Buying a home is a good financial decision according to the National Association of Realtors. Their 2017 National Housing Pulse Survey revealed 84% of Americans also now believe this to be true. This is the highest percentage since 2007 – before the historic housing crisis. Those surveyed pointed out five major reasons why they believe […]
Housing Inventory in the U.S. Every summer, families across the country decide if this will be the year they sell their current house. People want to move into their dream home as soon as possible. But, how has this affected the U.S. housing inventory percentages? Mortgage rates have hovered around 4% for all of 2017, […]
Questions to Ask Before Buying a Home If you are debating purchasing a home right now, you are probably getting a lot of advice. Though your friends and family will have your best interests at heart, they may not be fully aware of your needs and what is currently happening in the real estate market. […]
High Impact of Low Interest Rates on Buyer’s Purchasing Power: According to Freddie Mac’s latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey, interest rates for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage are currently at 3.96%. This is still near record lows in comparison to recent history! The interest rate you secure when buying a home doesn’t only greatly impacts […]
Forbes.com recently released the latest results of their American Dream Index, in which they measure “the prosperity of the middle class, and…examine which states best support the American Dream.” The monthly index measures several different economic factors, including goods-producing employment, personal and commercial bankruptcies, building permits, startup activity, unemployment insurance claims, labor force participation, and […]
We previously reported how a shortage of inventory in the starter and trade-up home markets is driving prices up. It’s also causing bidding wars, creating a true seller’s market. At the same time, in the premium home market, an over-abundance of inventory has gotten prices come down. It’s also putting buyers in the driver’s seat. […]
Paying off an existing mortgage isn’t always easy. A professor of finance at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Jack Guttentag, recently tackled a difficult question about mortgages: should you pay off an existing mortgage balance before getting a reverse mortgage? This is a topic that is often overlooked or not addressed whatsoever, […]
Local real estate agents may make all the difference if you’re entering the real estate market. If you’ve just entered, as a buyer or a seller, you’ve inevitably heard the real estate mantra, “location, location, location” in reference to how identical homes can increase or decrease in value due to where they’re located. Well, a […]
Been debating owning or renting a home? According to the latest report from the US Census Bureau, more Americans chose purchasing a home over signing a lease to rent in the first quarter of 2017. This marks the first time since 2006 that the number of new homeowner households outpaced the number of new renter […]
The down payment on a home mortgage is quite possibly the most important hurdle new home buyers have to overcome. First time buyers may feel daunted by the idea of beginning a home mortgage, but there should be nothing to fear. This post is here to guide you through the inner workings of a down […]
