The housing market is rebounding from the crash that occurred almost a decade ago, fueled by extremely low mortgage rates.
"The people who are looking for that upgrade, maybe started a family and it's time to get into that bigger house, the value in their houses are coming back," says Beth Ploof a lender with Michigan Community Credit Union. "So they can now sell and not take a loss, and actually sell for a profit to buy that upgrade."
Rates of less than four percent have caught at least some potential buyers off guard.
"I think it's mostly a shock a lot of times," says Ploof. "When I can quote them a payment based on a 30 year mortgage at a low interest rate below four, sometimes almost down to three, they're in shock! I can buy a house and have that payment?"
Things are bouncing back in mid-Michigan. The average house stays on the market for a little more than 30 days and sales in Jackson county are up around 20 percent over the last two years.
Realtor Doug Beiswanger expects it to get even better.
"It's not where we were back in '06 and '07," says Beiswanger, "but we're headed back in that direction."
Reluctant buyers and sellers aren't believing it yet, though.
"We experience a lot of home sellers that believe they're underwater or owe more than their home is worth, and then when we sit down with them and show them the trends of the market, they're actually not in the position that maybe they thought they were," says Beiswanger.
He urges people on the fence to meet with a local professional for free to assess their options. They can give you a realistic view of what you could swing financially.
