In housing, it takes two to tango. Buyers have known for some time that low prices and low interest rates make it a good time to shop for a home, and now sellers are getting on the bandwagon. That could help solve the low-inventory problem that has dogged the market.… read more →
If you want to reduce your energy bill, enhance the comfort of your home, and do your part to save the environment from excessive energy or water waste, then it’s time to add some high-efficiency upgrades to your home. Environmentally friendly upgrades range from small, do-it-yourself projects to more time-consuming… read more →
Homeownership remains cheaper than renting nationally and in all of the 100 largest metro areas according to a recent report. Rising mortgage rates and home prices have narrowed the gap over the past year, though rates have recently dropped and price gains are slowing. Now, at a 30-year fixed rate of… read more →
Smart sellers spend a whole lot of time and energy strategizing about how to sell their homes for top dollar. They factor in buyer demand, the competition, the job market, the mortgage market and their agent’s track record. And that doesn’t even account for all the time spent understand recent… read more →
The U.S. economy is off to a bit of a rocky start in 2014, something that might actually benefit homebuyers this busy spring homebuying season. The unsteady – and frankly, at times unpredictable – economy has allowed mortgage rates to hit yearly lows as recently as the first week in… read more →
Mortgage rates in the U.S. fell, sending costs for 30-year loans to the lowest since early February as the Federal Reserve confirmed its commitment to provide support for the economic recovery. The average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage was 4.27 percent this week, down from 4.34 percent, according to… read more →
Retirees need to budget carefully to stay within their fixed income. If the value of their investments sinks after retirement, seniors often have little choice but to spend less or return to the workforce. But there are plenty of ways to make a little of extra cash without having to… read more →
New-home construction has seen consistent growth in the past three years, and sales of new homes are expected to increase by about 16 percent, or 580,000 homes, in 2014, according to Kiplingers Economic Outlooks. And as more homes are built, new architecture trends will begin to appear — slowly. Building is not… read more →
You were told it would cost $1,869 to move your belongings from Sterling, Va., to Carson, Nev. Instead, you paid $5,012.50. It took more than six weeks for your belongings to make the trip — and when they did, some were damaged or missing. To keep the same thing from happening… read more →
In January, asking home prices rose 1.1 percent month-over-month, the largest monthly gain since June 2013. But the quarter-over-quarter price increase of 2.1 percent remains below spring 2013 levels, when asking prices accelerated at their fastest rate in the recovery. Year-over-year, asking prices are up 11.4 percent nationally and are positive in… read more →