BLOGS

30YR Fixed 7.51% -0.18% 15YR Fixed 7.05% -0.05%   From 8% to Under 7.5%, Mortgage Rates Had a Near-Record Week The average top tier 30yr fixed mortgage rate was over 8% as recently as October 19th.  At the start of the present week, things weren't much better at 7.92%.  What a difference a few days

Your Home Equity Can Offset Affordability Challenges Are you thinking about selling your house? If so, today’s mortgage rates may be making you wonder if that’s the right decision. Some homeowners are reluctant to sell and take on a higher mortgage rate on their next home. If you’re worried about th

Are More Homes Coming onto the Market? An important factor shaping today’s market is the number of homes for sale. And, if you’re considering whether or not to list your house, that’s one of the biggest advantages you have right now. When housing inventory is this low, your house will stand out, esp

Why Is Housing Inventory So Low? One question that’s top of mind if you’re thinking about making a move today is: Why is it so hard to find a house to buy? And while it may be tempting to wait it out until you have more options, that’s probably not the best strategy. Here’s why. There aren’t enough

Buyer Traffic Is Still Stronger than the Norm Are you putting off selling your house because you’re worried no one’s buying because of where mortgage rates are? If so, know this: the latest data shows plenty of buyers are still out there, and they’re purchasing homes today. Here’s the data to prove

Where Are People Moving Today and Why? Plenty of people are still moving these days. And if you’re thinking of making a move yourself, you may be considering the inventory and affordability challenges in the housing market and wondering what you can do to help offset those. A new report from Gravy A

The Value of an Agent When Buying Your New Construction Home Buying a new construction home can be an exciting experience. From being the very first owner, to customizing your home’s features, there are a lot of benefits. But navigating the complexities of buying a home that’s under construction can

Don’t Fall for the Next Shocking Headlines About Home Prices If you’re thinking of buying or selling a home, one of the biggest questions you have right now is probably: what’s happening with home prices? And it’s no surprise you don’t have the clarity you need on that topic. Part of the issue is ho

30YR Fixed 6.88% -0.02% 15YR Fixed 6.30% -0.01%   Rent Increases Return to Pre-Covid Levels Increases in single-family rents soared in the post-pandemic environment but have now moderated to the annual levels in the pre-pandemic years of 2010 to 2019. CoreLogic’s Single-Family Rent Index (SFRI) reco

Explaining Today’s Mortgage Rates If you’re following mortgage rates because you know they impact your borrowing costs, you may be wondering what the future holds for them. Unfortunately, there’s no easy way to answer that question because mortgage rates are notoriously hard to forecast.   But, ther

Two Questions To Ask Yourself if You’re Considering Buying a Home If you’re thinking of buying a home, chances are you’re paying attention to just about everything you hear about the housing market. And you’re getting your information from a variety of channels: the news, social media, your real est

30YR Fixed 6.96% -0.13% 15YR Fixed 6.38% -0.04%   Home Prices Hit New Peaks Despite Affordability Issues   The Black Knight Mortgage Monitor for May doesn’t even hint at a housing crisis on the horizon. Affordability is again (or maybe still) a concern, but buyers are out there, and home prices refl

Today’s Housing Inventory Is a Sweet Spot for Sellers One of the biggest challenges in the housing market right now is how few homes there are for sale compared to the number of people who want to buy them. To help emphasize just how limited housing inventory still is, let’s take a look at the lates

30YR Fixed 6.91% -0.01% 15YR Fixed 6.32% +0.00%   April Home Prices Bolster Case for Recovery Both the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index and the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA’s) Home Price Index (HPI) show home prices continuing to increase in April although at a muc

What Homebuyers Need To Know About Credit Scores If you’re thinking about buying a home, you should know your credit score’s a critical piece of the puzzle when it comes to qualifying for a home loan. Lenders review your credit to assess your ability to make payments on time, to pay back debts, and

Saving for a Down Payment? Here’s What You Need To Know. If you're planning to buy your first home, then you're probably focused on saving for all the costs involved in such a big purchase. One of the expenses that may be at the top of your mind is your down payment. If you’re intimidated by how muc

Oops! Home Prices Didn’t Crash After All During the fourth quarter of last year, many housing experts predicted home prices were going to crash this year. Here are a few of those forecasts: Jeremy Siegel, Russell E. Palmer Professor Emeritus of Finance at the Wharton School of Business: “I expect ho

  Getting pre-approved for a mortgage is a crucial step in the home buying process. It allows buyers to know how much they can afford to spend on a home and shows sellers that they are serious about making an offer. But how exactly do you get pre-approved for a mortgage? In this blog, we’ll walk you

Keys to Success for First-Time Homebuyers Buying your first home is an exciting decision and a major milestone that has the power to change your life for the better. As a first-time homebuyer, it’s a vision you can bring to life, but, as the National Association of Realtors (NAR) shares, you’ll have

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 consider your plans and determine if buying a vacation home this year makes more sense than renting one again. According to Forbes:  “. . . i