Mortgage rates have fallen to the lowest level since May 2013, according to recent data released by Freddie Mac. The 30-year fixed-rate loan averaged 3.8% nationally this week, while the 15-year fixed-rate loan averaged 3.1% nationally. 10-year Treasury yields have also fallen to the lowest rate seen in 7 months. The vice president of HSH.com…

A new study From Harvard Business School has found that the warm, fuzzy feeling you get when you give a gift might not be a coincidence. Giving has now been linked to long-term positive health benefits. The study involved a focus group, with some people giving various amounts of money to shoppers while the other…

Taking care of the siding on your home can save you the expense of major repairs, or having to replace the siding entirely due to neglect. A few things you can do to ensure your home’s siding looks great and works efficiently are: Clean your siding with soap, water and trisodium phosphate (you should be…

According to Zillow’s third quarter Negative Equity Report, underwater homes have decreased approximately 40% since the beginning of 2012. The percentage of homeowners with negative equity averaged 16.9%  last quarter, a 4.2% drop from 2013. Stan Humphries, Zillow’s Chief Economist said, “the market has made terrific strides since bottoming out in late 2011 and early…

During the holiday months, burglaries in the U.S. increase significantly according to the FBI. Taking a few extra measures to keep your home safe may help decrease your risk. A few things you can do to keep your home free from burglars are: Make sure all of your doors and windows are locked at all…

Buying a house in a booming city usually takes time and possibly a little more money than you plan to spend. A few tips that may help home-seekers get the house of their dreams in an active market are: Do your math; In most cases of this nature, you will need to bid over the…

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are implementing new guidelines that will ease the mortgage process, and in turn, help boost the housing market. The new guidelines will decrease down payment amounts, making 3% down payments an option again, and will allow two missed payments before initiating foreclosure. Many loan officers are reporting that their banks…

Re-grouting old tile is a time-consuming job, but it can help your floors look brand new again if done correctly. Here are a few brief guidelines you should follow when re-grouting tile that will help make the job easier and less overwhelming. First you will need to remove the old grout with a grout saw…

New data suggests that an increasing number of first-time homebuyers will return to the housing market next year. Realtor.com’s new Housing Forecast stated that employment growth and credit access will help more first-time homebuyers get back into the market in 2015. Jonathan Smoke, Realtor.com’s chief economist said, “if access to credit improves, we could see…

According to recent data, U.S. job growth made significant strides in November. Last month, 321,000 jobs were created, reaching the highest level since January, 2012.  Retail, health care, business services, and manufacturing lead the nation in job creation. Doug Duncan, the chief economist for Fannie Mae said, “today’s jobs report was positive in all aspects:…