Category: Real Estate News & Tips

Renting vs. Owning: An Overview Whether to rent or to buy the place in which you live is a major decision. It doesn’t just affect how much money you have left at the end of the month, it also affects your lifestyle and the size of the savings you accumulate over the years. Every day, … Read More “Renting vs. Owning a Home: What’s the Difference?” »

With 2020 nearing, experts and forecasters have issued many market predictions, aligning on certain points, but diverging in opinion on others. Below, RISMedia’s snapshot: Home-Building Although homebuilders maintain optimism, buyer demand is stronger, and analysts are divided on whether inventory is meaningfully rising. For 2020, the National Association of REALTORS® expects 10.6 percent more housing starts (multifamily … Read More “2020 Housing Market Predictions: A Snapshot” »

The very loans that are supposed to help seniors stay in their homes are in many cases pushing them out. Reverse mortgages, which allow homeowners 62 and older to borrow money against the value of their homes and not pay it back until they move out or die, have long been fraught with problems. But federal and … Read More “A Risky Lifeline for the Elderly Is Costing Some Their Homes” »

January is often a time to hit the reset button, to start fresh. Sometimes, it’s a new approach to an ongoing goal. And if buying a home has been an ongoing goal, the start of a new year can feel like a time of optimism. So if 2020 is going to be the year you … Read More “New Year’s Resolutions for Home Buyers in 2020” »

New year, new home? Whip your financial resume into shape to improve your home-buying odds. Thinking of buying a home this year? We compiled five New Year’s resolutions that can help you keep your financial resume in tiptop shape. 1. Avoid job hopping Employment history and income are two of the biggest factors lenders look … Read More “5 New Year’s Resolutions That Can Help You Buy a Home” »

If homeownership is on your list of goals, there are several tax benefits of buying a home you should know about. Two major incentives are the mortgage interest and property tax deductions, which both help you save on the thousands of dollars paid annually to your lender and local government. Below, we break down what … Read More “7 Tax Benefits of Buying a Home” »

With the housing market stabilizing from the drama of the early years of home price recovery and the subsequent slowdown during 2019’s home shopping season, we have a rare moment of calm to reflect on what housing might look like in the year to come. If current trends hold, then slower means healthier and smaller … Read More “Bold Predictions for 2020: Shrinking Homes and a More Stable Market” »

With all of the decorations, shopping, parties, and fun coming up with the holiday season, it’s important to be safe while also having fun. The best thing SafeWise can suggest for home safety during the holidays, as well as the rest of the year, is to have a monitored security system. But there are several other … Read More “How to Keep Your Home Safe and Secure During the Holidays” »

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’” »