01 May 2020
By Mortgage Blog Content

What Is House Hacking?

Real Estate
Some clever millennials are teaching the older boomers a new way to invest in real estate, which goes by the name of "house hacking." What Is House Hacking? House hacking has nothing to do with computers, although you may go on the Internet to find candidates for real estate investments suitable for hacking. The goal of house hacking is to acquire a multifamily rental property, live in one part of it and rent out the other parts for enough rental income to cover most, if not all, of the expenses of owning the property. Live Rent-Free As the on-site manager of a property that you own, you do not have to…
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29 Apr 2020
By Mortgage Blog Content

Why Most People Use A Real Estate Agent Or Broker To Buy A Property

Real Estate
One might wonder if the continued improvement in the access to online information about properties for sale has removed the need for working with a qualified real estate agent or broker. It has not. The trends reported by the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) are interesting. Buyers are finding a home to purchase by searching online in larger numbers than before. In the NAR survey of homebuyers, the home was found online by the buyer for more than half of the homes purchased, with only 28% of the homes purchased suggested to the buyer by a real estate agent. Even so, NAR also reports that 87% of buyers made their home…
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28 Apr 2020
By Mortgage Blog Content

The ‘Golden Girls’ Strategy? Elderly Adults Share Home Ownership

Real Estate
The "Golden Girls" trend got its name from the popular television sitcom about four elderly women who live together to share expenses. It is becoming a popular way in real life for elderly adults to share homeownership and it has many benefits. The cost of assisted living is quite high. The median cost in the United States for assisted living is $4,051 per month. In many parts of America, that amount makes a substantial mortgage payment. Rather than pay that high price to live in an adult assisted-living community, many able-bodied elderly are choosing to pool their resources and live together in a large home that they own together. Buying A…
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22 Apr 2020
By Mortgage Blog Content

Disruptive Technology And The Real Estate Market

Real Estate
Recent advancements in technology continue to disrupt the real estate market. This includes the use of "Big Data" for data mining, artificial intelligence combined with machine learning, augmented and virtual reality, use of drones, blockchain technology, and the ongoing deployment of 5G. The Use Of Big Data Consumers have access to more information about real estate market conditions because of the collection and online presentation of the results of data mining "Big Data." For example, it is easy to learn if a market is a buyer's or a seller's market by searching for the median number of days a house will be on the market before it sells in a certain…
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17 Apr 2020
By Mortgage Blog Content

The Narrowing Gap Between Renting And Buying A Home In The US

Real Estate
According to data compiled by Realtor.com in the fourth quarter of 2019, it is still more affordable overall to rent versus buy a home -- but just barely. The median monthly mortgage payment at the end of 2019 was $1,600, while the median monthly rent payment was $1,319. This is largely due to steadily-increasing rates, rising home prices, and near-record-low mortgage rates. The Realtor.com study looked at 593 counties across the country. As compared to the fourth quarter of 2018, the average monthly cost of renting a home increased 4%, up from $1,254, while the average monthly cost of homeownership actually declined 1%, falling from $1,658. These numbers represent exactly 30%…
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16 Apr 2020
By Mortgage Blog Content

What Should I Consider Most When Buying A Home This Year?

Real Estate
There are two times when it is best to buy a home. When you have to buy one and when you can afford to buy one. In general, owning a home is better than renting one because you are building up equity for yourself, instead of throwing your money away by helping the landlord buy the property with your rent money. Best- And Worst-Case Scenario Planning Be prepared for owning a home, especially if this will be your first time as a homebuyer. There is a natural tendency to stretch finances to the breaking point when wanting to own a home. Try to be patient and have a contingency plan for…
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