Cities and Zoning: the Conundrum

Posted on April 24, 2020April 27, 2020 by RBrown32

Tim Hedberg from Motivo produced a short documentary about the exodus of families from urban centers like Seattle and the role zoning plays in that trend. While zoning is intended to create more affordable housing in large cities in response to growing demand, many families are being priced out as a result. The film features multiple experts who disagree […]

How Interest Rates Can Impact Your Monthly Housing Payments

Posted on March 3, 2020April 22, 2020 by RBrown32

Spring is right around the corner, so flowers are starting to bloom, and many potential homebuyers are getting ready to step into the market. If you’re thinking of buying this season, here’s how mortgage interest rates are working in your favor. Freddie Mac explains: “If you’re in the market to buy a home, today’s average […]

How Your Tax Refund Can Move You Toward Homeownership This Year

Posted on March 2, 2020March 2, 2020 by RBrown32

If you’re looking to buy a home in 2020, have you thought about putting your tax refund toward a down payment? Homeownership may be one step closer than you think if you spend your dollars wisely this year. Based on data released by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Americans can expect an estimated average refund of $2,962 when filing […]

Can’t find an affordable FHA-approved home? You have options.

Posted on February 22, 2020February 24, 2020 by RBrown32

Americans took out nearly $150 billion in loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration to buy homes in 2018. Nearly 83% of those FHA borrowers were first-time homebuyers, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. It’s unsurprising that FHA loans are especially popular with first-time homebuyers, due to more lenient credit-score and debt-to-income […]

4 ways real estate can turbocharge your retirement income

Posted on February 2, 2020February 10, 2020 by RBrown32

If you are worried your nest egg will come up short, there are a range of real estate plays that could boost your retirement income and put you over the finish line. Here is an overview of the opportunities — and some of the risks — involved. It’s not unusual: An investor five or 10 years from […]

7 tips for picking a great real estate agent

Posted on September 5, 2019December 31, 2019 by RBrown32

Real-estate agents promote themselves with yard signs, online ads, direct-mail postcards and even sponsored public benches. So cutting through the advertising hype and finding the right agent can be tough. “We don’t have the information (about real-estate agents) that we have about other service professionals,” says Stephen Brobeck, executive director of the Consumer Federation of America. Still, […]