Hiring an agent when buying a home helps you understand the buying process and the local...
Buying Myths
One of the biggest hurdles buyers have faced over the past few years has been a lack of homes available for...
In today's housing market, more and more single women are becoming...
Before making the decision to buy a home, it's important to plan for all the costs you’ll be responsible...
Wondering if you should continue renting or if you should buy a home this year? If so, consider this. Rental affordability is still a challenge and has been for years. That’s because, historically, rents trend up over time. Data from the Census shows rents have been climbing pretty steadily since 1988. And, data from the latest rental report from Realtor.com shows rents continue to grow today, even...
Have you been saving up to buy a home this year? If so, you know there are a variety of expenses involved – from your down payment to closing costs. But there’s good news – your tax refund can help you achieve your goals by paying for some of these expenses.SmartAsset estimates the average American will receive a $1,798 tax refund this year. The map below provides a more detailed estimate by...
We’re still in a sellers’ market. And if you’re looking to buy a home, that means you’re likely facing some unique challenges, like difficulty finding a home and volatile mortgage rates. But keep in mind, there are some benefits to being a buyer in today’s market that give you good reason to stick with your search. Here are a few of them.Long-Term Benefits Outweigh Short-Term ChallengesOwning a...
The 30-year fixed mortgage rate has been bouncing between 6% and 7% this year. If you’ve been on the fence about whether to buy a home or not, it’s helpful to know exactly how a 1%, or even a 0.5%, mortgage rate shift affects your purchasing power. The chart below helps show the general relationship between mortgage rates and a typical monthly mortgage payment:Even a 0.5% change can have a big impact...
Though there are more homes for sale now than there were at this time last year, there’s still an undersupply with fewer houses available than in more normal, pre-pandemic years. The Monthly Housing Market Trends Report from realtor.com puts it this way: “While the number of homes for sale is increasing, it is still 43.2% lower than it was before the pandemic in 2017 to 2019. This means that there are...