Fox Valley Real Estate

Fox Valley Real Estate Founded by Tom Seaman (NMLS # 400629).

This is a public page with the goal to help everyone in our community get the most up to date real estate market information in Fox Valley.

06/04/2026

If you have ever wondered how much house you can actually afford, the online mortgage calculators are almost certainly giving you the wrong numbers and here is the actual formula that matters.

Take your gross monthly income and divide it by three. That is your maximum payment with existing debt obligations. So if your total household income is $100,000 a year, that is $8,333 a month. Divide by three and you get roughly $2,770. That is the total mortgage payment you would qualify for under standard debt-to-income guidelines. At today's rates with 10 percent down, that buys you a home around $430,000.

But here is what most people never hear. If you have zero other debt, no car payments, no student loans, no credit card minimums, you can actually qualify for up to half your gross monthly income. That same $100,000 household income now qualifies you for up to a $4,160 monthly payment. With 10 percent down that buys you a home around $650,000. That is a massive difference in buying power and most people have absolutely no idea that range even exists.

Your actual number sits somewhere in that window depending on your specific debt picture and the loan program you qualify for. The only way to know exactly where you land is to have the real conversation with a lender who will run your actual numbers.

Comment the word HOME and I will send you a DM with your personalized breakdown.

06/03/2026

Let me show you the easiest way to save $140,000 when you buy a home. It takes about five minutes to set up and most people have never heard of it.

Here is how it works. Say you have a $500,000 mortgage at 6.25 percent. Your monthly payment is $3,078. Here is what your bank is not telling you. Take that payment and divide it in half. That is $1,539. Instead of paying once a month, pay that amount every two weeks.

Here is why this is so powerful. There are 52 weeks in a year. Paying every two weeks means 26 payments. That adds up to 13 months worth of payments made in 12 months, one full extra payment every year without even thinking about it or feeling it in your budget.

Over the life of a 30-year mortgage that single habit saves you $140,000 in interest and cuts five full years off your loan. Your bank is not going to tell you this because they profit from you paying more interest over a longer period of time.

This is the easiest six-figure win available to any homeowner and it costs you nothing to implement. Follow me for more tips like this that actually move the needle on your financial future.

06/02/2026

This trend is going viral with homebuyers right now and most people do not even know how to ask for it. Let me break it down.

Say you are looking at a house listed for $450,000. Based on comparables you think you can get it for $430,000. The traditional move is to offer $430,000. Your down payment drops a little and your monthly payment goes down by about $100. That feels like a win.

But here is what smart buyers are doing instead. They offer the full $450,000 but ask the seller to give them $20,000 back at closing as a seller credit. Yes your monthly payment is about $100 higher. But you walk away with an extra $20,000 in your pocket right when you need it most, for furniture, renovations, moving costs, or just a financial cushion while you settle in. The seller agrees because they still net the same amount. Everyone wins.

This is just one of seven seller credit strategies every buyer should know right now. I put together a free guide that breaks down all seven and shows you exactly how to ask for each one so you get the most out of every deal.

Comment HOME and I will send it over to you right away.

06/01/2026

Zillow says this $500,000 house costs $2,500 a month to rent or $3,400 a month to buy. Which should you choose? Let's look at the real numbers before you decide.

If you rent, that $2,500 leaves your pocket every single month and after a year you have absolutely nothing to show for it. If you buy with just 5 percent down, your total payment is around $3,400 a month. Yes that is $900 more. But here is what most people never stop to calculate. In the first year roughly $450 a month goes directly toward your loan balance. And at just 4 percent appreciation you are gaining about $1,600 a month in home equity. That is real wealth being built every single month.

So the buyer spent more every month but ended the year with approximately $24,000 more in net worth than the renter who paid less. And that gap does not stay at $24,000. It gets bigger every single year after that as equity builds, appreciation compounds, and the renter continues to gain nothing.

The question is never really rent versus buy. It is how much wealth do you want to build and how long are you willing to wait to start.

Reach out and let's run the real numbers for your specific situation.

05/28/2026

If you do not have a large pile of cash saved for a down payment and you are wondering if there are programs that can actually help you buy a home, the answer is a very clear yes and the data just confirmed it in a big way.

The Q1 2026 Homeownership Program Index dropped this week and revealed 2,679 active down payment assistance programs nationwide. That is an all-time high. These programs are designed specifically to help everyday buyers get into a home with less money out of pocket. Some offer grants you never have to pay back. Some offer interest-free loans. Some are tied to specific neighborhoods or income levels that far more people qualify for than most buyers ever realize. Even middle-class buyers are getting access to these programs, with some areas offering tens of thousands of dollars in interest-free assistance.

Here is the catch. Most lenders never bring these programs up because it takes extra work to apply for them. So you have to ask directly. When you talk to a loan officer, specifically ask which down payment assistance programs you qualify for in your area. A great loan officer will already have these mapped out and ready to present to you.

Follow me for more information that can help put you in your dream home faster than you thought possible.

05/27/2026

The buyers who said they were waiting until rates drop may not be waiting much longer. And the data is backing that up in a real way.

Pending home sales just posted their third straight month of gains. Signed contracts are up over 3% from last year. Purchase applications are running 8% ahead of where they were a year ago. This is not one busy weekend or one packed open house creating a false sense of momentum. This is a genuine and sustained shift in buyer activity that is showing up consistently across multiple data points.

The wait-and-see crowd is starting to turn into the active-buyer crowd and that matters for everyone in the market right now.

For sellers, waiting too long to list could mean coming to market right as more inventory arrives and competition for buyer attention increases. For buyers, waiting for perfect conditions may mean finding yourself competing against more people who had the exact same plan and decided to move at the same time you did.

The people who consistently do well in shifting markets are the ones who pay attention early, get prepared before the crowd catches on, and make smart moves while others are still deciding. That window is open right now but it does not stay open indefinitely.

If you have someone sitting on the sidelines, this may be exactly the right time to start that conversation.

05/26/2026

You keep hearing the housing market is shifting in buyers' favor, but is it actually a good time to buy? Let's look at the real data and let the numbers speak for themselves.

A record 34 percent of sellers cut their list price in February, the highest we have seen in years. Inventory has now crossed pre-pandemic levels in many parts of the country, meaning buyers finally have genuine choices again rather than fighting over whatever happens to be available. And the lock-in effect that kept so many homeowners frozen in their low rate mortgages is officially easing, with more sub-5 percent rate holders deciding to list anyway.

Here is why all of that matters for you specifically. When sellers cut prices and inventory grows, buyers gain real negotiating power on things that often matter more than the headline price, including closing cost credits, rate buydowns, and repair concessions.

Those savings can add up to thousands of dollars and meaningfully change your monthly payment. Less competition also means you can take your time, conduct proper inspections, and make a smart and informed decision instead of rushing into a bidding war and hoping for the best.

The buyers winning right now are the ones who are pre-approved, staying ready, and acting decisively when the right home appears. Follow me for more on how to use this shift to your full advantage.

05/21/2026

If you have been wondering why mortgage rates jumped again this month just when they seemed to finally be heading in the right direction, here is exactly what is happening.

Rates briefly dipped in late April and had a lot of buyers feeling optimistic. Then they climbed back up amid renewed tension over the Iran conflict, rising oil prices, and ongoing inflation concerns. Here is the key thing to understand about why that happens. Global events directly impact your mortgage rate because when uncertainty rises, investors move money into bonds for safety. That increased demand for bonds pushes yields down temporarily, but when tension escalates and inflation fears resurface, yields move back up and mortgage rates follow. The connection between geopolitical headlines and your monthly payment is more direct than most buyers realize.

The good news is that this volatility is actually creating real opportunities for prepared buyers. Rates are swinging daily, which means windows are opening where you can lock in a strong rate if you are positioned to move quickly. The buyers winning right now are the ones with their pre-approval ready, their down payment in place, and a loan officer actively watching the market for them. When rates dip even for a single day, they are ready to lock immediately.

Get fully prepared now so you can act when the next window opens. Build a small cushion into your budget for safety and stay in close contact with your loan officer for daily updates. Follow me for real-time market insights that keep you ahead.

05/19/2026

Big news. Kevin Warsh was just confirmed as the new Federal Reserve chair and everyone is asking the same question: what does this mean for mortgage rates?

Here is the truth most people miss. The Fed actually controls short-term lending rates between banks. Mortgage rates are driven by the long-term bond market, inflation expectations, and investor sentiment. Those are completely different levers and a new Fed chair does not flip a switch that instantly moves your mortgage rate in either direction.

Rate decisions still go through a 12-member committee regardless of who is in the chair. And with inflation currently sitting at 3.8 percent, the Fed will likely stay patient through Warsh's first few meetings rather than making dramatic moves in either direction. The good news is that industry leaders are pointing to one word to describe the outlook under new leadership: stability. And stability is exactly what buyers need to confidently plan their next move.

If you want to know where mortgage rates are actually headed, stop watching Fed headlines and start watching the bond market. That is where the real story lives.
Follow me for more on what is actually moving the market right now.

05/19/2026

The rules for credit scores on mortgages just changed in a massive way, and this could genuinely be the news you have been waiting for.

On April 22nd, HUD, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac officially rolled out VantageScore 4.0 and FICO 10T for mortgage underwriting. This is the biggest credit scoring shakeup in 30 years and the implications for buyers who have been on the sidelines are significant. The new models now factor in on-time rent payments and 24-month credit trends rather than just a snapshot of your score on a single day. That is a genuine game changer. It rewards people who have been paying rent reliably for years and gives lenders a much fuller and more accurate picture of how you actually handle money over time.

An estimated 5 million previously rejected buyers could now qualify under these new models. If you have been told no in the past, this is the moment to circle back and get re-evaluated with fresh eyes. Even if your traditional score felt borderline, the new system may put you over the qualification line because consistent rent payments and steady payment history finally count toward your mortgage approval in a meaningful way.

Reach out and ask your loan officer to run your numbers under the new models. Follow me for more updates that can help put you in your next home.

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Greenville, WI
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