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.
How Homeownership Delivers Unsurpassed Family Wealth
There are many financial benefits to homeownership, but probably none more important than its ability to create family wealth. How Housing Matters is a joint project of the Urban Land Institute and the MacArthur Foundation. It is an online resource for research and...
4 Reasons to Buy A Home This Summer
Here are four reasons to consider buying today instead of waiting. 1. Prices Will Continue to Rise CoreLogic’s latest U.S. Home Price Insights reports that home prices have appreciated by 3.7% over the last 12 months. The same report predicts that prices will continue...
The Top Reasons to Own Your Home [INFOGRAPHIC]
Some Highlights: June is National Homeownership Month! Now is a great time to reflect on the many benefits of homeownership that go way beyond the financial. What reasons do you have to own your own home?
The Ultimate Truth about Housing Affordability
There have been many headlines decrying an “affordability crisis” in the residential real estate market. While it is true that buying a home is less affordable than it had been over the last ten years, we need to understand why and what that means. On a monthly basis,...
Multigenerational Homes Are on the Rise
As loved ones start to get older, we start to wonder: how long will they be able to live alone? Will they need someone there to help them with daily life? There’s a reason to ask those questions now more than ever, as the average age in the U.S. is 78 years old! As a...
2 Things You Need to Know to Properly Price Your Home
In today’s housing market, home prices are increasing at a slower pace (3.7%) than they have over the last eight years (6-7%). However, they are still are above historical norms. Low supply of listed homes and high demand from buyers has pushed prices to rise rapidly....
All Gave Some. Some Gave All.
We remember, today and always.
The Impact Staging Your Home Has On Your Sale Price [INFOGRAPHIC]
Some Highlights: The National Association of Realtors surveyed their members & released the findings of their Profile of Home Staging. 62% of seller’s agents say that staging a home decreases the amount of time a home spends on the market. 50% of staged homes saw a...
4 Most Popular Bottom Line Investments in America
Every year, Gallup surveys Americans to determine their choice for the best long-term investment. Respondents are given a choice between real estate, stocks, gold, and savings accounts. For the sixth year in a row, real estate has come out on top as the best long-term...
Boomerang Buyers: Don’t Be Afraid to Buy a Home Again!
According to CoreLogic, from 2006 to 2014 “there were 7.3 million housing foreclosures and 1.9 million short sales.” The hesitation some Americans feel after experiencing a foreclosure brings to mind the old saying: “Fool me once- shame on you. Fool me twice- shame on...
Are Older Generations Really Not Selling Their Homes?
Many studies suggest one of the main reasons for the inventory shortage in today’s market of homes for sale is that older generations have chosen to “age in place” over moving. The 2019 Home Buyers & Sellers Generational Trend Report by NAR clarifies this point! NAR’s...
Starting the Search for Your Dream Home? Here Are 5 Tips!
In today’s real estate market, low inventory dominates the conversation in many areas of the country. It can often be frustrating to be a first-time homebuyer if you aren’t prepared. In a realtor.com article entitled, “How to Find Your Dream Home—Without Losing Your...
Top Days to List Your Home for Sale [INFOGRAPHIC]
Some Highlights: ATTOM Data Solutions conducted an analysis of more than 29 million single family home and condo sales over the past eight years to determine the top days to list your home for sale. The top five days to list your home brought in a 10% premium over...
What is Really Happening with Home Prices?
Home values have softened over the last twelve months. We are no longer seeing 6-7% annual appreciation levels for the national housing market. The current numbers are closer to 4%. Some have suggested that year-over-year appreciation levels could fall to 3% or less...
4 Tips for Making a Competitive Offer
So, you’ve been searching for that perfect house to call ‘home,’ and you’ve finally found it! The price is right, and in such a competitive market, you want to make sure you make a good offer so that you can guarantee that your dream of making this house yours comes...
New Research Shows Housing Is Affordable For First-Time Buyers
Home prices have been on the rise for the last seven years, leading many housing market analysts to conclude that first-time homebuyers are being shut out of the market due to affordability concerns. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reports on the percentage...
A Lack of Inventory Continues to Impact the Housing Market
The housing crisis is finally in the rear-view mirror as the real estate market moves down the road to a complete recovery. Home values are up and distressed sales (foreclosures and short sales) have fallen to their lowest point in years. The market will continue to...
A Tale of Two Markets [INFOGRAPHIC]
Some Highlights: An emerging trend for some time now has been the difference between available inventory and demand in the premium and luxury markets and that in the starter and trade-up markets and what those differences are doing to prices! Inventory continues to...
Mainstream Concerns about an Economic Slowdown Revisited
Recently, we reported that many believe a recession could happen within the next two years. We explained that 70% of economists and market analysts surveyed last year believe that a recession will occur in 2019 or 2020 and that 42% of consumers currently looking to...
The Benefits of a 20% Down Payment
If you are in the market to buy a home this year, you may be confused about how much money you need to come up with for your down payment. Many people you talk to will tell you that you need to save 20% or you won’t be able to secure a mortgage. The truth is that...
Home Buyers are Optimistic About Homeownership!
When we consider buying an item, we naturally go through a research process prior to making our decision. We ask our friends and family members who have made similar purchases about their experience, we get opinions and insights, and we read reviews online. There’s no...
Why Access Is One of the Most Important Factors in Getting Your House Sold!
So, you’ve decided to sell your house. You’ve hired a real estate professional to help you through the entire process, and they have asked you what level of access you want to provide to your potential buyers. There are four elements to a quality listing. At the top...
The Cost of Renting vs. Buying This Spring [INFOGRAPHIC]
Some Highlights: Historically, the choice between renting or buying a home has been a tough decision. Looking at the percentage of income needed to rent a median-priced home today (27.7%) vs. the percentage needed to buy a median-priced home (17.5%), the choice...
Your Fabulous New Dream Home is Now Available
Over the last several years, many “baby boomers” have undergone a metamorphosis. Their children have finally moved out and they can now dream about their own future. For many, a change in lifestyle might necessitate a change in the type of home they live in. That...




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![The Impact Staging Your Home Has On Your Sale Price [INFOGRAPHIC]](https://files.simplifyingthemarket.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/06144122/20190524-Share-KCM-549x300.jpg)




![Top Days to List Your Home for Sale [INFOGRAPHIC]](https://files.simplifyingthemarket.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/07162959/20190517-Share-KCM-549x300.jpg)




![A Tale of Two Markets [INFOGRAPHIC]](https://files.simplifyingthemarket.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/29151138/20190510-Share-KCM-571x300.jpg)




![The Cost of Renting vs. Buying This Spring [INFOGRAPHIC]](https://files.simplifyingthemarket.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/29105132/20190503-Share-KCM-571x300.jpg)
