Home affordability is more than the price a buyer agrees to pay a seller. In a new study, SmartAsset factored in closing costs, real estate taxes, homeowner’s insurance, and mortgage rates for every county and city in the U.S. with a population of more than 5,000.SmartAsset pinpointed the most affordable cities and counties in its analysis by considering the total housing costs on an average house that accounted for the smallest proportion of t
Home owners don't need to take on a major overhaul to make their homes feel warmer this winter. Design Sponge blogger Grace Bonney says adding soft fabrics, warm lighting, and textures can help. Imagine how potential buyers will feel as they step in from the cold.Add floor lighting. Keep lamps low and glowing during the winter months to help a space feel cozier and warmer.Use throws. Try a throw or blanket draped along the sofa, chair, or on the
Refinancing volume dipped to its lowest level since June 2009 and prompted overall mortgage application volume to drop 3.8 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported Wednesday. Total mortgage application volume – which also includes applications for home purchases – is now nearly 31 percent lower than the same week a year ago.As mortgage rates have inched up, refinance applications have continued to fal
Technology and smart devices are radically transforming the home. As your clients take control over their houses' systems via voice activation, dash buttons, and other smart-home technology, Forbes.com asked its Technology Council to offer up some of their predictions on how homes will evolve in the near future.Less clutter. Information can be stored in smaller devices, which means fewer file cabinets and the like. Some owners may even opt for m
Having the spare capital to put 20 percent down on a home purchase is great, but it's certainly not the norm. Still, many people think it is and that belief may be holding some would-be home buyers back, particularly young adults.Indeed, 39 percent of non-owners say they believe they need more than 20 percent for a down payment on a home purchase. Twenty-six percent believe they need to put down 15 to 20 percent, and 22 percent say they need a do
The disconnect between homeowner estimates and appraiser opinions when it comes to home values grew for the second consecutive month, according to Quicken Loans’ National Home Price Perception Index. The average appraisal value was 1.47 percent below what owners expected in January.The shift comes after a six-month stretch where homeowner and appraisal value perceptions were moving closer to equilibrium.“Having a good understanding of the co
Selling a home surprisingly has a lot in common with online dating. After all, as realtor.com® makes the comparison, “there may be plenty of potential prospects out there, but it’s not always easy to find the perfect match.”The realtor.com® team pulls tips from dating services like OkCupid, Match.com, and Tinder and applies them to the homeselling process.Rule number 1: Hide the crazy.“Get rid of all the weird quirks or bizarre fascinat
Your location may increase your chances of finding a romantic partner, according to a new study by WalletHub. Some places offer more chances for dating to those who are single.WalletHub’s data team compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 23 key indicators of dating-friendliness, such as the share of single adults, movie costs, nightlife options per capita, and more.The following 10 states rank tops for singles in 2017, accord
Some luxury homeowners are scaling back the number of bedrooms in a home to leave more space for hobby rooms and other amenities that can raise the property’s value, The Wall Street Journal reports.But some real estate experts warn that fewer bedrooms could be a risk at resale.“There’s always going to be a narrower market” for a home with fewer bedrooms, Javier Vivas, economic research manager for realtor.com®, told The Wall Street Journ
Millennials don’t like to move compared to other generations. Just 20 percent of 25- to 35-year-olds in 2016 said they changed their addresses in the previous year. In 2000, 26 percent of Generation X members had moved the previous year. In 1990, 27 percent of late baby boomers reported they had moved, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.As the economy improves, economists expect moves to increase as Americans pursue job opportunities, particu
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