Real Estate Blog

Okay, you made one of the most important decisions in your life: you’re buying a home! You found your ideal home. It’s in your desired neighborhood, close to everything you love, you dig its design and feel, and you’re ready to finalize the deal. But, whoa … wait a minute! Buying a home isn’t like buying a toaster. If you discover something’s wrong with your new home, you can’t return it for a refund or an even exchange. You’re stuck with your buying decision. Purchasing a ...

  Maybe your dream home has the intricate details that you usually find only in older construction - wainscoting and crown molding in the interior, the front porch with a swing, an older tree shading the back yard, and the white picket fence.    Or maybe your dream home has all the conveniences of modern living - open floor plan in the living and dining spaces, large windows, connected, “smart” appliances and security systems, and minimalist design elements.    Whether you go for a brand new construction or an existing home, both types of properties have ...

MLS Report for June 2016 Mid-range housing sees positive activity again while inventory gets another boost HOUSTON — (July 13, 2016) — June provided a continued boost to Houston’s housing inventory as new listings entered the market. Home sales volume was unchanged year-over-year, but as the local real estate market has seen for the past several months, most of the homes consumers purchased were priced in the $150,000 to $500,000 range. According to the latest monthly report prepared by the Houston Association of Realtors (HAR), a total of 7,696 homes sold in June compared to 7,710 a year earlier— statistically ...

     WHY YOU SHOULDN’ T TRUST ONLINE REAL ESTATE PRICE E STIMATES  It’s fun to enter an address on a website and instantly receive an estimate of what that property is worth. But the data that powers many of those automated valuation models is inaccurate and unreliable.  Who says? The websites themselves. Look below to see how popular sites that offer online price estimates describe limitations with their own data.  zillow.com  “The Zestimate is not an appraisal and you won’t be able to use it in place ...

By Holden Lewis · Bankrate.com Friday, July 8, 2016 Posted: 11 am ET David Sucsy/Getty Images Home-shoppers, be cheerful: Job growth in June was surprisingly high, but the news hasn't had much effect on mortgage rates. They're staying near record lows. Read this week's mortgage analysis, in which the 30-year-fixed fell to just shy of its all-time low at 3.52%. RATE SEARCH: