Existing Home Sales - September 2011

Sales of existing homes in the USA went up by 3.09% in July, to 5 million homes. For month-to-month comparisons, the sales pace was up everywhere, except the South, which was down only -.54%.

Tips for First Time Home Buyers

Buying a home can be a long, complicated and frightening process, and it is important to be prepared. Knowledge is power when it comes to negotiating the difficult world of home prices, interest rates and mortgage loans. For a first time home buyer, the more information you can gather before you start shopping, the better off you will be.

Home Buyers Guide - The Appraisal

Buying a home can be a complex process with many important steps. After finding your dream home, and acceptance of the purchase offer, the appraisal is the next step in becoming a homeowner.

How to Sell Your Home in a Slow Market

Learn how to sell your home in the current real estate market. Knowing how to prepare your home for sale, when to allow access for showings, and how you can offer buyer incentives will help you find the right buyer, even in a declining market.

Should You Start with a High Sales Price?

Because of the change in real estate market conditions, more sellers are competing for fewer home buyers. Therefore, it is important to challenge a long-standing "myth" of real estate, that the initial listing price is not that important because it can always be adjusted down later. Find out why making this mistake can prove so costly.

Sell Your House in This Market

With almost as many homes listed for sale as realtors sell in a year, sellers need every advantage they can get to stand out from the crowd. Analyze other homes that are similar to yours. Find out what is for sale now and then figure out how much your home would sell for.

Offset Your Mortgage Costs by Saving on Homeowners Insurance

With the fluctuating housing market, it is harder for homeowners to keep up with their mortgages. Learn how homeowners can save some extra money to help with mortgage payments by saving on their homeowners insurance.

Foreclosures and the Housing Crisis

The housing crisis is causing a mess, because of lower home values and massive foreclosures, often blamed on the sub-prime mortgage industry and unethical loan officers. Find out what started the boom, and how that led to the current bust.