With the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate from Freddie Mac climbing above 3%, rising rates are one of the topics dominating the discussion in the housing market today. And since experts project rates will rise further in the coming months, that conversation isn’t going away any time soon. But as a homebuyer, what do rates above 3% really mean? Today’s Average Mortgage Rate Still Presents Buyers with a Great Opportunity Buyers don’t want mortgage rates to rise, as any upward movement increases your monthly mortgage payment. But it’s important to put today’s average mortgage rate into perspec ..read more

Let’s try something. Open up one of your social media platforms, and start scrolling. Looking through all the family snapshots, dog memes and soapbox rants, do you see a common thread? Videos. Lots and lots of videos. You don’t have to be a marketing whiz to know that video is powerful. In today’s market, it’s the fastest way to capture the eye of a buyer. It entertains, educates and persuades. In all its glory, video is the ultimate communication tool. If you’re still not convinced you should be using video in your social media marketing, here are twelve eye-opening statistics that will chang ..read more

Some Highlights If you’re thinking of buying a home but wondering if waiting a few years will save you in the long run, think again. The longer the wait, the more you’ll pay, especially when mortgage rates and home prices rise. Even the slightest change in the mortgage rate can have a big impact on your buying power no matter your price point. Don’t assume waiting will save you money. Connect with your trusted real estate professional to set the ball into motion today while mortgage rates are hovering near historic lows ..read more

One of the hottest topics of conversation in today’s real estate market is the shortage of available homes. Simply put, there are many more potential buyers than there are homes for sale. As a seller, you’ve likely heard that low supply is good news for you. It means your house will get more attention, and likely, more offers. But as life begins to return to normal, you may be wondering if that’s something that will change. While it may be tempting to blame the pandemic for the current inventory shortage, the pandemic can’t take all the credit. While it did make some sellers hold off on listin ..read more

We’re in the ultimate sellers’ market right now. If you’re a homeowner thinking about selling, you have a huge advantage in today’s housing market. High buyer demand paired with very few houses for sale makes this the optimal time to sell for those who are ready to do so. Whatever the move you want to make looks like, here’s an overview of what’s creating the prime opportunity to sell this summer. High Buyer Demand Demand is strong, and buyers are actively searching for homes to purchase. In the Realtors Confidence Index Survey published monthly by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), b ..read more

For generations, the process of buying and selling a home never really changed. A homeowner would try to estimate the market value of their house, then tack on a little extra to give themselves some negotiating room. That figure would become the listing price. Buyers would then try to determine how much less than the full price they could offer and still get the home. As a result, the listing price was generally the ceiling of the negotiation. The actual sales price would almost always be somewhat lower than what was listed. It was unthinkable to pay more than what the seller was asking. Today ..read more

Renting your first apartment is an exciting prospect, but it can also feel overwhelming once you begin to navigate the rental process. Finding a rental in your desired location can be challenging—and finding one that suits your budget is no less daunting! But if you stay informed and organized, you can manage the apartment hunting and rental agreement process with ease. Here, we’ve outlined everything you need to know before you sign a rental lease. The First Things to Consider When Renting When you begin to search for an apartment, you’ll want to consider a few essential first steps. Rental c ..read more

Many people are sitting on the fence trying to decide if now’s the time to buy a home. Some are renters who have a strong desire to become homeowners but are unsure if buying right now makes sense. Others may be homeowners who are realizing that their current home no longer fits their changing needs. To determine if they should buy now or wait another year, they both need to ask two simple questions: 1. Do I think home values will be higher a year from now? 2. Do I think mortgage rates will be higher a year from now? Let’s shed some light on the answers to these questions. Where will home pric ..read more

My 5-year Tesla Plan is fanciful, but based on what could be the situation some Terre Haute renters can probably relate to. The imaginary 5-year Tesla Plan participant could be any gainfully employed Terre Haute renter who has been living comfortably in a nice rental for the past few years. It’s either a comfortable home or a nice apartment: that doesn’t matter. What’s important is that the monthly rent has been rising. It’s now $1,570. This is now gobbling up just about every spare dollar of the Terre Haute renter’s income, perhaps leaving only an annual $6,000 bonus for savings, which the te ..read more

When the Terre Haute weather turns sizzling, you might think that house showings might go better by holding off for milder weather. After all, as the mercury rises, energy levels tend to wilt, so prospective buyers willing to take on a big initiative—like lining up a new house—might seem to be in short supply. You might think that—but the evidence actually points in the opposite direction. It seems that the hottest weather invites more home buying instead of less. At least that’s what the National Bureau of Economic Research suggests—and experts at Fannie Mae agree. The NBER finds that “warm w ..read more