What a Government Shutdown Really Means for the Housing Market

Written by St. George Island Mortgage Mortgage Syndicated User on November 7, 2025. Posted in Buying Tips, Economy, For Buyers, For Sellers, Mortgage St. George Island, Selling Tips, St. George Island Mortgage.

There’s been a lot of talk lately about how a government shutdown impacts the housing market. You might be wondering: Is it causing everything to grind to a halt? The short answer? No. The housing market doesn’t stop. It keeps moving. Homes are still being bought and sold, contracts are still being signed, and closings are still happening. The difference is that a few parts of the process may slow down a little, but overall, the market continues to function. Here’s What Typically Happens Whenever the government shuts down, some federal agencies temporarily close or scale back their...

How To Make Sure Your Sale Crosses the Finish Line

Written by St. George Island Mortgage Mortgage Syndicated User on November 4, 2025. Posted in For Sellers, Mortgage St. George Island, Selling Tips, St. George Island Mortgage.

If there was one simple step that could help make your home sale a seamless process, wouldn’t you want to know about it? There’s a lot that happens from the time your house goes under contract to closing day. And a few things still have to go right for the deal to go through. But here’s what a lot of sellers may not know. There’s one part of the process where some homeowners are hitting a road bump that’s causing buyers to back out these days. But don’t worry. The majority of these snags are completely avoidable, especially when you understand what’s causing them and how to be...

Why Some Homes Sell Quickly – and Others Don’t Sell at All

Written by St. George Island Mortgage Mortgage Syndicated User on October 28, 2025. Posted in Agent Value, For Sellers, Inventory, Mortgage St. George Island, Selling Tips, St. George Island Mortgage.

A few years ago, inventory hit a record low. Just about anything sold – and fast. But now, there are far more homes on the market. Listings are up almost 20% from this time last year. And in some areas, supply is even back to levels we last saw in 2017–2019. For sellers, that means one thing: Your house needs to stand out and grab attention from day one. That’s especially true when you consider why the number of homes for sale is up. Here’s how it works. Available inventory is a mix of: Active Listings: homes that have been sitting on the market, but haven’t sold yet New Listings: homes...

Planning To Sell in 2026? Start the Prep Now

Written by St. George Island Mortgage Mortgage Syndicated User on October 23, 2025. Posted in For Sellers, Mortgage St. George Island, Selling Tips, St. George Island Mortgage.

You’ve got big plans for 2026. But what you do this year could be the difference between a smooth sale and a stressful one. If you’re thinking of selling next spring (the busiest season in real estate), the smartest move you can make is to start prepping now. As Realtor.com says: “If you’re aiming to sell in 2026, now is the time to start preparing, especially if you want to maximize the spring market’s higher buyer activity.” Because the reality is, from small repairs to touch-ups and decluttering, the earlier you start, the easier it’ll be when you’re ready to list. And, the better your...

Don’t Let Unrealistic Pricing Cost You Your Move

Written by St. George Island Mortgage Mortgage Syndicated User on October 10, 2025. Posted in Agent Value, For Sellers, Mortgage St. George Island, Selling Tips, St. George Island Mortgage.

These days, you’re going to want to get your price right when you get ready to sell your house. Honestly, it’s more important than ever. Why? While you may want to list high just to see what happens, that’s a plan that can easily backfire, and it’s going to cost you in today’s market. And the risk isn’t just missing out on offers, it’s missing out on the move you needed to make in the first place. The Real Pitfall of Overpricing Many homeowners remember what their neighbor’s house sold for a few years ago, and they want to chase that same sky-high number. The problem is, that was a...

Downsizing Without Debt: How More Homeowners Are Buying Their Next House in Cash

Written by St. George Island Mortgage Mortgage Syndicated User on September 26, 2025. Posted in Downsize, Equity, For Sellers, Mortgage St. George Island, Selling Tips, St. George Island Mortgage.

If you’ve been thinking about downsizing to lower your expenses, be closer to family, or just make life easier, here’s a trend worth paying attention to: More homeowners are buying their next house outright, without taking on a new mortgage. And, if you’ve owned your home for a while, you may be able to do the same. No mortgage. No monthly housing payments. A Record Share of Homeowners Are Mortgage-Free According to analysis from ResiClub of Census data, more than 40% of U.S. owner-occupied homes are mortgage-free – an all-time high for this data series. That means 4 in 10 homeowners...

Do You Know How Much Your House Is Really Worth?

Written by St. George Island Mortgage Mortgage Syndicated User on September 19, 2025. Posted in Equity, For Sellers, Mortgage St. George Island, Selling Tips, St. George Island Mortgage.

Want to know something important you probably don’t have a professional check for you nearly as often as you should? Spoiler alert: it’s the value of your home. Because here’s the reality. Your house is likely the biggest financial asset you have. And if you’ve lived in it for a few years or more, chances are it’s been quietly building wealth for you in the background – even if you haven’t been keeping tabs on it. You might be surprised by just how much it’s grown, even as the market has shifted over the past few months. What Is Home Equity? That hidden wealth in your home is called...

Why Now May Be a Key 2025 Moment To Sell Your House

Written by St. George Island Mortgage Mortgage Syndicated User on September 18, 2025. Posted in For Sellers, Mortgage Rates, Mortgage St. George Island, Selling Tips, St. George Island Mortgage.

Mortgage rates are finally heading in the right direction – and buyers are starting to jump back in. According to the data, buyer demand picked up considerably once mortgage rates hit a new low for 2025. The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reports that applications for home loans were up 23% compared to the first week of September last year. If you’ve been waiting to sell, or your listing recently expired because the market was slower than you hoped it would be, now’s the time to reconsider your move. Buyer demand is the highest it’s been since July – and you don’t want to miss this...

Patience Won’t Sell Your House. Pricing Will.

Written by St. George Island Mortgage Mortgage Syndicated User on September 12, 2025. Posted in For Sellers, Home Prices, Mortgage St. George Island, Selling Tips, St. George Island Mortgage.

Waiting for the perfect buyer to fall in love with your house? In today’s market, that’s usually not what’s holding things up. And here’s why. Let’s be real. Homes are taking a week longer to sell than they did a year ago. According to Realtor.com: “Homes are also taking longer to sell. The typical home spent 60 days on the market in August, seven days longer than last year and now above pre-pandemic norms for the second consecutive month. This was the 17th straight month of year-over-year increases in time on market.” Part of that is because there are more homes on the market. So, with...

Why 50% of Homes Are Selling for Under Asking and How To Avoid It

Written by St. George Island Mortgage Mortgage Syndicated User on September 9, 2025. Posted in For Sellers, Home Prices, Mortgage St. George Island, Selling Tips, St. George Island Mortgage.

If your selling strategy still assumes you’ll get multiple offers over asking, it’s officially time for a reset. That frenzied seller’s market is behind us. And here are the numbers to prove it. From Frenzy to “Normal” Right now, about 50% of homes on the market are selling for less than their asking price, according to the latest data from Cotality. But that isn’t necessarily bad news, even if it feels like it. Here’s why. The wild run-up over the last few years was never going to be sustainable. The housing market needed a reset, and data shows that’s exactly what’s happening right...

Category: Selling Tips