From House to Haven: Crafting Your Own Unique Space Your house is more than a place to live. It’s the place you call your own, where you should feel most comfortable and where you can create lasting family memories. It should reflect who you are and what you want your guests to feel when they arrive. Whether you’ve built a new house or are in a house you’ve lived in for many years, it’s never too early or too late to create your own unique space. The key is knowing what you want, creating a plan, and taking the steps to create your haven. How to Make Your House a Haven in 9 Steps If you have a ..read more

Market Comment Mortgage bond prices finished the week sharply higher which put downward pressure on rates. We started the week on a slightly positive note, sold off mid-week, and rallied to end the week. Most of the gains came in response to the weaker than expected employment report. FHFA housing rose 1.2% vs 0.1%. Consumer confidence was 97.0 vs 104.0. Q1 Employment cost index rose 1.2% vs 1%. ADP employment came in at 192K vs 175K. ISM index came in at 49.2 vs 50. The trade deficit was $69.4B vs $69.2B. Weekly jobless claims were 208K vs 212K. Mortgage interest rates finished the week bette ..read more

From Blueprint to Reality: The Journey of Building Your Dream Home Building your dream home can be super exciting, but there are many steps along the way. Custom-built homes can take 9 – 12 months or more, depending on how much preparation you do. The more prepared you are from the start, the easier the process will go and the faster you can move into your dream home. There are bound to be hills and valleys, but the more you prepare, the more fun you’ll have going from blueprint to reality! Here are the steps to building your dream home. 1.    Define your Goals You probably have ..read more

Market Comment Mortgage bond prices finished the week flat to slightly higher which held rates steady. We started the week with slow steady improvements. Rates worsened mid-week in response to higher price pressures. The GDP price index rose 3.1% vs 3%. We recovered the losses to end the week slightly positive. New home sales were 693K vs 668M. Durable goods orders rose 2.6% vs 2.5%. Weekly jobless claims were 207K vs 214K. Q1 GDP rose 1.6% vs 2.4%. Income rose 0.5% as expected. Spending rose 0.8% vs 0.6%. Core PCE, the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge, rose 0.3% as expected. Mortgage interest ..read more

Realtor Radar: Mastering the Art of Virtual Tours Everyone is all about instant gratification today, including homebuyers! They no longer want to wait for an appointment to see a home. They want to be able to hop onto their favorite real estate website and see a virtual tour so they know if they should take the time to see the house. To succeed as a real estate agent, you must be willing to create virtual tours that bring in more homebuyers to compete in today’s online world. But, like any new technology, there are a lot of decisions to make and tricks to know. Here’s everything you must know ..read more

Financial Fitness Bootcamp: Shape Up Your Finances Spring is almost here – we can feel it in the air! That means it’s also homebuying season! If you’re one of the millions of people considering buying a home this spring or summer, now is the perfect time to brush up on your financial fitness and ensure you show you’re a capable buyer! This financial fitness bootcamp routine will help you put your right foot forward and help you reach your goals of homeownership. Why You Should Shape up Your Finances Before Applying for a Mortgage Qualifying for a mortgage means proving you can afford the loan ..read more

Market Comment Mortgage bond prices finished the week sharply lower which put significant upward pressure on rates. Sentiment shifted greatly regarding future Fed policy. We started on a negative note and continued that pattern for most of the week. Higher than expected consumer inflation readings shook the market. The consumer price index rose 0.4% vs 0.3%. The core, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, also rose 0.4% vs 0.3%. Producer prices rose 0.2% vs 0.3%. The core rose 0.2% as expected. Weekly Jobless claims were 211K vs 215K. Consumer sentiment was 77.9 vs 79 which helped st ..read more

Demystifying the Tax Code Owning a house comes with many benefits, including tax deductions. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act changed how homeowners and other taxpayers benefit, but there are still ways to lower your taxes by owning a house. If you purchase a house, it’s essential to understand how your taxes may benefit. Many taxpayers fall under the standard deduction despite paying mortgage interest and property taxes, but here’s how to tell which deduction is best. What is the Standard Deduction? The standard deduction is a deduction every taxpayer can take without worrying about specific items ..read more

Market Comment Mortgage bond prices finished the week lower which put upward pressure on rates. We started the week on a negative note tied to stronger than expected data and ended negative in response to the solid employment report. Stronger data pushed back against the argument that the Fed should pivot sooner rather than later. ISM Index was 50.3 vs 48.4. Factory orders rose 1.4% vs 1.1%. ADP employment came in at 184K vs 148K. Weekly jobless claims were 221K vs 214K. The trade deficit was $68.9B vs $67.3B. Unemployment was 3.8% vs 3.9%. Non-farm payrolls rose 303K vs 200K. Mortgage interes ..read more

DIY Dreamscapes: Creative Home Hacks Are you dreaming of making your house a home but just don’t know how? Maybe you have a limited budget and balk at the cost of hiring contractors. Here’s the good news. There are great DIY home renovation projects that could help you create your dream home! Whether you’re on a limited budget or just want to put some sweat equity into the place you call home, here are 18 creative home hacks to transform your home! 1.    Curb Appeal You’ve likely heard it’s all about the curb appeal when looking for a house, but that doesn’t stop once you own yo ..read more