Category: Real Estate News & Tips

Many people see the summer as real estate’s prime marketing season. There’s a lot of truth to that, in large measure because parents want their children in place at the start of the new school year. That said, homes sell year-round, and they sell in big numbers. According to the National Association of Realtors, 506,000 existing … Read More “Six Reasons Why You Should Be Selling Your Home During the Holidays” »

Our 2020 real estate outlook forecasts a New Year filled with low mortgage rates, tight inventory, and rising home prices—and the latest data seems to support just that. Freddie Mac’s chief economist Sam Khater sums it up best saying, “The housing market continues to steadily gain momentum with rising homebuyer demand and increased construction due to the … Read More “Mortgage Rates Drop, As Housing Market ‘Gains Momentum’” »

Mortgage rates dropped in the past week after rising in six of the last nine weeks, including most of the month of October. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 3.69% during the week ending Nov. 7, down three basis points from the previous week, Freddie Mac reported Thursday. The rate on the 30-year mortgage is over a … Read More “Mortgage Rates Fall After Increasing for Three Straight Weeks” »

The holidays have arrived and with them come guests. Many, many guests. Let’s get your home ready for the influx of family, friends, and fantastic food by focusing on a clean house and an organized kitchen. Snow is also on its way, so hunker down and prepare your property for the storm by tackling the … Read More “November Home Maintenance and Safety Checklist” »

Free & Inexpensive Ways to Save Money This Winter! I love the Fall. The leaves change color, the weather turns cool and crisp, and the holidays bring families together. But fall also means that winter is just around the corner – and rising energy costs are sure to make this an expensive winter unless you … Read More “Slash Your Winter Heating Bills” »

A total of 143,105 properties nationwide received a foreclosure filing—default notice, scheduled auction, or bank repossession—in the third quarter of this year, the lowest level since the second quarter of 2005, ATTOM Data Solutions reports in its latest Foreclosure Market Report. U.S. foreclosure activity is now 49% below the prerecession average of 278,912 between the first … Read More “Foreclosures Fall to Lowest Level Since 2005” »

With mortgage rates around their lowest levels in three years, it’s likely to be a big weekend for lenders — who already have their hands full. “Refinance demand has surged due to historically low interest rates,” says Alan Rosenbaum, founder and CEO of GuardHill Financial Corp., a mortgage banker and brokerage firm in New York. Homeowners have … Read More “Low Mortgage Rates Could Mean a Busy Weekend for Borrowing” »

First time home buyers can put as little as 3% down and get conventional financing (no longer confined to the FHA only box). And there are no prohibitive restrictions; in fact if two people are buying a home, only one of them need be a first time buyer. Standard FannieMae underwriting guidelines and standard PMI … Read More “3% Down Conventional Mortgage Loans Are For Real” »

The security of a neighborhood should be a high priority when selecting your dream home. It’s imperative that you do the appropriate research to make sure you’ll feel secure in your new neighborhood. You’ll likely want to try to eliminate as many dangers and threats as possible, especially if you have a family or plan on … Read More “How to Determine if the Neighborhood Where You’re Buying a House is Safe” »

The week of Sept. 22, which marks the beginning of fall, is the best time of year to buy a home, according to a new realtor.com® analysis. Buyers tend to find less competition, more inventory, and the biggest reductions on list price during that week, according to the study, which evaluated housing data in 53 … Read More “‘Black Friday’ for Home Buying Is Near” »