Blog

08
Feb
By Jim Hasek
Home Buyer Tips, ,

Buying Real Estate vs. Buying Stocks: Here’s Why a Home Should Be Your Priority

Once you're done with debt and you've started to save, it's commonly the case that you'll start hearing about the risks and rewards of investing in stocks or real estate. Unfortunately, it can be difficult for many people to know what type of investment is going to work better for them down the road. If you're currently considering what you should put your money into, here are some reasons you may want to turn to real estate. It's Something You Can See While investing in the stock market will give you the ability to invest as little or as much…
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07
Feb
By Jim Hasek
Home Seller Tips, ,

Struggling to Sell Your House in the Winter? Try These Innovative Home Staging Tips

With all of the busyness of the winter months and most people settling in for the season, it can be hard to achieve a successful home sale at the end of the year. Fortunately, if you simply can't wait to put your home on the market, here are some staging tips that will engage potential buyers so you won't have to wait much longer for an offer. Add Accents To Your Neutrals It's often the case that a home with neutral colors will show better because potential buyers can envision themselves in it, but there are ways to dress up…
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06
Feb
By Jim Hasek
Mortgage Rates

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – February 6, 2017

Last week's economic news included several good signs for U.S. Labor Markets with higher than expected readings for private and public sector job creation. The Federal Reserve announced its decision not to raise the target federal funds range, and inflation rose. Mortgage rates held steady and pending home sales rose. Private and Public Sector Jobs Post Unexpected Gains ADP, which tracks private-sector job growth, showed a gain of 246,000 jobs in January against expectations of 168,000 new jobs and December's reading of 151,000 private sector jobs created. Analysts said 208,000 of jobs added were service-related jobs. January's Non-Farm Payrolls, which…
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03
Feb
By Jim Hasek
Home Seller Tips, ,

Trying to Decide Whether or Not to Sell Your Home? Here Are 5 Key Questions to Ask Yourself

Selling a home, especially one with sentimental value, is never an easy decision to make. There are many factors that go into determining if the home is ready to be listed and if the seller is actually ready to part with it. Answering some simple questions can go a long way to help an owner decide whether or not it's time to try and sell. How Much Work Does The Home Require? Some houses and condos are ready to hit the market immediately, but others have serious problems that would need to be disclosed to interested parties. It may not…
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02
Feb
By Jim Hasek
Home Buyer Tips, ,

Thinking About Buying a ‘Fixer Upper’? Here’s What You Need to Know

With all of the home renovation and fixer-upper shows on television, the idea of completely renovating and re-doing an old home can seem like an enticing premise. Unfortunately, investing in the wrong fixer-upper can mean an awful lot of expenditure without the added financial rewards. Whether you're considering investing down the road or are ready to dive in, here are a few things to consider first. How Much Do You Want To Spend? It's easy to be swept away by possibility, but before making an offer you'll need to sit down and determine exactly what you're willing to invest into…
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01
Feb
By Jim Hasek
Home Mortgage

Case-Shiller: Home Price Growth Continues

November home prices grew by 5.60 percent year-over-year on a seasonally adjusted basis according to Case-Shiller's reading on National Home Prices. National average home prices rose 0.80 percent from October to November. Case-Shiller's 20-City home price index revealed that the West and Mountain regions continue to hold the top three growth rates for home prices. Seattle posted a seasonally adjusted growth rate of 10.40 percent which was closely followed by Portland, Oregon's year-over year average home price gain of 10.10 percent. Denver rounded out the top three home price growth rates included in the 20-CityiIndex with a year-over-year gain of…
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