Real Estate Blog

realtytimes.com - For many first-time buyers, buying a home can be a scary experience. They know they'll be maintaining or improving a home with little to no maintenance experience, so the solution is to buy a home in perfect condition. So they hire a home inspector to point out all the flaws.

The problem is -- no perfect home exists. Air conditioners break, plumbing pipes leak, and roof tiles blow off in the wind.

If you're buying a home, start with a reasonable expectation of what home inspectors can do. Their job is to inform you about the integrity and condition of what you're buying, good and bad.

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realtor.com - Millennials make up the second-largest generation in U.S. history, representing 20 million American households. While millennials have been dubbed the renting generation by some, they are starting to make strides in the housing market. In the summer of 2014, 30% of home buyers were millennials, according to an analysis from realtor.com®.

Even though more millennials plan to buy a home in 2015, your first home purchase can still be a scary proposition. After all, how do you know if you’re too young for homeownership? Here’s how to tell if you’re ready.

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realtor.com - Timing is everything in life—and it’s certainly key in getting a good home loan. A low-interest rate can save you a bundle over the life of a 30-year loan.

Because interest rates fluctuate daily, it’s difficult to know exactly when to pull the trigger. There are things you can do to improve your chance of success.

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zillow.com - Mortgage rates for 30-year fixed mortgages dropped this week, with the current rate borrowers were quoted on Zillow Mortgages at 3.56 percent, down 2 basis points from this time last week.

The 30-year fixed mortgage rate hovered between 3.53 percent and 3.77 percent for most of the week, dropping to 3.46 percent on Friday before returning to the current rate.

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Realtor.com - Timing is everything in life—and it’s certainly key in getting a good home loan. A low-interest rate can save you a bundle over the life of a 30-year loan.

Because interest rates fluctuate daily, it’s difficult to know exactly when to pull the trigger. There are things you can do to improve your chance of success.

To read more of this article, click the related link below:

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realtor.com - To celebrate the season, Michael and Sandra Genova on Friday threw open the 12-foot-wide back doors of their Spokane, Wash., home and let their 40 or so guests enjoy the deck, prime rib and panoramic views of the city and mountains. The temperature: the high 30s.

Mitigating the wintry weather are two infrared heaters installed in the ceiling of their outdoor lounge area. The warm air blankets the space, outfitted with plush furniture, a television and built-in barbecue. At the foot of the deck is a fire pit. For more adventuresome guests, there’s also a hot tub. The Genovas spent about $500,000 on their backyard to make sure parties al fresco could still be fun in frigid weather, said Mr. Genova, 55 and the owner of a company that makes

zillow.com - If your house is bursting at the seams, with every cabinet and closet filled to the brim, the solution to your storage woes may be as close as your garage. To make the best use of this space, however, you first need to corral its current chaos.

This is, fortunately, a relatively simple task if you incorporate a few good storage ideas. With careful planning and a little effort, you can transform your garage from a messy catchall to an efficient, well-organized household annex.

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realtor.com - Home builders are ramping up their construction of speculative homes—those built without a buyer lined up in advance—in anticipation that the recent pickup in sales will carry through to the spring home-buying season.

At the end of December, builders had 218,000 homes listed for sale that either were under construction or completed, according to Commerce Department data released Tuesday.

That is up 17.2% from a year earlier, indicating that builders are optimistic that spring sales will exceed last year’s lackluster result.

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zillow.com - Mortgage rates for 30-year fixed mortgages were unchanged this week, with the current rate borrowers were quoted on Zillow Mortgages at 3.58 percent, the same rate as this time last week.

The 30-year fixed mortgage rate hovered between 3.58 percent and 3.83 percent before settling at the current rate.

“Rates were on a roller coaster last week but settled roughly where they started, holding near 20-month lows,” said Erin Lantz, vice president of mortgages at Zillow. “U.S. domestic data are expected to play a prominent role this week with Wednesday’s Federal Open Market Committee statement and Friday’s GDP report, but international news could still drive markets. Overall, we expect rates to remain flat over the next week.”

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realtor.com - First impressions count.

You may not be able to tell a book by its cover, but you’ll likely pay more for a book if the cover is charming and attractive.

If your home is for sale, or soon will be, creating a positive first impression is one of the most important things you can do. Thankfully, it’s not hard. Here are 12 steps you can take; most of them fall under simple maintenance and organization, but some of them could possibly help you decide when it’s time to move.

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