Year after year, home buyers continue to make the same mistake…
They wait until they find their dream home to start the process of qualifying for a home loan.
Getting pre-approved for a home loan should actually be the very first step in your house hunt! Continue reading
It can be so easy to get caught up in things like curb appeal and low prices while searching for a new home. While these things are definitely enviable qualities for any new home, they also tend to distract potential home owners from other, more unworthy elements a house on the market might be hiding. Buyers should always be mindful of these red flags: Continue reading
Moving during the fall season can be a difficult task. You schedule fills up with work as well as kids’ school schedules and extra curricular activities. As busy as you may be, there are ways to make moving during the fall less stressful. Continue reading
Overall, there’s been a lot of discussion about millennial home-buying habits. While the housing market has recovered since the 2008 bust, many millennials are still not buying homes. It’s a divergence from an old pattern in the United States, where home ownership has always been viewed as one of the key pillars to building wealth. According to research from the Urban Institute, home ownership among millennials aged 25 to 34 is eight percentage points lower than baby boomers at the same age and more than eight points lower than Generation X. Continue reading
Twelve days before Thanksgiving, Mark Meaney and his wife, Sue, decided to put their 109-year-old house on the market. They looked at comps of similar-sized homes near their St. Paul neighborhood, agreed on a price with their agent and waited anxiously for their first offer to roll in. Continue reading
The 2018 real estate market is hot. Buyers are facing a shortage of inventory and sellers are selling their homes faster than previous years. Some markets are experiencing even greater real estate success with increasing home values, more interested buyers, and an influx of new residents. These are a few of the top booming real estate markets so far in 2018. Continue reading
Getting construction work done is always an exciting prospect, but it can also get very stressful . What could lessen the stress, however, is if you hire a good contractor for your project. To make sure you’re hiring the right contractor, you will need to ask certain essential questions. Here are a few: Continue reading
A few of the most common features that buyers look for when buying a house include the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, square footage, and whether or not the home has a garage. Then, there are the few important features that often get pushed to the bottom of the list. Don’t forget the following important features when choosing the right home for you and your family. Continue reading
Packing can be the most time-consuming part of moving, but doing it right can mean the difference between a successful move or a disaster, especially if you’re moving belongings that are fragile or of sentimental value. Here are some pack hacks to ease the process. Continue reading
Is it time to purchase your first home? Owning your own home may offer many advantages including building equity, qualifying for tax deductions, and having a place to call your own. It also requires a level of financial and emotional readiness. Evaluating your position in each of the following categories can help guide you as you make this important decision.
Monthly Finances
Purchasing a home is a big financial decision. In addition to making mortgage payments you also have to factor in additional costs such as taxes, homeowner’s insurance, homeowner’s association fees, city assessments, and household repairs. Mortgage companies use a debt to income ratio (DTI) to determine loan eligibility.