Real Estate
The Cost of Renting vs. Buying in the US [INFOGRAPHIC] Some Highlights: Historically, the choice between renting or buying a home has been a tough decision. Looking at the percentage of income needed to rent a median-priced home today (29.2%) vs. the percentage needed to buy a median-priced home (15.8%), the choice becomes obvious. Every…
Avoid mortgage mistakes when buying a home. We all know that searching for and viewing potential homes is the fun part of the home-buying process. The not-so-fun part? The mortgage. But if you don’t pay attention to the details, your mortgage can end up dragging down the enjoyment of your new home and cause some…
Staying on top of the latest bathroom decor trends isn’t for everyone, but even for traditionalists, it can be fun to incorporate some new ideas. Here are five bathroom decor trends that are appearing in 2017. Geometric Patterns: Many homeowners are selecting bold patterns in geometric shapes, like chevrons, triangles, or hexagons. These patterns can…
What is affecting your property values? Some the features that increase property values are obvious-like a remodeled bathroom, a modern kitchen, or a just redecorating. But here are a few features and circumstances you have not have realized can affect property values. The neighbors: Not every neighborhood or community has an HOA that can keep…
Supply & Demand Problem Plaguing New Construction Many real estate economists have called on new home builders to ramp up new construction production to help relieve the shortage of inventory of homes for sale throughout the United States. The added inventory would no doubt aid buyers in their search to secure their dream home, while…
The results of the latest Rent vs. Buy Report from Trulia show that homeownership remains cheaper than renting with a traditional 30-year fixed rate mortgage in the 100 largest metro areas in the United States. The updated numbers actually show that the range is an average of 3.5% less expensive in San Jose (CA), all…
RENT vs. BUY Debate In a blog post published last Friday, CNBC’s Diana Olnick reported on the latest results of the FAU Rent vs. Buy Index. The index examines the entire US housing market and then isolates 23 major markets for comparison. The researchers at FAU use a “‘horse race’ comparison between an individual that…
Home Ownership According to a recent report by Trulia, “buying is cheaper than renting in 100 of the largest metro areas by an average of 33.1%.” The report may have some people thinking about buying a home instead of signing another lease extension, but does that make sense from a financial perspective? Ralph McLaughlin, Trulia’s Chief Economist explains: “Owning a…
When a homeowner decides to sell their house, they obviously want the best possible price for it with the least amount of hassles along the way. However, for the vast majority of sellers, the most important result is actually getting their homes sold. In order to accomplish all three goals, a seller should realize the…
Here are five reasons listing your home for sale this summer makes sense. 1. Demand Is Strong The latest Buyer Traffic Report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) shows that buyer demand remains very strong throughout the vast majority of the country. These buyers are ready, willing and able to purchase… and are in…
If you are debating listing your house for sale this year, here is the #1 reason not to wait! Buyer Demand Continues to Outpace the Supply of Homes for Sale The National Association of REALTORS’ (NAR) Chief Economist Lawrence Yun recently commented on the inventory: “Last month’s dip in closings was somewhat expected given that there…
In school, we all learned the theory of supply and demand. When the demand for an item is greater than the supply of that item, the price will surely rise. SUPPLY The National Association of Realtors (NAR) recently reported that the inventory of homes for sale stands at a 3.8-month supply. This is considerably lower than the 6-month supply…
There are some people who have not purchased homes because they are uncomfortable taking on the obligation of a mortgage. Everyone should realize that, unless you are living with your parents rent-free, you are paying a mortgage – either yours or your landlord’s. As Entrepreneur Magazine, a premier source for small business, explained this month…
According to the latest report from the US Census Bureau, more Americans chose purchasing a home over signing a lease to rent in the first quarter of 2017. This marks the first time since 2006 that the number of new homeowner households outpaced the number of new renter households. Of the 1.22 million new households…
Whether you are buying or selling a home it can be quite an adventurous journey, which is why you need an experienced real estate professional to guide you on the path to your ultimate goal. In this world of instant gratification and internet searches, many sellers think that they can For Sale by Owner or…
People often ask if now is a good time to buy a home, but nobody ever asks when a good time to rent is. Regardless, we want to make certain that everyone understands that today is NOT a good time to rent. The Census Bureau recently released their 2017 first quarter median rent numbers. Here is a graph…