There has been no shortage of theories on how the ongoing housing boom is going to end. Reopening corporate officers were supposed to tamp down on remote workers buying in far-flung places. As stimulus aid got further in the rearview mirror, it was thought home shoppers would pull back. With the shutdown of the mortgage forbearance program last fall, many had also expected that additional inventory would pile onto the market.
While the market is still scorching hot, the housing market now faces its biggest challenge in the form of soaring mortgage rates. When the pandemic struck in March of 2020, the Fed moved interest rates downward in order to spur up economic activity during the pandemic. As home prices soared, the low rates being offered also helped to alleviate some of the burden for homebuyers. However, as interest rates continue to rise as we're seeing, we see more and more potential buyers being shut out from being able to purchase the home of their dreams.
With...
"Multigenerational living has grown sharply in the U.S. over the past five decades and shows no sign of peaking. When asked why they share their home with relatives, Americans often give practical reasons related to finances or family caregiving. But the experience also has an emotional component. About a quarter of adults in multigenerational homes say it is stressful all or most of the time, and more than twice that share say it is mostly or always rewarding.
These experiences with multigenerational living vary by demographic group, especially by age and income, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in October 2021. There also are generational differences, especially in terms of stress and money, between the views of adult children and parents who share a home.
According to an analysis of census data from 1971-2021, the...
Curious how you might risk ruining a good thing? We asked some real estate experts to identify what many first-time home sellers get wrong when listing their home today.
1. Overpricing your property
Just because sellers dominate now, don’t think “red-hot market = super high list price.” A smarter strategy is to list lower than your goal and let the market do its magic. First-time sellers view the price as the desired purchase price, when, in fact, the list price simply indicates an appropriate approximate price with the intention to drive interest to the party. This interest will then cause more buyers to send offers, naturally driving the potential sales price up.
2. Skimping on home showings
Providing access to home showings and being as...
This springtime, Cabincore looks to be the interior design trend that becomes the new desired trend. Cabincore romanticizes cabin life through warm textiles, layered lighting and richly-hued accessories.
This decorating idea first originated on social media, but it is already making waves amongst designers – some of whom experiment with the style in their own homes. Here’s how to bring the best of Cabincore into your scheme, the expert-approved way.
Cabincore originated on TikTok as Cottagecore’s darker sibling. In contrast to Cottagecore’s focus on gingham prints and rustic accents, Cabincore pays tribute to mountainous locations through faded ...
Daylight saving time in 2022 begins on Sunday, March 13, which means at 2 a.m. local time, your clock will jump ahead to 3 a.m.—or you'll need to remember to set it to an hour later manually. Happily, the start of daylight saving time means the days will finally start getting longer and the light will stick around even later, but it also means we'll lose an hour of precious sleep—something one-third of U.S. adults already don't get enough of, according to the CDC. And when you regularly don't sleep well or long enough, you don't just feel bad physically (sluggish, groggy, tired), everything from your immune system to your mood, appetite, and memory starts to suffer.
But don't panic if you're...
If a low credit score is holding you back, take heart. There are steps you can take now to improve your score and start on the road to a better financial future.
The impact of having a good credit score is huge. A higher score means you'll qualify for lower interest rates on everything from personal loans and student loans to credit cards and mortgages.
Lower interest rates mean lower payments. Reducing your monthly payments can free up money for other important goals, like paying down debt,...
Precisely what comes with a home is not cut and dried, and each state has its own set of guidelines regarding this issue. But there are some guiding principles.
Items that are attached are considered fixtures and by, therefore, are a part of the home. If an item is not attached, it is not considered a fixture, and it's avaialbility will be under seller's decision.
If that still seems vague, “fixture” is a real estate term used to describe items that are physically attached to the house via nails, screws, bolts, glue, cement, or electrical wiring. Standard fixtures inside the home include ceiling fans, blinds, plumbing and heating elements, and built-in appliances. Outside the four walls, items that generally stay put include mailboxes, shutters, backyard office sheds, and in-ground landscaping.
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About seven-in-ten Americans think young adults today have a harder time than their parents’ generation when it comes to saving for the future (72%), paying for college (71%) and buying a home (70%), according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in October 2021. These findings come at a time when younger Americans are more likely than previous generations to have taken on student debt with tuition costs steadily rising, and to face an affordable housing crisis as rent and ...
