Owning a home costs a lot of money, but you can get some of it back in your tax refund. Continue reading ...

Over the past two years, home prices have skyrocketed amid the combined impacts of a global pandemic and housing inventory shortages. Between 2020 and 2022, home prices soared 30%, according to Freddie Mac. And by 2022, the median sale price for a home in the U.S. stood at $397,549, according to Redfin. Continue reading ...

Hopeful home buyers entering the housing market this year are getting hit by headwinds on all sides: near-record high home prices, along with brutal mortgage rates, double what they were two years ago. Continue reading ...

First-time homebuyers can follow these helpful real estate tips when it’s time to scout out their perfect home on the Main Line. So, you’re ready to buy your first home on the Main Line. Congratulations! This is a very big and exciting step, and you probably have a lot of questions. We’ve compiled a list of tips to prepare you for the home buying process. Continue reading ...

Are you planning on purchasing your first home? As a first-time buyer, you might be surprised by some of the home buyer's costs you will regularly need to pay. While some monthly housing expenses, like your mortgage payments, are apparent, they aren't your only costs. Continue reading ...

For many home shoppers, buying a house right now can seem like a very pricey pipe dream. Mortgage interest rates still hover at an uncomfortably high mid-6% range for 30-year fixed-rate loans. And the Realtor.com® economists expect home prices will rise 5.4% year over year in 2023. Continue reading ...

Super Bowl weekend is the unofficial kick-off to the peak spring home buying and selling season, according to many real estate agents. Continue reading ...

Investing in a condo is a great way to build your wealth and increase your net worth, but as with any major purchase Continue reading ...

There is a growing feeling among Americans that the housing market is getting worse. A survey released by Fannie Mae in October 2022 shows that the share of people who... Continue reading ...

Financing a home can be one of the biggest financial decisions you ever make. With so many factors to consider, it can be a daunting process. Before you take the plunge and commit to a home loan, it’s important to understand the basics of financing your home. Continue reading ...

Are you looking for a Central Valley Realtor to help you buy or sell a property in the region? Continue reading ...

Is the real estate market really crashing? There has been much speculation lately about the state of the real estate market, with some saying it’s on the brink of disaster and others arguing it’s still a sound investment. Continue reading ...

Choosing the best mortgage interest rate for yourself can be a daunting task. With so many different options available, it can be difficult to determine which rate is right for you. Continue reading ...

Are you thinking about buying a home but feel like you don’t have enough information to move forward? If so, you’re not alone. Many people feel the same way when they’re considering buying a home. Continue reading ...

Selling your home is an emotional experience. You have to be prepared to let go, and often that’s not easy. Click here for tips on why your house hasn't been selling Continue reading ...

Selling your home can be a complicated and stressful process, especially if you’re trying to do it quickly. For many people, the idea of staging their home to sell it faster and for more money sounds like an impossible task. But with the right amount of preparation, your home can sell much quicker and for more money by following a few simple home staging tips. If you’re hoping to sell your house as quickly as possible while also getting the most money possible for it, read on for some expert advice on how you can accomplish both of those things with the help of professional home staging services. Continue reading ...

Selling your home in today’s market isn’t easy. The housing inventory is low, demand is high, and buyers have a lot of options when it comes to buying. That being said, selling your home can be an excellent opportunity for you to unlock equity that you might not have been able to access otherwise. With the right strategy and the right real estate agent, there’s no reason why you can’t sell your home quickly and for top dollar. Here are some tips on how to sell your home fast and for top dollar. Continue reading ...

Becoming a homeowner can be challenging enough under good circumstances. Continue reading ...

As the housing market cools, you may be wondering whether you’re ready. Here are four key questions you can ask yourself to help decide. Continue reading ...

First-time home buyers have returned to the housing market and those who can afford a home are finding success after years of setbacks. The share of buyers purchasing a home for the first time has rebounded to pre-pandemic levels. Continue reading ...

If you’ve been house-hunting in recent years, you’ve really been through it. Maybe you were waiting out the market, hoping the rocketing prices would start to flatten. Now, of course, they have — but between 2021 and 2022, mortgage rates have more than doubled, from less than 3 percent to nearly 7 percent. Continue reading ...

Searching for home sales tips? If so, you've come to the right place! Continue reading ...

If you put off your home search at any point over the past two years, you may want to consider picking it back up based on today’s housing market conditions. Recent data shows the supply of homes for sale is increasing, giving buyers like you additional options. Continue reading ...

For the past 2 plus years, the housing market has been moving at breakneck speed. The pace and price of real estate are a boon to sellers, whose homes occasionally inspire bidding wars or appraisal guarantees that put extra cash in their pockets. Continue reading ...

Mortgage interest rates shot up in recent months. And buyers are well aware that inventory remains low while home prices continue to rise. In this environment, some prospective home buyers will inevitably decide to wait thing out and buy a house in 2023 instead. That can be a smart strategy, depending on your financial situation and life goals. But there’s no guarantee the market will be easier next year. So while you’re waiting, take steps to improve your finances and better your odds at securing the home you want. Here’s what to do. Continue reading ...

First-time home buyers Courtney Culbreath and her husband, Tyler Graham, say they’ve been helped and hurt by the fast-moving housing market that is simultaneously cooling down soaring demand yet ratcheting up mortgage rates, which had been rock bottom for years. Continue reading ...

Are you planning on selling your house in 2022? If so, click here to learn 6 tips for successfully selling your home. Continue reading ...

Are you planning on buying your first home in 2022? If so, you've come to the right place! Click here for tips you can use on how to buy your first home Continue reading ...

Planning on buying a house with cash? If so, you may be wondering if that's a smart idea, or if you should finance it. Click here for tips! Continue reading ...

It’s possible that buying a house is the biggest purchase you’ll ever make. And although becoming a homeowner can feel like an exciting new chapter, you shouldn’t take on homeownership until you’re ready. Continue reading ...

The housing market is hot right now — if you’re a seller. Buyers, on the flip side, are having a harder time finding homes. Continue reading ...

Do I need a Realtor to buy a house? You’re not legally required to work with a Realtor when you buy a house. But it usually makes sense to do so especially if you’re a first-time buyer in the current market. Continue reading ...

Yes, prices are up and mortgage rates are rising, but history suggests that waiting probably won't be the right choice. Continue reading ...

If you're buying a home, it's easy to act based on emotion and move forward with making an offer if you fall in love with a particular property. But you should remember that buying a house is a huge investment and will likely come with a large mortgage payment, so you don't want to rush into the process of picking a property and end up with a place that has major issues. Continue reading ...

Mortgages come in all shapes and sizes, from low down-payment options to jumbo loans. Beyond the type of mortgage you choose, you must also decide how long you want to repay the loan, which is called the mortgage term. Continue reading ...

The one-two punch of rapid home price increases and a sharp rise in mortgage rates is beginning to push some prospective home buyers out of the market, according to new research by Redfin real estate brokerage. Continue reading ...

While the thought of finally owning your dream home is exciting, 54% of first-time homebuyers view the actual homebuying process Continue reading ...

The housing market is expected to return to pre-pandemic, 2019 norms — at least in terms of inventory and the share of purchases made by first-time home buyers — by 2024, according to a panel of housing market experts polled in the latest Zillow home price expectations survey. Continue reading ...

RealtyTrac reports that February is one of the best times to buy a home, and with mortgage rates continuing to inch up, the perfect time to invest in a second home as a source of rental income could be right now. Continue reading ...

Anyone out there searching for a new place to live knows there is not much to buy. Total supply and new listings are at record lows, and that means that what is on the market now is selling fast. Really fast. Continue reading ...

The profit on a typical home sale last year was just over $94,000, an increase of 45% from the profit in 2020 and 71% from pre-pandemic profits. Continue reading ...

Are you thinking about selling your home? If so, click here to learn more about things you should not fix before selling your home. Continue reading ...

For many homeowners, the current real estate market is very frustrating. While mortgage rates remain low by historical standards -- even if they've climbed from recent record lows -- housing prices are still high in many locations across the U.S. Making matters worse, low inventory has contributed to more competition for the limited number of available properties on the market.

If you're trying to purchase a home, this can all be quite stressful -- especially if you've made several offers and they haven't been accepted. Multiple rejections may tempt you to find ways to make your offer more competitive. And if you're already at the top of your budget, this option may include waiving inspection on homes you're interested in.

While it may seem like a good idea, not making your offer contingent on a satisfactory home inspection could be a major regret later on. Here's why.

Giving up a home inspection could cost you in the end

Waiving a home inspection can make your offer more attractive to sellers because there's less of a chance of the deal falling apart. Sellers are often afraid that buyers will use inspections to try to negotiate the price down by nitpicking over minor problems that professional inspectors discover.

The problem is, without a professional inspection, it's really difficult to know what a home's actual condition is. While sellers in most parts of the country are required to disclose serious known defects, they don't always do that -- or they may not be aware of major problems.

Often, the most costly and expensive issues to fix (such as problems with the roof, electrical wiring, or plumbing) may not be apparent to the naked eye, leaving sellers unaware of them. Without a professional inspection, buyers may find themselves with a money pit that costs a fortune to fix.

What should you do instead of waiving the inspection?

If you want to make your offer more attractive by reducing the risk to sellers that you'll use the inspection as leverage to drop the price, there's another option you could try that still protects you.

You could make an offer contingent on the inspection, but indicate in your offer that the inspection is for informational purposes only, unless a major problem shows up. You'll typically need to put a dollar amount on what you consider a major issue. For example, you may specify that the inspection will be informational, and you'd only ask for repairs or a price drop on the home if the inspection reveals problems that would cost more than $20,000 to repair.

By taking this approach, your offer will still stand out among the crowd, but you won't put yourself at risk of incurring huge costs for a home or perhaps even buying a house that can't be fixed at all.

Ultimately, you should talk to your realtor about the best way to make your offer competitive, but this can be a good middle ground that's a win-win for both you and the seller by protecting both of your interests during the sale process.

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The housing market in 2021 proved to be a competitive one. As the year comes to a close, some prospective buyers and sellers may be left wondering what’s to come for 2022. Realtor.com has revealed their housing forecast for 2022 and they anticipate an energetic year ahead for buyers, especially first-timers. Continue reading ...

Higher prices are almost everywhere. Americans are paying more these days for products like food and gasoline, thanks to rising inflation. Continue reading ...

Congratulations! You’ve finally decided to build or buy a home. As probably the biggest purchase you will make in your lifetime.... Continue reading ...

Technology has made it easier than ever to shop for houses online — even if you're just window shopping for your million-dollar dream home. Continue reading ...

Home buying is a major life step for most people, so we were curious to see how women are currently feeling about making the big purchase. We partnered with Rocket Mortgage on a study to take the pulse of what home buying timelines look like for women around the country. Continue reading ...

It's no secret the housing market has been on fire lately. According to the National Association of Realtors, increased demand colliding with a slightly increased but still-limited housing supply pushed the median house price in the US to $363,300 in June. Continue reading ...

You could end up regretting your purchase if you make these first-time home buyer mistakes. Buying a new home for the first time is really exciting. But it can also be a complicated transaction, as well as an expensive one. Continue reading ...