Living

December 20, 2023

Expert Quotes on the 2024 Housing Market Forecast

From our friends in KCM If you’re thinking about buying or selling a home soon, you probably want to know what you can expect from the housing market in 2024. In 2023, higher mortgage rates, confusion over home price headlines, and a lack of homes for sale created some challenges for buyers and sellers looking to make a move. But what’s on the horizon for the new year? The good news is, many experts are optimistic we’ve turned a corner and are headed in a positive direction. Mortgage Rates Expected To Ease Recently, mortgage rates have started to come back down. This has offered hope to buyers dealing with affordability challenges. Mark Fleming, Chief Economist at First American, explains how they may continue...

by Jenn Pfeiffer

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December 18, 2023

Buying, Living, News

Mortgage Rates Just Dipped Below 7%—and May Go Even Lower. Here’s Why.

By Margaret Heidenry | REALTOR.COM Homebuyers have a lot to be joyful for right now as mortgage rates have dipped below 7%—the first time they’ve done so since August. For the week ending Dec. 14, rates for a 30-year fixed-rate home loan averaged 6.95%, according to Freddie Mac. And odds are, mortgage rates will continue their long-awaited downward trend, providing some much-needed relief on the affordability front to homebuyers. “Given inflation continues to decelerate and the Federal Reserve Board’s current expectations that they will lower the target rate next year, we likely will see a gradual thawing of the housing market in the new year,” says Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. In...

by Jenn Pfeiffer

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November 21, 2023

Living, News

5 Oldest Homes for Sale in America—All Built in the 1600s

By Lisa Johnson Mandell | REALTOR.COM As we prepare our Thanksgiving table, our thoughts might turn to the very first people who started the American holiday. There’s one fascinating fact you might not think about: The settlers sure knew how to build a shelter back then. In fact, some of the homes that were built during the 1600s are still standing, and some are even on the market. In the spirit of the season, we did some sleuthing and found the five oldest homes for sale in America right now, in good living condition, despite being built not too long after the first Thanksgiving in the 1600s! One is a grand riverfront estate,...

by Jenn Pfeiffer

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November 20, 2023

Living

Marin maintains presence in ranking of priciest ZIP codes in U.S.

By: Kate Talerico | Marin Independent Journal The Bay Area, with its million-dollar views and multimillion-dollar enclaves, has kept its status as the most expensive metropolitan area in the United States. The region’s ZIP codes make up 37 of the top 100 most expensive ZIP codes in the country, according to a new 2023 ranking by real estate data company PropertyShark that examined median home sales prices. Marin County has six ZIP codes on the top-100 list, led by Stinson Beach at No. 6. Its ZIP code, 94970, had a median home price of $4.5 million last year, according to the analysis. Debra Allen, a Coldwell Banker Realty agent who was involved in...

by Jenn Pfeiffer

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November 17, 2023

Living

Annual Rent Increase for 3/1/24 – 2/28/25 Announced

BY: SF.GOV For rent-controlled units, the annual allowable increase amount effective March 1, 2024 through February 28, 2025 is 1.7%. November 17, 2023 For rent-controlled units, the annual allowable increase amount effective March 1, 2024 through February 28, 2025 is 1.7%. This amount is based on 60% of the increase in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers in the Bay Area, which was 2.8% as posted in November 2022 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. To calculate the dollar amount of the 1.7% annual rent increase, multiply the tenant's base rent by .017. For example, if the tenant's base rent is $2,000.00, the annual increase would be calculated as follows: $2,000.00...

by Jenn Pfeiffer

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November 8, 2023

Lifestyle, Living, Uncategorized

8 Energy Saving Tips to Cut Your Heating and Cooling Bills

By Patricia-Anne Tom | REALTOR.COM Most energy-saving tips are designed to save you a few bucks throughout the year, but how do you know which tips to up your energy efficiency are going to offer the most bang for your buck? Some tips cost you absolutely nothing, and yet you save money. Other tips will cost you a little, but can help you hold onto as much as 10% of the money you’re currently paying out of pocket. Ready to dive in? Energy saving tips that really save Consider these eight energy-saving tips below, so you aren’t sweating when your winter gas bills come, and as the weather warms, evaluate your...

by Jenn Pfeiffer

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October 5, 2023

Buying, Lifestyle, Living

What Experts Project for Home Prices Over the Next 5 Years

From our friends in KCM If you’re planning to buy a home, one thing to consider is what experts project home prices will do in the future and how that might affect your investment. While you may have seen negative news over the past year about home prices, they’re doing far better than expected and are rising across the country. And data shows, experts forecast home prices will keep appreciating. Experts Project Ongoing Appreciation Pulsenomics polled over 100 economists, investment strategists, and housing market analysts in the latest quarterly Home Price Expectation Survey (HPES). The results show what the panelists project will happen with home prices over the next five years. Here are those expert forecasts saying home...

by Jenn Pfeiffer

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September 21, 2023

Lifestyle, Living

Planning to Retire? Your Equity Can Help You Make a Move

From our friends in KCM Reaching retirement is a significant milestone in life, bringing with it a lot of change and new opportunities. As the door to this exciting chapter opens, one thing you may be considering is selling your house and finding a home better suited for your evolving needs. Fortunately, you may be in a better position to make a move than you realize. Here are a few reasons why. Consider How Long You’ve Been in Your Home From 1985 to 2009, the average length of time homeowners stayed in their homes was roughly six years. But according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), that number is higher today. Since 2010, the average home tenure is just...

by Jenn Pfeiffer

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September 7, 2023

Buying, Home Staging, Living, Market, News

Get Ready for Smaller, More Affordable Homes

By: KCM Have you been trying to buy a home, but higher mortgage rates and home prices are limiting your options? If so, here’s some good news – based on what Ali Wolf, Chief Economist at Zonda, has to say – smaller, more affordable homes are on the way: “Buyers should expect that over the next 12 to 24 months there will be a notable increase in the number of entry-level homes available.” In some ways, smaller homes are already here. When the pandemic hit, the meaning of home changed. People needed the space their home provided not only as a place to live, but as a place to work, go to school, exercise, and more. Those who had that...

by Jenn Pfeiffer

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August 24, 2023

Buying, Lifestyle, Living

Behr’s 2024 Color of the Year Is Made for Dramatic Exteriors

Modern farmhouses and beyond. We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Stanly Ranch, an Auberge resort in Napa, California, isn’t your typical hotel. Instead of one big elevator building, a slew of modern black houses dot the 700-acre property. The sleek villas served as an inspiring setting for Behr’s annual color of the year announcement. The paint purveyor revealed today that Cracked Pepper is its top choice for 2024, and it’s a no-brainer as to where to use it. “It’s the perfect exterior color,” says Sarah Fishburne, Home Depot’s director of trend and design. Photography by Emily Dorio Of course, the “soft black,” as Erika Woelfel,...

by Jenn Pfeiffer

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Expert Quotes on the 2024 Housing Market Forecast

Mortgage Rates Just Dipped Below 7%—and May Go Even Lower. Here’s Why.

5 Oldest Homes for Sale in America—All Built in the 1600s

Marin maintains presence in ranking of priciest ZIP codes in U.S.

Annual Rent Increase for 3/1/24 – 2/28/25 Announced

8 Energy Saving Tips to Cut Your Heating and Cooling Bills

What Experts Project for Home Prices Over the Next 5 Years

Planning to Retire? Your Equity Can Help You Make a Move

Get Ready for Smaller, More Affordable Homes

Behr’s 2024 Color of the Year Is Made for Dramatic Exteriors

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