Has overbidding become the norm in the US housing market?
With the pandemic currently happening, this has contributed to bidding wars in the housing market across the United States. While some metropolitan areas such as New York City, San Francisco, and Miami have had overbidding ingrained in the housing market since the early 2000s, for many small and rural areas this is something entirely new. Bidding wars for homes are off the charts are home prices are rising rapidly.
Many longtime home searchers, they’re unable to get a house due to constantly getting outbid. Some potential buyers are willing to paying up to 35% above the asking price just so they can secure buying the house. Competition is getting fierce, and many homebuyers have stated that the increasing prices for houses have made them unaffordable but outbidding for an affordable house is contributing as well.
So what can be done to help prevent this issue for you? It’s best to be ready to see properties the moment that you’re preapproved for a mortgage. It’s important to also know when to back away if the price for a house is escalating too much. Never pay what you can’t afford as this is going to cause you to struggle to make ends meet. In major cities such as Denver, Seattle, and Salt Lake City has cited that 9 out of 10 homebuyers face fierce competition as they’re being outbid to purchase a home.
Why this problem is occurring in the housing market
How is this problem occurring? Why are little houses for sale? There are many contributions to why this is happening. There is a lack of supply but the demand is big. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, fewer homes are being built. This is due to guidelines, but also because inventory for homebuilders is quite low. Wood is at a record high and most homes need wood as a part of their building material.
There are other factors as well such as the stay at the homework culture, migration of people moving from larger cities to smaller ones in the hopes of upsizing their homes, and the fact that low mortgage rates are also fueling this demand. Lower mortgage rates are making monthly payments for higher prices homes become more manageable. It’s just difficult to find a home for many when there is a limited supply.
How can you manage to deal with overbidding?
While there may be the unfortunate chance that you’ll have to overbid if you want to secure a home, you can follow these tips as they’ll help you out.
- Calculate how much you can spend, it’s best to do your research and figure out how much you’re able to spend on a house. This will then give you an idea of how much you can overbid. You’ll need to look at your expenses, including costs to find best moving companies near me, cost of repairs for a home, down payment, and how much it will cost to furnish it.
- Figure out how much you’re willing to spend on a home. Never try to max out the amount for your mortgage. Chances are you’re just not going to be able to afford it. You’ll have to pay per month so you’ll need to make sure you can afford it.
- Talk with the seller. While it can come off as odd, some sellers don’t mind getting a bit less for their home. This is especially true if it means that they can sell it to a family. Just introduce yourself and tell them why you want their home.
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