- One neighbor in Mason has lived here her whole life, but she's found it tough to settle down as the housing market has fluctuated.
- Prices of homes in Mason average around $270,000.
- Video shows a local Realtor breaking down the housing market and when the best time to buy is.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
One neighbor wants to make Mason her home, but buying her first home has been full of obstacles. I’ll be breaking down how expensive homes are in the area now vs. this time last year, and what a local Realtor thinks will come next.
“When I was looking for where I wanted to live, it was a no-brainier,” said Quincie Minton.
Quincie Minton is talking about Mason.
“I want nothing more than to be able to raise a family here in the town that raised me and gave so much to me.”
She and her husband know they want this to be their hometown, but what they’re looking for is a home.
“As a first-time home buyer, we are in a situation where we don’t have a lump sum from the sale of a past house that we can put towards a new house.”
It’s been a 9-month search for the perfect home.
“We’ve made probably four offers formally and lost out on every single one of them, and that gets discouraging after a while.”
“Buying a home has been very challenging because when something does become available, it’s gone almost immediately.”
Buyers like Minton in neighborhoods around Mid-Michigan have seen prices go up.
The Greater Lansing Association of Realtor's says prices have increased more than 10 percent since this time last year.
“With interest rates being as high as they are, it means the affordability of a lot of houses goes way down.”
But Minton’s realtor, Amy Kruizenja, says waiting for interest rates to come down could backfire on potential buyers.
“Buyer demand is going to increase the sales price and the competitive nature of the offer,” said Kruizenja.
So Minton plans to keep making offers, even though she and her husband had to re-sign a lease as their search goes on.
“We’ve pretty much come down to the idea that, you know, if we find the right... perfect place, we’re just going to break our lease, call it a closing cost, and buy the house.”
Minton’s love for her hometown is what keeps her looking.
“We really want our kids to be a part of the community where we live, worship, and serve, and Mason is really the only option for us.”
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