Real Estate Agent Tools
4 Things Real Estate Agents Want You to Know About Waiving a Home Inspection
Source:Apartment Therapy --- If you’re financing a home (translation: you’re not an all-cash buyer!), your lender will require you to get an appraisal to make sure the home is worth the price you’re paying for it. An appraisal is different from a home inspection,...
The Final Word on FICO’s Credit Checks and Inquiries.
Source: Blue Water Credit --- FICO is the preeminent credit reporting service in the United States, with 90% of all lending decisions in the United States dictated by FICO every single day. While there’s a lot of useful information about FICO (including our...
The number of single women homeowners continues to surpass the number of single men homeowners
Source: Bankrate --- Single women are a force to be reckoned with in residential real estate. Despite dealing with lower incomes than men, a pricey housing market and increasingly expensive mortgages, they comprise the second largest group of homebuyers — and have...
Getting a mortgage while on maternity leave
Source: Bankrate --- For many families, buying a home and having a baby are two big dreams on life’s to-do list. But what if you want to realize those dreams simultaneously? If you’re pregnant or a new mom trying to qualify for a mortgage, there’s a chance going on...
Broker thrives after overcoming market downturns
Source: MPA Mag --- Kristi Hardy (pictured) is a study in taking ownership of one’s own career path. Having previously worked in finance, sales and marketing, she sought a new career after a three-and-a-half year period of world travel in her 20s. “I started in the...
Moving On Up: From Condo to House in the 200 Largest U.S. Cities
Source: Point 2 Homes --- The spread of work-from-home arrangements amplified homeowners’ desire to upsize, with American condo-dwellers rethinking their space, as well as their proximity to neighbors. But is this attainable? Can condo owners even dream about upsizing...
Op-ed: Thinking of moving your primary residence to a tax-advantaged state? Take these steps
Source: CNBC --- It’s not unusual for wealthy taxpayers to relocate from high-tax states to low-tax states. There’s evidence in population trends: Texas and Florida — neither of which have a state income tax — were the states with the biggest population increases...
Homes with the Same Square Footage Can Appear to Be Wildly Different Sizes — Here’s Why
Source: Apartment Therapy --- Square footage in real estate isn’t too complex of a concept, even for a non-mathematically inclined person like myself. But I remember when it became very obvious to me that properties with similar square footage appear vastly different...
The Typical Down Payment Has Fallen 10% From A Year Ago As Housing Market Cools
Source: Redfin --- The typical U.S. homebuyer made a $42,000 down payment in January, the lowest level in nearly two years, amid rising mortgage rates and low competition The median down payment was equal to 10% of the purchase price, down from 14% a year earlier. ...
U.S. Home Sales Surge 14 Percent in February While Prices Drop
Source: The World Property Journal --- First National Median Home Price Decline In The U.S. In 11 Years According to the National Association of Realtors, U.S. existing-home sales reversed a 12-month slide in February 2023, registering the largest monthly percentage...
Greater Miami Area Condo Sales Implode 47 Percent in February
Source: World Property Journal --- Greater Miami area total residential sales decreased 39.9% year-over-year in February 2023, from 2,814 transactions to 1,692, says the Miami Association of Realtors. Breaking down Miami area sales data further, Miami area condo sales...
Slow Start to the Spring Homebuying Season
This week’s news that the Fed is modestly hiking interest rates and may pause them sooner than anticipated brought mortgage rates down for the second week in a row, according to a new report from Redfin, the technology-based real estate brokerage. Overall, the...
Recent Posts
HUD Updates 14 FHA Policies in Move to Improve Affordability- New Study: More Americans Favor Homebuying Over Renting for the First Time …
- Alabama Home Sales Up Nearly 12% from One Year Ago
- Supreme Court Offers Mixed Ruling in Michigan Equity Theft Case
- Investor Activity in Home Purchasing Holds Steady
