Love That Home’s View? See How Much More You’ll Pay A house with a fabulous view can be hard for a home buyer to resist. But seeing the mountains, water or city lights from the comfort of home comes at a price. The hazy part is figuring out what that added cost is — and […]

Tackle This Common Home Worry With a Plan If a dripping faucet wakes you up at night, the thought of paying a plumber may be what keeps you from falling back asleep. Most homeowners have experienced anxiety related to their home, according to a new report, with home repairs and maintenance topping the list of […]

A Home Buyer’s Guide to Motivated Sellers Home shoppers outnumber home sellers in many places. If you’re a home buyer, you need every competitive advantage you can get. That’s why it pays to know how to find motivated sellers and persuade them to choose you. The definition of “motivated seller” has changed since the depths […]

3 Reasons to Hire a Seller’s Agent If you’re selling your home, you should expect a list of expenses. The commission you pay the seller’s agent is usually one of the biggest, around 6% of your home’s selling price. This pays for the valuable work your seller’s agent, also known as a listing agent, does for you: preparing […]

Price Isn’t Everything: How to Handle Multiple Offers When Selling a House Live in a hot real estate market? If you’re selling your house, you might be lucky enough to receive more than one offer. If so, it’s a good idea to let potential buyers know. That way, they can tailor their offer with the […]

Down Payment Strategies for First-Time Home Buyers The down payment. It’s the only thing keeping you from a home of your own. You’ve got a good job, you’re paying down debt, and mortgage rates are still remarkably low. And rental rates are getting ridiculous. Let’s see if we can break down this home buying barrier. […]

Easy Home Touch-Ups to Bring All the Buyers to Your Yard If you’re planning to sell a home in spring, prepare now for the crucial (and fun) job of luring home shoppers. Homes that look loved and well-maintained get more attention — and first impressions matter: “A buyer makes their buying decision as they are […]

Dreaming of a Deck? 4 Ways to Save on Construction Your visions of hosting fancy family barbecues and planting elaborate container gardens can come with a big cost: building a backyard deck. The average cost for a wood deck is about $10,950, according to Remodeling magazine’s “2018 Cost vs. Value Report,” while a composite deck […]

3 Ways Parents Can Help Grown Kids Own a Home When responsible first-time home buyers need help buying a home, the family bank can sometimes lend a hand. Younger home buyers face a mountain of obstacles, including rising home prices and interest rates, too few homes for sale and unpaid college debt. Student debt is […]

How to Buy a House That Hasn’t Been Built Yet Trisha and Dennis Rawlings, a couple in their early 30s, are moving to suburban Chicago and leaving their over-60-year-old first home in the St. Louis area behind. “We were looking at potentially buying a house,” Trisha says. But in the area where they want to […]