What to Expect In Real Estate in 2026

I am not a fan of making predictions! In the market, in sports betting, or whatever! Those types of decisions are above my pay grade! As in the only one who knows what is going to happen in the future of real estate or any other thing for that matter is up in heaven. I do not like to guess what will happen and that’s all predictions really are. But I am a student of the past and I like to listen to everybody else’s opinions. I’ve got two things that I will be advising my clients of this year.

Buyers. I’ve been saying for some time that the market was switching over to a buyers market. A lot of people disagree with me or don’t want to admit it. And I don’t really understand why. Once we pushed past 30 days on market. That is the thing with averages. There are always properties selling sooner than that so I think listing agents were refusing to admit that buyers are back in control of the market. That means buyers have the power to negotiate the way they didnT for so many years. Interest rates have the potential to come down to the 6% or under range. That could stimulate more buyers to jump in by lowering payments a couple of hundred dollars.

Sellers. You have got to understand that prices have to be lowered. There is a huge market out there full of other homes for sale. At this point, sellers have got to face the advice I have been telling them for a couple of years now. Pick One! Either sell your house for a high price OR sell your house quickly. You cannot have them both any longer. And, as an addition to that, I would say sellers have to step up their game a bit. Now is the time to freshe up the curb appeal or paint scheme or floors before you list the home (actually before you take the pictures to list the home).

🏡 Housing Market (Residential)

Steadier, More Balanced Conditions

• After years of volatility, 2026 is expected to feel more balanced. Buyer and seller negotiating power will even out, and bidding wars should ease.
• Inventory of homes for sale is rising, though still below pre-pandemic norms.

Prices: Slow Growth, Not Wild Swings

• Most forecasts show modest price increases nationally—low single digits rather than the double-digit runups of the past decade.
• Some local markets could outperform this average, while others may see flat prices or slight declines.

Mortgage Rates & Affordability

• Mortgage rates are likely to stay above historical lows (around the low-to-mid 6% range) but slightly improved from recent highs.
• Incomes are expected to grow faster than housing costs, nudging affordability up a bit.

Sales Activity

• Home sales are forecast to increase modestly, though stay below boom-era levels.
• First-time buyers will still face hurdles due to down payment and credit constraints, even if conditions soften.

Renting & Multifamily

• Some forecasts see rents leveling off or growing only modestly in 2026.

🏘️ Broader Trends Shaping 2026

Regional Differences Get Bigger

• Sun Belt, Midwest, and Northeast markets may diverge—some areas with job and supply pressures could outpace others.

Longer Hold Times

• Many homeowners are holding onto ultra-low mortgage rates from previous years, slowing moves and keeping supply tighter than usual.

Tech & Search Behavior

• Artificial intelligence and digital platforms will further change how buyers search, how brokers price homes, and how listings are marketed.

Commercial Real Estate

• Offices and retail are still adjusting from pandemic behavior changes, while industrial, logistics, and data-related property types are evolving.

📊 What This Means for You

If You’re Buying

Expect a more buyer-friendly market than recent years:
• Slightly better affordability than 2024–2025
• More homes to choose from
• Slower price growth — not deep discounts, but less pressure 💡

If You’re Selling

Prices aren’t expected to collapse, but the days of multiple high bids may be rarer. Smart pricing and good marketing will matter more than frenzy. 📈

If You’re Renting

Rents may moderate or grow slowly, which could help renters but keep investment property cash flow steady. 🏢

If You’re Investing

Look for regional trends and niche sectors (like multifamily, industrial, or tech-linked assets) rather than broad national plays. Diversification and local market knowledge are key.

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Bottom line: 2026 is shaping up as a transition year — less frothy, more balanced, and more predictable than the past few. Think of it as the market leaving behind turbulence and settling into a steadier flight path, with plenty of room in the local air space for variety and opportunity. I believe in the old adage that the best time to invest is when other people are not. The best time to buy is when so many buyers have walked away from the market. The best time to sell is when sellers are pulling out of the market right and left. And, most of all, if you need help buying, selling or investing, give me a call!!

Affordability

Time to deal with this word… Yes! It is a real thing! But I firmly believe it is, like most things in the atmosphere, being manipulated to serve a purposes. It exists in everything we do, but it is subjective to the situation and person. So let’s dig in to how it affects home ownership specifically. And look at 3 ways that you can make real estate more affordable. BTW, this is sort of a soap box issue for me so prepare yourself!

Affordability is simply the ability to afford something. When the entire world went on lockdown during the COVID crisis commerce and businesses suffered. Once the lockdowns were lifted and business went back to usual, companies were missing in some instances 2 years of profits. Many businesses decided to just shut down, but some, whole industries even, chose to try to make up those missing gains by hiking prices. It’s this giant cauldron of price hikes, demand for higher wages, free printed money, and people slowly re-entering the world. Heck, there are some people who still don’t enter the world! Consider for a minute all the people who still, 5 years later, work completely or even partially from home. I remember when my mom worked in Uptown Charlotte and on holiday breaks I would go to work with her. The amount of people in the sky bridge just ordering food or coffee or shopping was scary to a little kid like me. Now, there are times when Uptown still looks like a ghost town. Just the amount of traffic on a Tuesday compared to a Friday still tells the tale of businesses like lunch spots, coffee shops, gas stations, and retail stores, that just don’t have the traffic and therefore sales that they used to. So, to compensate, prices went up to make up for lost time, lost profit, or lost people.

But the housing market was something entirely different. That inflation, in my humble opinion, was ruled entirely by greed. There were way more buyers in the market than sellers. People were looking to move when work-from-home became the norm. With ridiculously low interest rates, it created buyers that weren’t even thinking of buying. Because of the competition people were offering way more money than the houses were worth, creating a giant jump in property values in Charlotte around 25% in 18 months, instead of the usual 4-6% increase we see on a normal yearly basis.

With all of the increase in prices, the increase in wages has not kept up. So if your housing went up 20% and your groceries are up 11%, but your boss only gave you an average cost of living raise of 4% at your last review and that has happened for the last 3 or 4 years (and many people have seen no raise due to those slow COVID years) then the items and the activities that you used to afford are not possible anymore.

But that doesn’t mean that NOTHING is affordable! (This is where I may ruffle some feathers.) I’ll start with groceries. Are prices through the roof? Yes! Then change the way you eat or shop. Shop at a discount store. Spend money on the things that are most important. Create a budget and shopping list and stick to it. Create a meal calendar so you know how much you need of each ingredient so you don’t end up throwing a portion away when it goes bad after you failed to use it. Reduce the amount of things that you throw away that have gone bad before you eat them. Is it more difficult to live this way? Maybe. Is is more time consuming? Maybe. What better do you have to do? Watch some show on one of the 5 streaming stations you also pay for?

Now let’s talk about real estate. The same principle applies here. You may not be able to afford what you used to be able to afford, but you can afford something. Here are a few tips that I share with clients whose budget isn’t where they would like it to be.

1. Locations. Our area is pretty accessable to get pretty much anywhere in under an hour. You don’t have to buy a house in the popular neighborhood, because by the time you are ready to sale, the popularity may have shifted.
2. Size Matters. I have long been over McMansions. No one needs 7 bedrooms. I struggle to understand how 2 people live in 4000 square feet. Consider space that does not feel confining, but also doesn’t create rooms no one ever spends time in. There is a giant trend toward cute little bungalows and tiny homes that I absolutely love! When making a shopping list for a home consider what rooms you need (bedroom, office, etc) and start there.
3. Be flexible. The biggest problem I have seen recently is sales on homes not closing because people are refusing to negotiate. Be willing to understand that you are buying a home, probably used, and not a museum. Things are going to need fixing or adjusting or redoing. You may be able to get the seller to do them, if you offer a price that wasn’t too insulting, but you also may have to do it yourself after you get that great deal. If you want perfect, buy a new home (those are on sale too).
4. Look for a deal. Yup! They are out there right now! Sellers are not listening to their agents and getting super disappointed when their home sits on the market for month after month with little to no activity. Everyone says the only way to sell is to lower your price. I think a seller can be patient or lower their price. But for a buyer, I have put in offers at $100,000 UNDER list price. So make a deal!
5. Start with a budget. Figure out how much you can afford first. Housing should be less than 50% of your income. Some financial advisors will even say closer to 30%. So what do you make a month and what can you afford to pay in mortgage. I can PROMISE you that mortgage payment is more beneficial than any rent payment even if it is cheaper or smaller or in a different location.

I grew up in a family that didn’t have much. I have been through phases of my life where I was jobless or didn’t bring very much money in. I consider myself a professional at living on less. And I will say the biggest problem I see from people who don’t think they can afford a home is waste. Whether it is a waste of space or food waste or too many clothes in your closet or things on the shelf, figuring out how to live a life with just what you need is the best way to make life so much more affordable.

Bread…

I literally love bread! I do not think it makes you fat. And here’s why! It has to do with moderation. And good ingredients! I am a firm believer in having what you want but learning what your body needs. Bread done right is not horrible for you or your waistline, especially in small amounts. Especially if you aren’t really allergic to the ingredients. Anything that you have too much of is a problem. Having said all of that, I do understand that not all bread is made the same. Have you ever looked at what is in your loaf of bread? Have you seen the comparisons of what used to be in a loaf of bread versus what is now in a loaf of bread? The simple truth in healthy eating is that anything that has to be made in one place and shipped or stored in another for an undetermined amount of time will require chemicals and things that make it shelf stable and last longer. My grandmother made bread everyday. We used to shop at the “bread store” when I was younger. Merita had a store on Old Pineville Rd. Now we shop at a grocery store and our bread comes from who-knows-where. Even some of the baker’s breads, like LaBrae, will have stabilizers and additives to make them last longer, but those are better for your gut and the environment, and yet so much more expensive. So my solution has been this journey of making my own bread.

My favorite sourdough loaf so far!

I started with a really terrible relationship with yeast. I tried for years to made bread in a bread maker, then just dough of any type, like pizza dough, with yeast. Nothing really turned out well in my house. Until I moved into my new house! The only thing I can figure is that the old house was drafty and often cold. Seriously! Dough would not rise in my old house! Now I have no problems making yeast breads, pizza dough, you name it. I’ve really had some yummy successes in the last 3 years since we moved.

My relationship with bread comes from my Dad! He could make the best bread and cornbread, and did so at least once a week.

Then my friend at church brought me some of her sourdough starter. I was so intimidated! But she walked me through step by step what to do. I don’t need the science behind it, just the directions. I have had my ups and downs. One time I thought I put too much water and the dough looked really runny, but once it baked, it was perfect with big airholes and chewyness except it molded stored on the counter for 4 or 5 days. Another time I didn’t put the oven temp high enough and the inside of the bread didn’t cook. But there have been way more successes than failures! Here are some things that I have learned…

• There are a million recipes and directions out there I’ve always been told that baking is exact and that is really why I shy away from it. But it is not! Choose one method and stick with it long enough to feel comfortable experimenting away from it.

My first experiment…tiny loaves for Christmas presents for my friends!

• Don’t invest in a bunch of things until you know you want to continue doing it. You can proof your loaf in the pan or bowl. You can use bread pans, clay bakers, whatever to bake them in. The starte can be stirred with a knife and covered with a towel. Don’t overcomplicated it!

• Plan your schedule. The one down side I’ve found is that it is time consuming and requires a plan…the starter has to sit for 12 hours, the dough sits for 12 hours, the dough proofs for an hour before baking. I personally take my starter out to warm it up on Friday AM, Feed it Friday PM, Make the dough Sat AM, proof and bake Sat PM. Different recepies will have different steps and times, but it will take you 2 days or so to make bread. Where as yeast bread can take just 6-8 hours.

• Be part of the community. Where ever you get your starter or favorite recipe or favorite process from will create a community. Follow people on social with different ideas. Take tips from any one who will offer them. The friend I started with and I talk about sourdough every time we see each other! She will try something new and share it with me. I send her pics of all the things I try. It really is all about being part of that community!

My First Loaf!

I think the biggest lesson is just to try! Don’t be scared! Cooking good food has always been an accomplishment for me. Making that first beautiful, perfect loaf gave me such a sense of self sufficiency. I don’t have to depend on buying bread from a bakery or store. I don’t have to have fancy equipment or tons of time on my hands. I can make something really good and healthy for me and my family right here in my own home with my own two hands. Absolutely worth it!

Oh So Thankful

I can’t help but answer those security questions that ask what is your favorite holiday with Thanksgiving. Yes, I love the Christmas season for it’s nostalgia and traditions. And our family and friends really enjoy the creativity and theatrics of Halloween. But Thanksgiving to me is the perfect day. A day devoted to food and family. As much as I love my church, I don’t have to be anywhere for a service. The stress of cooking all day isn’t stress for me at all but a respite for my soul. Pouring my love and thankfulness into whatever meal I choose to prepare. Then gathering somewhere with some people to enjoy the food, the conversation, and the time that passes. There’s football on or played outside. We always take a walk or hike or do something physical to burn off all that we ate. But the real reason it is my favorite is the focus.

This is the only holiday where you are meant to spend the day trying to think only of the gifts you’ve been granted. I think this practice comes easily for me, but I’ve noticed over the years that it doesn’t for others. Whether it is their negative mindset or their selfish desires, it is sometimes difficult for people of any economic or social stature to take a time to just sit in the thankfulness of simple things. I, personally, make it a daily business practice to declare 1 thing that I am thankful for that day. It is a section in my Planner (https://www.canva.com/design/DAGW7rIBiTk/JlvQXEukf0O9oKri5-91DA/view?utm_content=DAGW7rIBiTk&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=h0a552cb279 – 2026 will be available in December. Designs can be customized.) But some people lack that ability because it isn’t a skill they were taught. I wanted to make sure I taught that skill to my little people (and the teenagers I taught for years) so I would come up with a way every year that people could express gratitude for things even in the most undesirable life stages and situations. Here are a few great ideas I’ve gather, and some I’ve used over the years, to make an activity for your Thanksgiving gathering…

Gratitude Centerpiece – Since it should be the center of your feast anyway, why not create a centerpiece out of all the things you and your guests are thankful for! Use a mason jar, flower vase, special turkey shaped ceramic, or a tree. Decorate with leaves, nuts, cranberries and your favorite ribbon and accessories. I’ve found easy to use items at the Dollar Tree. Fill the centerpiece with notes or cut out leaves where everyone has written something they are thankful for.

Gratitude Journal – This one is great if you like to give your guests small party favors! It could be very inexpensive, or you could really go all out. Wrap a journal for every person to take home as a gift. Inside the front cover of each journal, tape or glue a list of Gratitude Journal Prompts. You could gift them a simple small notebook, again Dollar Tree has great ones in the stationary section. Or search Etsy for a beautiful bound leather journal. I like the ones that you can change out the paper inside like This One. Wrap the journals in brown craft paper and attach beautiful ribbon or decoration to the gift with their name to use as place setting markers at the table.

Thankful Table Runner – I’ve done this for the entire week leading up to Thanksgiving! Tape a long piece of paper to the wall and have everyone write a different thing they are thankful for on it every morning. Wrapping paper or craft paper work well for this. One year we had a piece of cardboard painted with chalkboard paint. Find some pretty pens or pencils, pain pens, or chalk paint pens to store close by on a string or in a jar. Write (or print out) something big in the middle. Use this as your table runner for Thanksgiving dinner, or just leave it there through the hustle and bustle of presents and Christmas.

Gratitude Game – There are some great ideas out there! Search Pintrest to find more, but this is my favorite. Everyone rolls the dice. The number they land on tells them what they have to say they are greatful for. You can purchase these on Etsy or just make them yourself. I would make this the placesetting at the table, maybe with their name on it, and let everyone write down what they are thankful for. You may even go find different die and theme it out (IYKYK)!

Picture Op – Everyone (especially younger ones) enjoys a good photo op. And we never get enough pictures at Thanksgiving! You can have these made or make them yourself. Create a frame for everyone to take a photo in. It would be really neat to have them write what they are thankful for and a way to change it for every person. Make a corner of your home the Photo Booth. Include props and signs that say what everyone is thankful for. I have some great ideas for that (and many other things) in my Holidays Pinterest Board.

Most importantly, take some time this November to think, write, and say outloud some of the things that you have to be thankful for. Think about the simple things that we take for granted everyday. Things that you can’t live without. Things that there are probably people in this world that do live without. Things that make you and your life unique to this world. There is a ton of research out there that proves some type of gratitude practice can lead to more physical and emotional health. Even if you or your guests and family don’t turn this in to a “practice”, it is a great way to frame the reason for this season…especially a we gear up for the next season!

❄️ How to Get Your Home Cozy and Winter-Ready

There’s nothing better than a warm, inviting home when the weather turns chilly. From sealing up chilly drafts to prepping your fireplace for those snuggly nights in, a few small tweaks now can make a big difference later. Here’s how to turn your house into the ultimate cozy haven before winter rolls in.

📸 Image Caption: A cozy living room with soft blankets, glowing candles, and a warm fire — the perfect setup for a winter evening.

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1. Kick Out the Drafts

No one likes that sneaky chill that slips under the door or whistles through a window. Take a walk around your house and check for drafts. A quick fix? Add weatherstripping around doors, caulk small cracks near windows, and pop a draft stopper (or even a rolled-up towel) at the base of doors. Make sure your windows are closed and locked. If you’re like me no love to wire out your home when the heat abates in the early fall, you may have left them just a bit undone. The lock will make sure they are properly in place to seal out the cool air. You’ll be amazed at how much warmer your home feels—without touching the thermostat.

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2. Give Your Heating System Some Love

Before you flip the switch on your heat, schedule a quick furnace or HVAC check-up. Think of it as a spa day for your heating system—it works hard all winter! And for the love of God, don’t be that person that sets the system to auto and hopes it all works out! I actually had a condo catch fire because leaves had fallen in the outside unit and ignited when the heating system started up. Also, swap out your air filters so everything runs smoothly (and so you’re not blowing dust around your living room). Bonus: A clean system uses less energy, which means lower bills.

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3. Show Your Pipes Some TLC

Frozen pipes = not fun. If you’ve got pipes in colder areas like the garage or basement, wrap them up with foam insulation sleeves. On super chilly nights, let your faucets drip just a little to keep water moving and prevent freezing or leave the cabinet doors open so the warm air gets to them when absolutely necessary. If you have a well, make sure the cover is well insulated or place a small heater on a thermostat inside the well house to warm the pump and expansion tank, expecially if you have nights in the teens. We only get a couple here in North Carolina, but it has saved me many times. Dont’t forget to check the outdoor faucets! You can buy covers for them or use the same wrap you used in the basement. Again, I had a condo where the neighbor didn’t wrap his pipes in the outdoor storage closet that burst and caused all kinds of damage. It’s a tiny trick that can save you from a major plumbing headache.

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4. Cozy Up Your Fireplace

If you’re lucky enough to have a fireplace, make sure it’s clean and ready for action. Have your chimney inspected and swept to clear out any built-up soot. If you have an outdoor fire pit, clean it out and get it ready for the season. Stock up on dry firewood. Having a storage system for wood, indoors or outdoors, will help make sure you have it ready to go when you want to use ite. If you have a gas system, light the pilot light and test it out. I used an entire tank of fuel once by just leaving the pilot light on so I am a stickler for making sure I know how to turn that off and then light it when the season arrives. If that is scary to you (because it is to me) ask the gas company to do it for you. There may be a small charge, but I would rather be safe than sorry. You’re officially set for movie nights and marshmallow roasting.

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5. Tidy Up the Outdoors

Before it gets too cold, take care of the outside stuff. Drain your garden hoses, turn off outdoor faucets, and stash away patio furniture your may not use in the colder months. I like to move my hoses indoors to keep them from becoming an eyesore in the yard. I put them under the house or in a storage area so they are ready for next year. Cleaning your gutters now means fewer ice dams and less winter mess later. And hey, give your snow shovel or ice salt a quick check—you’ll thank yourself when and if we get snow around here since all of the stores will be sold out of everything before the first flake hits the ground.

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☕ Final Thoughts

Getting your home ready for winter doesn’t have to be a big project. Think of it as nesting season—lighting candles, fluffing blankets, and making sure your space feels warm and welcoming. I like to stock up on things like sliced teas and cocoa ingreadients as well as chili and soup ingredients. It makes a big difference when I get surprised by a chilly day and just want a bowl of soup to warm me up. A few little prep steps now mean more time to relax as we go into the dark days of winter. Clocks change on Nov. 2nd, so it will be dark early very soon. An I don’t like going places or doing things after dark!

Downsizing

Graduation season is here and parents of those graduates are starting to think about what happens next! It’s a crazy time of life because you are likely caring for almost adult children and aging parents at the same time. There is no time like the present to DOWNSIZE. It may be just the child’s bedroom or it may be your parents whole house, but the process can be difficult and stressful. The last thing you want is to have to do it in a hurry, making decisions you’ll regret later. I suggest starting way before you actually have to. Here are 5 tips that can help!

Clarify your Goals – What do you want to accomplish in the next 10 years? As the kids are off to live their life, it could be opening doors for your life that you hadn’t thought about. If you are retiring, there could be something that you always wanted to accomplish that you finally have time to work toward. Start with your WHY! Not sure what I mean by that or have never dug in to you Why? Read the book Start with Why by Simon Sinek! I went through the process about 7 years ago and realized that my Why is to HELP people. Every decision I make in my business is filtered through that why, so if there is a decision to be made I ask “will it help people?”. Maybe your Why is to see the world! That would require a lot of time and planning and probably a lot less stuff in your home!

Declutter – Go room by room and take inventory. Make a bin for Donate, Sell or Toss. Remember all the fuss years ago about the Marie Kondo method… “If it doesn’t bring you joy!” If you didn’t do that when it was trending, this is a great time to do it. And if you did, I bet you need to do it again! It is amazing the amount of stuff we accumulate in a year. Don’t be afraid to do it once or twice a year. This is the most time consuming part, so start early. You may need to hire a professional. I have a few companies that will come do this for you, determining if there are valuable things for an estate sale or what can just get trashed. My favorite right now is BlueStar Move Management. I have had tons of people ask me for a company like this and I finally found one!

Evaluate Financial Position – Finances will definitely change at this stage of life, so take some time to speak to your financial person or review your budget. Remember that equity in your home can be turned into cash if there are college bills to pay or properties to buy, especially now with all the changes to college loans. In past experiences I have used a couple of strategies that may work for you. If you are looking to move a parent and downsize their home, consider using the equity in their current home to purchase or put a downpayment on the new one. Once the original home sells everything will be paid off at closing. If you are looking for a space to move you college kid, considering using the equity in your own home to buy or put a down payment on that property. If you choose to purchase that property outright, it will be an investment property and require a 20% downpayment, but if you have leases signed or commitments from tenants to pay rent, it will likely not count on your own Debt To Income (DTI) ratio. There are also loan products available called bridge loans, where the lender will help if you have to buy then sell a property.

Evaluate Housing Options – If you have a kid on their way to college or the real world, you could potentially turn their need for housing into your first investment property! Don’t allow them to pay rent to someone else when they, and their friends, could pay rent to you. I even like the idea of letting that child “buy” the home from you once they have finished school and have a job. Whether they choose to live in it, sell it, or rent it out, they can start their adult life with the one thing that truly creates financial mobility, home ownership. There are many options as we retire for downsized housing that can easily fit into those goals you clarified earlier. We recently moved my mother into a condo at the lake. It is a big switch from her house of 50 years in the middle of Charlotte on almost an acre of land, but she has grown to really love it. It took us about 3 months to get her completely moved in and downsized. We purchased the condo first so she could take her time with a loan that I “co-signed” for. Once we sold her house in Charlotte we simply paid off the loan and the HELOC money we had borrowed to help make that transition.

Condominiums can be a great choice for Graduates or Retires because of the small space, smaller price point, and amenities the community offers. The can also turn into great rental properties for short-term or long-term rentals, but make sure to read the association documents carefully.

Execute – Make a schedule to achieve those goals. Find help and assistance where needed. You may need to hire movers, contractors, a real estate agent, or a home management company. There are lots of options! I talk to familys all the time that are trying to sell properties once the family member is deceased. They are left with an entire home full of belongings that they do not know what to do with. These Move Management companies can come in and sort through to see if an estate sale would be worth it, or what items should just get junked or donated. I recently spoke to a woman who was doing her best to go through and get rid of as many things as possible before that happened to her children. It may be as simple as a detailed outline in a will that gives every member of the family the responsibility of the items. Something that specific would need to be revised in a timely manner.

At the end of the day we can’t all be like my Aunt Peggy who sold all of her worldly possessions except for 1 chair, a plate, and a fork to travel the world in her RV, but I do think we could eliminate the clutter around us in order to eliminate some of the clutter in our lives. Starting with a blank slate in the big changes of our life can be scary so seek some help. Whether you are cleaning out a graduates bedroom to fill their dorm or making a spare bed room, or downsizing a whole home into a condo in retirement, it will take Goals, Help, and a Plan!

First Time Home Buyers

There is a common misconception that FHA loans were created to service first time home buyers. Maybe original they were, but now anyone with a certain credit score can get an FHA loan , and since they are federally serviced, they usually have lower interest rates, though not by much, and much lower down payment requirements. BUT There are programs out there specifically designed to help first time home buyers in this market of higher rates and lower consumer confidence. Lenders are offering amazing products to pull buyers into the market! Here are a few tips and tricks to finding the best loan deal out there for your specific needs.

First and foremost, shop around! Home loan products are just like homes…there are plenty out there for you to choose from! You can choose to use a bank that you have a relationship with, a new bank, or a mortgage broker. Every single one of them will have different programs and qualifications. I always suggest my clients go to a bank and a broker to see what their options are. Brokers work with 20 or so lenders, so even 2 different brokers will have 40 different products. Banks have very specific programs for the clientele that they service so places like credit unions offer bonuses for members but all banks have programs privately funded to reach specific groups of people. I have built a business around relationships and I work really hard to stay up with the times by meeting with those people and talking shop so I can refer my clients to a lender that can meet their needs.

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UNDER CONTRACT on this adorable home with my first time home buyers who have been able to secure over $70,000 in grant money to purchase! Their down payment in covered; their closing costs are covered; and a portion will go toward the principle to bring their payment down!

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Have a list of options or requirements for the loan officer. What is important to you?

Downpayment – 0% – 20% The more you put down now the less you have to pay interest on over the course of the loan. But if you don’t have the cash there are ways to get mortgage with 0 – 3% down.

Interest Rate – The interest rate is set, but usually as just a starting point. Based on your credit score, the individual lender can make adjustments. One offer now from many lenders are called “buy-downs”, where the lender will buy down the interest rate for the first 1, 2, or 3 years of the loan. There are a huge assortment of these type of offers in the market so ask for them and then make sure you understand it!

Term of the Loan – Traditionally mortgages are 15 and 30 years, but there are some variations now. I recently saw a loan for 40 years that allowed for lower monthly payments. There are also ARM loans out now that are regaining popularity where they offer a lower interest rate for the first 5, 6, 7 years of the loan, but you must refinance before or take the market rate at the end of that term.

Grant Money – This is where it gets interesting and profitable! There are programs out there from the federal government, state government, local governemnts, and even private organization like banks and companys that offer sums of money to use as a gift towards the loan. For example, the state of NC has a $17,500 grant for borrowers that make 80% or less of the average median income and are first time home buyers. If a lender can add that to their own options, you can stack money on top of money to get $50 – $70,000 worth of grants applied to the loan. All of those programs have requirements and specifics such as a finacial literacy class or you have to stay in the home for 7 years so make sure you understand.

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Here’s what to do:

• Interview the lender! Ask for these options. Tell them what you’re looking for and see what they have to offer. Don’t just fill out the application first without having a conversation about what you want.
• Ask for a soft pull! Allow them to go through your information and collect real hard numbers on what they can offer. This would mean filling out the application, but a soft pull doesn’t affect your credit score. If they ask you to pay for a credit report, that is likely not a soft pull.
• Stay in touch! Continue to work with the lender on each individual property that you find when you become serious about making an offer. You would hate for the location or type of property to throw you out of any of that money you thought you were going to save.

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New Construction isn’t happening so much from the big builders anymore. I am finding more new construction from small local builders with 3 or 4 units at a time. The quality is just as good, if not better, and the offerings are better since most big builders have gone to townhomes instead of single family homes.

A note about new construction…if you are building a home with a builder in a neighborhood or on your own land, STILL do all of these things. Yes, the builders in-house lender will offer a little money back to get your business (usually 4 or 5 thousand), but many lenders will match that or be able to use other programs to beat that. The builder may not choose to use any of those programs since they are already offering an incentive. And then you have a lender that is on your side and not the side of the builder, much like the agent sitting in that model home is employed by the builder and has no allegiance to you.

Your home is the biggest financial decision that you will make, no matter how many times in your life you will make it so it reserves the right to be complicated and researched and poured over. You should have to jump through hoops to borrow hundreds of thousands of dollars with just a signature promising to repay it. Loose lending laws are what caused the financial crash we saw in 2008. It should be hard to make that type of financial decision. BUT IT IS NOT IMPOSSIBLE! A young lady said to me recently, “I’ll never be able to buy a house.” That is not at all true! You can, but you must do the work, whether that means raising your credit score, or researching options available to your type of person, or looking for houses in a particular area or at a particular price point. It shouldn’t be easy! But it also should not be impossible!

Spring Babies

As the temperature warms and the sun shows up in the sky for more hours in the day, things on the farm begin to change. We had a rough winter for our chicken flock and I was waiting for those two things to happen so I could add baby chicks to the farm. Now it is here and so are the babies, but I thought I would update you on how we got here and the lessons we learned.

We had experienced a few seperate issues that got us to this point.

Hawk attacks…On two separate occasions haws got into our chicken run! Wanna know how? Human error! It was not the hawks fault or the chickens fault so much as it was our fault. There was an entire section of the run not covered in fencing. Hawk flew right in, attached the smallest chicken, my only remaining hen, and then struggled so hard to escape through a different section of the fence it ended up injuring it’s wing all while the 2 roosters and other hen watched from the other side of the run. The second hawk attack was similar, a section of the fencing not attached well to the frame of the run. (anyone see a theme here?) The interesting thing about both attacks is that we had been watching whese 2 giant hawks hunting a mole in our pasture for weeks, worried about them and the chickens. But those two didn’t do it! It was 2 smaller, adolescent hawks that made it into the chicken run. Now, we have gaurdian owls!

New, Homemade, Made from Pallet Wood Coop and Run!

Perimeter Breaks…Wanna guess whose fault number 2 is? It follows the theme! When putting fencing around the perimeter of the run, there were these brace boards that caused the fencing to not sit flush with the board or staple close enough to the board. It created almost like a little tent between the board and the ground. Did we go back and fix that issue after the fencing was installed? Not soon enough! Something, still no idea what, managed to get under that area and pull out the 2 remaining chickens. I was able to follow a string of feathers to find this little fence tent that got left for nothing less than laziness.

Old age…This one isn’t our fault, but I learned a lot. A few years ago my oldest daughter brought home 4 chickens that she bought at Tractor Supply, completely without permission, of course, as she has done with all but 1 of her animals. I had no idea what type of chickens they were, still don’t really. If I had to hazard a guess, they were something like a Long-Island Red (we have had those before, but they were bigger and meaner that these girls were). The benefit was, they laid a ton of eggs! So I kinda forgave her after a while. In the last year we lost 2 hens for seemingly no reason. They didn’t seem sick or have any signs of problems. They just slowed down and one day were dead. I believe it was old age. Chickens can live to be 7 or 8, but when they lay eggs, especially large eggs every single day (these girls laid double yolks all the time) their life expectancy shortens. They are working too hard for their bodies to keep up. We have bread them to give us more of what we want, but less of what they can handle.

I waited for the weather to get warmer before I got new chickens because I don’t have anywhere in my home for a brooder. I Was considering getting older chickens, but found a local lady that breeds Silkies so I picked up 6. The breeder looked very well kept and the chickens seemed healthy. And yet, as I sit here, I have one baby that is not thriving. I have her sectioned off in a container by herself for a little extra warmth and am trying to get her to drink water through a syringe, but I have no idea if she will make it. Such is the #farmlife. It is always something and not for the faint of heart. But I wouldn’t trade it for any other #life in the world, #lakelife, #citylife, or whatever.

What are Buyers paying for Houses?

I wish I had a dollar for every person that said something to me in the last 2 years to the effect of, “I’ll wait until the home prices come down”! I would always just roll my eyes and redirect, behind their back, of course. I knew then that there was no way housing prices would come down. To me, if housing prices go down, we’re in a recession because 08/09 is the only time that has happened and no one wants to do that again!

So I thought we should take a look at what Buyers are really paying for real estate in 2025. Here are some statistics:

The Charlotte area MLS, known as Canopy, recently released their annual report for 2024. This shows the percentage increase for the entire Charlotte area and then begins to break it down by counties. The average increase is usually around 4% – 6%. The cause of the huge increases in 21/22 were the extremely low inventory and high demand, in part created by the extremely low interest rates. Once the interest rates rose in 23/24 the growth slowed, but prices never went down. Why?

The short answer is “Charlotte”. This area is one of the fastest growing, most desirable cities in the nation. It may be the climate, the job market, or the economic opportunity, but whatever it is nothing in Charlotte is ever a bad investment. I tried to make this point a few years ago. If your interest rate is 7%, but the value of the home increases 4 -6% on average every year, you are still making money on your investment, not to mention the tax right off, home equity opportunities, personal happiness, and growth potential.

But the growth around Charlotte is not the same everywhere. Kannapolis, a town in Cabarrus county, has actually dropped in price, even with all the workthat town has down to revitalize the douwtown area. Also, the growth around Lake Norman and Huntersville were significantly smaller than other areas, potentially because those prices were already so high., but Cornelius saw double digit growth.

But I think the most important fact to consider in the chart above is the Median price for the area. In all of the training and learning that I have done for finance and budgeting, it boils down to two things, the money coming in and the money going out. If you can’t adjust one, then maybe you have to adjust the other. For example, if you can’t afford $417,893 for the median price in Charlotte, maybe you should consider an outside city like Concord at $389,185 or Gastonia at $295,000. These numbers can give a good idea of cost of living for those areas.

The hard truth is that the cost of living in the Charlotte area is high, but it is not as high as so many other places, like CA or Atlanta. The motivation to buy a home shouldn’t be price. A mortgage is just a fact of life. For every person that tells you success means living without debt, there are 2 more that will tell you that debt, especially mortgage debt, actually works in your favor because it creates wealth and net worth. The motivation to buy a house or vacation house or whatever should be just as long term and ambitious. It should be to accomplish a goal, to propel your financial net worth further, to create passive income, or to house the people you love. Charlotte is not a bad investment, no matter where or when.

My WHY…

Every year we reflect on the previous year and plan for the next. I coach agents at my firm to start that in October! I heard a great discussion recently about not setting resolutions but setting intentions, for the year, for the month, and even at the beginning of every week. I liked that idea so I am going to try that this year and see how it resonates with my personal and professional goals. But in all the research and learning (and teaching) that I have done about growth and business planning, there is one lesson that is worth the time, the read, the review, and/or the patience. The very first exercise you should do this January, whether for your professional self or your personal self, is figuring out your WHY.

It all started with me a few years ago when I was introduced to the book Start With Why by Simon Sinek. I had been in real estate for a couple of years and was doing okay, but really wanted to take my business to the next level. I had absolutely NO idea of how to do that! I was not brought up in an entrepreneurial lifestyle where you were granted freedom to dream or try or do. I was raised that you went to school, went to college, got a job, and eventually you got to retire so you could do fun stuff. (Bullshit! I wanted to do fun stuff right now! Why do fun stuff when you’re too old to enjoy it!) And real estate was beginning to show me that was a possibility. I just didn’t know where to go next. What I found from reading this book was not a magic formula for making money (pst…there are none of those), or all of the answers to “How to Build a Real Estate Empire in 30 days” (also not real). What I found was a deeply personal journey that forced me to get honest about who I was, what made me happy, and what I wanted to do.

Probably my favorite exercise that I coach agents to do when they start business planning and beginning to think about their Why or read the book, is an exercise called 7 Layers Deep. I heard it in a workshop with Dean Graziosi, Who is another author to put on your nonfiction playlist. Here’s how it works…

Ask yourself WHY you do whatever thing it is you do. “Why Real Estate?”

Answer that questions honestly. “Because I need to make money.”

Then ask yourself WHY to that answer “WHY?”

Answer that question honestly. “Because I have to pay bills.”

7-Levels-Deep-ExerciseDownload

Continue that process for 7 LAYERS (the above being layers 1 and 2). By the time you get to the end you will have an answer that guides you in everything you do and every decision you make. For me it boiled down to my need to help people (and animals). So when I am making a decision about business or life or finances or anything really, I always start there… am I helping people?

When the Broker in Charge of my firm asked me to be Operations Director 2 years ago, I asked myself that question. The answer was yes. I would be helping other agents with their business. So it was easy for me to say yes to that opportunity.

I think your WHY can change over time. I think it is very important to revisit that exercise every now and then. I very much still want to help other people, but I am starting to want to help myself a little bit more. Maybe it’s my age. Or maybe it’s some Freudian reason because no one helps me. You know, that hierarchy of needs that have to be taken care of before you can take care of others. Wait, that’s Maslow. Anyway…

I am SUPER excited about 2025! Maybe because it is a great number (25 being 1/4 of the century). Or maybe it’s because I know what I want and I’m getting closer to figuring out how to get it! Either way, I hope that you can create a plan to get exactly what you want out of life, even if it takes another quarter of a century to do it. And if you need help creating that plan or want to bounce idea off of someone, you should reach out to me. Because, remember, I am here to HELP! Happy New Year!