Mortgage News for April 9, 2021

Buying a Fixer-Upper?

High prices within the real estate market might have some buyers considering that fixer-upper home. But is it really worth it? According to research from Remodeling Magazine, it depends. Smaller-scale home-improvement projects tend to have better returns on investment. Paint costs little but painting in contemporary colors can add as much as $3,000 to a home's sale price.

Without sweat equity, larger projects are less likely to recoup the investment. The closest to recouping cost - adding a manufactured stone veneer to a house - returned 96% of the original investment. Especially with prices for construction materials on the rise, returns on renovations are likely even lower in 2021.²

Bridge Loans Boost Buyers

Prospective buyers may have to make offers that are contingent on selling their current home. That can put them at a disadvantage in a competitive bidding market. Short-term bridge loans let them waive that contingency and then pay back the loan as soon as their existing home sells.³

Huge Price Gains May Not Last

Home prices rose 11.1% over the past year, the biggest jump the real estate market has seen in almost 15 years. Economists see monthly price gains beginning to slow, and expect the frenzy to moderate as more inventory comes on the market in the spring and summer months. However, they warn that rising mortgage interest rates could pose a different affordability challenge later in the year.⁴

Sources: ²realtor.com, ³magazine.realtor.com, ⁴realtor.com