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Buying a home can be an overwhelming thought—especially for first time buyers. We’ve compiled a list of our most frequently asked buyer questions to help you get started on the home search! 

Q. What is the first step in the home buying process?

The first step in buying a home is to get pre-approved for a mortgage loan. The pre-approval process includes talking with a mortgage broker and providing them with information like pay stubs, bank statements, credit report, etc. to help them determine exactly home much of a home you can afford. This is important to do BEFORE you start the home search. If you start looking at homes but can’t get approved for a loan, it’s a waste of both yours and your realtor’s time. Not to mention, if you are approved…

Mortgage rates have been on the rise since around August of last year.

Rates, which on a 30-year fixed mortgage were at an all-time low of around 3.25% last year, are now not expected to go lower than the 4% mark anytime soon. This seemingly small hike can add hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dollars to a home buyer’s yearly payments. 

For example, for a $200,000 house at the rate of 3.25%, your monthly mortgage payment would be $870.41. For the same house at the current rate of 4.25%, the monthly payment would be $983.88. Over the course of a 30-year loan, that extra bit a month adds up to $40,000.

"Experts in the field expect that mortgage rates will remain at this plateau for now or will rise in the near future," says Christina Lane, senior mortgage…

So you’ve finally put your house on the market…and it’s not selling. What’s going wrong? There is usually an easy answer to that question and most likely it’s one of the four things listed below.

1. Price

Of course you feel your home is worth the moon and the stars—it’s your home, and it’s sentimental for you. However, the number you have in your head might not actually match your home’s true value. A good realtor will look into all the comps for an area and guide you to the perfect price for your home. But if you come up with a price and aren’t willing to allow that experienced realtor to help, chances are your home is going to stay put. Today’s buyers are savvy and can sense when a home is priced too high for what it is or the area it’s in.…

Kitchen remodels are known for being really expensive…but they’re also one of the biggest opportunities for return on investment in remodeling a home. You can easily transform your kitchen, no matter how small your budget may be!

> $100

Add pops of color.

Notice one thing in common for most dream kitchens? They’re all light and bright and airy. We gravitate toward things that feel bright, and if you can’t afford to add windows in your kitchen…the best way to bring that light in is by adding colorful accessories. Paint an accent wall. Add a bold window treatment. Paint the inside of an open cabinet with a fun color. Choose colorful cookware. Add color with your own kitchen herb garden. Whichever way you go, this is an easy way to add color…

Trying to decide what type of home to buy can be daunting for a new home buyer, particularly when you don’t know what your life might look like a few years down the road. Let us help you narrow down the potential possibilities by looking at the advantages and disadvantages of all the options. 

Townhouse

What makes a townhouse a townhouse? First off, a townhouse is attached, sharing at least one common wall with another, similar-designed home. And, living up to their name, townhouses are usually clustered in core areas within a city, directly within all of the hustle and bustle. Because of their close proximity to downtown, they generally have less yard and square footage than detached single-family homes. This can be a bad thing for some, but…

It’s a big decision to sell your home. And if you’re putting a home on the market for the first time, no doubt you will have a lot of questions about the process.

We’ve compiled a list of our most frequently asked questions from sellers so you can know everything there is to know about selling your home! 

1. How much is my house worth? 

While the median house price in 2016 is around $228,000, the exact price of your own home will depend on its size, neighborhood and lots of other factors. Trying to price a home yourself is why many For Sale By Owner properties never sell. In that same tune, you can’t get an accurate estimate of your home’s value online. An automated system will not have the same information as an experienced local realtor who…

Is it bad to sell your home during the holidays? It’s a question we get a lot. 

There is a myth surrounding the idea of listing that sellers should wait until spring to put their home on the market. In reality, this couldn’t be farther from the truth! 

A study by online brokerage Redfin found that on average, sellers net more above asking price during the months of December, January, February and March than they do from June through November. Not only that, but the study found that homes listed in winter sold faster than those posted in the spring! 

Although there are a lot of buyers beginning their search in the spring, there are just as many looking for homes in the winter. But the advantage to listing in winter months is that inventory is…

Whether you’re a first-time home buyer or have gone through the process before, taking the leap into buying a home can be a nerve-wracking experience. But the good news is—it doesn’t have to be! There will always be some aspects of the home buying process that are out of your control, but there are ways to minimize the stress involved! Check out our tips for a less bumpy home buying road: 

1. Know what you want (before you look) 

When you’re already out seeing homes with your agent, it isn’t the time to be deciding how many bedrooms you want, the type of floor plan you need or the area in which you want to live. There are so many things you can narrow down before you ever see your first house, which will save you time and stress in the long run.…

If you have a smartphone, you're never too far away from endless opportunities for home improvement help from design inspiration to household management to finally executing a remodel. Check our top 6 picks for helpful home apps: 

Magic Plan

Cost: Free for basic app, upgrades available at a cost
More Info: floorplanner.com/magicplan

Having a hard time visualizing things? We get you. The Magic Plan app gathers gather visual data to create an indoor map. Take photos of the indoor space at the floor level from corner to corner and choose from more than 400 objects, including fixtures, appliances and electrical to complete your floor plan. You can also share the map with other users and save it to the cloud.

iFixit

Cost: Free
More Info:…

If you’ve recently purchased a home or are looking into becoming a homeowner, the subject of home warranties has probably come up in your research. But what’s the point of them? Do you really need one? Let us help you decide with our answers to these frequently asked home warranty questions. 

What is a home warranty?

A home warranty is a service contract in which a company agrees to pay for fixing or replacing home systems and appliances.

What does a home warranty cover?

Depending on which plan you choose, you can have either a little or a lot of coverage on your home appliances and systems. Basic plans typically include coverage for kitchen appliances, water heaters, plumbing, electrical, heating systems, etc. There are additional options…