Blog – Page 648 of 820

30 Oct 2015

The Top 5 Home Features That Buyers Are Hunting For This Fall

Home Seller Tips

Whether you're getting prepared to buy a new home or just curious about upcoming trends in housing, there are a bevy of features gaining momentum on the real estate market. From top to bottom and room to room, here are five popular features that homebuyers will be sure to notice this fall. Bigger Is Not Necessarily Better There was a time when a bigger home meant a better home, but with the cost of maintenance and heating, bigger homes are experiencing a decline in popularity. Instead of sizeable mansions that look the part, buyers are becoming more interested in houses…

29 Oct 2015

By Mark Feder

Buying in a New Community: How to Meet and Make Friends with Your New Neighbors

Home Buyer Tips

One of the stresses of moving to a new area is giving up the familiarity that you have with your old neighbors and starting from scratch. Whether you've just moved to a different locale or you're planning to relocate in the near future, there are some easy ways that you can make a home of your new neighborhood right from the start. Stand Up and Smile While there are neighborhoods where people are definitely friendlier than others, by making your presence positively known you can make an instant impression on those that live around you. When you're walking around the…

28 Oct 2015

By Mark Feder

Case-Shiller: August Home Prices Accelerate

Market Outlook

According to the Case-Shiller 20-City Home Price Index, U.S. home prices increased by 0.40 percent in August, which boosted year-over-year home price growth to 5.10 percent. Denver, Colorado continued to lead in home price gains with a monthly increase of 0.90 percent and a year-over-year gain of 10.70 percent. San Francisco, California also posted a year-over-year gain of 10.70 percent, but posted a month-to-month loss of -0.10 percent. Portland, Oregon posted a year-over-year gain of 9.40 percent with a month-to-month gain of 1.10 percent. Cities with the slowest growing home prices year-over-year included New York City with a reading of…

27 Oct 2015

By Mark Feder

Mortgages 101: How to Calculate How Much You Will Need for Your Down Payment

Home Mortgage Tips

If you're planning to buy a home in the near future, you're probably already in the process of saving up for a down payment. But if you haven't seen a mortgage advisor or started looking at properties yet, you probably don't have a good idea of what a down payment will cost you. Different mortgages have different down payment requirements, and you'll need to figure out ahead of time how much of a down payment you need to put forward. Following are some general guidelines. Be sure to speak with a knowledgeable, local lender to get the best advice for…