Housing Market predicted to Bloom this Spring!

Joshua Brown recently reported for Fortune.com that the housing market would see a strong uptick in the coming months. Brown analyzes 10 reasons for this likely incline in housing sales.

"A few reasons:

1. Everyone sees that the zero interest rate party is coming to an end. If you’ve been waiting to borrow, it’s getting close to “now or never” time. Fear of missing out (what the kids call “FOMO”) is as powerful a motivator as anything.

2. Demand is pent-up, and pent-up things eventually get un-pent, sometimes all at once. The number of people between ages 35 and 39 is critical to household formation, and we are currently seeing an uptick in this demographic category, back to prior peaks.

3. The notion that millennials want to stay home forever is not accurate. They’re ready to bust out, and rental prices are comparably high in several key regions.

4. Employment among college-educated people (read: potential home buyers) is as tight as a drum.

5. In January, average hourly earnings jumped 0.5% for all American workers. This is just one month’s worth of data, of course, but it is significantly above trend (average hourly earnings have grown at an annual average of just 2% in the post-crisis recovery period). When people get one-time tax cuts or bonuses, they save them. When people get raises, however, they buy stuff and improve their standard of living."

Read the full article at http://fortune.com/2015/02/27/10-reasons-the-housing-market-could-go-ballistic-this-spring/

Beat the rush and find or list your home today with Liz Riddick Real Estate.

Call our team at 828-719-0120 or email us at lizriddick.com

Being a Homeowner is good for you!

info-graphic courtesy of http://www.car.org/aboutus/onecoolthing/socialbenefits/

Call the Liz Riddick Team to start your homeownership journey today!

It's time to celebrate with WinterFest!

Tomorrow kicks off a great winter tradition in the High Country, honoring local charities and celebrating winter fun. This festival will host events through Sunday which will include wine tastings, a chili cook-off, and even an ice carving demonstration. Bring the kids for free hayrides and activities hosted by the High Country Girl Scouts on Saturday. This weekend will be fun for the whole family!

See the whole schedule of events here.

This is just one of the many reasons we love living in these beautiful North Carolina Mountains. Contact the Liz Riddick team today to learn how you can live the life you love in the High Country, too!

Call Liz direct at 828-719-0120 or email us at lizriddick@gmail.com

Buying a home just got a whole lot more Affordable!

CNN Money reports: "In an effort to make owning a home more affordable, the Federal Housing Administration will dramatically cut the costs associated with the mortgages it backs.

Premiums for FHA mortgage insurance, which is designed to protect the agency in case a borrower defaults on a loan, will be cut from 1.35% of a loan's value to about 0.85%, the White House said in a statement Thursday.

As a result, a typical first-time homebuyer will save $900 a year on their mortgage payments. Existing homeowners who refinance into an FHA loan will see similar savings.

"Too many creditworthy families who can afford -- and want to purchase -- a home are shut out of homeownership opportunities due to today's tight lending market," the White House said.

The White House estimates that the lower premiums will enable up to 250,000 new buyers to purchase a home."

Read the full article at http://money.cnn.com/2015/01/07/real_estate/fha-mortgage-insurance/index.html

Call the Liz Riddick Team at 828-719-0120 or email us at lizriddick@gmail.com

Boone Ranked in Top 10 Safest Places in NC!

picture from http://www.ashevilleguidebook.com/wnc/wnc-cities/boone.htm

When choosing a place to live, many factors are involved including school performance and cost of living. Perhaps the most important factor, however, is the safety of the community. Movato Real Estate Blog has recently rated the top 10 safest places to live in North Carolina, and Boone has made the list, coming in at number 10! The list includes the North Carolina towns of Pinehurst, Cary and several other places across the state and was compiled using crime data from the FBI Uniform Crime Report. To see the full list click here.

We are proud to live in a beautiful, secure community and eager to assist you in making the move to one of the safest towns in the state. Contact the Liz Riddick Real Estate Team today to learn more about how you can make this oasis your home, too.

Some of our beautiful Boone homes!

Slope Season in 2015

The height of the snow season is set to begin, providing perfect conditions to enjoy the slopes this winter. The High Country hosts several ski mountains which offer a variety of difficulty levels and styles. There is sure to be a hill for everyone to enjoy! Keep up to date with the latest conditions by tuning into the Mountain cams offered by Resortcams that show live, real-time footage of the slopes and other locations. 

In addition to skiing and snowboarding, these great facilities also offer snow tubing and iceskating! Get out and enjoy this beautiful winter on the slopes!

Happenings in the High Country

There are so many wonderful things to do in the High County during this beautiful time of the year!

 Stroll through the Chetola Festival of Lights or immerse yourself in culture and history while exploring the exhibit on Five Influential Women of the High Country at the Blowing Rock Art & History Museum. Get out there any enjoy all that our amazing region has to offer, you won't be disappointed!

For the full list of events in the High Country, go to http://www.exploreboone.com/things-to-do/events/