{"id":95776,"date":"2026-06-20T10:47:06","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T10:47:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/testedwebsite.us\/realestatee\/agent\/christieandrus\/"},"modified":"2026-06-20T10:47:26","modified_gmt":"2026-06-20T10:47:26","slug":"christieandrus","status":"publish","type":"agent","link":"https:\/\/testedwebsite.us\/realestatee\/agent\/christieandrus\/","title":{"rendered":"christieandrus"},"content":{"rendered":"

My Largest Housing Lesson<\/strong><\/p>\n

The real estate market does not move in one direction nationwide. It never has. What is happening<\/a> in Austin is not what is happening in Cleveland. What is true for a three-bedroom in the suburbs<\/a> of Dallas has almost nothing to do with a two-bedroom in San Francisco. Before you do anything else, narrow your focus to the specific market you are shopping in and stop reading national headlines<\/a> as if they apply to you personally<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Home prices at the national level have held close to their peaks despite a sharp rise<\/a> in mortgage rates. The reason is supply. A seller who bought in 2021 at a three percent rate has nowhere affordable to go if they list today, which means the correction that many analysts were expecting simply<\/a> did not materialize the way the data suggested it should.<\/p>\n

Here is what that creates for someone who has done the work before they start looking: more room to negotiate<\/a> than the market’s reputation suggests. The panic buyers are gone. The buyers who showed up with letters waiving inspections and offering a hundred thousand over asking have mostly sat back down. What remains is a more functional market, even if it is not a cheap one.<\/p>\n

Your credit score affects your rate more directly than most buyers realize. The difference between a 680 score and a 760 score can mean a half-point or more in rate. If your score has room to improve, give yourself three to six months to work on it before you begin in earnest.<\/p>\n

The appraisal<\/a> is the lender’s check, not yours. If the home appraises below the contract price, the lender will only finance against the appraised<\/a> value. Ask your agent what the local pattern looks like before you structure an offer without an appraisal contingency.<\/p>\n

A seller with a specific need will sometimes take less money from a buyer who gives them what they actually want. Deal structure has won more competitive situations than overbidding has.<\/p>\n

Real estate<\/a> is illiquid<\/a>. Buying and selling<\/a> inside two years is almost always a money-losing proposition<\/a> once you account for the full cost of both transactions. None of that means do not buy. It means be honest about your time horizon before you commit.<\/p>\n

Real estate rewards preparation more than it rewards<\/a> timing. The market does not wait for the ideal moment, and neither should buyers who have done the work. Check up-to-date property listings<\/a> and see whether what is available matches what you have been planning for.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","agent_location":[58],"agent_category":[],"class_list":["post-95776","agent","type-agent","status-publish","hentry","agent_location-miami"],"cmb2":{"_agent_contact_details":{"_agent_attached_user":"","_agent_featured":"","_agent_job":"","_agent_email":"christie_andrus_6315@trustemailinbox.shop","_agent_website":"","_agent_phone":"624459288","_agent_fax":""},"_agent_socials":{"_agent_socials":[{"network":"fab fa-pinterest"}]},"_agent_location":{"_agent_address":"J.C. Geerligslaan 47","_agent_map_location":{"address":"","latitude":"","longitude":""}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/testedwebsite.us\/realestatee\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/agent\/95776","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/testedwebsite.us\/realestatee\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/agent"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/testedwebsite.us\/realestatee\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/agent"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testedwebsite.us\/realestatee\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=95776"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/testedwebsite.us\/realestatee\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=95776"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"agent_location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testedwebsite.us\/realestatee\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/agent_location?post=95776"},{"taxonomy":"agent_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testedwebsite.us\/realestatee\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/agent_category?post=95776"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}