The HousingCoach Blog
Important and useful information about Home Buying, Home Selling and the Chicagoland Real Estate market, to help you make the most of Your Personal American Dream. Explore, Learn, and Take Action.
A Key To Building Wealth Is Homeownership
The link between financial security and homeownership is especially important today as inflation rises. But many people may not realize just how much owning a home contributes to your overall net worth. As Leslie Rouda Smith, President of the National Association of...
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How an Energy Efficient Home Can Be a Bright Idea [INFOGRAPHIC]
Some Highlights With inflation driving up the cost of everyday items, seeking out an energy-efficient home can be a great way to decrease the expenses you can control. Energy efficiency can help lower your utility bills and possibly even save you money on your taxes....
What You Can Expect from the Spring Housing Market
As the spring housing market kicks off, you likely want to know what you can expect this season when it comes to buying or selling a house. While there are multiple factors causing some uncertainty, including the conflict overseas, rising inflation, and the first rate...
What You Need To Know if You’re Thinking About Building a Home
If you’re ready to move up, you may be trying to decide whether you want to buy a home that’s already on the market or build a new one. And since the supply of homes available for sale today is low, you’re willing to consider either avenue. While home builders are...
The Many Benefits of Homeownership
The past two years have taught us the true value of homeownership, especially the stability and the feeling of accomplishment it can provide. But homeownership has so much more to offer. Here’s a look at a few of the non-financial and financial benefits of owning a...
The Average Homeowner Gained More Than $55K in Equity over the Past Year
If you’re a current homeowner, you should know your net worth just got a big boost. It comes in the form of rising home equity. Equity is the current value of your home minus what you owe on the loan. Today, you’re building that equity far faster than you may expect –...
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Spring Cleaning Checklist for Sellers [INFOGRAPHIC]
Some Highlights If you’re thinking about selling your house this spring, here are some things you’ll want to tackle before you list. Spend your time on tasks that make it feel inviting, show it’s cared for, and boost your curb appeal. To determine the full list of...
Did Your Dream Home Just Come on the Market?
For the first time in a long time, the number of newly listed homes is beginning to rise. In their latest monthly release, realtor.com reveals the number of existing homes entering the market has increased for two months in a row (this comes after six months of...
Are You Wondering if This Is the Year To Buy a Home?
Every year, many renters ask themselves the same question: Should I continue renting, or is it time to buy a home? If you’re a renter, chances are you’ve asked yourself that question at least once, and it’s likely because you’ve faced an increase in your monthly...
Don’t Get Caught Off Guard by Closing Costs
As a homebuyer, it’s important to plan and budget for the expenses you’ll encounter when you purchase a home. While most people understand the need to save for a down payment, a recent survey found 41% of homebuyers were surprised by their closing costs. Here’s some...
This Spring Presents Sellers with a Golden Opportunity
If you’re thinking of selling your house this year, timing is crucial. After all, you’ll want to balance getting the most out of the sale of your current home and making the best investment when you buy your next one. If that’s the case, you should know – you may be...
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Key Terms for Homebuyers [INFOGRAPHIC]
Some Highlights Knowing key housing terms and how they relate to today’s market is important. For example, when mortgage rates and home prices rise, it impacts how much home you can afford. Terms like appraisal (what lenders rely on to validate a home’s value) and the...
How To Navigate a Market Where Multiple Offers Is the New Normal
If you’re thinking of buying a home today, you already know that the number of homes available for sale is low. But what does that really mean for you? As a buyer, low housing supply coupled with high buyer demand means you should be prepared to navigate a highly...
Key Factors That Impact Affordability Today
You can’t read an article about residential real estate without the author mentioning the affordability challenges that today’s buyers face. There’s no doubt homes are less affordable today than they were over the last two years, but that doesn’t mean homes are now...
How Global Uncertainty Is Impacting Mortgage Rates
If you’re thinking about buying or selling a home, you’ll want to keep a pulse on what’s happening with mortgage rates. Rates have been climbing in recent months, especially since January of this year. And just a few weeks ago, the 30-year fixed mortgage rate from...
Why It’s Critical To Price Your House Right
When you make a move, you want to sell your house for the highest price possible. That might be why many homeowners are eager to list in today’s sellers’ market. After all, with record-low inventory and high buyer demand, many homes are selling for more than asking...
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Supply and Demand in Today’s Market [INFOGRAPHIC]
Some Highlights Today’s housing market is the direct result of low supply and high buyer demand. Here’s what that means for you and your plans to buy or sell. For buyers, expect competition, be ready to move fast, and be prepared to submit your strongest offer. For...
Are Home Prices Continuing To Rise?
Many analysts projected home price appreciation would slow dramatically in the fall of 2021 and then continue to soften throughout 2022. So far, that hasn’t happened. The major price indices are all revealing ongoing double-digit price appreciation. Here’s a look at...
Down Payment Assistance Programs Can Help You Achieve Homeownership
For many homebuyers, the thought of saving for a down payment can feel daunting, especially in today’s market. That’s why, when asked what they find most difficult in the homebuying process, some buyers say it’s one of the hardest steps on the path to homeownership....
An Expert Advisor Will Give You the Best Advice in Today’s Market
Having an experienced guide coaching you through the process of buying or selling a home is important in a normal market – but today’s market is far from normal. As a result, an expert real estate advisor isn’t just good to have by your side, they’re essential....
Millennials: Do You Need a Home with More Space?
If you’re a millennial, homebuying might be top of mind for you. Your generation is the largest group of homebuyers in the market today and has been since 2014, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). And while other millennials are looking to buy for...
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The Difference Between Renting and Owning [INFOGRAPHIC]
Some Highlights If you’re deciding whether to rent or buy, consider the many financial benefits that come with owning a home. As a renter, you build your landlord’s wealth and face rising costs. As a homeowner, you build your own net worth and can lock in your monthly...
The #1 Reason To Sell Your House Today
Almost every industry is currently struggling with supply chain disruptions. This also applies to the current U.S. housing market, where buyer demand far exceeds housing supply. Purchaser demand is very strong right now. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) just...
How Supply and Demand Can Impact Your Buying and Selling Goals
In today’s housing market, there are far more buyers looking for homes than sellers listing their houses. Based on the concept of supply and demand, this means home prices will naturally rise. Why is that? When there are more people trying to buy an item than there...