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...Or something like that.
After two years of being spoiled by record-low interest rates, they're finally starting to creep back up, thanks to the Fed's attempt to tame the beast that is inflation. In just one month, rates jumped half a point from 3.11% to 3.64%. That's the largest one month jump we've seen since December 2013! On a $1M loan, the difference in rates equate to a $300 increase in monthly mortgage. As if the market wasn't challenging enough for buyers to get into these days. So how will this affect the housing market? Simply put: The higher mortgage rates go, the more bearish the outlook for home price growth. A more nuanced perspective: "The impact of rising interest rates depends on where they land. If rates approach 4% before the end of the year, there will be a notable downshift in housing demand. If mortgage interest rates gradually rise throughout the year, allowing home sellers to price their homes accordingly, then the shock to the system will be less noticeable."  Anyone else read the word “cottage” and think of a quaint little home surrounded by wildflowers in the middle of a forest? No? Just me? Ok cool. Well I'm actually referring to an accessory dwelling unit, also known as an ADU.
Homeowners in the Berkeley flatlands can now build two-story ADUs in their front or back yards as long as they inform their neighbors and tenants first. The new rules allow for those who want to build an ADU up to 20 feet tall to get almost automatic city approval. Meanwhile in the Berkeley Hills, council members still haven't decided how they want to regulate building ADUs, considering there would be higher wildfire risk in those areas. Under these new regulations, city staff would notify any existing tenants and immediate neighbors about plans for an ADU on their property no more than 10 business days after a homeowner submits a project application. Those who oppose the plans likely won’t have the power to block or change them under Berkeley’s new rules. |
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