It’s one of the weirder documented facts about homebuying in America: Surprising numbers of consumers don’t bother to shop for mortgage money, even though they could save tens of thousands of dollars through lower interest payments by doing so.
Maryland’s SmartBuy program, which helps first-time homebuyers free themselves from student debt to buy state-owned REO properties, is featured in the March 2018 edition of the Down Payment Report.
Anxious prospective homebuyers have found a workaround to waiving home inspection contingencies, asking inspectors to do condensed “pre-offer” inspections – which may not be legal, or of much value.
A new report has found a record high number of assistance programs – more than 2,500 – are now available for today’s homebuyers, and the programs remained well funded in 2017.
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) predicts housing trends in 2018 will center around integrating technology and creating healthy and connected living environments.
