When deciding whether to buy a home in today’s climate, you’ll want to think beyond market conditions and focus on your individual circumstances. Here are some personal considerations to keep in mind. Financial health Take stock of your current savings, credit score, and debt. Can you afford a home? Or does renting make more sense?  Housing is a […]

Starter homes are getting even smaller. Inflation is hard-felt by typical Americans, even if it seems to be mostly under control on paper. It’s hit the housing market too, only in the form of shrinkflation. Homes are getting smaller—and more costly. In fact, they’re hitting levels we haven’t seen since 2009 and 2010, after the Great Recession. […]

If 2024 didn’t see you owning your own home, maybe it is on your vision board for 2025. Homeownership offers more than just a permanent place to call your own, it also comes with a whole host of tax benefits that can significantly impact your bottom line. Understanding these advantages can help you make informed […]

US employers added 227,000 jobs last month, exceeding analyst forecasts in a rebound from October – but the unemployment rate also unexpectedly ticked higher. While the jobs market bounced back compared with the prior month, when hurricanes and labor strikes weighed against hiring, the November figures released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics signaled […]

Potential homebuyers are responding to lower mortgage rates and a higher supply of homes for sale. That fueled mortgage demand last week, as consumers looking to refinance pulled back. Total mortgage application volume rose 2.8% compared with the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s seasonally adjusted index. An additional adjustment was made for […]

If you own a home, congratulations: You likely gained six figures in equity since 2019. “A typical homeowner accumulated $147,000 in housing wealth in the last five years,” said National Association of Realtors® Chief Economist Lawrence Yun in the latest quarterly report. That’s a profit of $29,400 per year—nearly half of the average U.S. salary. But even with the rapid price appreciation over […]

One of the best ways to build your family’s financial future is through homeownership. The Federal Reserve reports the net worth of a homeowner is actually over 40 times greater than that of a renter. Maybe it’s time to start thinking about buying a home, especially when they’re so affordable in today’s market. Every three […]

The average age of homebuyers is now 56, up from 49 in 2023, according to the National Association of Realtors’ annual state-of-the-market report released Monday. That’s a historic high, up from an average age in the low-to-mid 40s in the early 2010s. The median age of first-time buyers also rose from 35 to 38, while the […]

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that there were just 12,000 jobs created in October, which was well below estimates of 113,000. Negative revisions to August and September also shaved 112,000 jobs from those months combined. The unemployment rate held steady at 4.1%, though there’s important rounding information to understand about this, as noted […]