Sunshine After the Rain: Bay Area Housing Markets Bounce Back in March

From the Pacific Union blog:
The spring home buying season has finally kicked in after an abnormally wet winter season and rainfall reaching unprecedented levels.  In March, there were about 5,000 home sales registered in Bay Area MLSes, which was a 60% increase from January and February.  While the March comeback is seasonally expected, this year's monthly increase was much larger than the historical 45% increase seen in the Bay Area.  Read more: http://bit.ly/2piYprd.  For more info about the market and buying or selling a home, call FRITZ.

Spring is Here! How to Prep to Buy or Sell a Home

Spring has sprung, which means the housing market is in full bloom.  Each year, roughly 40 percent of real estate transactions occur between the months of May and August.  If you're feeling inspired to buy or sell a home soon, make sure you're prepared.
When You're Ready to Buy a Home:
* Calculate what you can afford.  Use a home affordability calculator to make sure you're ready for the mortgage payments.
*  Check your credit score and fix any in accuracies you discover ASAP.
*  Save up for a down payment.  Most lenders require 5 to 20 percent.
*  Be ready for additional closing costs. Plan to have approx 4 percent of the home's purchase price     on hand to cover taxes and fees.
*  Re-evaluate your insurance coverage and update all your policies.
When It's Time to Sell:
*  Declutter and clean your home ready to show.
*  Take inventory of what needs to be fixed, such as roof work, paint and landscaping.
*  Decide on a selling price---pull the comps in your area. For more info and help with all your real     estate needs, call FRITZ.