Renewed interest in housing counseling is revealing that many are considering homeownership as a possibility for the first time. More than 73,000 people received housing counseling from National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) member agencies during 2014, making it the highest volume experienced in the past five years. “Seeing that more people are realizing the value of housing counseling is a sign …
Check out these first time home buyer statistics. Maybe you are included in one of them.
Lower oil and gasoline prices are adding fuel to America’s economy, according to a recent report by TD Economics. The economy is expected to grow by 3 percent in 2015. With faster growth, experts anticipate the unemployment rate falling to 5.5 percent by the end of the year. “The fall in energy prices could hardly have come at a better …
Did you know that power outages can occur without stormy conditions? Cold weather generally puts higher stress on the equipment used to generate and deliver electricity. With temperatures plummeting to record lows this winter, experts urge homeowners to establish a power outage plan now that can be implemented if disaster strikes. What are some of the most common causes of …
When buying a first home, most people are making one of the biggest purchases of their lives. Without home buying experience, it’s hard to separate fact from fiction. “Buying a first home can be exciting and stressful for most young buyers, especially the financing process,” says Clete Thompson, vice president at imortgage, a division of loanDepot LLC. “There’s a lot of …
As we continue to see improvements in the housing market, U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro recently announced the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) will reduce the annual premiums new borrowers will pay by half of a percent. This action is projected to save more than two million FHA homeowners an average of $900 annually and spur 250,000 new …
New homeowners can be overwhelmed with the list of things they should do to their homes on a regular basis – clean the gutters and replace the furnace filters, for example. But, say the Wall St. Journal’s home advisors, there are at least seven things a homeowner should never do—and here’s why:
Choosing flooring can be overwhelming. There are a number of options to choose from, all of which appear on the show floor to look amazing in any home. There are also a number of variations in price and — even if you research flooring installation costs — it’s difficult to determine what will fit into your budget. The sheer variety in flooring …
Real estate shows, especially those featuring pricey properties, often appeal to viewers on an aspirational or voyeuristic level. It’s all about seeing beautiful homes and properties that people might not get to see. However, those beautiful properties aren’t always what they seem. Last year, a Texas couple who appeared on “House Hunters” revealed that two of the houses they toured …
