Many experts predict that 2017 will be a good year for the housing market. Total housing sales have recently increased, while the number of foreclosures has decreased. Overall, the housing market is behaving normally, and we should expect the trends of the past few years to continue in 2017. The only possible disruption to these trends could come from uncertainty …
FHA loans are well known for helping buyers obtain a very affordable house payment. Well FHA, one of the most popular loan programs, just became even cheaper because HUD lowered FHA PMI rates for the 2nd time in 2 years. The charts below compare the prior and now improved FHA PMI rates for varying down payment and loan amounts. FHA …
It is critical to respond to counteroffers as soon as possible and to avoid making a counteroffer with any term that is not truly a deal breaker. Delays in responding leave space open for another buyer to step in and create a bidding war, or even more likely, for the seller to perceive that other serious buyers might be out …
You’ve scouted out the best mortgage rate and fought hard to get the best price on your new home. But your bargaining shouldn’t stop there. 1.1 million new households were formed during the third quarter of 2016, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. This figure includes households formed in both rented and owner-occupied units. Out of the 1.1 million total …
LED lamps are relatively simple to work with – requiring no ignition voltage to start, and generating no nasty spikes or surges. Observing some simple rules of thumb, however, will improve the efficiency of the lamp and prolong its life. Applications with exacting requirements in terms of light wavelength or other performance can also be readily addressed, provided that some …
A fixed-rate mortgage has an interest rate that stays the same for a set period. This could be anything from two to ten years. Your repayments are the same every month and you don’t need to fear fluctuations in interest rates. The rate will remain the same over the specified period, no matter what happens to the Bank of England’s …
There are many reasons why stepping into home ownership is a struggle for many first-time buyers. Young buyers have to deal with housing inventory and affordability issues, high student-loan debt, rising rents in many cities popular with young people, and jobs that don’t allow them to save up enough money to move out of their parents’ homes. There’s another underreported …
While the debate over climate change rages on, energy-efficient features have become a key attraction for today’s home buyers. The National Association of Realtors’ 2009 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers found that nearly 90 percent of buyers considered heating and cooling bills important, and more than 70 percent wanted high-efficiency appliances. “One of the things that we as advocates …
There aren’t many things that make a home feel like home or increase its value like beautiful wooden floors. You can choose between solid or engineered and both have pluses and minuses. Some do better with kids and animals and others are better for areas that don’t have heavy traffic. The biggest thing to keeping your hardwood floors looking pristine …
It seems like with the unpredictable 2017 housing market up and coming, many people are in the market to sell their homes and upgrade. This is the most basic info one could wish for when trying to improve your overall home quality and up those home offer prices for good. Realty Training 101: How to Sell Houses and Help Clients