Home Mortgage

How to Know You're Ready to Buy a Home

Dave Says: Buying a home is likely the biggest purchase you will ever make, but how do you know your finances are ready for the responsible. And tips for finding investing safe havens.

How Your Mortgage Rate is Determined

Home buyers' credit score plays a major role in determining their mortgage rates, but other factors are also taken into consideration. 

5 Top College Towns to Invest In

College may be the best four years of a child’s life, but they may also provide a worthwhile investment opportunity for parents. Here are five towns and cities across the country that real estate experts say can bring a nice return on your real estate investment.

Hot Locations for Offbeat Vacation Home Investments

The idea of buying a vacation home tends to bring to mind landscapes of beaches, mountains or lakes, but experts say not all second homes have to be located in exclusive communities like the Hamptons or Malibu to be a worthwhile investment. As the housing market sees increased confidence from buyers and sellers alike, realtors say more Americans are on the hunt for a second home before interest rates rise too high. “We are seeing an emerging trend of second home purchases,” says Charlie Young, CEO of ERA Real Estate. “People are getting back into the market from a second home perspective because of affordability, reduced and discounted pricing and solid inventory.” These second homes don’t necessarily have to be in a high-end market, either.  Michael Mendillo, president of the Mid Atlantic Region of FirstService Residential, says buyers in the lifestyle community sector of the real estate market are purchasing second houses that will eventually become their retirement homes. “It’s either people buying a second home where they are sensing their child will go to college nearby, or they are retiring and their second home will become their full-time home as well,” he says. FOXBusiness.com talked to real estate experts across the country to find under-the-radar vacation home locations and communities that are heating up:

How Fast Can You Buy a Home?

In hot markets across the country, homes are selling fast. And that means if you hope to buy a home, you have to be prepared to move quickly.

Tips for Buyers in a Sellers’ Market

In a seller’s market the gloves come off and would-be buyers need to act fast, think outside the box and be prepared to work at the home-buying process.

5 Things Sellers Do That Drive Agents Nuts

Ideally, the seller-agent relationship should remain strong and positive throughout the process. But sellers can sometimes get in the real estate agent’s way, and in doing so, diminish their chances for a successful sale at the best price and in the shortest amount of time. 

3 Steps to Simplify the Home Buying Process

Becoming a homeowner in the current housing market is no walk in the park. But by doing your homework and thinking about the process as four smaller stages, shopping for a home can be less complicated and, perhaps, even enjoyable.

5 Tips for Home Sellers this Spring

Top real estate agents and interior designers nationwide share their tips of the most valuable home improvements for a quick resale.