Buyer Tips & Strategy - Ian St. Hill

Buyer Tips & Strategy 3 steps to claiming the $4,555 max monthly Social Security benefit

Buyer Tips & Strategy Dreaming of leaving the workforce early?

Buyer Tips & Strategy 5 Most Popular Colors for a Home’s Exterior

Buyer Tips & Strategy If you can’t make the April 18 tax deadline, file an extension now. Here’s what to know.

Buyer Tips & Strategy 15 Outdoor Kitchen Ideas For Outstanding Al Fresco Entertaining

Buyer Tips & Strategy 19 Things Your Landscaper Won’t Tell You

Buyer Tips & Strategy 10 Things You’ll Regret Overlooking when Buying a Home

Buyer Tips & Strategy Why Today’s Housing Inventory Proves the Market Isn’t Headed for a Crash Whether or not you owned a home in 2008, you likely remember the housing crash that took place back then. And news about an economic slowdown happening today may bring all those concerns back to the surface. While those feelings are understandable, data can help reassure you the situation today is nothing like it was in 2008. […]

1st Time Home Buyer Why You May Want To Start Your Home Search Today If you’re thinking about buying a home, you likely have a lot of factors on your mind. You’re weighing your own needs against higher mortgage rates, today’s home prices, and more to try to decide if you want to jump into the market. While some buyers may wait things out, there’s a reason serious buyers are making […]

Buyer Tips & Strategy What’s Actually Happening with Home Prices Today? One of the biggest questions people are asking right now is: what’s happening with home prices? There are headlines about ongoing price appreciation, but at the same time, some sellers are reducing the price of their homes. That can feel confusing and makes it more difficult to get a clear picture. Part of the challenge is […]

1st Time Home Buyer If Housing Affordability Is About the Money, Don’t Forget This. There are many non-financial benefits of buying your own home. However, today’s headlines seem to be focusing primarily on the financial aspects of homeownership – specifically affordability. Many articles are making the claim that it’s not affordable to buy a home in today’s market, but that isn’t the case. Today’s buyers are spending approximately 20% of their income on […]

1st Time Home Buyer What Buyers and Sellers Need To Know About the Appraisal Gap It’s economy 101 – when supply is low and demand is high, prices naturally rise. That’s what’s happening in today’s housing market. Home prices are appreciating at near-historic rates, and that’s creating some challenges when it comes to home appraisals. In recent months, it’s become increasingly common for an appraisal to come in below the contract price on […]

1st Time Home Buyer What You Can Do Right Now To Prepare for Homeownership As rent prices continue to soar, many renters want to know what they can do to get ready to buy their first home. According to recent data from ApartmentList.com: “The first half of 2021 has seen the fastest growth in rent prices since the start of our estimates in 2017. Our national rent index has increased by 11.4 percent […]

Buyer Tips & Strategy 5 Reasons Today’s Housing Market Is Anything but Normal There are many headlines out there that claim we’re reverting to a more normal real estate market. That would indicate the housing market is returning to the pre-pandemic numbers we saw from 2015-2019. But that’s not happening. The market is still extremely vibrant as demand is still strong even while housing supply is slowly returning. […]

1st Time Home Buyer Home Price Appreciation Is Skyrocketing in 2021. What About 2022? One of the major story lines over the last year is how well the residential real estate market performed. One key metric in the spotlight is home price appreciation. According to the latest indices, home prices are skyrocketing this year. Here are the latest percentages showing the year-over-year increase in home price appreciation: The House Price […]

1st Time Home Buyer The Truth About Today’s Buyer Demand When it comes to the latest news in real estate, there are a lot of sensational headlines in the media. In times like this, when it can be hard to know what to believe, put your trust in the experts. Those of us in the housing market respect that buying or selling a home is a major […]

1st Time Home Buyer 5 Tips for Making Your Best Offer In today’s sellers’ market, standing out as a buyer is critical. Multi-offer scenarios and bidding wars are the norm due to the low supply of houses for sale and high buyer demand. If you’re buying this fall, you’ll want every advantage, especially when you’ve found the home of your dreams. Below are five things to keep in mind […]

1st Time Home Buyer Is the Number of Homes for Sale Finally Growing? An important metric in today’s residential real estate market is the number of homes available for sale. The shortage of available housing inventory is the major reason for the double-digit price appreciation we’ve seen in each of the last two years. It’s the reason many would-be purchasers are frustrated with the bidding wars over the homes that […]