What to Look for in New Construction
Few things are as exciting as purchasing a newly constructed home. Everything is pristine and, presumably, will last for a very long time. However, just because a house is new doesn’t mean it’s free of flaws. There are a lot of factors that could make a brand-new home a less than ideal purchase. So, before […]
Get To Work! How To Make Your Home Office Space a Huge Selling Point
It’s been six months since many of us were last in the office, tapping away on our ergonomic keyboards and drawing on whiteboards in conference rooms during (gasp!) in-person meetings.Since then, we’ve been forced to find a new path forward in our homes, to create feasible workspaces where there really are none. And frankly, the kitchen table […]
How We Bought a House That Wasn’t for Sale (and How You Can, Too)
While trying to buy a house this summer, I assumed our real estate options were limited to homes that were officially for sale. Well, guess what? We ended up buying a house that wasn’t even listed—and learned that this home-buying strategy wasn’t just possible, but often preferable if you’re purchasing property in a competitive market. […]
Aging In Place
In 2010, Vanessa Piala and her husband Jim Belikove modified their home near Chevy Chase, Md., by digging out the basement and adding an in-law suite in anticipation of moving her parents there from New Jersey. But after her mother had a stroke, Piala stayed with her parents in New Jersey for 18 months before moving […]
Run the Air Conditioner or Open the Windows?
When the mercury is rising, it should be an easy decision: Do you run the air conditioning or open the windows? In reality, the choice isn’t always so obvious. You may think open windows are the more economical choice, but constantly starting and stopping your central AC or window unit can be inefficient and costly. […]
Indianapolis Housing Market is Red Hot
Spurred by ultra-low mortgage rates, home buyers rushed last month to snap up a limited supply of existing houses, causing the pace of purchases to jump by a record-high 24.7%. The July surge in sales reported Friday by the National Association of Realtors marked the second straight month of accelerating home purchases. The back-to-back increases […]
Cook Up Some Questions! 10 Things To Ask Your Agent During a Video Tour of the Kitchen
Video tours have become an indispensable tool for house hunters in the COVID-19 era, although they do have their drawbacks—you won’t notice a bad odor through a video screen, after all. And if there’s one room for which you really need a sense of how you’ll be able to use it, it’s the kitchen. After all, it […]
6 Reasons Why This Is Actually the Best Time in Years To Sell a House
Talk about a strange summer. Between the continued threat of the novel coronavirus, a wobbly economy, and layoffs happening left and right, it’s no surprise that many who may have hoped to sell their home this season are wondering whether to put those plans on hold—or they’ve already thrown in the towel. Such hesitancy is understandable. […]
Where You Get the Most House for Your Money
You’re on a Zoom call for work and the kids are frantically racing around the sofa where you’re stationed. You’re trying to relax while reading a book in the living room, but your roommate is cranking Netflix and chomping on nachos. And going out for a walk in the city streets is no stress reliever. […]
Mortgage Rates Dip Below 3%
The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 2.98% this week, the lowest rate in Freddie Mac’s records dating back to 1971. “The drop has led to increased home buyer demand and, these low rates have been capitalized into asset prices in support of the financial markets,” says Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “However, the countervailing force […]
