Right now, the housing market is full of outstanding opportunities for both buyers and sellers. Whether you’re thinking of buying your first home, moving up to a bigger one, or selling so you can downsize this spring, there are perks today that are powering big moves for people across the country. Here are the top two to keep on the radar this season. The Biggest Perk for Buy...

• calendar_month March 31, 2021
• category Buyers and Sellers
• post Buyers, Homebuying, Homeownership, Low Inventory, Mortgage Rates, Sellers, Sellers Market

For generations, the homebuying process never really changed. The seller would try to estimate the market value of the home and tack on a little extra to give themselves some negotiating room. That figure would become the listing price of the house. Buyers would then try to determine how much less than the full price they could offer and still get the home. The asking price was genera...

• calendar_month April 1, 2021
• category Buyers and Sellers
• post Buyers, Homebuying, Listing, Low Inventory, Sellers, Sellers Market

A Fannie Mae survey recently revealed some of the most highly-rated benefits of homeownership, which continue to be key drivers in today’s power-packed housing market. Here are the top four financial benefits of owning a home according to consumer respondents: 88% - a better chance of saving for retirement 87% - the best investment plan 85% - the chance to be bett...

• calendar_month April 8, 2021
• category Buyers
• post Buyers, Homebuying, Homeowner, Homeownership

The words "escrow" and "escrow accounts" refer to two slightly different concepts. Escrow is the process by which a neutral third party mediates a real estate deal, holding money and property "in escrow" until the two sides agree that all the conditions are met for a sale to close. By contrast, an escrow account is usually an account that h...

• calendar_month April 8, 2021
• category Buyers
• post Buyers, Earnest Money, Escrow, Homebuying, Homeownership

If you’ve never been through the home-buying process, some of the terminology can seem a bit foreign. One of the many phrases you might come across is earnest money. When making an offer on a home, it is often encouraged to include earnest money with that offer. Earnest money is a payment of 1-3% of the offer price that is intended to show the seller you are really interested in t...

• calendar_month April 12, 2021
• category Buyers
• post Buyers, Earnest Money, First-Time Home Buyers, Homebuying

Let’s say you have your heart set on buying a home in a community with a swimming pool, a clubhouse, and maybe even a playground or trails. Having access to these amenities often means living in a community with a homeowners association, or HOA. Generally, an HOA is responsible for keeping the neighborhood looking beautiful — and as a result, keeping property values high. But sin...

• calendar_month April 27, 2021
• category Buyers
• post First-Time Home Buyers, Homebuying

When buying a home, it’s important to have a budget and make sure you plan ahead for certain homebuying expenses. Saving for a down payment is the main cost that comes to mind for many, but budgeting for the closing costs required to get a mortgage is just as important. What Are Closing Costs? According to Trulia: “When you close on a home, a numb...

• calendar_month May 17, 2021
• category Buyers
• post Buyers, Closing Costs, First-Time Home Buyers, Homebuying

In today’s market,  it’s not uncommon to be in competition with several other buyers for your dream home.  When you find that perfect house, with the chic chandelier and the doggy door for Fido,  the last thing you want to do is lose it because your offer didn’t stand out to the seller, Taking the time to put forth a well-written offer can work wonders for a buy...

• calendar_month May 24, 2021
• category Buyers
• post Buyers, Earnest Money, First-Time Home Buyers, Homebuying

If you’re looking to buy or sell a house, chances are you’ve heard talk about today’s rising home prices. And while this increase in home values is great news for sellers, you may be wondering what the future holds. Will prices continue to rise with time, or should you expect them to fall? To answer that question, let’s first understand a few terms you may be hea...

• calendar_month October 19, 2021
• category Buyers and Sellers
• post First-Time Home Buyers, Homebuying, Homeownership