Is Your First Home Within Your Grasp Now? [INFOGRAPHIC]

By Jennifer Ruspini | May 18, 2018

Some Highlights:

According to the US Census Bureau, ‘millennials’ are defined as 18-36-year-olds.
According to NAR’s latest Profile of Home Buyers & Sellers, the median age of all first-time home buyers is 32.
More and more ‘old millennials’ (25…

Moving Up to Your Dream Home? Don’t Wait!

By Jennifer Ruspini | May 17, 2018

Moving Up to Your Dream Home? Don’t Wait! | Simplifying The MarketMortgage interest rates have risen by more than half of a point since the beginning of the year, and many assume that if mortgage rates rise, home values will fall. History, however, has shown this not to be true. Where are home values today compared to the beginning of the year? While rates have been […]

Renters Under 50 Want to Buy a Home!

By Jennifer Ruspini | May 16, 2018

Renters Under 50 Want to Buy a Home! | Simplifying The MarketEvery year, the New York Federal Reserve publishes the results of their Survey of Consumer Expectations (SCE). Each survey covers a wide range of topics including inflation, labor market, household finance, credit access and housing. One of the many questions asked in the housing section of the survey was: Assuming you had the financial resources […]

Access: An Important Factor in Getting Your House SOLD!

By Jennifer Ruspini | May 15, 2018

Access: An Important Factor in Getting Your House SOLD! | Simplifying The MarketSo, you’ve decided to sell your house. You’ve hired a real estate professional to help you through the entire process, and they have asked you what level of access you want to provide to your potential buyers. There are four elements to a quality listing. At the top of the list is Access, followed by […]

Access: An Important Factor in Getting Your House SOLD!

By Jennifer Ruspini | May 15, 2018

Access: An Important Factor in Getting Your House SOLD! | Simplifying The MarketSo, you’ve decided to sell your house. You’ve hired a real estate professional to help you through the entire process, and they have asked you what level of access you want to provide to your potential buyers. There are four elements to a quality listing. At the top of the list is Access, followed by […]

Homeownership: “A Man Is Not a Complete Man, Unless He Owns a House”

By Jennifer Ruspini | May 14, 2018

Homeownership: "A Man Is Not a Complete Man, Unless He Owns a House" | Simplifying The MarketThe famous quote by Walt Whitman, “A man is not a whole and complete man, unless he owns a house and the ground it stands on,” can be used to describe homeownership in America today. The Census revealed that the percentage of homeowners in America has been steadily climbing back up since hitting a 50-year low in 2016. […]

3 Tips for Making Your Dream of Owning a Home a Reality [INFOGRAPHIC]

By Jennifer Ruspini | May 11, 2018

Some Highlights:

Setting up an automatic savings plan that saves a small amount of every check is one of the best ways to save without thinking much about it.
Living within a budget right now will help you save money for down payments while also pay…

5 Ways Tax Reform Has Impacted the 2018 Housing Market

By Jennifer Ruspini | May 10, 2018

5 Ways Tax Reform Has Impacted the 2018 Housing Market | Simplifying The MarketStarting late last year, some predicted that the 2018 tax changes would cripple the housing market. Headlines warned of the potential for double-digit price depreciation and suggested that buyer demand could drop like a rock. There was even sentiment that homeownership could lose its coveted status as a major component of the American Dream.  Now […]

Real Estate Tops Best Investment Poll for 5th Year Running

By Jennifer Ruspini | May 9, 2018

Real Estate Tops Best Investment Poll for 5th Year Running | Simplifying The MarketEvery year, Gallup surveys Americans to determine their choice for the best long-term investment. Respondents are given a choice between real estate, stocks/mutual funds, gold, savings accounts/CDs, or bonds. For the fifth year in a row, real estate has come out on top as the best long-term investment! This year’s results showed that 34% of […]

Home Inspections: What to Expect

By Jennifer Ruspini | May 8, 2018

Home Inspections: What to Expect | Simplifying The MarketSo you made an offer, it was accepted, and now your next task is to have the home inspected prior to closing. Oftentimes, agents make your offer contingent on a clean home inspection. This contingency allows you to renegotiate the price you paid for the home, ask the sellers to cover repairs, or even, in some […]