Kevin Warren's Blog

Rates on home loans have risen during the past year. Yet, every time this trend is reported in the media, we also hear that rates are historically low. So, what does “historically low” actually mean? Does it mean that we are a little under the norm, or way under for the historic average? The char...

We had a very robust last half of 2013. The economy expanded and the job creation machine heated up. The Federal Reserve Board predicted even stronger growth this year. So what happened? We saw the economy take a step back, especially with regard to the creation of jobs. Even the real estate mark...

  Our focus for this article will not be the investment aspects of real estate. This is not to say that we think that homes have ceased to be a solid investment. One must remember that even with the drop in prices during the past several years, homes have more than tripled in value since 1980. In...

  So many in America desire to become home owners. They know that home ownership is the most likely path towards financial security for their family as well as freedom from the tyranny of landlords. Indeed, Federal Reserve Board studies have shown that owners have a net worth many time that of re...

Here is the rule—as our economy gets stronger, rates will rise and so will oil and gas prices. But rules are made to be broken. In mid-March we saw a stark reminder of how the rules don’t always work. Though the news from the economy looked pretty good–from retail sales to first time claims for u...

The IRS provides free tax help to military members and their families through its Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program. VITA offers free tax preparation and e-filing at sites both on and off base. It also has sites to help our military overseas. Here are five things to know about free tax help...

Buying costs less than renting in all 100 large U.S. metros, according to the Rent vs. Buy Report from Trulia. Rising rates and home prices have narrowed the gap between renting and buying — yet historically low rates have kept homeownership from becoming more expensive than renting. Trulia says ...

Here is about the only thing we will predict. This winter is not lasting forever. It may seem like it has lasted forever but a spring thaw will come. When it comes, we will see that many Americans will emerge from their homes with a bad case of cabin fever. What will we do when the weather is nic...

Saving for a down payment remains the No. 1 obstacle to homeownership. Many American’s have good credit and have the income to qualify for a home loan — especially considering the fact that owning is cheaper than renting in most areas of the country. Yet, coming up with the cash is the problem. H...

Here Comes The Jobs Numbers The monthly jobs report is the single most important economic release every month. Why? It is all about jobs–the economy, interest rates, real estate and more. To put it simply, consumer spending drives the economy and without enough jobs being created, consumer consum...