When will the housing market recover? Whether you’re a homeowner, real estate agent, real estate company, bank, politician, or just someone who’d like to buy a home sometime soon, that question is one that just about everyone’s asked at one point or another over the last few years. Truthfully, we here at Movoto aren’t sure…
Forbes.com heralded a grim forecast yesterday for potential homebuyers regarding mortgages and down payments. A poll conducted by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling asked consumers if they thought they could meet the down payment requirements in today’s market, and found that nearly half answered that they could not. The article goes on to point…
A big change is coming for buyers of “flipped” homes. Previously, the Federal Housing Administration would not insure a mortgage on a home owned by the seller for less than 90 days. This edict kept investors, or “serial flippers” from inflating the prices of starter homes, sometimes with a bare minimum of repairs made to…
On their 2009 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, the National Association of Realtors released a list of primary reasons why home sellers have put their home on the market. Job relocation, low square footage, and change in family situation rank somewhat high on the list, but the report also showed that 2% of all…
Buying your first home ranks very high on the “life accomplishments” list, right up there with buying your first car and getting your first job. But what about buying your second or third home? Is now the right time to buy? Should you consider making the upgrade to a bigger, nicer home? Upgrading to a…
Does weather affect home sales? According to the Movoto agents we spoke with, weather has a significant influence on buyers’ motivation to purchase homes in particular seasons. In climates with changing seasons, most real estate agents find that homebuyers typically purchase in the spring and summer months, rather than in the colder (or in some…
In this digital age, the savvy homebuyer stays plugged into resources that will help him make the best decisions when house-hunting. Working with a realtor will alleviate a lot of stress and frustration, but there is nothing wrong with educating yourself. Here are a handful of useful websites designed to prepare you for purchasing a…
Real estate—even in this economy—continues to be an extremely lucrative way to invest capital, if you have sound advice from a knowledgeable source. If you’ve never invested in real estate before, the first and most important step is to speak with a realtor to help you parse out exactly what you want to accomplish in…
After much impatient foot-tapping as the extension was reviewed by Congress and the House, future homebuyers should be thrilled with the news that President Barack Obama signed the bill proposed by Senate to extend the homebuyers’ tax credit today. The 2009 tax credit was set to expire November 30th; the looming due date was the…
On the tail-end of the anticipated extension of the Federal tax credit for first-time homebuyers—and the expansion of the credit to repeat homebuyers—the real estate markets of Portland and Eugene, Oregon have maintained a consistent percentage of distressed properties in their respective markets. The prospective extension may potentially add incentive to purchase a home in…
