Tis the season of – rate hikes? After 7 years the Federal Reserve has ended its policy of zero-interest rates with a quarter-point increase. On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve moved up its target for short-term rates from a range of 0%–0.25% to 0.25%–0.5%. This move was forecasted to occur early in 2015 and signal the beginning of a slow process of increasing the federal fund rates – which through trickle down, affect the consumer’s mortgage rate. Although at first glance it may appear otherwise, this policy change is a positive sign for real estate. Coupled with strong job market data, what we are looking at is a sign that it’s time to make your move – if you were looking at buying, buy now before rates creep higher, and if you’re looking to sell, nows the time as well. To sum it up – 2016 is going to be a great year for all real estate transactions!