First-Time Buyers May Have it Easiest Here First-time home buyers are entering the market under tight inventory conditions and rising home prices. But not all cities are posing a challenge for those looking to break in to homeownership. A new study by LendingTree ranks the top cities for first-time home buyers in the nation’s 100 …
Category: Real Estate Tips
Feb 16
‘Tiny Homes’ May Have a Wider Buyer Pool
‘Tiny Homes’ May Have a Wider Buyer Pool The tiny-home movement has been a popular topic among design television shows in recent years, but there was some debate about whether it was truly a lasting trend or not. But a new survey confirms that consumers are definitely intrigued by smaller homes, often described as less …
Feb 15
Market Volatility Giving Buyers Cold Feet?
Market Volatility Giving Buyers Cold Feet? It seems a 1,000-plus point drop in the stock market last week mixed with rising interest rates may have been enough to give homeowners and buyers the jitters. Overall mortgage applications last week dipped 4.1 percent week over week on a seasonally adjusted basis, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported …
Feb 13
3 Ways to Improve Customer Connections
3 Ways to Improve Customer Connections How do you create more lasting connections with customers? It may come down to becoming a better acquaintance with your client, working harder to anticipate their needs, and showing more empathy. RISMedia recently wrote about enhancing customer interactions, including: Get to know your customer better. Track all interactions a …
Feb 12
Mortgage Rates Keep On Pressing Higher
Mortgage Rates Keep On Pressing Higher The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage reached its highest average since December 2016, Freddie Mac reports. This is the fifth consecutive week that mortgage rates have been on the rise, increasing borrowing costs for home shoppers heading into the spring buying season. “Following a turbulent Monday,financial markets settled down with the …
Feb 09
Utility Bills May Be Getting Cheaper
Utility Bills May Be Getting Cheaper Utility companies will pay less tax from a recent tax overhaul, and many are planning to pass those savings on to customers. Rate changes may shave a few dollars off the average customer’s bill in the coming months, The Wall Street Journal reports. The federal government slashed its corporate tax …
Feb 07
When in Life Do Most People Achieve Ownership?
When in Life Do Most People Achieve Ownership? The average consumer’s life is filled with financial milestones, and buying a home is a major one. But when do most people reach the milestone of home ownership? Researchers at Comet Financial Intelligence, a student loan refinancing resource, surveyed 1,200 Americans on how long it took …
Feb 06
Owning Makes More Financial Sense
Owning Makes More Financial Sense As home prices and rental costs rise, more consumers are scrutinizing their best financial move: to buy or rent? Realtor.com®’s research team analyzed annual median rental costs versus annual median costs of homeownership (including mortgage payments, taxes, and homeowners insurance) to find whether buying or renting made more financial sense …
Feb 05
Equifax Extends Free Credit Freezes to June
Equifax Extends Free Credit Freezes to June Following the largest data breach in the nation’s history, Equifax announced that it is extending its free credit freezes to consumers through June. The data breach this past fall exposed the personal information of about 143 million Americans, and has even prompted warnings from housing analysts that the …
Feb 02
Buyers Don’t Grasp Mortgage Basics
Buyers Don’t Grasp Mortgage Basics Many Americans begin looking for a home to buy without understanding the fundamentals of applying for a mortgage or what it takes to qualify for one, according to a new survey by Ally Home, a direct-to-consumer mortgage business. Ninety-two percent of the more than 2,000 U.S. adults who responded to …
Feb 01
Housing Market Starts 2018 on Positive Note
Housing Market Starts 2018 on Positive Note Contract signings on home sales rose slightly in December, reaching their highest level since last March, the National Association of REALTORS® reported Wednesday. NAR’s Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings, moved 0.5 percent higher to a reading of 110.1 last month, 0.5 percent …
