{"id":5547,"date":"2020-07-28T10:09:32","date_gmt":"2020-07-28T15:09:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/christinapinkerman.com\/wp\/guidance-and-support-are-key-when-buying-your-first-home\/"},"modified":"2020-07-28T10:09:32","modified_gmt":"2020-07-28T15:09:32","slug":"guidance-and-support-are-key-when-buying-your-first-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christinapinkerman.com\/wp\/guidance-and-support-are-key-when-buying-your-first-home\/","title":{"rendered":"Guidance and Support Are Key When Buying Your First Home"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"358\" src=\"https:\/\/christinapinkerman.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/20200728-KCM-Share-549x300-1.jpg\" class=\"webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image\" alt=\"Guidance and Support Are Key When Buying Your First Home | Simplifying The Market\" style=\"display: block; margin-bottom: 5px; clear:both;max-width: 100%;\" link_thumbnail=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/christinapinkerman.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/20200728-KCM-Share-549x300-1.jpg 549w, https:\/\/files.simplifyingthemarket.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/27170040\/20200728-KCM-Share.jpg 750w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 549px) 100vw, 549px\"><\/p>\n<p>In June, the number of first-time homebuyers accounted for 35% of the existing homes sold, a trend that&rsquo;s been building steadily throughout the year. According to the <em>National Association of Realtors <\/em>(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nar.realtor\/blogs\/economists-outlook\/first-time-home-buyer-share-rose-to-35-in-june-2020-as-mortgage-rates-hit-record-lows\">NAR<\/a>):<span id=\"more-42736\"><\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em>&ldquo;The share of first-time buyers increased in March through June&mdash;right into the heart of the pandemic period and the surge in unemployment&mdash;and is now trending higher than the 29% to 32% average in past years since 2012.&rdquo; (See graph below):<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/christinapinkerman.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/20200728-MEM-Eng-1.jpg\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-42737\" src=\"https:\/\/christinapinkerman.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/20200728-MEM-Eng-1.jpg\" alt=\"Guidance and Support Are Key When Buying Your First Home | Simplifying The Market\" width=\"650\" height=\"366\" srcset=\"https:\/\/christinapinkerman.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/20200728-MEM-Eng-1.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/files.simplifyingthemarket.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/27170025\/20200728-MEM-Eng-1-533x300.jpg 533w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h4><strong>Why the rise in first-time homebuying?<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>NAR continues to say:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em>&ldquo;The major factor is, arguably, <strong>low mortgage rates<\/strong>. As of the week ended July 16, the 30-year fixed mortgage rate dropped to 2.98%. With rates so low that are locked in under a 30-year mortgage, <strong>the typical mortgage payment, estimated at $1,036, has fallen below the median rent, at $1,045.<\/strong> For potential home buyers who were thinking of purchasing a home anyway before the pandemic outbreak and who are likely to remain employed, the low mortgage rate may be the clincher.&rdquo;<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Clearly, historically low <a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplifyingthemarket.com\/2020\/07\/15\/mortgage-rates-hit-record-lows-for-three-consecutive-weeks\/?a=364401-3b56ebb70dafbecc4de42825d439e92e\">mortgage rates<\/a> are encouraging many to buy. With the average mortgage payment now estimated at a lower monthly cost than renting, it&rsquo;s a great time for first-time homebuyers to enter the market. According to the <a href=\"http:\/\/eyeonhousing.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/HOUSING-TRENDS-REPORT-Q220.pdf\"><em>Q2 2020 Housing Trends Report<\/em><\/a> from the <em>National Association of Homebuilders<\/em> (NAHB):<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em>&ldquo;Eighty-four percent of Gen Z&rsquo;s planning to buy a home are first timers, compared to 68% of Millennials, 52% of Gen X&rsquo;s, and 21% of Boomers. Looking at results by region shows that over 60% of prospective buyers in the Northeast and South are buying a home for the first time. The share is above 55% in the Midwest and West.&rdquo;<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>There are, however, challenges for first-time buyers. A recent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.neighborworks.org\/getattachment\/Homes-Finances\/Homeownership\/Housing-Survey\/NeighborWorks_HousingFinancialCapabilitySurvey_2020.pdf.aspx?lang=en-US\">survey<\/a> conducted by <em>NeighborWorks America<\/em> also notes that understanding the homebuying process may be the most significant barrier for many hopeful homeowners:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em>&ldquo;Homeownership is a particular challenge for many, despite high levels of interest. Americans believe there are many benefits to homeownership and half of non-owners will seek information about the process in the next few years&hellip;<strong>a large share of non-owners say the process is too challenging<\/strong> and only a minority know where to find advice if they wanted it. And although many would seek the guidance of community and non-profit programs, only one in three non-owners are aware of such services.&rdquo;<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/christinapinkerman.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/20200728-MEM-Eng-2.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-42738\" src=\"https:\/\/christinapinkerman.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/20200728-MEM-Eng-2.jpg\" alt=\"Guidance and Support Are Key When Buying Your First Home | Simplifying The Market\" width=\"650\" height=\"366\" srcset=\"https:\/\/christinapinkerman.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/20200728-MEM-Eng-2.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/files.simplifyingthemarket.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/27170031\/20200728-MEM-Eng-2-533x300.jpg 533w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\"><\/a>If you&rsquo;re among the first-time homebuyers who feel the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplifyingthemarket.com\/2020\/02\/28\/10-steps-to-buying-a-home-infographic-2\/?a=364401-3b56ebb70dafbecc4de42825d439e92e\">process<\/a> is complicated, you&rsquo;re not alone. If you&rsquo;re not sure where to begin or you simply want help in figuring out how to save for a home, finding a trusted <a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplifyingthemarket.com\/2020\/04\/07\/how-to-find-the-perfect-real-estate-agent\/?a=364401-3b56ebb70dafbecc4de42825d439e92e\">real estate advisor<\/a> to work with is a critical <a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplifyingthemarket.com\/2020\/07\/24\/a-real-estate-pro-is-more-helpful-now-than-ever-infographic\/?a=364401-3b56ebb70dafbecc4de42825d439e92e\">step<\/a> toward your success. A real estate professional can help you understand the process, review your current situation, and guide you with a plan to help you to feel confident when buying a home.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Bottom Line<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>If you&rsquo;re interested in purchasing a home and need help getting started, let&rsquo;s connect today so you can take advantage of the support available to guide you through each step of the way.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In June, the number of first-time homebuyers accounted for 35% of the existing homes sold, a trend that&rsquo;s been building steadily throughout the year. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR): &ldquo;The share of first-time buyers increased in March through June&mdash;right into the heart of the pandemic period and the surge in unemployment&mdash;and is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5548,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,4,22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5547","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-first-time-home-buyers","category-for-buyers","category-interest-rates"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/christinapinkerman.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5547","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/christinapinkerman.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/christinapinkerman.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christinapinkerman.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christinapinkerman.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5547"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/christinapinkerman.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5547\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christinapinkerman.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5548"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/christinapinkerman.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5547"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christinapinkerman.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5547"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christinapinkerman.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5547"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}