Save the Veterans on Homebuying
December 12, 2022
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Hope for Turnaround After Contract Signings Fall Again
December 12, 2022
November 30, 2022By: Melissa Dittmann TraceyPending home sales continued to fall in October as higher mortgage rates shook buyer confidence. Read more from NAR’s latest home sales report.Pending home sales fell for the fifth consecutive month in October as rising mortgage rates brought many housing markets to a halt. But now that rates show signs of stabilizing, ...
How to Prepare Your Home for the Season
December 09, 2022
If you're preparing your home for fall and winter, you're probably looking forward to family gatherings and other holiday fun. However, you may run into seasonal challenges if you also plan on selling your home during this busy time. Distracted buyers, home staging issues, and the end of daylight savings time offer prime examples.Are you preparing ...
Sprucing House Up 2023
December 09, 2022
https://www.thespruce.com/2023-design-trends-6743803The 2023 Design Trends We Already Have Our Eyes On!!It might seem early to start looking at 2023 trends, but if there’s anything we’ve learned from talking to designers and trend forecasters, the best way you can keep your space feeling fresh is by planning ahead.We recently connected with some of our favorite ...
U.S. Foreclosure Completions Increase Annually By 64 Percent In November 2022
December 09, 2022
Foreclosure Activity Remains Up 57 Percent from Last Year, and Foreclosure Starts Increase Annually by 98 Percent; But Both Measures Down from October 2022IRVINE, Calif. — Dec. 8, 2022 — ATTOM, a leading curator of real estate data nationwide for land and property data, today released its November 2022 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report, which shows there ...
Good news for buyers
December 08, 2022
Good news for buyers! Todays slowing home market comes with some great advantages for home buyers.There are many more homes to choose from than there were in the spring and summer. While it is still a sellers market, it is moving toward more advantages for buyers.Bidding wars have decreased!When there is a frenzy, ...
Mortgage rates see largest monthly drop since 2008
December 08, 2022
Mortgage rates have fallen every week for the past month, with the average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage retreating further to 6.65%. Borrowing costs dipped across all fixed-rate mortgage products, including FHA loans, VA loans and 30-year jumbo loans. Meanwhile, adjustable mortgage rates stayed relatively stagnant.Here are the current average mortgage rates, without discount points unless ...
How to Prepare to Finance a Home
December 07, 2022
Develop a budget.Instead of telling yourself what you’d like to spend, use receipts to create a budget that reflects your actual habits over the last several months. This approach will better factor in unexpected expenses alongside more predictable costs such as utility bills and groceries. You’ll probably spot some ways to save, whether it’s cutting ...
12 Tips to Make Your Home More Energy Efficient
December 06, 2022
Now that the winter months are upon us, do you once again dread another season of sky-high heating and electric bills? Although you may blame this on inflation and other factors that are out of your control, as a homeowner, you have control over how efficiently your home uses energy. To use power more efficiently to save yourself a ...
Foreclosure Rates for All 50 States in October 2022
December 02, 2022
After last month’s short–but sweet–downtick in foreclosure rates, October has reestablished the year-long trend of increased filings. The number of U.S. housing units that went into foreclosure in October 2022 was 32,376, according to the experts at ATTOM Data Solutions. This is a considerable 57% surge from a year ago. However, it is only ...
FEDERAL HOUSING ADMINISTRATION ANNUAL REPORT SHOWCASES CONTINUED LEADERSHIP IN AFFORDABLE HOME FINANCING AND STRENGTH OF THE MUTUAL MORTGAGE INSURANCE FUND
November 18, 2022
HUD No. 22-235HUD Public Affairs(202) 708-0685FOR RELEASETuesdayNovember 15, 2022 Annual report to Congress highlights FHA’s leading role in supporting affordable home financing for first-time homebuyers and borrowers of color, providing assistance to struggling homeowners, and addressing housing supply and affordability.WASHINGTON – The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) today released its Annual Report to Congress on the financial status ...
Creating Curb Appeal
November 18, 2022
Someone said, “a stunning first impression was not the same thing as love at first sight. But surely it was an invitation to consider the matter.” This could not be truer than in selling a home. First impressions matter. Sometimes they are everything.Nothing sets the tone of a relationship or transaction more than first impressions. So, ...
HOME FLIPPING DECLINES AGAIN ACROSS U.S. DURING THIRD QUARTER OF 2022 AS INVESTOR PROFITS HIT 13-YEAR LOW
November 16, 2022
ATTOM, a leading curator of real estate data nationwide for land and property data, today released its third-quarter 2022 U.S. Home Flipping Report showing that 92,422 single-family houses and condominiums in the United States were flipped in the third quarter. Those transactions represented 7.5 percent of all home sales in the third quarter of 2022, ...
Practice The "Three C's" In Every Real Estate Transaction
November 15, 2022
Let's face it. Right now is a tough time for buyers and sellers. Buyers are facing high interest rates, while sellers are facing declining prices. These situations can most certainly cause frustration, and this frustration could be transferred to the agent of both parties. As a result, friction can result during negotiations and when under contract. However, when ...
Investor Series – 1031 Tax Free Exchanges
November 15, 2022
This is another installment on our investor series articles. Today we are going to discuss 1031 tax free exchanges.A 1031 exchange is a swap of one investment property for another that allows capital gains taxes to be deferred. The term comes from Section 1031 of the IRS Internal Revenue Code. IRS has some rules regarding ...
Low Supply Keeps Homes Selling Quickly
November 14, 2022
"The housing market has shifted. Higher rates, slower demand, and economic uncertainty have cooled the pace of the once hot market. But while a lot has changed, a lot has also stayed the same. For example, according to the National Association of Realtors, homes are still selling quickly, and prices continue to rise – even if they have ...
To Decorate or Not To Decorate
November 14, 2022
Should you decorate your home for the holidays if you are listing it or already have it on the market? Generally when you put your home on the market, real estate agents advise you to remove personal effects and “de-clutter” the home so prospective buyers can visualize themselves living there, but what about if you are ...
5 Tips for Keeping Your Heating System
November 14, 2022
During those colder months it’s important to make sure your heating system is running as effectively as possible! Here are some tips that will help do that from the outside to inside of your home.Keep equipment clear of debrisRemove any dead leaves or sticks present that may be blocking fansWhen blocked it limits airflow and decreases ...
Home Equity Can Save the Day
November 14, 2022
Economists in the real estate industry are all in agreement that there is no chance of a foreclosure crisis like what we saw in the mid-2000's. In fact, the overall percentage of homeowners at risk of foreclosure has decreased significantly since Spring of 2020 when prices really started to soar.If you are facing difficulties, you have ...
Woodstock foresees 4 percent property tax increase in 2023
November 14, 2022
If preliminary numbers hold, the city of Woodstock’s portion of your tax bill next year will increase by 4.15 percent. That means a $150,000 home will pay $33.31 more than last years....
VA Pest Inspection Fees and Repair Costs
November 10, 2022
Veterans Benefits AdministrationCircular 26-22-11 Department of Veterans Affairs June 15, 2022Washington, D.C. 20420 Pest Inspection Fees and Repair Costs1. Purpose. This Circular addresses the Department of Veterans Affairs policies regarding wood destroying ...
US inflation eased to 7.7% over past 12 months
November 10, 2022
by: The Associated Press via Nexstar Media WireNovember 10, 2022 WASHINGTON (AP) — Price increases moderated in the United States last month in the latest sign that the inflation pressures that have gripped the nation might be easing as the economy slows and consumers grow more cautious.Consumer inflation reached 7.7% in October from a year earlier and ...
How To Sell Your Home During a Real Estate Slowdown
November 10, 2022
By Kathleen WillcoxNov 10, 2022Selling a home is no longer the easy feat it was last year—or even six months ago.Between the news that we already seem to be slipping into an unofficial recession and a serious home market slowdown, many sellers feel like they’re facing a Sisyphean task. The Federal Reserve’s latest interest rate ...
Housing sales have slowed
November 10, 2022
Housing sales have definitely slowed! Rising interest rates, seasonal slowdowns, and inflation have all caused the buyers to put on the brakes. What can a seller do to make their home the one buyers want to look at in this season? First is appropriate pricing.... now isnt the time to test the market. If ...
What the Fed’s November rate hike means for homebuyers and sellers
November 10, 2022
https://www.bankrate.com/real-estate/how-fed-rate-hike-affects-housing/New month, new meeting — but the same result: The Federal Reserve’s raised interest rates again.In an effort to rein in raging inflation, the Fed boosted interest rates in March 2022, and again early May. It raised them even more in June, by three-quarters of a percentage point — which was, at the time, the ...