Real Estate

If you’re looking to buy a home in 2020, have you thought about putting your tax refund toward a down payment? Based on data released by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Americans can expect an estimated average refund of $2,962 when filing their taxes this year. The map below shows the average tax refund Americans received last year by state:According to programs from the Federal Housing...

Homes priced in the top 25% of a price range for a particular area of the country are considered “premium homes.” At the start of last year, many of the more expensive homes listed for sale hadn’t seen as much interest, since much of the demand for housing over the past few years has come from first-time buyers looking for starter homes. It looks like buyer activity, however, is starting to show a...

Movies, tv shows, and celebrities often have us dreaming of owning large homes, but the reality for most people is quite different. Since 2015, the square footage of newly built houses has been shrinking, according to Yahoo Finances. This is not projected to change as we continue into the beginning of the year. “We expect this downsizing trend to continue in 2020, driven by a confluence of economic and...

With school-aged children in your home, buying or selling a house can take on a whole different approach when it comes to finding the right size, location, school district, and more. Recently, the 2019 Moving with Kids Report from the National Association of Realtors®(NAR) studied “the different purchasing habits as well as seller preferences during the home buying and selling process.” This is...

We talk a lot about why it makes financial sense to buy a home, but more often than not we’re drawn to the emotional reasons for homeownership. No matter the size or shape of a living space, the feeling of a home means different things to different people. Whether it’s a certain scent or a favorite chair, the feel-good connections to our own homes are typically more important to us than the...

According to the ‘2019 Home Buyer Report’ conducted by Nerdwallet, many first-time buyers still believe they need a 20% down payment to buy a home in today’s market: “More than 6 in 10 (62%) Americans believe you must put at least 20% down in order to purchase a home.” When potential homebuyers think they need a 20% down payment to enter the market, they also tend to think they’ll have...

When searching for a home, you may end up selecting a property in a community with a Homeowners Association (HOA). Before you buy, it’s important to know how an HOA works and what they mean for you. According to a recent article on realtor.com, “In a nutshell, an HOA helps ensure that your community looks its best and functions smoothly…The number of Americans living in homes with HOAs is on the...

In the spring, many excited buyers get ready to enter the housing market. Others continue dreaming about the homes they’d like to buy. The truth is, many potential buyers continue to dream longer than they need to, simply because they’re confused about the homebuying process. Thankfully, working with a trusted real estate professional can help ease those concerns and make the process to homeownership...

There are many clear financial benefits to owning a home: increasing equity, building net worth, growing appreciation, and more. If you’re a renter, it’s never too early to make a plan for how homeownership can propel you toward a stronger future. Here’s a dive into three often-overlooked financial benefits of homeownership and how preparing for them now can steer you in the direction of greater...

Some are reporting that there is trepidation regarding the real estate market in the United States. Apparently, the American people are quite comfortable. Porch.com, a major network helping homeowners with their renovation projects, recently conducted a survey which asked Americans: “What do you believe is the safest investment over the next 10 years?” U.S. housing came in at number one, beating...