Your Tax Return: Bring it Home Your Tax Return: Bring it Home – This time of year, many people eagerly check their mailboxes looking for their tax return check from the IRS. But, what do most people plan to do with the money? GO Banking Rates recently surveyed Americans and asked the question – “What do you plan […]
Real Estate Mogul: Here’s Why You Should Buy Real Estate Mogul: Here’s Why You Should Buy – Real Estate mogul, Sean Conlon, host of The Deed: Chicago on CNBC, was recently asked the question, should you buy? Or should you rent a house? Conlon responded: “I am a true believer that you save every penny and […]
3 Charts That Shout, ‘List Your Home Today!’ 3 Charts That Shout, ‘List Your Home Today!’ – In school, we all learned the theory of supply and demand. When the demand for an item is greater than the supply of that item, the price will surely rise. SUPPLY The National Association of Realtors (NAR) recently reported that the inventory […]
How Fast Can You Save for a Down Payment? How Fast Can You Save for a Down Payment? – Saving for a down payment is often the biggest hurdle for a first-time homebuyer. Depending on where you live, median income, median rents, and home prices all vary. So, we set out to find out […]
US Housing Market Continues the Move into ‘Buy Territory’! US Housing Market Continues the Move into ‘Buy Territory’! – According to the Beracha, Hardin & Johnson Buy vs. Rent (BH&J) Index, the U.S. housing market has continued to move deeper into buy territory, supporting the belief that housing markets across the country remain a sound investment. […]
Measuring Your Ability to Achieve the American Dream Measuring Your Ability to Achieve the American Dream – Forbes.com recently released the results of their new American Dream Index, in which they measure “the prosperity of the middle class, and…examine which states best support the American Dream.” The monthly index measures several different economic factors, including goods-producing employment, […]
Tax Return Depressing? Owning a Home Could Help Tax Return Depressing? Owning a Home Could Help – Many Americans got some depressing news last week; either their tax return was not as large as they had hoped or, in some cases, they were told they owed additional money to either the Federal or […]
Thinking of Selling? Now Is the Time to Act Thinking of Selling? Now Is the Time to Act – If you thought about selling your house this year, now may be the time to do it. The inventory of homes for sale is well below historic norms and buyer demand is skyrocketing. We were […]
Home Mortgages: Rates Up, Requirements Easing Home Mortgages: Rates Up, Requirements Easing – The media has extensively covered the rise in mortgage interest rates since last fall (from 3.42% last September to the current 4.1% according to Freddie Mac). However, a less covered aspect of the mortgage market is that requirements to get a […]
Careful…Don’t Get Caught in the Rental Trap! Careful…Don’t Get Caught in the Rental Trap! – There are many benefits to homeownership. One of the top benefits is being able to protect yourself from rising rents by locking in your housing cost for the life of your mortgage. Don’t Become Trapped Jonathan Smoke, Chief Economist at realtor.com, reported on […]