Blog

Remember how exciting it was to buy your first place? It felt like crossing a long-awaited finish line. It gave you a place to build your life. Maybe it’s where you lived when you got married. Or where you welcomed a child or a pet into the family. But that was just the beginning. For most people, your first house was never meant to be your forever home. It’s a stepping stone for what comes next. And if your life looks different today than it did when y...

Today's home prices have a lot of buyers – especially first-time buyers – wondering if there’s even anything out there that’s in their budget. But owning a home may be more within reach than you think. Sometimes, it just means considering a different type of home. Condos and townhomes can be a great way to buy without stretching every last dollar. And right now, two things make them worth a serious look. There Are More Condos and Townhomes To Choose Fro...

If you’ve thought about buying a home in the past few years, you may have run into two frustrations: asking prices that kept climbing and too few homes to choose from. In many places, both sticking points are letting up this summer, with lower asking prices and more homes for sale. Let’s look at the trends, and what they mean for your search. Sellers Are Pricing To Attract Buyers According to Realtor.com, the national median asking price was $430,000 in...

Quick gut reaction. Which investment do Americans trust more than stocks, gold, savings accounts, and bonds? The answer hasn't changed in 14 years. It's real estate. And this year, that answer comes with even more conviction behind it. New data shows people aren't just saying homeownership is a smart move, they're feeling better about it than they have in years. Let's dig into why. Real Estate Takes the Top Spot – Again Every year, Gallup asks Americans...

If you've been thinking about selling, you've probably seen plenty of headlines suggesting buyers have just about disappeared. But there's a big difference between a slow market and a stalled one. Yes, mortgage rates are still higher than most people would like. Homes aren’t selling as fast as they were. And every week seems to bring another headline about buyers sitting on the sidelines. But here's what you haven't heard. Despite everything going on, b...

Negotiations are back. More buyers are asking for better deals, and more sellers are giving them. Builders are throwing in extras, too. That’s why whether you’re buying or selling today, there are two terms you’ll hear a lot: concession and incentive. A concession is something a seller agrees to during negotiations to get a deal done. An incentive is a perk a builder (or a seller) advertises upfront to attract buyers. Let’s run through what you need to ...