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Is Now the Time to Buy a Home?

Written by Ilyce Glink on June 5, 2013 in Real Estate  |   6 comments

Affordable homes and low mortgage interest rates have many consumers wondering if now is the time to buy a home. Experts Ilyce Glink, Steve Cook and Amy Crews Cutts explain how mortgage rates, home prices and credit availability are impacting today’s real estate market—and what it all means for you.

buying a home, real estate

The real estate market is recovering, and mortgage interest rates are at an all-time low. Is now the time to buy a home?

According to Steve Cook, former vice president of public affairs for the National Association of Realtors and Equifax Finance Blog contributor, there are other issues at play. A number of hurdles stand in the way of potential homebuyers and their dream homes, including a limited inventory of homes on the market (with rising home prices as a result) and tight lending standards.Home prices are rising—great news for sellers—but are we facing another housing bubble like the one that got us here in the first place? And how long can the Fed keep interest rates this low?

“This has been a topsy-turvy recovery,” Cook says. “Instead of being led by a strong demand for housing, as in virtually all former housing recoveries, this one is being led by a shortage of homes for sale.”

If you’re wondering if now really is the time to buy a home, you’re not alone. Get your questions ready and join me, Steve Cook, and Equifax Chief Economist Amy Crews Cutts for the “Is Now the...

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