Mortgages & Loans
Published May 17, 2026
QUICK SUMMARY Foreclosure activity has climbed for 12 straight months, with 118,727 properties in the foreclosure pipeline in Q1 2026 and bank repossessions up...
Published May 18, 2026
TL;DR
14% to 17% of recent U.S. home buyers purchased a multigenerational home, with Gen X leading at 19% to 21%, driven ...
Finances & Tax Implications
Published May 13, 2026
TL;DR
About 2.2% of U.S. mortgaged homes (roughly 1.24 million properties) are currently underwater according to Cotality's most recent Homeowner Equity ...
Selling
Published May 13, 2026
The Short Version
Roughly 10% of home appraisals come in below the contract price, according to Fannie Mae data, and appraisal issues caused 5% of ...
Published May 7, 2026
TL;DR
Online reviews and personal referrals are the two most common ways consumers choose agents, and both fail to measure what actually matters: h...
Finances & Tax Implications
Published May 6, 2026
Quick Summary
Between 30% and 60% of U.S. residential properties are over-assessed, according to the National Taxpayers Union, yet most homeowners ...
Real Estate Technology
Published April 30, 2026
In November 2023, three weeks after the Sitzer-Burnett verdict cracked open the most defensible window for a national MLS in twenty years, I called every major ...
News & Market Trends
Published April 29, 2026
Real Brokerage paid $880 million for a brand that has shed nearly 90% of its market capitalization since 2017. The price tag is the headline. The story is what ...
Finances & Tax Implications
Published April 28, 2026
TL;DR
A divorce decree does not change your mortgage. Both spouses remain legally on the loan until it is refinanced, assumed, or paid off through a sale...
Published April 22, 2026
Quick Summary
Zillow Preview lets participating brokerages pre-market coming-soon listings publicly on Zillow and Trulia before they go active in the MLS...
Mortgages & Loans
Published April 16, 2026
TL;DR
Lenders qualify you on a 2-year average of net taxable income from your Schedule C, K-1, or corporate returns, not gross revenue, so aggressive wri...
Published April 13, 2026
TL;DR: Buying a FSBO Home
FSBO homes often sell for significantly less than agent-assisted listings, but that does not always mean buyers get a deal, sin...
Published April 11, 2026
TL;DR
Selling a home with unpermitted work is legal in most states, but you must disclose known permit violations to buyers upfront.
Retroactive perm...
Buy a House
Published April 9, 2026
TL;DR: Seller Concessions at a Glance
Seller concessions are credits the seller pays toward the buyer's closing costs, typically ranging from 2% to 6% of...
Offers & Negotiations
Published April 7, 2026
TL;DR
A home appraisal is an independent valuation ordered by your lender to confirm the property's worth supports the loan amount.
Appra...
Sell a House
Published April 2, 2026
TL;DR: Seller Disclosure Requirements
Every state except a handful of "caveat emptor" states requires sellers to disclose known material defects, and...
Published April 2, 2026
TL;DR: Tax Benefits of Homeownership
The TCJA nearly doubled the standard deduction, so roughly 87% of filers no longer itemize, meaning the mortgage...
Real Estate Agent Commissions
Published April 1, 2026
TL;DR: Real Estate Commissions in 2026
The 2024 NAR settlement changed how commissions are disclosed and negotiated, but total rates have remained in the...
Mortgages & Loans
Published March 31, 2026
TL;DR
Bankruptcy does not permanently disqualify you from homeownership. FHA and VA loans allow applications as early as 2 years after a Chapter 7 disch...
Published March 30, 2026
Quick Summary
Selling a home within 1 to 3 years of purchase typically costs 8% to 10% of the sale price in transaction fees alone, meaning your h...
Buy a House
Published March 29, 2026
TL;DR
Condos cost roughly 13% less than single-family homes upfront, but HOA fees ($300 to $400+ per month) can offset the savings over time
Single...
Mortgages & Loans
Published March 27, 2026
TL;DR: Credit Score Requirements for Buying a Home
Most mortgage programs require a minimum credit score between 500 and 700, depending on the loan...
Mortgages & Loans
Published March 20, 2026
TL;DR: Credit Score Requirements for Buying a Home
Most mortgage programs require a minimum credit score between 500 and 700, depending on the loan...
Published March 9, 2026
TL;DR: How Much Down Payment Do You Actually Need?
You do not need 20% down to buy a house. The median first-time buyer puts down just 10%, and man...
Buy a House
Published March 9, 2026
TL;DR: Is a Home Warranty Worth It?
Home warranties cost $300 to $700 per year, plus $75 to $150 per service call, and cover repairs to major syste...
Buy a House
Published March 6, 2026
TL;DR: Should You Buy a House in an LLC?
An LLC separates your personal assets from property liabilities, but it does not protect against personal ...
Published March 4, 2026
TL;DR
Owned solar panels add roughly 4% to 7% to a home's sale price, according to research from Zillow and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, ...
Published March 4, 2026
TL;DR: Buying Before You Sell
Bridge loans provide short-term financing (6 to 12 months) at interest rates typically ranging from 8.5% to 11%, with...
Published March 4, 2026
TL;DR: Should You Buy Mortgage Points?
One mortgage discount point costs 1% of your loan amount and typically reduces your interest rate by about 0...
Published March 3, 2026
Quick Summary
An accessory dwelling unit (ADU) is a self-contained secondary home on your existing residential lot. Common types include detached backyar...
Published March 2, 2026
TL;DR
Recessions do not automatically crash housing prices. Home values remained flat or increased during five of the last six U.S. recessions since 1970. O...
Published March 2, 2026
TL;DR
The difference between a good deal and a great one often comes down to negotiation strategy. Top-performing real estate agents save their clients an a...
Published March 2, 2026
TL;DR
A pocket listing is a property sold privately, without being listed on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) that feeds sites like Zillow and Realtor...
Published February 27, 2026
TL;DR
An assumable mortgage lets you take over a seller's existing home loan, including their interest rate, remaining balance, and repayment terms. With mi...
Mortgages & Loans
Published February 27, 2026
TL;DR
The mortgage lock-in effect has trapped millions of homeowners in their current homes because selling means giving up a sub-4% pandemic-era rate for today...
Published February 26, 2026
TL;DR
HOA fees fund everything from landscaping and insurance to reserve accounts that prevent costly special assessments. The typical American homeowner in a...
Sell a House
Published February 26, 2026
TL;DR
Title insurance protects homeowners and lenders from financial losses caused by hidden defects in a property's ownership history, including forged deeds, ...
Published February 25, 2026
TL;DR
We analyzed 50 of the largest U.S. metro areas using current median home prices, median rents, mortgage rates near 6%, property taxes, and insurance costs...
Published February 24, 2026
TL;DR
A comparative market analysis (CMA) is a report your real estate agent creates to estimate your home's value by comparing it to similar recently sold ...
Published February 24, 2026
TL;DR
Real estate attorneys and real estate agents serve fundamentally different roles in a property transaction. An agent handles pricing, marketing, negotia...
Published February 23, 2026
TL;DR
A 1031 exchange allows real estate investors to defer capital gains taxes by reinvesting the proceeds from a property sale into a like-kind replacemen...
Published February 23, 2026
TL;DR
Your home equity equals your property's current market value minus what you still owe on your mortgage. As of Q3 2025, the average U.S. homeowner with...
Published February 21, 2026
TL;DR
If your home has significant repair issues, you have three viable strategies: invest in repairs and list at full retail value, sell as-is to investors a...
Working With Real Estate Agents
Published February 20, 2026
TL;DR
Yes, you can change your real estate agent after signing a contract, but how you do it matters. Start by reviewing your agreement for termination clause...
Published February 19, 2026
TL;DR
Selling a house as-is can save time and upfront costs, but it typically results in offers 15% to 25% below market value for comparable move-in-ready h...
Published February 18, 2026
TL;DR
The listing agent you choose can mean the difference between a smooth, profitable sale and months of frustration. With 91% of sellers now using an agent...
Sell a House
Published February 17, 2026
TL;DR
May is the best month to sell a house nationally, delivering a 9.5% seller premium above market value based on ATTOM's analysis of 47 million home sales...
Published February 16, 2026
TL;DR
Sellers typically pay 8% to 10% of the sale price in total closing costs, including agent commissions. On the current U.S. median home price of roughly $4...
Published February 15, 2026
TL;DR
Home staging on a budget does not require thousands of dollars or a professional designer. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), 29% of...
Published February 14, 2026
TL;DR
A winning purchase offer is far more than a price. Your earnest money deposit, contingency strategy, closing timeline, financing terms, and special prov...
Published February 13, 2026
TL;DR
A standard homeowners insurance policy (HO-3) bundles six types of coverage: dwelling, other structures, personal property, loss of use, personal liabil...
Published February 12, 2026
TL;DR
Military families relocate every 2-3 years through PCS orders, turning real estate into one of the biggest recurring costs of a military career. This guid...
Published February 10, 2026
TL;DR
Property taxes are calculated by multiplying your home's assessed value by local tax (millage) rates, and they vary dramatically by location. The ...
Published February 10, 2026
TL;DR
Real estate contingencies are contractual safety nets that let you walk away from a deal without forfeiting your earnest money if specific conditions ar...
Published February 9, 2026
TL;DR: VA Home Loan Benefits
VA home loans are one of the most powerful mortgage programs available, offering qualified veterans, active-duty service member...
Published February 9, 2026
TL;DR
Buying a house in another state is more achievable than ever thanks to virtual tours, remote online notarization (now legal in 45 states), and lenders who...
Published February 6, 2026
TL;DR
Closing costs for buyers typically run 2% to 5% of the purchase price, adding $7,000 to $18,000 or more on a $350,000 home. These fees cover lender char...
Published February 7, 2026
TL;DR
A home inspection report can be dozens of pages long, listing everything from hairline cracks to major structural failures. The key is knowing which findi...
Published February 6, 2026
TL;DR
Getting pre-approved for a mortgage is the single most important step you can take before house hunting. Unlike a basic pre-qualification, a mortgage pre-...
Published February 5, 2026
TL;DR
Buying your first home is one of the biggest financial decisions you will ever make, and the margin for error is razor thin. First-time buyers who skip pr...
Published January 31, 2026
TL;DR
Relocating for work while coordinating a home sale and purchase across state lines requires strategic planning, but success is achievable with the right...
