Lori Blank

18

Jul

Financial Reports

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – July 18, 2022

Inflation dominated last week’s economic readings and predictions as it hit a year-over-year growth rate of 9.10 percent in July. Inflation reached its highest year-over-year growth rate since 1981. Gasoline prices eased somewhat, but not enough to provide relief against a backdrop of high housing and food prices. Low and moderate-income consumers were disproportionately impacted as rents rose beyond near-record inflation and home prices remained out of reach for many would-be home buyers. Inflation Causing Hardship for Moderate-Income Consumers Consumers faced with rapidly growing expenses turned to credit cards for purchasing food and household items; this trend suggests that as…

15

Jul

By Lori Blank

Home Buyer Tips

4 Websites to Help You Evaluate the Safety of Your Future Neighborhood

When you're just moving into a neighborhood, it can be hard to know exactly what you're getting into. Certainly, you can see the sights for yourself and read about your new community online, but there are still things that may not be readily available. If you're looking for the cold, hard facts on the safety of your neighborhood, look no further than the following websites for the things you'll want to know. Situation Alerts on SpotCrime By simply typing your street address in at SpotCrime, you will get an instant report of all the criminal goings-on in your community from…

14

Jul

By Lori Blank

Real Estate

Why Millennial And Gen Z Buyers Are Struggling

Right now, it is difficult for people to purchase a house. Prices are very high, inventory remains at record low levels, and this is contributing to bidding wars. Even though everyone is having a hard time finding a house, Millennials and Gen Z buyers are struggling more than other people. What are some of the biggest hurdles that these buyers need to overcome? A Lack Of Familiarity One of the first problems that Millennials and Gen Z buyers have to overcome is a tremendous lack of familiarity with the housing market. Many people that fall into this category are buying…

12

Jul

By Lori Blank

Real Estate

Why Go To Open Houses Even If You Don’t Want To Move?

If you take a drive around your neighborhood, there is a high chance that you will see a bunch of houses for sale. All of a sudden, you feel a bit of curiosity strike you. You might not be looking to move, but you might want to go look at that house anyway. There is nothing wrong with doing so! There are several reasons why you should still go and take a look at houses that are for sale even if you are not looking to move. You Can Estimate The Value Of Your House One of the first reasons…

08

Jul

By Lori Blank

Real Estate

The Most Common Mistakes First-Time Sellers Make

Even though many people are focused on some of the most common mistakes that first-time home buyers make, there are also a lot of mistakes that first-time sellers make. Your house is an investment, and the time to capitalize on that investment is when you sell your house. What are some of the mistakes you need to avoid if you want to find the best deal possible? Setting The Price Too High One of the most common mistakes that sellers make is setting the price too high. Yes, you want to get as much money for your house as possible,…

07

Jul

By Lori Blank

Homebuyer Tips

Buying A Home That’s Not For Sale

You’re ready to purchase a home, but you’ve looked at everything on the market and can’t find the perfect place. You’ve researched the school districts, neighborhoods and nearby amenities, and you know exactly in which area you want to live. However, anything that comes on the market in that part of town gets snapped up immediately. It’s time to get creative when it comes to buying a home. Start looking at places that are not currently for sale. You might have driven past your dream home, but you never thought of going the unconventional buying route. Well, take a look…

06

Jul

By Lori Blank

Real Estate

Maximize Your Investment: When To Sell Your House

Your house is an investment, and it is important for you to treat it as such. Therefore, when is the best time to sell your house? You need to figure out how you can get the most money for your home while also lining up the sale of your house with the timeline of your life. What do you need to know? Sell Your Home When The Market Is Hot First, you should sell your home when the market is hot. This means that there are more people looking for houses than there are houses on the market. This is…

05

Jul

By Lori Blank

Financial Reports

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – July 5, 2022

Last week’s scheduled economic news included reports on home prices, pending home sales, and inflation. Weekly readings on mortgage rates and jobless claims were also released. S&P Case-Shiller: National Home Price Growth Ticks Down in April Home price growth slowed in April according to the S&P Case-Shiller National Home Price Index as growth slowed by 0.20 percent to a 20.40 percent gain year-over-year. Slower growth in home prices suggested that affordability concerns have caught up with the rapid home price growth seen during the pandemic. The S&P Case-Shiller 20-City Home Price Index reported that Tampa, Florida home prices gained 35.8…

01

Jul

By Lori Blank

Financial Reports

Case-Shiller: Home Price Growth Slows in April

U.S. home price growth continued but slowed in April according to the S&P Case-Shiller Home Price Indices. The national home price index posted year-over-year home price growth of 20.4 percent in April as compared to the corresponding home price growth rate of 20.6 percent in March. Analysts said that diminishing affordability was slowing rapid gains in home prices seen during the pandemic. 20-City Home Price Index: Florida and Arizona Report Top Home Price Growth Rates The top three cities for year-over-year home price growth in April’s 20-City Home Price Index were Tampa, Florida with a reading of 35.8 percent; Miami,…

30

Jun

By Lori Blank

Around The Home

DIY Home Upgrades: 5 Reasons Why Hardwood Flooring Should Be on Your Renovation List

Whether you're planning on selling your home soon or you want to do a few minor renovations for your own enjoyment, an ailing hardwood floor may be on your list of things to tackle. While this can be a more difficult renovation to complete than many other household items, here are five reasons you may want to move it to the top of the list. An Issue with Structure If there happens to be any glaring structural issues with your hardwood, a complete do-over will be a necessity if you want to sell your house in the future. While this…