
Homeownership offers many advantages over renting, including a stable living environment, predictable monthly payments, and the freedom to make modifications. Neighborhoods with high rates of homeownership tend to have less crime and more civic engagement. Additionally, studies show that homeowners are happier and healthier than renters, and their children do better in school.1
But one of the biggest perks of homeownership is the opportunity to build wealth over time. Researchers at the Urban Institute found that homeownership is financially beneficial for most families,2 and a recent study showed that the median net worth of homeowners can be up to 80 times greater than that of renters in some areas.3
So how doe...

If you're about to put your home up for sale, you may not be sure what to expect, even if you've been through this before. Just as each home is unique, so no two home sales are exactly the same, and it pays to have someone in your corner who will guide you through the process. Here are seven stages of home selling and what to watch out for along the way.
You've found THE right home and you're ready to make an offer. Can your agent get it accepted? If yours is the only offer on the table, that shouldn't be hard. But in this market, you're more than likely to face competition from other buyers, and sellers know it. In order to make your offer more appealing, you should know that sellers take into account more than just price when choosing an offer. Speed of closing, number of inspections, and contingencies are also big factors.
Having your financing already lined up is prerequisite for making an offer, but not all preapprovals hold the same weight. Conventional loans are usually favored over government loans because they can close quicker and with less hassle. Likewise, the lender you choose can have a big impact on the whole sales process. A smart seller's agent...

If you are ready to sell your home, the best case scenario is to have a house that is so well-kept and so attractive that buyers will be making competing offers within days of it hitting the market. Sounds like money in the bank! But what if your home isn't in such prime condition and you are not able to spend the money to bring it up to its full potential? You can still get it sold quickly with a combination of accurate pricing and smart marketing.
Every home will sell for the right price, but determining what that price should be can be really tricky. You can't rely on automated value models, since they are usually either too high or too low, but seldom correct. You can't necessarily judge it by your neighbor's ho...