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How Many Hours Must One Work to Afford Their Mortgage In Their City?

Surprisingly enough cities with the most expensive properties require residents to work a greater amount of hours to be able to afford them. San Jose was ranked as number one where residents needed to make an astonishing amount of $274,623 per year just to buy a house in the city. Median Salary in each city in comparison to the median mortgage amount makes San Jose drops to the tenth spot where residents in San Jose have to work a bit fewer hours to other cities. In New York City resident have to work a high of 113 hours a month in order to pay their monthly mortgage where San Jose residence only have to work 74 hours a month to pay their mortgage. Shockingly that is an estimated week of work needed in addition just to be able to afford a mortgage payment. Even though you are paying less in New York you must work more hours compared to San Jose.

The cost information website How Much pulled together the median salary from each city and calculated the median hourly rate. The median house price was compared to determine a monthly mortgage payment. This mortgage payment is based on a 30-year mortgage.

California is the place where residents have to work the most amount of hours to pay their monthly mortgage because it contains seven cities within the top ten list. The difference in hours that need to be worked to make a mortgage payment in San Francisco versus San Jose is surprising because San Jose requires a higher salary to purchase a home. However, it is justified because the median salary in San Fransisco is lower requiring more hours to be worked. If not for the difference in median wage the gap would be much smaller than the total of 33 hours.

Miami is among the top ten cities that require a high amount of hours to be worked to beating the majority of the western cities except for Los Angeles. No cities within the middle of the country made the top ten list and those on the coast have salaries that exceed housing cost.

Among the top ten cities that require the most hours to make a mortgage payment are:
New York, NY with 113 hours
Los Angeles, CA with 112 hours
Miami, FL with 109 hours
San Francisco, CA with 107 hours
Boston, MA with 95 hours
Oakland, CA with 83 hours
Long Beach, CA with 78 hours
San Diego, CA with 77 hours
Santa Ana, CA with 74 hours
San Jose, CA with 74 hours

These are only the amounts of hours that have to be worked to pay a mortgage in the specific cities. These hours wouldn’t be contributed to bills, meals, and other expenses. For more information click, Here.

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Mortgage Rates Jump Up

The average mortgage rate in the past had reached 9 percent on a 30 year fixed mortgage yet the majority of the buyers today didn’t witness that rate. The buyers in today’s real estate market are millennials and have only experienced rates lower than the 5 percent mark. With mortgage rates increasing millennials will begin to understand that credit isn’t always cheap. The increase just crossed the 5 percent mark after it sat right below 3.5 percent a year ago. It is surprising to many because it is the first time in eight years that mortgage rates have moved higher and could cause an issue along the future.

Even though 5 percent is among history’s lowest in combination with other challenges can cause potential buyers to hold back because they fear they will not get approved or not be able to make future payments. Many fear yet others see this as an opportunity to buy a house. However, the number of people who are concerned to keep their jobs and increase their income is growing. The home sales have been changing throughout the year causing the expected annual sales to be much lower in comparisons to last years. The additional percentage above one point to last years can add up to $200 towards a monthly payment on a $300,000 loan. That increase can also affect borrowers because many won’t qualify for a loan due to the restrictions leaners have to control debt carried based on income. This knocks them out of the market and prevents them to purchase a home they might have wanted. Buyers that have a need to buy now are forced to continue looking at the low inventory that is available to them and determine if any meets their need or deciding if they can even afford it.

The stronger economy has demonstrated an interest in housing but the record low supply has caused an increase in prices relatively fast. The higher rates and increasing home prices have caused affordability to be a top issue in today’s market. The higher mortgage rates can be an issue not only for buyers but also for sellers. The increase in mortgage rates can cause the house price to decrease in order to decrease the amount of time a house sits in the real estate market. That can mean buyers might have a chance to benefit from the increase of mortgage rates. Since many buyers are pushed out of the market with higher mortgage rates sellers are quickly dropping their initial expectations to speed up the process of their investment.

For more information on Mortgage Rates click here.

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Identify A Foreclosed Property Deal

There are several elements that have to be considered when purchasing a foreclosed property to make sure it is an actual deal. Foreclosed properties often have unresolved issues that can affect the timeframe and budget set out. Attention to these key elements will help minimize the risk of purchasing a foreclosed property with a bad deal. To help distinguish a good deal from a bad one Forbes Real Estate Council have listed the eight considerations that are often overlooked to ensure investors a higher chance of success. The first consideration an investor should know is “As Is” condition because this means the buyer assumes the risk. These risks include environmental issues, open permits, open violations, and title claims. Title claims are another consideration to pay close attention to because the purchase may seem sweet yet will be hard to obtain a clear title once the deal is closed. Structural inspections are just as important due to the unhappy homeowners who are forced to vacate the property and often times remove fixtures or cause structural damage to the property. To protect yourself it is important to obtain a home warranty because it is likely the property had been vacated for a while which can cause issues with plumbing, water heater, furnace, and more. Identifying what is being purchased can be an advantage that can help determine if your focus will be on the property conditions if it has gone through the process. It is best to let the banks do the hard work because that will provide the buyer a free and clear property. When purchasing a foreclosure property it is important to understand closing time is out of your hands, the bank or lien holder has the last word when settling. Cosmetic fixers are often time seen as good cheap options however many of the properties have been neglected and should be inspected to ensure the buyer is actually getting a great deal to prevent a budget overload. Last of all what a buyer sees is not what they’ll get, the previous owner can remover or take everything in the house with very little legal consequences which will decrease the value of what was purchased.

It may seem easy and convenient to purchase a foreclosed property yet there are many things the general public doesn’t know, to become more informed click Here!

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In Today’s Real Estate What Can $1 Million Buy You?

A budget of $1 million can get you good real estate but varies between cities and location within the city. To get the most for your money locations like Los Angeles has to be considered in comparison to cities like San Francisco which will give you much less square foot.

In locations like Burbank with an increase of $99 to the $1 million budget can get you a 3,600 square foot home in the Burbank Hills with a decent backyard and beautiful view out onto the canyons. Even with a salary income of six-figures purchasing a decent home in San Francisco may seem impossible if the price per square foot is considered. There has been a 19% decrease of square foot $1 million can buy you from last years to today. The price for square foot was $482 last year and has increased to $618. The average home price in San Francisco is $1.366 million.

Other locations to consider out of California are Chicago and Washington D.C. A budget of $1 million can get you twice the square foot than in San Francisco. Estimated “50% of homes are larger than 4,300 square foot with an average of 4.6 bedrooms and 4.5 restrooms” according to Realtor.com Stats.

Locations like Boston won’t allow you to get anything for $1 million due to the fast developing seaport area. The least one can get would be a 946 square foot luxury condo with similar views at an increased budget to $1.25 million. Cities and location have to be considered if the budget can’t be increased and you want the most for your dollar.

To read more about what $1 million can get you in real estate, click here.

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Scams Increases Within The Real Estate Industry

The FBI has reported a tremendous increase in scams targeted at real estate through transactions with clients. Cyber crimes are on the rise causing the FBI to develop the “Internet Crime Complaint Center” which is known as IC3, to deal with the issues. The most common methods used to scam real estate clients are BEC/EAC (business email compromises/ email account compromises). The way these type of scams are conducted is when hackers gain access to the buyer’s emails and monitor for emails between the real estate agent and then wait until the transaction is imminent to redirect the money to a different account through the use of fake emails that seem legitimate.

These type of scams are not limited to buyers emails being hacked, real estate professional emails are not hacked constantly as well if the security used is LAX. The money is not the only thing in stake when it comes to a home purchase. Many buyers identities are at risk of being stolen by hackers when making a home purchase and using an email to exchange personal identity information.

The best way to avoid being scammed or being a victim of identity fraud is to avoid using email communication for a home purchase. If it is necessary to share such important information through email at the very least make sure the email used is a password protected email to avoid hackers from obtaining their information.

People must take precautions so that they don’t become a victim of these crimes by double checking phone numbers and verifying wire transfer information ahead of time especially if the transaction is requested on a Friday or long weekend.

Inform your self further about how your personal information is being protected and how to avoid similar incidents dealing with vital information that can affect your life. Become protect now to preserve your peace of mind because leaked information will forever remain out there.

To read about scam prevention click here

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Large-Scale Apartment Development Is Underway In Marina Arts District

A Los Angeles real estate developer is building 230 apartments in the city’s burgeoning Marina Arts District, a former industrial zone by Marina del Rey.

California Landmark Group, which has built other residential complexes in the neighborhood, has started construction on an apartment and office project at 13448 W. Beach Ave. called G8.

The $100-million complex will have six architecturally distinct structures of varying heights spanning a city block. The design by Rios Clementi Hale Studios and PK Architecture is intended improve the scale and massing of the large development. “It’s over 800 feet long, like an 80-story building” on its side, said Ken Kahan, founder of California Landmark. G8 will feature a pocket park, courtyards with swimming pools, shared indoor and outdoor workspaces, a fitness center and a rooftop deck.

Read more about real estate in an area that has a close proximity to beaches, bike paths, jobs opportunities and so much more! Click here for more info.

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Is The Real Estate Market About To Crash? No Way, Says This CEO — And Here’s Why

Los Angeles Times Stated, “With corporate headquarters on Bunker Hill downtown, CBRE Group Inc. — the world’s largest real estate services firm — is one of only a handful of Fortune 500 firms based in Los Angeles. And it’s riding high after a long real estate boom. The company finished the first quarter with its profit up nearly 60% compared with a year earlier to $130 million after posting record revenue of $13.1 billion in 2016. Los Angeles has notably benefited from the boom too, and looks to continue doing so. The city ranked No. 1 in a recent CBRE survey of global real estate investors looking to buy property this year in North America.

“L.A. is the Clayton Kershaw of destinations for institutional capital,” said Chief Executive Robert Sulentic, 60, who has led the company since 2012 and previously was chief executive of Trammell Crow Co., a Texas real estate developer CBRE acquired in 2006.”

Want more information on why the real estate market is not going to crash anytime soon, click here.