housing market
For most first-time homebuyers, securing a down payment is the biggest hurdle. There comes a point for many first-time homebuyers when nearly everything you do becomes focused on saving for that purchase. Even when you’ve been putting money away regularly for years, you find yourself willing to cut out that beach vacation you had been…
Sales of new and existing homes unexpectedly spiked to their highest levels in years last month. America’s housing market appears poised to go out like a lion this year, as a pair of real estate reports this week showed home sales climbed to their highest level in a decade. Sales of new houses clocked in…
Weigh the pros and cons before adding a future upgrade to your list of must-dos for your next house. Whether you’re aiming to reduce your home’s energy usage throughout the day or you’re simply looking to see a little less of your paycheck go to utility bills, installing solar panels on your roof has likely…
Staying in a rental has its benefits, but you should decide if they outweigh the pros of owning a home? More Americans than ever are renting instead of owning a home. About 37 percent of housing units in the U.S. are occupied by renters, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2015 American Community Survey, and…
Tips for putting your home on the market with young children. The idea of selling your home can be quite daunting. Add to the equation a young child and the task may seem impossible. Fortunately, that doesn’t have to be the case. Through careful planning, decluttering, and creating easy upkeep, the hassles of selling your…
Dear Property Owner, When you purchase rental real estate or decide you want/need to rent an existing property; the first thing you need to decide is what you’ll charge someone to occupy the home. How will you come to that decision? Most people read the ads and see what homes or condos of similar size…
Whether you’re buying or selling, a home warranty can keep surprise expenses from leaving you strapped for cash. You’ve heard the horror stories – within weeks of purchasing a home, the hot water heater leaks, the HVAC suddenly stops working or the freezer becomes a puddle of melted ice. But what if there was a…
Prepare yourself to move quickly in order to get the home you want. Real estate markets across the U.S. are fast-paced right now. Homes are selling within hours, rather days. Homebuyers are struggling to find the right house before someone else has put it under contract. The pressure to beat out other homebuyers is intense….
-Reuters 24 August 2016 New U.S. single-family home sales unexpectedly rose in July, reaching their highest level in nearly nine years as demand increased broadly, brightening the housing market outlook. The Commerce Department said on Tuesday new home sales surged 12.4 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 654,000 units last month, the highest…
Get the best service you can when selling your home, but avoid going overboard. With the abundance of real estate information on the internet and the rising popularity of home improvement shows in recent years, homebuyers and sellers are more tapped into the market than ever. But having greater access to housing data and home…
Owning a home is a keystone of wealth… both financial affluence and emotional security.