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A look at the biggest, best, and brightest real estate firms in the industry (Part 2)

When it comes to buying or selling a home, there is no one perfect company, as each home buyer or seller has different needs, concerns, and personalities. Additionally, it’s usually the agent – not their company – that’s doing the lion share of work and delivering great service to consumers. However, the real estate company […]

Meet Mr. & Mrs. Average American – and take a look at their finances

What does the average American’s financial situation look like? We’d like you to meet Mr. and Mrs. Average, who were nice enough to open up their banking, mortgage, budget, retirement, and even credit score information to us. In total, it paints an interesting and sometimes unexpected money montage of the typical U.S. household! In 2015, […]

30 Fun facts about Labor Day

Labor Day is celebrated on the first Monday in September every year. Many people consider Labor Day to signal the end of summer, but the official end of summer doesn’t come until September 21. There are 160 million workers in the United States as of July 2017. According to AAA, every Labor Day, approximately 35 […]

Put your money in – 20 facts about down payments and down payment assistance programs

In decades past, buying a home meant coming up with at least 20% of the purchase price. But these days, the average home buyer has a tough time putting anywhere near 20% down when they purchase a home. In fact, last year, the average down payment on a single family home purchase was only 14.8%. […]

Meet the Millennials (and learn how they’re buying, selling, and viewing real estate)

Are you a Realtor, a homeowner looking to attract to attract a buyer and sell your home, or just thinking about getting into the real estate market soon and wonder who your competition will be? I’d like you to meet the Millennials, the demographic that’s on the cusp of dominating our population and society – […]

Looking into the mortgage crystal ball with Fannie Mae’s Lender Survey

If we want to understand the factors that drive the mortgage market, there are plenty of sources for great information across the lending and real estate industry. However, one invaluable resource that is underutilized is Fannie Mae’s Mortgage Lender Sentiment Survey. Set up to mirror their National Housing Survey that polls consumer sentiment about mortgages […]

The Final Word on FSBOs – Statistics reveal if For Sale by Owner really works

If you’re looking to sell your home, you have two options. The first, and by far the most popular option, is to enlist the help of a real estate agent, or Realtor. While this is the most efficient and practical way to sell your home, it will also cost you about 6% of your proceeds […]

The 10 Biggest Mortgage Mistakes – And How to Avoid Them

Getting a mortgage loan is simpler than ever these days, with near record-low interest rates and banks and lenders opening up their pipelines again after recovering from the last real estate crash. But with rising prices, a higher cost of living, and economic changes on the horizon, it’s also more important than ever to “get […]

These two changes will make it easier to get a mortgage loan the second half of 2017

There are two major changes coming to the lending landscape that will make it easier for a significant number of borrowers to buy a home or refinance in the second half of 2017 and beyond. While these changes won’t result in an opening of the mortgage loan floodgates like we saw in the loose and […]