Homeownership is the Top Contributor to Your Net Worth Many people plan to build their net worth by buying CDs or stocks, or just having a savings account. Recently, however, Economist Jonathan Eggleston and Survey Statistician Donald Hays, both of the U.S. Census Bureau, shared the biggest determinants of wealth, “The biggest determinants of household Continue Reading

What FICO® Score Do You Need to Qualify for a Mortgage? While a recent announcement from CNBC shares that the average national FICO® score has reached an all-time high of 706, the good news for potential buyers is that you don’t need a score that high to qualify for a mortgage. Let’s unpack the credit score myth so you can to become a homeowner sooner than you may Continue Reading

  Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, and the Mortgage Bankers Association are all projecting home sales will increase nicely in 2020. Below is a chart depicting the projections of each entity for 2019, as well as for 2020.As we can see, Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, and the Mortgage Bankers Association all believe homes sales will increase Continue Reading

5 Reasons to Sell This Fall Below are 5 compelling reasons listing your home for sale this fall makes sense. 1. Demand Is Strong The latest Buyer Traffic Report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) shows that buyer demand remains strong throughout the vast majority of the country. These buyers are ready, willing, and able to purchase…and are in the market Continue Reading

Experts Predict a Strong Housing Market for the Rest of 2019 We’re in the back half of the year, and with a decline in interest rates as well as home price and wage appreciation, many are wondering what the predictions are for the remainder of 2019. Here’s what some of the experts have to say: Ralph McLaughlin, Deputy Chief Economist for CoreLogic “We see the cooldown Continue Reading

Contributed by Rick Ryan Editor's Note: This post was originally published on August 4, 2015. Housecall continues to share this piece due to ongoing requests and reader interest. Landscaping is one of the most important ways to increase your property’s value quickly. In fact, a gorgeous landscape design can increase the value of your home by at least 5 to 11 percent—and maybe more. Continue Reading

Fla. Realtors Pres. Sain: “Like the weather, July was a hot month for Fla.’s housing market.” Statewide existing single-family sales up 10.4% year-over-year, median price up 5.1% to $268K; condo sales up 4.3%, median price up 4.4% to $188K. ORLANDO, Fla. – Florida’s housing market reported more closed sales, more pending sales and higher median prices in July compared to a year ago, according Continue Reading

Many buyers are wondering where to find houses for sale in today’s market. It’s a true dilemma. We see an increase in buyer demand, but the supply available for purchase isn’t keeping up. The number of new housing permits issued prior to the great recession increased for 15 years until 2005 (from 1.12 million in 1990 to a pre-recession peak of 2.16 million in 2005). According to Apartment Continue Reading