How to Navigate the Des Moines Market

Greater Des Moines Real Estate Podcast with Betsy Sarcone

It’s clear that our market has shifted a bit lately, but this is something we predicted. Here’s how to navigate our market on both the buying and selling side.

Today I’m joined by David Bell with Gershman Mortgage to talk a little bit about the market in terms of housing inventory and financing.

In regard to housing, the market has definitely slowed down quite a bit since spring. On David’s end, he’s seeing the market change along with the interest rates. The Federal Reserve has hinted toward an increase in interest rates, and that hint itself could cause rates to go up right from the get-go.

We’re seeing some of these changes on the housing market as well. We’ve been predicting these changes for about the last 12 to 18 months, and July of this year was the first month where we saw these numbers shift. Our inventory levels are up and our sales are coming down, so it’s clear that the market is indeed changing.

As far as financing in the market goes, the biggest change that David has seen so far has been some of the modifications to the USDA program. Though the USDA’s upfront fee has been 2.75% up to this point, they’re planning on reducing it to 1%. In addition, their monthly guarantee fee is set to decrease from .5% to .35%, which will reduce monthly payments for homeowners. These changes will make things much easier for homeowners, especially those looking to buy homes in small, rural communities with populations below 20,000.

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Be Johnny-on-the-spot with the loan officers.

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What should you do if you’re thinking of selling your home? One warning I’ll give you is that you will have increased competition on the market. For this reason, we’ll want to make sure that the home shows well and that it’s priced right initially. For those that are considering moving within the next one to two years, the forecast that we’re seeing is that home values are going to decrease. This is why if you’re considering selling, it’s important to get your home listed as soon as possible.

On the buyer side, David advises having all documents ready to hand in to your loan provider in order to streamline the process. Loan officers will generally ask for things like W-2s, paystubs, and tax returns up front to process your initial file, but once your loan goes into underwriting, you’ll be asked for additional documentation. Be ready for all of this because the sooner you get all of these things in, the sooner you’ll be cleared, and the sooner you can close on the home.

If you have any other questions about the mortgage process, give David a call at 515-330-2930 and as always, please give me a call or send me an email with any questions about anything real estate-related. I’d be happy to help you!