Michelle Ward Coldwell Banker Realty

11/09/2026

Buying a Home with a Top 5 Star Realtor matters!
Contact Michelle Ward Coldwell Banker Realtor
614-467-8048

The Home Insurance Move That Could Save You $440 a Year

When was the last time you shopped around for home insurance? Because that one move could save you hundreds of dollars a year.

With home insurance taking up a bigger chunk of monthly housing costs, that's an opportunity worth looking into.

And the numbers are pretty eye-opening.

According to Intercontinental Exchange, homeowners who switched insurance companies saved an average of $440 a year. Their premiums dropped 6.6%, while homeowners who stayed with their existing provider saw costs climb 10.4%.

That's a big difference just for shopping around.

And here's more good news: Home insurance costs are still rising, but the pace of those increases is finally slowing down.

So, what does this mean if you're buying a home?

Don't assume the first insurance quote you get is the best one. Comparing providers could help you keep your monthly payment more manageable.

And if you're open to new construction, there's another potential advantage. Newly built homes typically cost 10–15% less to insure than older ones, according to John Burns Research and Consulting.

Want help finding ways to make your next move more affordable? Send me a message. Let's talk.

11/09/2026

Higher mortgage rates come with a perk most buyers miss: negotiating power.

Back in 2022, after two years of rates near 3%, 95 of the top 100 metros favored sellers, according to Realtor.com. Bidding wars and offers over asking were everywhere.

Now rates are above 7%, and the picture has flipped. Today, 66 of those 100 metros lean toward buyers.

And sellers are making deals to prove it. Redfin reports nearly half of buyers now get a concession from the seller, like help with closing costs, money for repairs, or even paying to buy down the mortgage rate.

That’s the trade-off: buyers rarely get low rates and leverage at the same time. If rates dropped in a big way, more buyers would jump back in, and that leverage would likely shrink.

That doesn’t mean you have to move right now. The right time to buy is when the numbers work for you. But if you’re ready to move, today’s leverage could help make the math more doable than you think.

Just remember, every local market is different.

Want to see how much negotiating power you’d have in this area? Let’s look at homes where sellers may be open to a rate buydown or closing cost help.

11/09/2026

Fun one …

Save this Photo & Tell CHAT GPT To Decorate the House Based On What It Knows About You! I love mine, it legit knows me! ❤️ Let me See Yours! Mines in the Comments!

11/09/2026

11/08/2026

Buying a Home with a Top 5 Star Realtor matters!
Contact Michelle Ward Coldwell Banker Realtor
614-467-8048

Selling Your Home? What You Should Know About Price Cuts vs. Rate Buydowns.

What if you could make your house more attractive to buyers without lowering your asking price?

With 43% of sellers cutting prices right now, according to HousingWire, it's a question worth asking – especially because there's another way to give buyers what they really want: a lower monthly payment.

It's called a mortgage rate buydown. And the difference can be pretty remarkable.
Here's an example.

Let's say you're willing to offer a buyer $10,000 to help get your house sold.

A $10,000 price reduction could save that buyer about $70 a month.

But putting that same $10,000 toward a temporary mortgage rate buydown could save them roughly $500 a month in the first year.

Same amount from you. A much bigger impact on their immediate budget.

Now, those savings won't last forever with a temporary buydown. But for the right buyer, that upfront relief could be exactly what makes your house stand out.

Thinking about selling? Send me a message. Let's explore which incentives could attract buyers while protecting your bottom line.

11/07/2026

Buying a Home with a Top 5 Star Realtor matters!
Contact Michelle Ward Coldwell Banker Realtor
614-467-8048

Are price cuts a winning strategy for sellers today? It depends.

Say your house is listed but you’re not getting any offers, and you’re thinking about your options to try to draw buyers back in. Here are two routes you can take:

Option 1 (the most common): You drop your price by $10k and your buyer saves about $70 a month on the median priced home.

Option 2: You put that same $10k to work and pay for a 2-1 rate buydown. That could save your buyer roughly $500 a month the first year they own the home.

Same money, bigger immediate impact. And since buyers shop by monthly payment, it’s something at least worth considering.

Want to learn more about which concessions actually move the needle for buyers today? Let's talk.

And if you’re interested in a buydown, have a quick conversation with a lender about whether it makes sense for you.

11/06/2026

Buying a Home with a Top 5 Star Realtor matters!
Contact Michelle Ward Coldwell Banker Realtor
614-467-8048

Toward the end of the year, the number of homes for sale usually starts to level off or dip as we enter the slower season in the market. But so far this year, it’s still going up.

And that break in the usual seasonal trend could be good for some buyers.

Part of the reason is that fewer people are shopping right now with mortgage rates where they are. But that gives anyone who can make the numbers work an opportunity.

If you’re able to buy at today’s rates, you have more options than you’d normally have. And that means more chances to find a home in budget – and less competition from other buyers.

You’ll likely even see sellers more willing to strike a deal.

What you’ll find depends on where you’re looking. Send a DM to see what’s on the market near you.

11/06/2026

What if you could make your house more attractive to buyers without lowering your asking price?

With 43% of sellers cutting prices right now, according to HousingWire, it's a question worth asking – especially because there's another way to give buyers what they really want: a lower monthly payment.

It's called a mortgage rate buydown. And the difference can be pretty remarkable.
Here's an example.

Let's say you're willing to offer a buyer $10,000 to help get your house sold.

A $10,000 price reduction could save that buyer about $70 a month.

But putting that same $10,000 toward a temporary mortgage rate buydown could save them roughly $500 a month in the first year.

Same amount from you. A much bigger impact on their immediate budget.

Now, those savings won't last forever with a temporary buydown. But for the right buyer, that upfront relief could be exactly what makes your house stand out.

Thinking about selling? Send me a message. Let's explore which incentives could attract buyers while protecting your bottom line.

11/05/2026

Buying a Home with a Top 5 Star Realtor matters!
Contact Michelle Ward Coldwell Banker Realtor
614-467-8048

How To Win Back Your Buying Power

The recent jump in mortgage rates cut about $22k from what a buyer with a $2,000 monthly budget can spend. But you can win most of that back at the negotiating table. More than 4 in 10 homes for sale have had a price cut. And the typical cut is about $18k on a median-priced home. That’s just a price cut alone. You may also be able to ask for repair credits, closing cost help, and more. Let’s find the homes where sellers may have some wiggle room and see what we can negotiate.

11/05/2026

The term “silver tsunami” makes it sound like a wave of houses is about to hit the market all at once. The research says otherwise.

According to Realtor.com, about 13.9 million homes owned by older Americans are expected to change hands by 2036. That's a big number. But it's spread across a decade, at roughly 1.3 to 1.5 million homes a year.

The pace is important. After the 2008 housing crash, builders spent years not building enough homes to keep up with demand, and the country still hasn't caught up. As longtime homeowners sell over time, their houses will help ease a shortage that's already there.

For buyers, that can mean more options. For sellers, it means there's no reason to put your plans on hold because of a trend that’s expected to play out over the next 10 years.

What matters more is what's happening in your area right now: how many homes are for sale nearby, what similar houses are selling for, and what buyers want.

Planning a move in the next year or so? Let's talk about what the local numbers mean for your house.