Thursday, December 31, 2015

Selling a home in 2016? Here's what you need to know

If you expect to put your home on the block at some point in 2016, here are some key factors for you to keep in mind before you address issues and concerns to make the best possible deal.
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Tuesday, December 29, 2015

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The Federal Housing Administration continues its mission to help consumers realize the dream of homeownership. In today's mortgage lending environment, there are three buckets of loan options available for borrowers, including conventional, FHA and jumbo loans.
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Sunday, December 27, 2015

10 homeowner tax breaks you should be taking advantage of

If death and taxes are the two true givens in life, there probably should be a third: the bucketful of tax breaks Uncle Sam throws out every year to encourage more Americans to buy a home.
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Friday, December 25, 2015

Top Home Design Trends for 2016

Today, Zillow Digs announced the top home design trends for 2016, along with the three soon-to-be forgotten fads of 2015. Results were based on a survey of leading interior design experts and trending photos on Zillow Digs. So what will be 2016’s hottest design trends? Check out the surprising results below.
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Thursday, December 24, 2015

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

The Best Month to Buy a House (Hint: It's Soon)

Since the crash of the housing market during the Great Recession, many people hesitate to buy a home out of fear that prices have hit a high point yet again. They think buying right now means the value of their home purchase will only decrease. That’s not the case at all. Here are five reasons why now is a great time to buy a home and what the best month is to buy a house:
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Friday, December 18, 2015

Is a bay window on your "must-have" list for your home?


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House-Hunting for the Holidays: Do's and Don'ts for Homebuyers

Here's a tactic for holiday-season home shoppers: Call agents who do a lot of work in the neighborhood you're interested in, and ask them about homes that aren't listed yet, but are being prepared for sale. You might get an early look at a house that's set to go on the market in April or May.
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Thursday, December 17, 2015

Hedge Funds and Real Estate: Could it Create Another Bubble?

From August 2014 to August 2015, there was a rise in national home prices of 4.7%, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller Index. From August 2013 to August 2015, the index showed an increase of 10% in national home prices. While these increases in home prices are somewhat high, there have been many periods in the history of the United States when the annual increases in home prices nationwide were much higher.
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Tuesday, December 15, 2015

U.S. Housing Can Withstand a Rise in Interest Rates

Low interest rates, steady job gains and improving household finances have helped bolster the housing recovery. And even as 2015’s strong first half has given way to some wobbly months of late, housing fundamentals appear primed to withstand a looming U.S. rate increase.
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After a year of recovery, Zillow’s experts say 2016 will be all about housing affordability, with a lack of affordable homes near city centers pushing young and first-time buyers out to the suburbs.

After a year of recovery, Zillow’s experts say 2016 will be all about housing affordability, with a lack of affordable homes near city centers pushing young and first-time buyers out to the suburbs.
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Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Why housing is back and recovering

Existing home sales, which represents the largest part of the residential market, is strong, according to Mitch Roschelle, partner and real estate advisory lead at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
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Thursday, December 3, 2015

Will The Fed 'Shock' Housing With Rate Hike?

The housing market has been in a long, slow recovery, and the Federal Reserve has kept interest rates near zero for about seven years. Both dynamics, however, could be about to change. With the central bank all but certain to begin withdrawing some of its massive stimulus within the coming months, the recovering housing sector could be in for a change.
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