Home Buying

New research from Realtor.com points toward the week of September 22 (AKA right now!) as the best time of the year to buy a home! During this week, home shoppers stand to benefit from the alignment of a number of key housing market factors, including reduced competition, more price reductions, lower listing prices, and more available inventory. Looking at it on a more local scale, the first week of fall was determined to be the single best week in which to buy in 77% of the nation's 53 major housing markets, leading Realtor.com to name it "the 'Black Friday' of homebuying"!

Picture your dream neighborhood. What kinds of amenities does it have? Everyone has different tastes, but a recent survey by home improvement website Improvenet.com shows that many of us have the same ideas when it comes to what features make an area a great place to live. Improvenet asked more than 2,200 people over the age of 18 for their opinions about a variety of neighborhood-related questions. Unfortunately, just 30% of respondents reported that they currently live in their dream neighborhood, so keep reading to learn what 70% of people are apparently missing out on!

Everyone loves the thrill of finding the best deal, whether it's on a pair of shoes, an appliance, or even a car! Why then do so many home buyers fail to shop around when it comes to the most expensive item of all: a mortgage? Last April, Freddie Mac estimated how much extra money buyers are likely to pay over the course of their loan by failing to get multiple rate quotes, and the number wasn't cheap! In fact, they found that getting just one extra quote would save the average borrower over $1,400!