- What Is a Deed of Trust?
If you’re in the process of buying a home, you may have heard the term “deed of trust.” Depending on what state you live in, this may have come up more frequently than it would in other places. But what… read more…
- Is It Possible to Buy a Home for 2.5x Your Salary in America’s Biggest Cities?
How much home you can afford depends on your income. Many experts recommend that homebuyers should generally purchase homes worth 2.5 times their annual income. Yet, in many of the largest cities across the country the average homes have values which exceed seven times the average household’s income. Below we rank the largest cities according… read more…
- How Much Home You Can Buy With $100,000 in America’s Largest Cities
New York City is famous for its closet-sized apartments. San Francisco residents have become accustomed to living in tight quarters. But New York and San Francisco are extreme examples of expensive housing markets in America. To see just how extreme they are, we analyzed value per square foot data to see how much home $100,000 could… read more…
- What to Know About Buying a Condo
Condominiums can provide a stable, amenity-induced living experience at an affordable cost. For a number of people and families, condos offer a better option than a traditional home. However, it’s important to understand what you’re getting into before you take the… read more…
- The True Cost of Building a House
Looking for a new home can be frustrating. It can be hard to find exactly what you want in a certain neighborhood or in any homes you’ve visited. At some point, you might have even thought about building your own… read more…
- Pros and Cons of Buying Turn Key Homes
In the long term, it’s often smarter to buy a home than rent one. You could capitalize on both, though, through a real estate investment. You can buy a home for the eventual returns and rent it out to cover the… read more…
- The Best States to Buy Foreclosed Houses
Foreclosed houses can offer homebuyers a chance to invest in the housing market for far less money than they would normally be able to. But those steep discounts often come with some risk. There are often legal holdups making the foreclosure market different than the rest of the housing market and there is no guarantee that… read more…
- How to Buy a Pre-Foreclosure Home
Looking for an affordable home? If so, you may be wondering whether buying a pre-foreclosure home could help you land a bargain on your home purchase. Browsing real estate listings will show you that there are plenty of pre-foreclosure listings.… read more…
- The Best Cities for First-Time Homebuyers in 2017
Today’s young adults are waiting to buy homes. A recent survey from the National Association of Realtors revealed that the average first-time homebuyer is in her early 30s. Most of the people surveyed agreed that a home is a worthwhile investment. But the percentage of primary homes purchased by first-time buyers was down to 32%.… read more…
- How Long Does It Take to Buy a House?
We’ve all grown accustomed to instant gratification. We can get instant coffee and instant access to our favorite movies and TV shows. So when we actually have to wait for something, being patient can be challenging. This issue often arises… read more…
- When Can Homebuyers Sue Their Home Inspectors?
Getting an inspection is one of the most important steps of the home-buying process. The inspection is designed to assure homebuyers that a property has no major defects or issues that could delay a home sale. Problems can arise, however,… read more…
- The Best Time to Buy a House
Buying a home isn’t something you should do on a whim. After all, homebuyers have to make a lot of decisions. Besides choosing a location and deciding how much you’re willing to pay, you’ll need to think about when you… read more…
- Beware of These 5 Hidden Costs of a New Construction Home
If you’re ready to buy a home, you may be on the fence about whether to choose an existing property or build something from scratch. Going the new construction route has its perks – it’s move-in ready, all the appliances, cabinetry and flooring are virtually… read more…
- How to Finance a House Flip
Flipping houses isn’t always as glamorous as it looks on TV. But it can be a great way to bring in a steady stream of investment income. To get started, you’ll need some cash to finance your renovation project. Luckily,… read more…
- What Homebuyers Need to Know About Due Diligence
When you’re buying a home for the first time, you may encounter certain terms and phrases that you’ve never heard before. Once you’ve made an offer and entered into a contract with a seller, “due diligence” is one you’ll be… read more…
- Why Buying a Home May Be Hard If You’re Self-Employed
Mortgage rules have undergone numerous changes since the housing collapse to ensure that only qualified buyers have access to loans. Meeting certain lenders’ requirements can be particularly difficult if you’re self-employed. If you’re one of the nearly 15 million self-employed Americans and you’re hoping to buy a home this year, here’s what you’ll need to keep… read more…
- How Much Cash Do You Need When Buying a Home?
Mortgages can cause a lot of headaches, but for many people they are the only route to a new home. For a select few, though, buying a home outright with cash might be possible. Regardless, having cash on hand to close any deal is often a must. A down payment will be the most difficult to… read more…
- How Sellers Can Recover When the Homebuyer Backs Out
Selling a home can be stressful and the closer you get to finishing the deal, the brighter the light at the end of the tunnel. If the buyer backs out suddenly, however, that’ll put a major wrinkle in your plans… read more…
- How to Buy Land and What You Need to Know
If your dream home doesn’t have nearby neighbors, you probably need to buy land, on which you’ll build a house. Once you’ve found the perfect patch, you’ll need to work on securing the land. Many experts recommend paying for it in… read more…
- What Is a Seller Concession?
It’s amazing how many things can go wrong when you’re trying to buy a home. First, you might struggle to get preapproved for a mortgage or to pay for a down payment. And then when you’re nearing the closing table, a… read more…
- Getting a Home Inspection
The home-buying process can seem long-winded, especially if you’ve never gone through it before. By the time you near the closing stage, you may want to skirt over any steps that aren’t required. Although it might not be mandatory, it’s… read more…
- The Pros and Cons of Prefab Homes
If you can’t find a house you want to buy you may be tempted to build your home yourself. In that case, you’ll need to choose between a stick-built house and a prefab home. Stick-built means your home is built… read more…
- 5 Things to Know About Buying a Newly Constructed Home
Newly constructed homes can have a lot of appeal. If you buy a house before it’s actually built, you often have the chance to customize it based on your preferences. Or if the construction is already complete, you likely won’t have to worry about making repairs or renovations for a while. Despite the perks that go along with… read more…
- Is It Better to Buy or Build Your First Home?
The spring home-buying season is in full swing and first-time buyers are eagerly taking advantage of low interest rates as home prices continue to climb. Existing home sales are up since 2014 and the new construction business is booming once again. If you’re preparing to venture into home ownership, one of the first decisions you’ll… read more…
- 3 Pitfalls to Avoid When Buying a House With a Non-Spouse
Considering buying a house with a friend, brother or sister? What about your boyfriend, girlfriend or partner? You’re not alone. A growing number of unmarried people are buying homes with their relatives or partners. Find out now: How much house can I afford? A recent study found that 25 percent of now-married couples between the ages… read more…