Suzanne's Blog
Real estate is the safest investment you can make today, millionaires say—Here’s why
If you’re planning for retirement, you’ve most likely watched your 401(k) plan run away like a car on a roller coaster. Each upward movement is a long, slow creep to a dramatic crest, met with an expected fall that takes your anxiety with it. If not in stock and bond markets, where are affluent consumers […]
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7 Reasons It’s Worth Buying a House at the End of the Year
The end of the year is upon us, and you still haven’t found a new home. Friends and family are likely advising you to put your real estate search on pause until spring, but something tells you this isn’t the best idea. This is definitely a time to go with your instincts and keep searching, as your […]
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Mortgage rates are soaring. Is it still OK to refinance your home?
Mortgage rates, over 7% or so, are at their highest levels in 20 years and loan applications are down. So, it should follow, that homeowners looking to refinance loans would also be headed to the sidelines in droves. But according to experts, it might still make sense for homeowners to refinance. Why? Rates, even at […]
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Will Homeownership Soon Be A Thing Of The Past? The Strategy Millennials Are Using To Enter Real Estate Market
As the economy teeters on the brink of a recession, potential home buyers wrestling with high-interest rates, low affordability, and overpriced homes are asking themselves how to build the wealth they need to purchase their first primary residence. According to a consumer insights report issued by tech-enabled real estate company Mynd, millennials have found the answer. A […]
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Buyers Embrace Adjustable Mortgages as Rates Surpass 7%
Rising interest rates have increased the average monthly loan payment by a whopping $1,000 year over year. With the rate for a 30-year mortgage rising to 7.08% this week—the highest average since April 2002, according to Freddie Mac—the average monthly loan payment is now $1,000 more than a year ago, Nadia Evangelou, senior economist and […]
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Yikes! Every Time Mortgage Rates Rise, Buyers Need To Make This Much More To Afford a Home
For home shoppers who thought 2022 would be their year, a pervasive sinking feeling is taking hold. They’re realizing the monthly payment for a home they thought they could afford—perhaps just barely—is now hundreds or even thousands of dollars more than they would have paid earlier this year. Their dream home is getting further and […]
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Common Mistakes When Closing on a Home
Ever notice that when you’re unprepared, it heats up stressful situations? Take the preclosing stage of the home buying process. You may keep thinking about the money at stake, while forms, disclosures, and reports fly at you. It’s enough to overwhelm anyone. Anyone who isn’t well prepared, that is. You can get a head start, […]
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Quick, the Appraiser Is at the Door!
Take the listing? Check! Sell the home? Check! Inspection completed? Check! Appraisal okay? Things could have gone better! What happened? Everyone benefits when appraisers and listing agents work together. Often a low appraisal value could have been avoided if all parties knew their roles at the beginning of the assignment instead of at the end. […]
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As the Housing Market Corrects, Is It Better To Rent or Buy?
Q:I’ve heard the housing market is ‘correcting’ and home prices are falling. However, mortgage rates and rents keep going up. So should I wait to buy until prices go down further and rent now instead? Whether to rent or buy a home has long been on the mind of potential homebuyers. Soaring mortgage and rental […]
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