Are You Planning to Buy a Home in the Next Year?

Your daughter who has been away for college for most of the last seven months came home for Spring Break and immediately noticed all of the homes for sale signs in the neighborhood. In fact, she said that when the two closest neighbors sold their homes and moved, your family would be “the only ones left.” She meant, of course, the only original neighbors on your block.
It is the beginning of spring and the FOR SALE signs in your neighborhood are popping up as fast as the tulips and daffodils. It seems that every spring, in fact, is the season of homes for sale.
What Is Your Reason for Buying a Home?
Many home owners consider the spring a perfect time to either buy or sell a home. As the school year winds down and the summer months approach many buyers have the energy to start looking and many sellers have the time to prepare their homes to be put on the market. Studies indicate that recent buyers are making their purchases for a variety of reasons:

• 24% of the most recent buyers indicate that their reason for buying is to own a home
• 9% of the most recent buyers indicate that their reason for buying is because of a lob related move or relocation
• 8% of recent buyers indicate that their reason for buying is a desire to be in a better area or because of a change in a family situation

Not surprising, home ownership is seen as a key component to achieving the American dream. Owning your own house is a sign of financial status as well as an indicator of financial security. Instead of throwing their money away on monthly rent payments, home owners get to make monthly investments in their own property. The recent years of low interest and affordable home mortgages have made owning a home even more desirable.
Even people who have owned a home for years are often looking for relocation options. As the above survey results indicate, many people move because of job transfers, current neighborhood concerns, and family situations. A recent divorce, for example, often requires one or both partners to look for a new home location.
Are You Ready to Move to a Beach Community?
While many people are making their first home purchases and others are looking to simply move to a different home in a nearby location, other home buyers are ready to make a major change. For some people who have invested well and are looking for a second home to use for family vacations, purchasing a beach property is their goal. Real estate for sale in locations like the Outer Banks of North Carolina are a popular option for both vacations and retirements.
Vacation homes are a great investment for families that have already paid off their primary home. Even home owners who have some part of their mortgage left, may look to a vacation home purchases for several reasons.
First of all, a beach home is a great way to encourage families to spend their vacations together, even as children get older. Traditions at a lake or ocean house, for example, can provide lasting memories. A beach home that helps families avoid the expense of hotel rooms and expensive dinners out can begin to pay for itself once your family starts vacationing together at a home that is your own.
For older citizens who are looking toward retirement, finding homes for sale in a warm climate near the ocean and golf courses can be especially inviting. In addition, some homes for sale in some communities on the Outer Banks of North Carolina provide maintenance free options. In these locations, even though you own the property, someone else is responsible for the care and upkeep of the yard.
Working with a Realtor Is Always a Good Decision
Did you know that 98% of buyers consider a real estate agent a valuable resource when they get ready to purchase a home. It should come as no surprise then that the percentage of people who used a real estate agent in their 2014 home purchase climbed to 88%, an increase from 69% in 2011.
Spring is here and some of the best deals in the housing market are just waiting for a buyer.