Thinking About Selling Your Own Home? Think Again – Why You’ll Want to Work with a Real Estate Agent

There is no requirement for a homeowner to work with a real estate agent when selling a property, and many homeowners consider saving themselves the cost of a real estate agent’s commission fee in an effort to reduce costs and to keep more money in their pocket from the sale. While this may seem to make sense, the fact is that a real estate agent’s services have true value to you, and there are several key reasons why you want to work with a real estate agent when selling your home.

Buying a Home? What to Do if Problems Are Found During the Final Home Inspection

As a home buyer, you may go through a number of different steps to ensure that the property that you purchase is in great condition. In most cases, there will be no problems with the final inspection. However, in the event that there is a problem with the final inspection, you will need to know how to handle it.

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – May 4, 2015

Last week’s economic news included Case-Shiller Home Price Index reports, the Fed’s FOMC meeting statement and pending home sales. Freddie Mac mortgage rates and weekly jobless claims were also released as usual.

Selling a Large Family Home? How to Stage Your Home to Appeal to Family Buyers

Selling a large house requires showing buyers its potential as a place where they can raise their families, enjoy space to grow, and make it their own. Preparing a large house can be a big task. However, a large house also has strong points that appeal to buyers looking for a spacious home.

The Three Essential Habits That Successful Home Buyers Must Embrace

Whether you are preparing to purchase your first home or it has been many years since you last walked through the home buying process, you may be starting to feel overwhelmed at the thought of all of the work that lies in front of you. While each home buying transaction is unique, the most successful home buyers have typically adopted a few behaviors. You may keep these in mind to help you navigate through the process with success.

Case-Shiller: 20-City Home Price Index Hits 6 Month High

According to the Case-Shiller 20-City Home Price Index for February, month-to-month home prices increased by 0.50 percent from January’s reading and achieved the highest year-over-year gain in six months. Analysts expected February home prices to increase by 4.80 percent.

Thinking About Buying a Rental Property? 3 Reasons You’ll Want to Get a Mortgage Pre-Approval

A rental property is a wonderful investment option to consider, and it can provide you with everything from considerable tax benefits to appreciation and monthly cash flow. While you may be eager to get started searching for a new rental property to invest in, a good idea is to take the initial step to get pre-approved for your mortgage.

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – April 27, 2015

Last week’s housing related reports included the FHFA Home Price Index, the National Association of Realtors Existing Home Sales report and The Commerce Department’s report on new home sales. Results were mixed, but suggest that housing markets are strengthening.

Staging Tips: Let’s Talk Landscaping and How to Prepare Your Yard for the Spring Bloom

When you are preparing to list your home for sale, you may take various steps to stage the interior so that it is appealing to a potential buyer. In addition to various steps you may take with staging the interior, you want to pay attention to your yard as well. During the spring months, many yards look fresh and vibrant, but they also need some extra care in order to boost curb appeal and make a great first impression on buyers.

Home Buying Horror Stories: How Buying a Home Can Go Wrong – and How to Avoid These Mistakes

When you buy a home, you may have dreams of settling into a beautiful new space that meets your needs and that your family can feel comfortable in. While many will enjoy this vision of domestic tranquility after taking ownership of their dream home, others have had their dream turn into a veritable nightmare due to some simple mistakes or oversights on their part.