Conversations about schools and their effect on a home’s value are often of the “chicken or the egg” variety. Homes in the best school districts, on average, sell for higher prices than similar homes in less-popular school districts. A simple analysis might say that good schools are wholly responsible for this added value. At the same…
Overall, it seems that 2016 was a pretty good year for housing. National average prices continued to rise, mortgage rates remained historically low, and there were clear indications that millennials, a generation which some feared would never buy homes, were beginning to enter the housing market. In many ways 2016 was an extraordinary and, for…
Wouldn’t it be nice to own a vacation home that you could return to year after year? Perhaps just slip away after a long work week. Your own personal retreat from the hectic chaos of life? Or even a second home that’s not a liability but rather an asset, one that’s producing income for you?…
As you are in the market to establish some roots and buy a home, you may be interested in what factors may affect the cost of living. Certainly, your housing costs make up for the largest single expenditure. And housing costs are impacted by the amenities and attractions in the surrounding area. Since most all…
Appraisals are used for several reasons. They’re used when a home is being sold (especially if it’s a financed purchase), when an owner is refinancing their current mortgage, and/or when taking out an additional mortgage on the current home. Some may optionally get an appraisal done on the home for other purposes but it’s primary…
One of the top five things that I hear most buyers tell me are “must haves” while shopping for a new home is a FENCE. Sure they could always install one themselves but most buyers in most markets desire to have it built and ready prior to purchase. So the next logical question might be,…