During the home-buying process you’ll see tons of homes, mostly listed by real estate agents. But from time to time you might encounter a home listed for sale by owner (FSBO). You may even have a friend or relative who wants to sell you their home directly. While it may seem that buying a FSBO home without
For renters planning to buy a home, preliminary steps like creating a budget and saving for a down payment are obvious. Here are five more advanced steps toward moving out of your rental and into a dream home of your own. Understand the full cost of homeownership As a renter, a single rental fee covers your monthly
It’s every home buyer’s worst nightmare: Finding a house within striking distance – of your price range and work- that quickly turns into a money pit. On the flip side of the fixer-upper experience is someone like Jordan Brannon, a director of digital strategy in Spanaway, WA, near Tacoma. Although he’s sunk considerable money into
Thinking about looking for a new home? Twenty years ago, your first step would have been pulling out the Sunday newspaper and making a list of open houses to attend. Today, however, it’s likely you’ll spend weeks – maybe even months – looking at listings online or on your mobile device before you step foot in a listed home
You’re excited because you just found the perfect home. The neighborhood is great, the house is charming, and the price is right. But if you’re a first-time home buyer, you might find out that the price is pretty far from perfect. If you’re shopping for your first home, additional – and often unexpected – home-buying costs should
Buying a home can be confusing and emotional, especially for first-timers. It’s a huge expenditure – the largest many folks will make in their lifetime. There’s a lot of information to review and plenty of documents to sign. And, at times, it’s can become hard to tell who’s working for whom. It’s not surprising that
In today’s market, many buyers forego fixer-uppers for move-in ready homes. As a result, significant opportunities abound in prime locations as homes that need work linger on the market. In competitive markets, savvy consumers gravitate toward these homes that nobody else wants. Why? They can customize the home to their requirements, and build some equity along
Planning to leave the workplace sometime in the next five to 10 years? Buying your retirement home now can pay off big in the long term, particularly if you’re going to get a mortgage. By making your move ASAP, you’ll be able to capitalize on today’s record-low interest rates. Earlier this month, rates on 30-year
You’ve made an offer on a property, the seller has accepted, and maybe you’re about to sign a contract. Now it’s time to put some money down to show that you’re serious about moving forward. The amount of money a buyer puts down (and when it’s put down) varies by state and local market. For
Open houses are the gold standard in real estate. They’ve been around for decades and will be ingrained in the buying and selling of homes for years to come. The average buyer attends three open houses, according to the Zillow Group Consumer Housing Trends Report, a survey of more than 13,000 homeowners, sellers, buyers, and renters.