The Truth About Down Payments
If you’re planning to buy your first home, saving up for all the costs involved can feel daunting, especially when it comes to the down payment. That might be because you’ve heard you need to save 20% of the home’s price to put down. Well, that isn’t necessarily the case.
Prepare Your Home for a Spring Listing
If you're thinking of selling your house this spring, now is the perfect time to start getting it ready. With the market gearing up for its busiest time of year, it'll be important to make sure your house shines bright among the competition. Here are some valuable tips you can use to get your house market-ready.
Don’t Wait Until Spring to Sell Your Home
As you think about the year ahead, one of your big goals may be moving. But, how do you know when to make your move? While spring is usually the peak home buying season, you don’t actually need to wait until spring to sell. Here's why.
Think Home Prices Will Drop This Year? Maybe Not.
Even though home prices are going up nationally, some people are still worried they might come down. In fact, a recent survey from Fannie Mae found that 24% of people think home prices will actually decline over the next 12 months. That means almost one out of every four people are dealing with that fear, and you might be, too.
To help ease that concern, here's what experts forecast will happen with prices this year.
3 Keys to Hitting Your Homeownership Goals in 2024
If buying or selling a home is your goal for 2024, it’s important to understand today’s housing market, know your why, and work with industry experts to bring your homeownership vision for the new year into focus.
5 Things You Shouldn’t Leave Behind
You’re supposed to leave your house in “broom clean” condition for the buyer when you sell your house, which leaves a lot of room for interpretation. It often boils down to sellers feeling like they left the place looking immaculate, and buyers wondering if the seller even owned a broom. The point is, it’s kind of subjective. Keep reading for 5 things to avoid, even if you think it is helping.
2024 Housing Market Forecast
The new year is right around the corner, and you might be wondering if 2024 will be the right time to buy or sell a home. If you want to make the most informed decision possible, it’s important to know what the experts have to say about what's ahead for the housing market. Spoiler alert: the projections may be better than you think. Here’s why.
How Realtors Can Take Fear Out of the Market
Do negative headlines and talk on social media have you feeling worried about the housing market? Maybe you’ve even seen or heard something lately that scares you and makes you wonder if you should still buy or sell a home right now. If so, keep reading.
Are Higher Mortgage Rates Here to Stay?
Mortgage rates have been back on the rise recently and that’s getting a lot of attention from the press. If you’ve been following the headlines, you may have even seen rates recently reached their highest level in over two decades. That can feel like a little bit of a gut punch if you’re thinking about making a move. If you’re wondering whether or not you should delay your plans, here’s what you really need to know.
Home Prices are Not Falling
During the fourth quarter of last year, some housing experts projected home prices were going to crash in 2023. The media ran with those forecasts and put out headlines calling for doom and gloom in the housing market. All of this negative news coverage made a lot of people have doubts about the strength of the residential real estate market. If it made you question if you should delay your own plans to move, here’s what you really need to know.
Your Home Equity Can Offset Affordability Challenges
Are you thinking about selling your house? If so, today’s mortgage rates may be making you wonder if that’s the right decision. Some homeowners are reluctant to sell and take on a higher mortgage rate on their next home. If you’re worried about this too, know that even though rates are high right now, so is home equity. Here’s what you need to know.
Mortgage Rates: Past, Present, and Possible Future
If you’re hoping to buy a home this year, you’re probably paying close attention to mortgage rates. Since mortgage rates impact what you can afford when you take out a home loan – and affordability is a challenge today – it’s a good time to look at the big picture of where mortgage rates have been historically compared to where they are now. Beyond that, it’s important to understand their relationship with inflation for insights into where mortgage rates might go in the near future.
DIY Projects That Give The Most Bang for Your Buck
Taking a do-it-yourself approach to home improvement can be a great way to upgrade your home, without spending a ton of money on contractors and renovations.
But not all DIY projects are created equal. Some can increase the value of your home and deliver a serious return on investment when you decide to sell, while others can end up being a waste of your time, energy, and resources.
So, the question is, which DIY home improvement projects will deliver the most bang for your buck?
There’s Only Half the Inventory of a Normal Housing Market Today
Wondering if it still makes sense to sell your house right now? The short answer is, yes. Especially if you consider how few homes there are for sale today. Read on to learn more.
Tips for Making Your Best Offer on a Home
While the wild ride that was the ‘unicorn’ years of housing is behind us, today’s market is still competitive in many areas because the supply of homes for sale is still low. If you’re looking to buy a home this season, know that the peak frenzy of bidding wars is in the rearview mirror, but you may still come up against some multiple-offer scenarios.
New Construction is Building Momentum
If you’re in the process of looking for a home today, you know the supply of homes for sale is low because you’re feeling the impact of having a limited pool of options. And, if your biggest hurdle right now is that you’re having trouble finding something you like, don’t forget that a newly built home is a great option.
Eco-Friendly, Energy Efficient Homes Attract Buyers
Are you planning to sell your house? If so, you may be surprised to hear just how much buyers value energy efficiency and eco-friendly features today. This is especially true as summer officially kicks off.
This Real Estate Market is the Strongest in Our Lifetime
When you look at the numbers today, the one thing that stands out is the strength of this housing market. We can see this is one of the most foundationally strong housing markets of our lifetime – if not the strongest housing market of our lifetime. Here are two fundamentals that prove this point.
Today’s Housing Market: No More Unicorns
Comparing real estate metrics from one year to another can be challenging in a normal housing market. That’s due to possible variability in the market making the comparison less meaningful or accurate. Unpredictable events can have a significant impact on the circumstances and outcomes being compared.
The Worst Home Price Decline is Behind Us
If you’re following the news today, you may feel a bit unsure about what’s happening with home prices and fear whether or not the worst is yet to come. That’s because today’s headlines are painting an unnecessarily negative picture. Contrary to those headlines, home prices aren’t in a free fall. The latest data tells a very different and much more positive story. Local home price trends still vary by market, but here’s what the national data tells us.