Most home shoppers are currently undeterred by rising mortgage interest rates, a survey conducted by Redfin shows. In total, Redfin surveyed more than 4,000 people who had bought or sold a home in the last year, attempted to do so, or planned to do so soon. Among the more than 1,300 respondents who planned to…
Home improvements can rejuvenate a stale dwelling. But remodeling and renovations could set you back thousands of dollars for each room. A “midrange minor kitchen remodel” — including hardware, countertops, flooring and a refrigerator — is about $21,000, on average, according to Remodeling magazine’s 2018 Cost vs. Value report. But with the right approach, you can give…
It’s moving season. On average 3 million people move across state lines in the USA annually with most folks moving during the summer months. Statistically, the two busiest dates to move are July 1st and August 1st. If you plan on moving during the summer months and plan on hiring a licensed, reputable and professional…
So far, it has been a stellar year for home price appreciation. In fact, home prices in 2018 have seen the strongest gains to start any year since 2005, data from mortgage technology firm Black Knight shows. According to the firm’s Mortgage Monitor report, median home prices rose by 1.24% nationally since the start of 2018, with both January…
While the new Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) adversely shifts the playing field for home mortgage interest deductions, all is not necessarily lost. Many homeowners will be blissfully unaffected because “grandfather” provisions keep the prior-law rules in place for them. That said, many homeowners will be adversely affected by the TCJA provision that for…
Once home buyers and sellers have negotiated their way to an offer and have a closing date on the books, you’d think they’re totally in the clear, right? Well … not necessarily. Even the smoothest housing transactions can face a third-act twist no one saw coming. Here are some common speedbumps that can slow down a home sale—and…
The risk of defects in mortgage applications was flat in February compared with January, however, it was up 9.2% compared with February 2017, due mainly to the shift to a purchase market, according to First American’s Loan Application Defect Index. Still, the rate of defects was down 18.6% from the high point of risk in…
After tanking in January, pending home sales increased 3.1% in February compared with January to reach a score of 107.5 on the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) Pending Home Sales Index – however, they were down 4.1% compared with February 2017, due mainly you lack of supply. “Contract signings rebounded in most areas in February,…
Home sellers had it good at the end of last year, racking up profits they hadn’t seen in more than a decade, a new report finds. In the last quarter of 2017, sellers pocketed an average $54,000 over what they originally paid for their homes, according to a recent ATTOM Data Solutions report. That’s up 0.49% over…
Home buyers on a budget may want to have a seat and take a few deep breaths. Home prices around the country are continuing to surge—and they’re not likely to slow down any time soon. They shot up 6.6% year over year in December, according to CoreLogic‘s most recent Home Price Index and Home Price Forecast. (Prices barely rose from…