Taking Buying, Selling to New Heights
Two hot new trends in real estate – designing and buying a custom home sight-unseen, and having your home renovations paid for by someone else – could become forces in 2023’s housing market.
Higher Credit Report Fees Hit Homebuyers
As if rising mortgage rates and high house prices aren’t enough, some homebuyers are going to have to contend with credit reports that will cost 400 percent more in 2023 than it did in 2022.
Buyer’s Remorse in Store for ’23?
Buyer’s remorse is likely to take on a more sinister...War Stories: Selling During a Divorce
In a perfect world, a couple in the midst of a divorce would sit down together and calmly figure out what to do with their house. But, of course, this is not a perfect world.
Selling Need Not Be a Divorce Issue
There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to real estate. Each deal is different, and rarely does one go off without a hitch. But when it comes to divorce, selling a house becomes that much more complicated.
Catching Up on Hot Topics
With the end of the year rapidly approaching, it’s time to follow up on a few of the hottest topics this column covered since the first of the year. Here’s what happened to several of them.
What Truly Counts as ‘Falling’ Prices?
It’s that time of year when everyone makes bold predictions about what lies ahead in 2023. But I have my own theory. Yes, prices are coming down, but that doesn’t mean sellers are losing out.
Selling a Furnished House Can Be Problematic
Selling a property fully furnished is fairly common in vacation-home markets, where a house without furnishings can become a chore for buyers rather than an immediate retreat. But it’s probably not a smart decision most anywhere else.
Lies Your Agents Tell You
“The check is in the mail” is one of the great lies of all time. Real estate has its own set of lies, especially among agents who want to list your house for sale.
Title Options Cheaper – But Scary
As part of Uncle Sam’s efforts to make housing more affordable, some lenders are starting to accept alternatives to expensive title insurance. But at what price?
The Loan Process Can Be Haunted
Here is a spooky list, from real estate veterans, of the most common things that go “thump” in the loan process.
Survey Unpacks HOA Gripes
An estimated 74 million home and condominium owners now live in properties governed by associations of their fellow residents. And a new survey finds 4 out of every 5 folks living with an association would just as soon live elsewhere.
40-Year Listing Contracts Draw Complaints
Some clients of MV Realty are not pleased with the listing contracts the company has them sign. Some even say it’s fraud.
Winter Buyers: Be Ready to Be Nimble
Buying a house in the winter is a different animal, especially in colder climates where the weather can limit your ability to fully see a property.
Slow Going for Federal Real Estate Sales
A federal watchdog agency is raising flags about how a consolidation of government agencies offices could boost local economies as work-from-home reduces office requirements.
Cons and How to Spot Them
Confidence games come and go. But some seem to go on forever. And some real estate cons are worth remembering, if only because how successful they were.
How to Exit a Sales Contract
There are a bunch of ways to get out of your contract if you get cold feet. But failing to show up at the scheduled closing is not one of them. It’s wrong, and you could open yourself up to lawsuits.
Will FHFA Let Lenders Take Bite Out of Jumbo Market?
The mortgage market is in for another big shift in a few months. That’s when a sizable increase – roughly 12 percent or 13 percent – in the conforming loan limit appears likely to be announced.
A $127K Student Loan Balance Makes Homebuying Hard
Yes, the combination of rising mortgage rates and house prices are probably insurmountable for many young homebuyers. But new research has found that what’s really holding many of them back is the truckload of debt they’re carrying.
For Homebuilders, Something Has to Give
Homebuilders are cutting back: not just in the number of bedrooms, but also the number of bathrooms and anything else where they can make their plans less expensive to build.
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