From our friends at the KCM blog
Retirement is a time for relaxation, adventure, and enjoying the things you love. As you imagine this exciting new chapter in your life, it’s important to think about whether your current home still fits your needs.
If it’s too big, too costly, or just not convenient anymore, downsizing might help you make the most of your retirement years. To find out if a smaller, more manageable home might be the perfect fit for your new lifestyle, ask yourself these questions:
Do the original reasons I bought my current house still stand, or have my needs changed since then?
Do I really need and want the space...
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From our friends at the kcm blog
In life, patience is a virtue – but in the world of homebuying, waiting too long in hopes of finding the perfect home actually isn’t wise. That’s because the pursuit of perfection comes at a cost. And in this case, that cost may be delaying your dream of homeownership. As Bankrate explains:
“One of the most common first-time homebuyer mistakes is looking for a home that checks each of your boxes. Looking for perfection can narrow your choices and lead you to pass over good, suitable options for starter homes in the hopes that something better will come along.”
The Cost of Holding Out for Perfection
Nothing in life...
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From our friends at the kcm blog
If you’re thinking about selling your house, here’s something you really need to know. Even though it’s still a seller’s market today, you can’t pick just any price for your listing.
While home prices are still appreciating in most areas, they’re climbing at a slower pace because higher mortgage rates are putting a squeeze on buyer demand. At the same time, the supply of homes for sale is growing. That means buyers have more options and your house may not stand out as much, if it’s not priced right.
Those two factors combined are why the asking price you set for your house is more important today than it has been in recent years.
And some...
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From our friends at the kcm blog
If you own a home, your net worth has probably gone up a lot over the past year. Home prices have been rising, which means you’re building equity much faster than you might think. Here’s how it works.
Equity is the current value of your home minus what you owe on the loan.
Over the past year, there have still been more people wanting to buy than there are homes available for sale, and that’s pushed prices up. That rise in prices has translated directly into increasing equity for homeowners.
How Much Equity Have You Earned over the Past 12 Months?
According to the latest Homeowner Equity Insights from CoreLogic, the average...
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From our friends at the kcm blog
With all the headlines circulating about home prices and mortgage rates, you may be asking yourself if it still makes sense to buy a home right now, or if it’s better to keep renting. Here’s some information that could help put your mind at ease by showing that investing in a home is still a powerful decision.
According to the experts at Gallup, real estate has been crowned the top long-term investment for a whopping 12 years in a row. It has consistently beat out other investment types like gold, stocks, and bonds. Just take a look at the graph below – it speaks volumes:
But why does real estate...
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By Lauren Phillips | BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
Does location still matter most? Should you remodel your home to suit your tastes, or for resale value? Are starter homes still a thing? We all have plenty of questions about the ever-changing world of real estate. In our Ask an Agent series, we’re partnering with experts at Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate to answer your biggest questions about finding, buying, and selling a home.
Take the first steps in any house shopping journey, and you’re bound to hear the phrase “location, location, location.” (In fact, if you hear it just once during your house hunt, count yourself lucky.) This oft-repeated saying emphasizes the...
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From our friends at the kcm blog
When you decide to buy your first home, you may come across a number of terms and conditions you’re not familiar with. While you may have a general idea of what an inspection is, maybe you’re not sure why you need one or how it’s different from an appraisal. To keep it simple, here’s an explainer of each one and what they mean for you as a homebuyer.
Home Inspection
Once you’re under contract on a home you’d like to buy, getting an inspection is a key part of the process. An inspection gives you a clear idea of the safety and overall condition...
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From our friends at the kcm blog
You want your house to sell fast. And you may be wondering how long the whole process is going to take. One way to get your answer? Work with a local real estate agent.
They have the expertise to tell you how quickly homes are selling in your area and what’s impacting timelines for other sellers. That way you have realistic expectations and can work together to come up with a plan that’s based on today’s market.
Here’s a high-level overview of just one of the factors a great agent will walk you through – the supply of homes for sale and how that impacts your process.
The Growing Supply of Homes for...
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From our friends at the kcm blog
As we move into the second half of 2024, here’s what experts say you should expect for home prices, mortgage rates, and home sales.
Home Prices Are Expected To Climb Moderately
Home prices are forecasted to rise at a more normal pace. The graph below shows the latest forecasts from seven of the most trusted sources in the industry:
The reason for continued appreciation? The supply of homes for sale. Jessica Lautz, Deputy Chief Economist at the National Association of Realtors (NAR), explains:
“One thing that seems to be pretty solid is that home prices are going to continue to go up, and the reason is that we don’t have housing inventory.”
While inventory is...
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By Margaret Heidenry|Realtor.com
Mortgage rates continued to fall this week, with the average rate for a 30-year fixed home loan sinking from 6.95% last week to 6.87% for the week ending June 20, according to Freddie Mac.
“Mortgage rates fell for the third straight week following signs of cooling inflation and market expectations of a future Fed rate cut,” Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist, said in a statement. “These lower mortgage rates coupled with the gradually improving housing supply bodes well for the housing market.”
Mortgage rates have hovered around the 7% mark, fluctuating slightly above and below this benchmark for nearly two months, creating a market largely stuck in...
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