Unexpected Tips for Better Home StagingPutting a home on the market can be a stressful experience. Sometimes it seems like homes sell almost before you can get them listed, while others appear to languish due to shifts in the economy and buyer enthusiasm. Fortunately, there are ways that you can increase the likelihood of your home selling even if the market isn’t at its best. One of these options is to improve your home staging so that potential buyers will be wowed by the property and want to make it their own.Some people view home staging as simply making sure that everything is neat and orderly so that buyers can see the home at its best. While this is important, it’s not the only thing that you can do to improve the appeal of your home. Here are a few unexpected ways that you can m... 07/03/2022

The Average Homeowner Gained 64K in Equity over the Past Year If you own a home, your net worth likely just got a big boost thanks to rising home equity. Equity is the current value of your home minus what you owe on the loan. And today, based on recent home price appreciation, you're building that equity far faster than you may expect here's how it works.Because there's an ongoing imbalance between the number of homes available for sale and the number of buyers looking to make a purchase, home prices are on the rise. That means your home is worth more in todays market because its in high demand. As Patrick Dodd, President and CEO of CoreLogic, explains:Price growth is the key ingredient for the creation of home equity wealth. . . . This has led to the largest one-year gain in average h... 07/01/2022

Reducing DIY Project WasteThere are a number of reasons why you might choose to take on a DIY project. You may decide to do something yourself because you think it will be an easy project, or because you enjoy working with your hands. You might even consider doing a DIY project because you think it would save you a lot of money over hiring a professional to do the same thing. Regardless of your reasoning, there’s one thing about DIY that a lot of project guides and instruction sets leave out: what to do with everything that’s left over once you’re done with the project.DIY waste can be a real concern, since depending on the project there might be a lot of waste produced. Given the nature of the materials involved with most DIY projects, you shouldn’t just throw away everything that you ... 06/19/2022

The One Thing Every Homeowner Needs To Know About a RecessionA recession does not equal a housing crisis. Thats the one thing that every homeowner today needs to know. Everywhere you look, experts are warning we could be heading toward a recession, and if true, an economic slowdown doesn't mean homes will lose value.The National Bureau of Economic Research(NBER) defines a recession this way:A recession is a significant decline in economic activity spread across the economy, normally visible in production, employment, and other indicators. A recession begins when the economy reaches a peak of economic activity and ends when the economy reaches its trough. Between trough and peak, the economy is in an expansion. To help show that home prices don't fall every time there's a recession, take... 05/26/2022

How Todays Mortgage Rates Impact Your Home PurchaseIf you're planning to buy a home, its critical to understand the relationship between mortgage rates and your purchasing power. Purchasing power is the amount of home you can afford to buy that's within your financial reach. Mortgage rates directly impact the monthly payment you'll have on the home you purchase. So, when rates rise, so does the monthly payment you're able to lock in on your home loan. In a rising-rate environment like were in today, that could limit your future purchasing power.Today, the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate is above 5%, and in the near term, experts say that'll likely go up in the months ahead. You have the opportunity to get ahead of that increase if you buy now before that impacts your purchasing powe... 05/23/2022

Are There More Homes Coming to the Market?According to a recent survey from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), one of the top challenges buyers face in todays housing market is finding a home that meets their needs. Thats largely because the inventory of homes for sale is so low today.If you're looking to buy a home, you may have noticed this yourself. But there is good news. Recent data shows more sellers are listing their houses this season, which may give you more options for your home search.Early Signs Inventory May Be GrowingThe latest data from realtor.com shows the number of listings coming onto the market, known in the industry as new listings, has increased since the start of the year (see graph below):This indicates more sellers are listing their homes for sale each ... 05/19/2022

Choosing a Loan That’s Right for YouFinding the right loan to meet your needs can be one of the hardest parts of buying a new home. There are a number of mortgage options out there, and if you choose one that isn’t really ideal for your situation, then you might end up paying a lot more for it in the long run. With so many options, though, how do you know that you’re getting the best loan to match your situation?It might take a little bit of homework, but there are actually a few different ways to sort through potential loans to find the best one for you. A lot of things can affect the loans that are available to you, including where you live, what your credit history looks like, and even the state of the economy. With that said, here are a few things that you should keep in mind when s... 05/15/2022

Three Tips for First-Time HomebuyersBuying your first home is a major decision and an exciting milestone. Even though it can feel daunting at times, it has the power to change your life for the better. If you’re looking to purchase your first home, you may be wondering what’s happening in the housing market today, how much you need to save, and where to start.Here are three things that can help give you the information you need to confidently pursue your dream of homeownership.1. Consider All Options When the Number of Homes for Sale Is LowToday, there are far more buyers in the market than there are homes available for sale. When that happens, its a good idea to do what you can to increase your pool of options. That could mean expanding your search to include additional housing types. ... 05/10/2022

How To Approach Rising Mortgage Rates as a BuyerIn the last few weeks, the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate from Freddie Mac inched up to 5%. While that news may have you questioning the timing of your home search, the truth is, timing has never been more important. Even though you may be tempted to put your plans on hold in hopes that rates will fall, waiting will only cost you more. Mortgage rates are forecast to continue rising in the year ahead.If you're thinking of buying a home, here are a few things to keep in mind so you can succeed even as mortgage rates rise. How Rising Mortgage Rates Impact YouMortgage rates play a significant role in your home search. As rates go up, they impact how much you'll pay in your monthly mortgage payment, which directly affects how much you can ... 04/26/2022

What to Consider When Adding OnAdditions can be a good way to get more functionality out of your home. Your addition might be an extra bedroom for your expanding family, a home office to provide you with a space to work from home, or even a sunroom or hobby area. Your add-on might even be a way to add more space to existing rooms, removing or extending walls to let your current kitchen, bedroom, or other area flow seamlessly into your new addition. There are just so many possibilities.Regardless of what you plan to use the room for, though, adding on to your house is a big undertaking and may be kind of a big investment as well. Even relatively small additions can be a big project, so it’s important that you know exactly what your plans will entail before you start work on expanding you... 04/24/2022

There Are Several Great Reasons To Consider Buying a Condo TodayIf you're a first-time buyer looking to break into the housing market but struggling to find a home to buy, condominiums (or condos) could be a great alternative for you.Here are a few reasons condos may be something you'll want to consider.Exploring Condos Could Add Options That Fit Your Budget Supply challenges are a reality across the board in todays housing market. Broadening your home search to include condos could increase your overall pool of options. Just keep in mind, condos generally differ from single-family homes in average space and floorplans.In a recent article, Bankrate covers some of these differences:Condos are generally more affordable because they come with less space you likely wont have your own backya... 04/05/2022

Why Choose an All-Electric Home?There are a number of choices available to you when it comes to how you heat and cool your home. While many people choose electric means of cooling, heating is often a different story. The heating options for your home include things like gas heat, wood-burning heating, and even ambient heating solutions that use steam or hot water to pump heat through pipes in concrete flooring. Some homes even use a combination of these methods to heat different rooms in the house.If you’re considering how you want to heat and cool your own home, however, there is something to be said for using an all-electric solution. While electric heat and air might not be right for every home or every homeowner, it’s at least worth considering if you’re in the market for a new home... 03/20/2022

Improve Your Home’s Efficiency With a Garage DoorWhen it comes to improving the energy efficiency of your home, your garage might not be the first place that you think of. If you have an attached garage, though, you may be leaking warm (or cool) air from your home without even realizing it. While there are a few different ways that you can combat this, one of the most effective is by installing new garage doors.Of course, not all garage doors are created equal when it comes to improving the energy efficiency of your home. To help ensure that you get the most for your garage door dollars, let’s take a look at exactly how new garage doors will help you save money on your heating and cooling costs.Energy Efficiency and Your Garage A lot of emphasis is usually put on the windows and doors f... 03/13/2022

An Expert Advisor Will Give You the Best Advice in Today's MarketHaving an experienced guide coaching you through the process of buying or selling a home is important in a normal market but todays market is far from normal. As a result, an expert real estate advisor isnt just good to have by your side, they're essential.Todays housing market is full of extremes. Experts project mortgage rates will continue to rise this year, and that's driving significant demand for homes as buyers want to make their purchases before rates climb even higher. At the same time, an absence of sellers is leading to record-low housing inventory. This imbalance in supply and demand is creating bidding wars and driving home price appreciation as well as considerable gains in home equity.These market conditions... 03/12/2022

More People Are Planning To Buy a Home SoonWhile some homeowners may be tempted to hold off until spring to list their houses, you should know homebuyers aren't waiting. Demand is high today as more people are trying to beat rising mortgage rates. As a result, eager buyers are entering the market or moving their plans up so they can make their purchases as soon as possible.The most recent Consumer Confidence Survey finds that, of those surveyed, the percentage of people planning to buy over the next six months has increased substantially since last fall (see graph below):As the graph shows, the number of consumers fast-tracking their plans to purchase a home has crept up over the past three months. That indicates many buyers are evaluating their strategy and realizing they should act so... 02/21/2022

Is This the Year You’ll Add a Home Gym?Winter and early spring are typically great times for construction projects around the house. Not only do materials tend to be a bit cheaper due to reduced overall demand, but some labor costs may be reduced as well. Because of this, some homeowners tend to start looking for add-on projects or major remodels to undertake so that they can take advantage of lower prices and faster project starts.One popular home project in recent years is adding a home gym, often converting a largely unused basement or garage space into an area for a wide range of workouts. It’s possible that you’ve considered adding a home gym yourself, either as a room conversion or in an exterior building or add-on. Let’s look at this project a little more closely to determine whe... 02/20/2022

As we celebrate Black History Month, we honor and recognize the past and present experiences of Black Americans. A significant part of this experience is investing in a home of their own. While equitable access to housing has come a long way, the path to homeownership is still steeper for households of color. Its an important experience to talk about, along with how working with the right real estate experts can make all the difference for diverse homebuyers.We know its a more challenging journey to achieve homeownership for some because there's still a measurable gap between the overall average U.S. homeownership rate and that of non-white groups. Today, the lowest homeownership rate persists in the Black community (see graph below):Homeownership is an essential piece for building hous... 02/14/2022

You may have heard that its important to get pre-approved for a mortgage at the beginning of the home buying process, but what does that really mean, and why is it so important? Especially in todays market, with rising home prices and high buyer competition, its crucial to have a pre-approval letter prior to making an offer. Here's why.Being intentional and competitive are musts when buying a home this year. Pre-approval from a lender is the only way to know your true price range and how much money you can borrow for your loan. Just as important, being able to present a pre-approval letter shows sellers you're a qualified buyer, something that can really help you land your dream home in an ultra-competitive market.With limited housing inventory, there are many more buyers active in the ... 02/03/2022

Some Highlights Buying a home and wondering if your inspection is necessary? While some buyers may decide to waive their inspection, its risky decision. Your home inspection is a crucial step in the homebuying process. It assesses the condition of the home you plan to purchase, so you can avoid costly surprises down the road. Lets connect so you have expert advice and a trusted professional who will keep your interests top of mind.    01/28/2022

When mortgage forbearance plans were first announced and the pandemic surged through the country in early 2020, many homeowners were allowed to pause their mortgage payments. Some analysts were concerned that once the forbearance program ended, the housing market would experience a wave of foreclosures like what happened after the housing bubble 15 years ago.Here's a look at why that isn't the case.1. There Are Fewer Homeowners in Trouble This TimeAfter the last housing crash, over nine million households lost their homes to a foreclosure, short sale, or because they gave it back to the bank. Many believed millions of homeowners would face the same fate again this time.However, todays data shows that most homeowners exited their forbearance plan either fully caught up on payments or wit... 01/10/2022