Your Tax Refund Can Help You Achieve Your Homebuying Goals

Written by Florida VA Loan Syndicated User on April 13, 2023. Posted in Buying Myths, Down Payments, First Time Home Buyers, Florida VA Condo Loan, Florida VA Loan, Florida VA Loan Rates, For Buyers, Housing Market Updates, Move-Up Buyers.

Have you been saving up to buy a home this year? If so, you know there are a variety of expenses involved – from your down payment to closing costs. But there’s good news – your tax refund can help you achieve your goals by paying for some of these expenses.SmartAsset estimates the average American will receive a $1,798 tax refund this year. The map below provides a more detailed estimate by state:According to Freddie Mac, there are multiple ways your refund check can help you as a homebuyer. If you’re getting a refund this year and thinking about buying a home, here are a few tips to keep:Saving...

The Key Advantage of Investing in a Home [INFOGRAPHIC]

Written by Florida VA Loan Syndicated User on April 8, 2023. Posted in First Time Home Buyers, Florida VA Condo Loan, Florida VA Loan, Florida VA Loan Rates, For Buyers, Infographics, Pricing.

Trying To Buy a Home? Hang in There.

Written by Florida VA Loan Syndicated User on April 7, 2023. Posted in Buying Myths, First Time Home Buyers, Florida VA Condo Loan, Florida VA Loan, Florida VA Loan Rates, For Buyers, Move-Up Buyers, Pricing.

We’re still in a sellers’ market. And if you’re looking to buy a home, that means you’re likely facing some unique challenges, like difficulty finding a home and volatile mortgage rates. But keep in mind, there are some benefits to being a buyer in today’s market that give you good reason to stick with your search. Here are a few of them.Long-Term Benefits Outweigh Short-Term ChallengesOwning a home grows your net worth – and since building that wealth takes time, it makes sense to start as soon as you can. If you wait to buy and keep renting, you’ll miss out on those monthly housing payments...

Why Aren’t Home Prices Crashing?

Written by Florida VA Loan Syndicated User on April 6, 2023. Posted in Florida VA Condo Loan, Florida VA Loan, Florida VA Loan Rates, For Buyers, For Sellers, Housing Market Updates.

There have been a lot of shifts in the housing market recently. Mortgage rates rose dramatically last year, impacting many people’s ability to buy a home. And after several years of rapid price appreciation, home prices finally peaked last summer. These changes led to a rise in headlines saying prices would end up crashing.Even though we’re no longer seeing the buyer frenzy that drove home values up during the pandemic, prices have been relatively flat at the national level. Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist at the National Association of Realtors (NAR), doesn’t expect that to change:“[H]ome prices...

How Changing Mortgage Rates Can Affect You

Written by Florida VA Loan Syndicated User on April 4, 2023. Posted in Buying Myths, Florida VA Condo Loan, Florida VA Loan, Florida VA Loan Rates, For Buyers, Interest Rates.

The 30-year fixed mortgage rate has been bouncing between 6% and 7% this year. If you’ve been on the fence about whether to buy a home or not, it’s helpful to know exactly how a 1%, or even a 0.5%, mortgage rate shift affects your purchasing power. The chart below helps show the general relationship between mortgage rates and a typical monthly mortgage payment:Even a 0.5% change can have a big impact on your monthly payment. And since rates have been moving between 6% and 7% for a while now, you can see how it impacts your purchasing power as rates go down.What This Means for YouYou may be tempted...

Facts About Closing Costs [INFOGRAPHIC]

Written by Florida VA Loan Syndicated User on April 1, 2023. Posted in Buying Myths, First Time Home Buyers, Florida VA Condo Loan, Florida VA Loan, Florida VA Loan Rates, For Buyers, Infographics, Move-Up Buyers.

How Homeownership Is Life Changing for Many Women

Written by Florida VA Loan Syndicated User on March 29, 2023. Posted in Demographics, First Time Home Buyers, Florida VA Condo Loan, Florida VA Loan, Florida VA Loan Rates, For Buyers.

Throughout Women’s History Month, we reflect on the impact women have in our lives, and that includes impact on the housing market. In fact, since at least 1981, single women have bought more homes than single men each year, and they make up 17% of all households.Why Is Homeownership So Important to Women?The rise in women pursuing homeownership hasn’t just made an impact on the housing market. It’s also been an asset for those buyers and their households. That’s because homeownership has many benefits, both financial and personal.On the financial side, housing proves to be the key to building...

Why Buying a Home Is a Sound Decision

Written by Florida VA Loan Syndicated User on March 25, 2023. Posted in First Time Home Buyers, Florida VA Condo Loan, Florida VA Loan, Florida VA Loan Rates, For Buyers, Move-Up Buyers, Pricing.

If you’re thinking about buying a home, you want to know the decision will be a good one. And for many, that means thinking about what home prices are projected to do in the coming years and how that could impact your investment. This year, we aren’t seeing home prices fall dramatically. As the year goes on, however, some markets may go up in value while others may lose value. That’s why it’s helpful to keep the long-term view in mind. Experts project a return to a steadier rate of price appreciation in the years that follow.Home Price Appreciation in the Years AheadOver 100 economists, investment...

Reasons To Consider Condos in Your Home Search

Written by Florida VA Loan Syndicated User on March 23, 2023. Posted in First Time Home Buyers, Florida VA Condo Loan, Florida VA Loan, Florida VA Loan Rates, For Buyers, Rent vs. Buy.

Are you having trouble finding a home that fits your needs and your budget? If so, you should know there’s an option worth considering – condominiums, also known as condos. According to Bankrate:“A condo can be a more affordable entry point to homeownership than a single-family home. And as a homeowner, you’ll build equity over time and have access to tax benefits that a renter wouldn’t.”That’s why expanding your search to include additional housing types, like condominiums, could help you accomplish your homeownership goals this spring, especially if you can be flexible about the space you...

What’s Ahead for Home Prices in 2023

Written by Florida VA Loan Syndicated User on March 21, 2023. Posted in First Time Home Buyers, Florida VA Condo Loan, Florida VA Loan, Florida VA Loan Rates, For Buyers, Housing Market Updates, Move-Up Buyers, Rent vs. Buy.

Over the past year, home prices have been a widely debated topic. Some have said we’ll see a massive drop in prices and that this could be a repeat of 2008 – which hasn’t happened. Others have forecasted a real estate market that could see slight appreciation or depreciation depending on the area of the country. And as we get closer to the spring real estate market, experts are continuing to forecast what they believe will happen with home prices this year and beyond.Selma Hepp, Chief Economist at CoreLogic, says:“While 2023 kicked off on a more optimistic note for the U.S. housing market, recent...

Category: For Buyers