Act Quickly to Avoid Foreclosure
Experts say that a 2008-style housing crash is unlikely to happen now, if only because lending standards are much tighter than they were prior to the Great Recession. Still, foreclosures are starting to tick upward.
Title Theft Company Lies to Consumers
Calculating people are always looking for ways to separate the rest of us from our money. Such, it appears, is the case with Home Title Lock, an outfit that promises to “protect” you from home title theft.
Homebuyers Spend $14K on Houses Post-Purchase
You’ve paid an ungodly amount for your house. You’ve also paid more than you can believe in closing costs. But if you are like the typical homebuyer, your spending isn’t over.
Listing Data Can Come Up Short
Three out of four homebuyers start their house hunt online. But if that’s the extent of your search, you could be missing out on any number of places that fit your parameters.
Signs Are Still Silent Salespeople
Some sellers have a good reason for not wanting one. But for most people, “For Sale” signs are a 24-hour marketing tool that shouldn’t be ignored, even as house hunts mostly start online.
What’s on the Other Side of the Fence?
You can’t pick your neighbors. You can pick your neighborhood, though, and it is a good idea to give that as much thought as the house itself, even in a beggars-can’t-be-choosers market like this.
Signs Point to Housing Slowdown
Owners who are just now putting their homes on the market appear to be an optimistic bunch. Whether they are too hopeful remains to be seen, but the signs are pointing to a slowdown that could stop the march of ever-higher prices.
Buyers Have Alternatives as Mortgage Rates Rise
Rising mortgage rates are sidelining many would-be homebuyers. But there are two ways to meet the challenge.
Mortgage Market Opens for Gig Workers
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac shut many self-employed buyers out during the pandemic. But now, those rules are gone and some lenders, perhaps sensing a grand opportunity to boost market share, are targeting gig workers directly.
Agent Fees Are Negotiable? Yeah, Right
The agents that buyers use to visit houses and write up a contract are paid their share of the sales commission by the seller’s agent. They are paid whatever the seller’s agent offers – usually half of whatever the seller’s agent charges.
Stopping ‘Legal’ Tax Lien Thievery
Deborah Foss is a 67-year-old grandmother in New Bedford, who survives on a small fixed income from Social Security. She has several medical conditions, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia, COPD and neuropathy. Why did the state of Massachusetts take her house away?
Homebuilder Incentives on the Horizon
Short-term interest rate buy-downs and free or discounted upgrades may soon be coming to a housing market near you.
Homebuying Frenzy Continues Despite Obstacles
Wits’ End would make an appropriate name for a new subdivision in today’s wild housing market. While there’s not yet such a place on the map, many would-be buyers are quickly running out of patience.
How to Trim Your Buyer’s Closing Costs
You’ve scrimped and saved, and you finally have enough money for a decent down payment. But do you have enough to cover your closing costs, too?
Help for Down Payments Available
The Build Back Better legislative package championed by President Joe Biden contains billions for down payment assistance. But rookie buyers don’t have to wait for Congress to act – if it ever does.
The Quest for More Square Footage Continues
In the hunt for more space, houses are being built larger, with more amenities packed both inside and outside their walls. Last year, the average new house was 2,561 square feet.
Post-Surfside Rules Create Condo Financing Problems
Buyers in some buildings may soon be finding it difficult to secure financing because of new rules regarding deferred maintenance, structural issues and underfunded reserve accounts.
New Ways to Build Take Center Stage
Houses made out of Lego blocks? How about affordable homes built from 3D printers? All of these ideas and more have moved off the drawing board and into the marketplace.
Why Some Owners Are Staying Put
New affordability estimates show why so few houses are on the market: Owners who might want to sell may not be able to afford to buy another house. Even if they could find one.
These Days, Buyers Must Be Careful
Amid a white-hot housing market, over 100,000 rookies have joined the real estate industry to cash in on what they think is an “easy money” market.
