Over the last few years, many sellers have been hesitant to put their houses on the market because they feared not being able to find another home to buy. We’ve reported on inventory shortages in the past, and it’s been a constant concern for potential buyers throughout recent years. New research shows the inventory concern is starting […]
Should I Refinance My Home?
With the recent lower interest rates, many homeowners are wondering if they should refinance. To decide if refinancing is the best option for your family, start by asking yourself these questions: Why do you want to refinance? There are many reasons to refinance, but here are three of the most common ones: Lower your interest […]
5 Powerful Reasons to Own Instead of Rent
Owning a home has great financial benefits. In a recent research paper, Homeownership and the American Dream, Laurie S. Goodman and Christopher Mayer of the Urban Land Institute explained: “Home ownership appears to help borrowers accumulate housing and non housing wealth in a variety of ways, with tax advantages, greater financial flexibility due to secured borrowing, […]
Now’s the Time to Move-Up and Upgrade Your Current Home!
Homes priced at the top 25% of the price range for a particular area of the country are considered “premium homes.” In today’s real estate market, there are deals to be had at the higher end! This is great news for homeowners wanting to upgrade from their current house. Much of the demand for housing […]
Stop Wondering What Your Budget Is & Get Pre-Approved!
In many markets across the country, the number of buyers searching for their dream homes outnumbers the number of homes for sale. This has led to a competitive marketplace where buyers often need to stand out. One way to show that you are serious about buying your dream home is to get pre-qualified or pre-approved for a […]
Tips for Attending an Open House
Visiting open houses can feel awkward or strange at first. After all, you’re entering a home that belongs to someone else, usually a total stranger, and poking around the property to decide if it’s a home you’ll want to buy. If you’re planning to attend open houses this spring (such as the Howard Hanna Big […]
The Feeling You Get from Owning Your Home
We often talk about the financial reasons why buying a home makes sense. But, more often than not, the emotional reasons are the more powerful and compelling ones. No matter what shape or size your living space is, the concept and feeling of home can mean different things to different people. Whether it’s a certain […]
How Home ownership Delivers Unsurpassed Family Wealth
There are many financial benefits to home ownership, but probably none more important than its ability to create family wealth. How Housing Matters is a joint project of the Urban Land Institute and the MacArthur Foundation. It is an online resource for research and information on how home ownership contributes to individual and community success. Their article, The First Rung […]
The Ultimate Truth about Housing Affordability
There have been many headlines decrying an “affordability crisis” in the residential real estate market. While it is true that buying a home is less affordable than it had been over the last ten years, we need to understand why and what that means. On a monthly basis, the National Association of Realtors (NAR), produces a Housing Affordability […]
Boomerang Buyers: Don’t Be Afraid to Buy a Home Again!
According to CoreLogic, from 2006 to 2014 “there were 7.3 million housing foreclosures and 1.9 million short sales.” The hesitation some Americans feel after experiencing a foreclosure brings to mind the old saying: “Fool me once- shame on you. Fool me twice- shame on me.” According to the 2019 Home Buyer Report from NerdWallet, “Thirteen percent of Americans have […]