Article by: Simplifying the Market™Originally Published: November 16, 2018, 11:00 am Some Highlights: Historically, the choice between renting or buying a home has been a tough decision. Looking at the percentage of income needed to rent a median-priced home today (28.4%) vs. the percentage needed to buy a median-priced home (17.5%), the choice becomes obvious. […]
Wage Increases Make Home Buying More Affordable
Article by: Simplifying the Market™Originally Published: November 15, 2018, 11:00 amEveryone knows that housing affordability has been negatively impacted by rising prices and increasing mortgage rates, but there is another piece to the affordability equation – wages. How much a family earns obviously impacts how easy or difficult it is for them to afford to […]
Home Sellers in Q3 Netted $61K at Resale
Article by: Simplifying the Market™Originally Published: November 14, 2018, 11:00 amAccording to a recent report by ATTOM Data Solutions, home sellers who sold their homes in the third quarter of 2018 benefited from rising home prices and netted an average of $61,232. This is the highest average price gain since the second quarter of 2007 […]
Are Homeowners Renovating to Sell or to Stay?
Article by: Simplifying the Market™Originally Published: November 13, 2018, 11:00 amOver the past few years, two trends have emerged in the housing market: Home renovations have shot up Inventory of homes available for sale on the market has dropped A ‘normal’ housing market is defined by having a 6-month supply of homes for sale. According […]
How to Honor a Veteran Today and Everyday
Article by: Simplifying the Market™Originally Published: November 12, 2018, 11:00 amOne hundred years ago, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, we marked the end of the “war to end all wars.” That day, which was to be observed annually on the eleventh day of the eleventh month, became known […]
VA Home Loans by the Numbers [INFOGRAPHIC]
Article by: Simplifying the Market™Originally Published: November 9, 2018, 11:00 am Some Highlights: The Veterans Administration (VA) Home Loan is a benefit that is available to more than 22 million veterans & 2 million active duty service members which helps them achieve their dreams of homeownership. In 2017, $189 billion was loaned to veterans and […]
75% of Renters Have Been Misinformed
Article by: Simplifying the Market™Originally Published: November 8, 2018, 11:00 amRecently, multiple headlines have been written asserting that homeownership is less affordable today than at any other time in the last decade. Though the headlines are accurate, they lack context and lead too many Americans to believe that they can’t partake in a major part […]
Why Has Housing Supply Increased as Sales Have Slowed Down?
Article by: Simplifying the Market™Originally Published: November 7, 2018, 11:00 amAccording to the latest Existing Home Sales Report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the inventory of homes for sale this year compared to last year has increased for the last four months, all while sales of existing homes have slowed compared to last […]
5 Tips When Buying a Newly Constructed Home
Article by: Simplifying the Market™Originally Published: November 6, 2018, 11:00 amThe lack of existing inventory for sale has forced many homebuyers to begin looking at new construction. When you buy a newly constructed home instead of an existing home, there are many extra steps that must take place. To ensure a hassle-free process, here are […]
2 Myths Holding Back Home Buyers
Article by: Simplifying the Market™ Originally Published: November 5, 2018, 11:00 am Urban Institute recently released a report entitled, “Barriers to Accessing Homeownership: Down Payment, Credit, and Affordability,” which revealed that, “Consumers often think they need to put more money down to purchase a home than is actually required. In a 2017 survey, 68% of renters cited saving for […]