Last week's scheduled economic news was sparse due to no scheduled releases on Monday and the Veterans Day Holiday on Wednesday. A report on job openings was released on Thursday along with regularly scheduled weekly reports on jobless claims and Freddie Mac's report on mortgage rates. Mortgage Rates, Weekly Jobless Claims Rise Mortgage rates rose last week according to Freddie Mac. The average rate for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage rose to 3.98 percent from last week's reading of 3.87 percent. The average rate for a 15-year fixed rate mortgage rose to 3.20 percent from the prior week's … [Read More...]
Switching houses? Then now is the perfect time to finally go through all the clutter and make some tough decisions about what needs to move and what needs to go away. There is no point in waiting until after a move to go through the junk lying around, as tempting as it may be, so here are five ways to decide what should find a new home before a move. Start With A Trip To The Dump Before starting the move, grab some garbage bags and do a sweep of the house, making sure to toss out anything that needs to go to the dump. This will clear up the home of anything unnecessary and makes it easier to … [Read More...]
If you're in the market for a mortgage, you may want to set up a pre-qualification meeting with a mortgage professional. Even if you're not 100% sure who you'd like to apply for a mortgage with, pre-qualification can still be a valuable step to take. And given that it only takes a few minutes, it's something every potential homeowner can do. So why should you go to a mortgage pre-qualification meeting with a mortgage lender? Here are just a few reasons why it's a great idea. It'll Give You A Good Idea Of How Much House You Can Afford A mortgage pre-qualification is not the same thing as a … [Read More...]
When it comes to selling a home, it is a common belief that once the offer is accepted, there is nothing else to be negotiated. However, issues and obstacles that can arise during the home inspection can be a cause for discussion with the seller. Whether you're currently searching for houses or your offer has already been accepted and you're preparing for the next step, here are some tips in the event that the home inspection isn't up to par. Be Cautious About What You Say Without a doubt, anything that you discuss with the real estate agent regarding the property you're looking at is going to … [Read More...]
Last week's economic reports included releases on construction spending and several labor-related reports including ADP payrolls, Non-Farm payrolls, average hourly earnings and weekly jobless claims. Freddie Mac reported that mortgage rates rose as the national unemployment rate decreased to 5.00 percent. Labor Reports Show Mixed Results Key readings on employment showed mixed results as ADP payrolls decreased to 182,000 from September's downwardly revised reading of 190,000 private sector jobs added. U.S. jobs expanded to a reading of 271,000 jobs added in October, which exceeded expectations … [Read More...]
Buyers generally seek the least expensive home in the best neighborhood they can handle.
Like the person in the video says, you want to present a home that fits in the neighborhood but doesn't stand out too much. For example, if neighbors are all 4 bedrooms, 3 baths and 3000 square feet additions that make your home 5, 4, and 4000 will make yours harder to sell.
Improvements should make it show well and fit well in the neighborhood. Last-minute capital investments in large structural changes arent likely to pay off. But cosmetic upgrades like paint and landscaping help a home show better and … [Read More...]
