There’s a lot of noise out there right now about investors in the housing market.
Some headlines make it sound like big Wall Street firms are buying up everything in sight. And if you’re trying to purchase a home yourself, that can make it feel like the odds are stacked against you.
But when you take a closer look at the data, a very different picture starts to come into focus.
While the Spring season consistently offers up some of the best conditions for home sellers, Realtor.com says there’s one window where the stars really seem to align year after year. And it’s coming up fast.
Based on their analysis of historical trends, the ideal week to put your house on the market this year is: April 12–18.
And here’s why this window stands out as being particularly seller-friendly:
You’ve probably seen posts on social media talking about how “home prices are falling.” And when you see something like that, it’s normal to wonder:
Is this the start of a crash?
What does this mean for my house?
Let’s clear this up right away. This is not a crash. And your home is not suddenly losing a lot of value.
What if you didn’t have a mortgage payment on your next house? It may sound a little unrealistic. But for a number of homeowners, it’s actually doable.
Nearly 3 in 10 homes purchased today are bought in cash, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). That’s far more than the pre-pandemic norm (see graph below):
So, how are so many buyers pulling that off? The answer is simple: home equity.