Many first-time homebuyers want to know the best way to buy...

In a home sale, there are many types of contingencies that might appear in the purchase contract. These special clauses provide ways for the buyer to back out of the sale if various conditions aren’t met. All contingencies are there to protect the buyer rather than the seller, but are usually up for negotiation depending on contract terms....

If you’re looking for a starter home, you probably know some of your criteria already. A starter home is a more affordable and practical stepping stone to eventually owning a larger and more expensive forever home. Even with this concept in mind, it’s hard to know what to look for. Here we’ll go over the biggest things to...

Image by Jojje from Shutterstock Many people own homes through a mortgage agreement. Traditional mortgages are primarily fully amortized or gradually paid off with regular payments over the lifetime of the loan. Each payment contributes to both the principal and the interest. A balloon mortgage is a short-term home loan with fixed-rate monthly payments that only take care...

When you begin shopping around for an ideal lender to finance your dream of home ownership, you will come across mortgage brokers. Much like their counterparts in the insurance industry or stock market, they act as a link between buyer and seller. However, why go through them if you can make the purchase directly? Why should you pay...

All communities have increases and decreases in population, demographics, and times when several (or very few) homes are on the market. Sometimes, it's merely that the stars aligned for several homeowners at the same time. Once in a while, because the market is particularly hot, many of the owners hope to cash in on the rising prices. In...