. That created a sellers’ market with multiple offers leading to rising home prices. But recently I’ve watched a new trend emerging on my daily hotsheet on the MLS: the number of homes sold has… Read More

Column: MC Dwyer Columns Real Estate

Downsizing and Relocating

May 6, 2024May 25, 2024 slvpost.com0 comment

Plus the REALTOR Compensation Update By M.C. Dwyer Selling and then buying another home can feel more daunting as people get older. They often need mortgage advice and tax and estate planning as well as assistance preparing the property for market. Still, surveys show up to 30% of homeowners 62 or over are considering moving! Many in the 60+ group… Read More

Column: MC Dwyer Columns Real Estate

Nesting Isn’t Just for the Birds!

April 10, 2024April 20, 2024 slvpost.comreal estate0 comment

By M.C. Dwyer Like the instinct that drives birds to nest each spring, many people feel some kind of internal drive kicking in this time of year, and the housing market is shaking off the cold of winter and coming back to life. Despite an average sales price of $2,000,000 (!), the pace of Santa Clara County home sales was… Read More

Column: MC Dwyer Columns Real Estate

Navigating the Real Estate Market

March 9, 2024March 17, 2024 slvpost.com0 comment

By M.C. Dwyer Although 30 year mortgage rates were in the mid to upper 6s in January, rates rose back to around 7% in February. Historically, 8% mortgage rates were not unusual, but home buyers got spoiled by the extraordinarily low mortgage rates available during the pandemic. Industry experts are betting that the Federal Reserve will lower their rates later… Read More

Column: MC Dwyer Columns Real Estate

New Year Real Estate Outlook

December 11, 2023December 29, 2023 slvpost.com0 comment

By M.C. Dwyer After months of consecutive increases, 30 year mortgage rates peaked briefly at 8% recently. Over the past few weeks, a few economic indicators grew weaker, causing a bull market in bonds — essentially investors bet that the Federal Reserve may hold their rates steady. So, mortgage rates fell back down to about 7.4% at the time of… Read More

Column: MC Dwyer Columns Real Estate

Fall Trends in the Market | Real Estate

November 9, 2023November 30, 2023 slvpost.comboulder creek, real estate0 comment

By M.C. Dwyer Last week, the MLS numbers I watch showed a few new trends: the number of homes taken off the market was similar to the depths of previous holiday seasons. Encouragingly, about 20 homes sold compared to 30 new listings in the region I track (SLV, SV & SC): not too long ago there were far more new… Read More

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Column: MC Dwyer Columns Real Estate

Mortgage Rates and Real Estate Cycles

September 15, 2023October 4, 2023 slvpost.com0 comment

By M.C. Dwyer By late August, mortgage interest rates were at their highest levels since the early 2000s. The latest bump upward in rates unfortunately disqualified more would-be first-time home buyers. Overnight, we went from expecting multiple offers on one of our more affordable listings, to being happy to get one offer to our seller at list price. Now more… Read More