Case-Shiller’s National Home Price Index showed little change in April as home prices rose by 0.10 percent to a year-over-year average of 4.70 percent. The 20-City Home Price Index showed corresponding home price growth of 0.10 percent to 4.00 percent year-over-year. Ongoing influences on home price growth before the coronavirus pandemic included short supplies of available homes coupled with high demand for homes and low mortgage rates. While closures and shelter-at-home restrictions in many markets slowed buyer and seller activity, real estate analysts said that home-buyer … [Read More...]
For Sale By Owner (FSBO) at first glance seems like it might be a good idea. After all, in an FSBO transaction, there is the saving of the commission that a real estate agent earns. Does that mean there is more for the homeowner from the FSBO sale? Not always. One explanation for this is that FSBO homes may get less attention in the marketplace and therefore may receive fewer purchase offers. Consider The Value Of Time A professional worker who earns $150 per hour does not save money by doing the janitorial work accomplished by paying someone else $15 per hour. In the same way, there is a cost … [Read More...]
Last week’s scheduled economic news included readings on sales of new and pre-owned homes and reports on inflation. Weekly reports on mortgage rates and new and continuing jobless claims were also released. Home Sales Results Mixed for May The National Association of Realtors® reported fewer sales of pre-owned homes in May at a seasonally-adjusted annual pace of 3.91 million sales. Analysts expected 3.80 million sales as compared to April’s reading of 4.33 million sales. This was the lowest reading for sales of pre-owned homes since July 2010 and sales were 26.60 percent lower … [Read More...]
A study by the World Health Organization says that 90% of our health comes from where and how people live. Homeowners are paying more attention to wellness. These considerations extend to the home that they want to buy. Do you want to get a great price when you sell your home? Go green and go healthy. Going Green Homebuyers are looking for more than just a quality home in a safe neighborhood. They also appreciate energy efficiency. Energy efficiency includes new appliances that use less electricity, smart-home technology that manages usage and climate zones, and better insulation as well … [Read More...]
Whether you originally bought a fixer-upper or you're just a homeowner who wanted to update their house, chances are you have seen your share of home renovations. Home renovations have the potential to greatly add to the value of your property, but they can also add to your own quality of life. Hopefully, you have completed your home renovations and gotten plenty of use out of them before listing your home for sale. If not, you may find yourself wanted to move before all the renovations are complete. What's the best course of action? Should you put the time and money in to finish? Or … [Read More...]
If you are like a lot of homeowners who have just sold their homes, packing up to move is the least enjoyable aspect of the whole thing. Packing is always time consuming, but it is worse when you have weird shaped items to pack. Sometimes the most commonly used items end up being difficult to pack. Here are some tips for how to handle it. Think Outside The Box Many weird shaped items either do not fit inside a standard sized box or they will rattle around and get damaged. Try to think of unusual packaging materials that might fit the bill, such as egg cartons, cardboard paper towel tubes, … [Read More...]
