The National Association of Realtors recently released a study titled 'Social Benefits of Homeownership and Stable Housing.’ The study confirmed a long-standing belief of most Americans:“Owning a home embodies the promise of individual autonomy and is the aspiration of most American households. Homeownership allows households to accumulate wealth and social status, and is the basis [...]
The most recent Pending Homes Sales Index from the National Association of Realtors revealed a slight bump in contracts with an increase of 1.6% in December. This news comes as existing home sales are also forecasted to be on pace for 5.54 million in 2017, a 1.7% increase over 2016, which was the best year [...]
The most recent Housing Pulse Survey released by the National Association of Realtors revealed that the two major reasons Americans prefer owning their own home instead of renting are:They want the opportunity to build equity.They want a stable and safe environment.Building EquityIn a recent article by The Mortgage Reports, they report that “buying and owning a home is [...]
The housing crisis is finally in the rear-view mirror as the real estate market moves down the road to a complete recovery. Home values are up. Home sales are up. Distressed sales (foreclosures and short sales) have fallen dramatically. It seems that 2017 will be the year that the housing market races forward again.However, there [...]
In this day and age of being able to shop for anything anywhere, it is really important to know what you’re looking for when you start your home search.If you’ve been thinking about buying a home of your own for some time now, you’ve probably come up with a list of things that you’d LOVE [...]
Highlights:Watching the Big Game at home with your friends & family offers many advantages.There’s more room to entertain a large crowd, and you don’t have to worry about complaints to your landlord if you cheer too loudly!The kitchen is big enough to make as many appetizers as you want, and if some of your guests [...]
Is spring closer than we think? Depending on which groundhog you listen to today, you may have less time than you think to get your home on the market before the busy spring season.Many sellers feel that the spring is the best time to place their homes on the market as buyer demand traditionally increases [...]
The price of any item is determined by the supply of that item, as well as the market demand. The National Association of REALTORS (NAR) surveys “over 50,000 real estate practitioners about their expectations for home sales, prices and market conditions” for their monthly REALTORS Confidence Index.Their latest edition sheds some light on the relationship between Seller Traffic (supply) and [...]
So you’ve been searching for that perfect house to call a ‘home,’ and you finally found one! The price is right, and in such a competitive market that you want to make sure you make a good offer so that you can guarantee your dream of making this house yours comes true!Freddie Mac covered “4 Tips for [...]
Fannie Mae’s article, “What Consumers (Don’t) Know About Mortgage Qualification Criteria,” revealed that “only 5 to 16 percent of respondents know the correct ranges for key mortgage qualification criteria.”Myth #1: “I Need a 20% Down Payment”Fannie Mae’s survey revealed that consumers overestimate the down payment funds needed to qualify for a home loan. According to the [...]