Blog

Quick, what credit score do you need to buy a home? If a number pops into your head, there's a pretty good chance it's wrong. And the right answer is getting harder to pin down, because the way credit scores are determined and delivered is changing - for the better. Here's what you need to know in today's changing credit climate. #1 Most People Are Guessing Fannie Mae has been tracking consumer perceptions about mortgage requirements since 2015 and foun...

There's nothing quite like the excitement of getting an offer on your house. You're one step closer to moving on to what's next. But what happens if that buyer backs out or ghosts you before closing? If you've been seeing headlines about more home sales falling through lately, that possibility may be keeping you up at night. And it's true. According to Redfin and Cotality, canceled contracts have been on the rise. But here's what those headlines don't a...

Ryan Serhant, CEO of SERHANT, says there isn’t just 1 housing market right now. There are really 4: cash buyers, buyers who need a mortgage, homeowners with low mortgage rates, and builders. Today, let’s zoom in on the 1st group – cash buyers. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), 27% of homes sold in September were bought with all cash. That’s more than 1 in 4 buyers. And that’s a pretty big number, especially when so many people are...

Here's something most homebuyers don't think about. When the housing market slows down, homeowners and builders don't always respond the same way. Think about it. If you're selling your house and aren't getting the offers you want, you could make the choice to take it off the market and stay put, and wait for things to improve. But builders? They may be more motivated to stay the course. They've already invested money in building those houses. And every...

When mortgage rates climb, buying a home can start to feel like trying to hit a moving target. Every jump in rates makes monthly payments bigger, and that pushes a lot of buyers to look for another way in. More and more of them are finding it in the adjustable-rate mortgage, or ARM. The ARM Option Here’s how an ARM differs from a more traditional mortgage. With a regular fixed-rate mortgage, your rate stays the same for your whole loan. But with an ARM,...

Selling your house is a big step, and you want it to go smoothly. And with houses taking a little longer to sell these days, renting it out might start to sound like a nice backup plan. But the reality is, while renting can work well for some people, it’s also a big commitment. So before you decide, it helps to see the whole picture first. Why Some Sellers Are Deciding To Rent Instead Lately, some sellers are choosing to hang on to their houses and rent...