Conforming Mortgage Loan Limits raised for 2021
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has announced the maximum conforming loan limits for mortgages to be acquired by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in 2021. In most of the U.S., the 2021 maximum conforming loan limit for one-unit properties will be $548,250, an increase of 7.4% from $510,400 in 2020. FHFA has determined that the average U.S. home value increased by that amount between the third quarters of 2019 and 2020.
Essex County
The first table shows the limit both nationally and in Essex County in recent years, as well as the maximum home price that would qualify for a conforming loan. Since 2012 the limit has increased 31% nationally and 55% in Essex County.
Massachusestts (more…)
New Listings after Thanksgiving
These are the first New Listings after Thanksgiving: (more…)
How Marblehead’s 2021 Property Tax Rate is Calculated
This article, which explains how the tax rate is calculated, is a follow up to Marblehead’s 2021 Property Tax Rate
The formula is actually very simple: take the $ amount of the previous year’s Tax Levy, add 2.5% for Proposition 2 1/2, and also add any New Growth (such as new construction or a condo conversion). This figure is the new tax levy. To this figure is added debt service – the Principal and Interest payable on the town’s debt. – to produce the new Tax Levy.
Here are the numbers for Fiscal Years 2020 and 2021, remembering that FY 2021 runs from July 2020 to June 2021. (more…)
Open Houses Sunday November 29
Some things don’t change. Normally there are few Open Houses on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Well maybe a slight change – there are even fewer than usual. (more…)
New Listings post Thanksgiving
Just a handful of New Listings in Thanksgiving week: (more…)
Marblehead’s 2021 Property Tax Rate
Marblehead’s property tax rate for FY 2021 (July 1, 2020 – June 30, 2021) has been certified by the State at $10.42, compared with my estimate of $10.40. Note that the certified rate is 1 ct less than the rate approved by the Board of Selectmen. I suspect that the difference is due to the State rounding down and the town rounding up as by my calculation the actual rate was $10.423.
The FY2021 proposed assessments are based primarily on calendar 2019 market sales and reflect the value as of January 1, 2020. The median SFH assessment for 2021 increased 4.1% from $674,000 to $702,000, and the median tax bill will increase 4.6% from $7,003 to $7,322.
As usual, Marblehead will have the same rate for commercial property and for residential.
I will post an article explaining how the rate is calculated when I have the full details, and will also post my regular articles showing the tax rates for all 34 cities and towns in Essex County when they have all been certified. – only 7 have been to date.
How is Marblehead’s 2020 Property Tax rate calculated?
Essex County 2020 property tax rates: a Town by Town guide
Andrew Oliver
Market Analyst | Team Harborside | teamharborside.com
REALTOR®
Sagan Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty
One Essex Street | Marblehead, MA 01945
m 617.834.8205
www.OliverReports.com
Andrew.Oliver@SothebysRealty.com
Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark licensed to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated
“If you’re interested in Marblehead, you have to visit the blog of Mr. Andrew Oliver, author and curator of OliverReports.com. He’s assembled the most comprehensive analysis of Essex County we know of with market data and trends going back decades. It’s a great starting point for those looking in the towns of Marblehead, Salem, Beverly, Lynn and Swampscott.”
Some people use stats the way a drunk uses a lamppost: for support rather than for illuminatio.
Open Houses weekend November 28/29
Rather like the turkey by this stage, it’s slim pickings for this weekend’s Open Houses. This list will be updated on Sunday morning (because of the quirks of MLS some of the Sunday Open Houses don’t show up on Saturday.)
Click on these links for details:
Marblehead Open Houses
Swampscott Open Houses
Salem Open Houses
Beverly Open House
Lynn Open Houses
Mortgage Rates: Another new low
Goodbye Boston, Hello Marblehead
Why now is a GREAT time to sell (more…)
Last New Listings before Thanksgiving
These are the last New Listings before Thanksgiving: (more…)
Mortgage Rates: Another new low
As if in response to my questioning whether mortgage rates were about to rise in Mortgage Rates: another Head Fake or Early Warning? the 30-year Fixed Rate Mortgage (FRM) as reported by Freddie Mac dropped to yet another new low this week of just 2.72%.
This is the moment when you turn to a friend or family member – probably the latter at the moment – and say “when I bought my house in 19xx the rate was – fill in the blank, 7%,8% or whatever.” My highest was 7.3% in 1999. (more…)
Last Open Houses before Thanksgiving
Here are today’s Open Houses (as always, rather more Open Houses are scheduled for today than were shown when the list was published yesterday): (more…)
Open Houses weekend November 21/22
Here are this weekend’s Open Houses. This list will be updated on Sunday morning (because of the quirks of MLS some of the Sunday Open Houses don’t show up on Saturday.) (more…)
New Listings week before Thanksgiving
The election, new COVID-19 restrictions and the upcoming holidays combined to produce just a small number of New Listings again this week. See below to see how low supply is for the towns, while demand remains strong. (more…)
Why doesn’t Facebook like me?
Recently I tried to advertise the following post on Facebook:
“The Election, more COVID-19 restrictions, Thanksgiving less than two weeks ago, Hanukkah starts on December 10 and Christmas is two weeks later.
All these are reasons not to sell right now but wait for the New Year – boy, aren’t we all waiting for and looking forward to the end of 2020!
But I would like to suggest that, in fact, this is a great time to sell. Inventory is remarkably low – read Does nobody want to leave Marblehead? (more…)
New Listings mid-week November 18
These are the latest New Listings, slowed by new COVID-19 restrictions and the calendar: (more…)
Mortgage demand on the increase again
November is not historically a strong season for homebuying, but this one, like the rest of 2020, isn’t following any rules.
Homebuyer demand is surging again, after taking a slight break around the election. (more…)
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