Securing a home loan and buying a house after bankruptcy may sound like an impossible feat. Blame it on all those Monopoly games, but bankruptcy has a very bad rap, painting the filer as someone who should never be loaned money. The reality is that of the 600,000 Americans who file for bankruptcy every year,…
For many of us, visiting the same vacation spot every year is a summer tradition that’s fun, relaxing, and restful. If that sounds like you, now’s the time to think about your plans and determine if buying a vacation home this year makes more sense than renting one again. According to Forbes: “. . .…
There’s a lot to consider when buying a home. You’ve probably asked yourself a million questions already. What’s in my budget? What will my annual tax bill look like? How far am I willing to commute? How are the schools? Of course, that’s all incredibly important. Particularly if you think it might be your forever…
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) released its latest Existing Home Sales Report a few weeks ago. The information it contains on home prices may cause some confusion. NAR has reported the median sales price, while other home price indices report repeat sales prices. The vast majority of the repeat sales indices show prices are…
The process of buying a home can feel a bit intimidating, even under normal circumstances. But today’s market is still anything but normal. There continues to be a very limited number of homes for sale, and that’s creating bidding wars and driving home prices back up as buyers compete over the available homes. Navigating all…
If you’re reading headlines about inflation or mortgage rates, you may see something about the recent decision from the Federal Reserve (the Fed). But what does it mean for you, the housing market, and your plans to buy a buy a home? Here’s what you need to know. Inflation and the Housing Market While the…
Is now the time to buy a home? To put it simply, yes. One couldn’t blame homebuyers for being hesitant based on last year’s market, but that was LAST year’s market. As of this writing, inventory is up and there’s more variety in the market. Why settle when you can buy the home of your…
Yard sales are a great way to convert items that you hardly ever use into cash that can be saved, donated, or put towards a large purchase. However, a successful yard sale takes a considerable amount of preparation and planning. Here are some tips on how to hold a great yard sale. Set a Goal…
Whether you currently own a home or are thinking of purchasing one, you may be looking for ways to build equity. Home equity is the overall difference between the amount you owe on your mortgage loan and your home’s market value. Home equity can be used to take out a loan, invest, build long term…
There’s been a lot of focus on higher mortgage rates and how they’re creating affordability challenges for today’s homebuyers. It’s true that rates rates climbed dramatically since the record-low we saw during the pandemic. But home affordability is based on more than just mortgage rates – it’s determined by a combination of mortgage rates, home…