If you have a real estate agent in your family, should you use them when buying or selling a home? Not having the right agent can hurt you financially, so it's important to think about what you need and want from an agent before recruiting a family member as a real estate agent.
In the midst of a weak, jobless, economic recovery, interest in homeownership hasn't waned one little bit. In fact, the housing market has grown. The housing market continues to prop up the economy. Still, nothing lasts forever, not even the best housing market in history. While no one is saying the housing market is a bubble that is going to pop, at some point, sales will have to slow down.
Stock prices are up, home sales continue to steam ahead and more Americans went back to work. If you ended the day feeling like you're worth more today than you were yesterday, you're probably right.
Being a homeowner can boost your child's performance in school. Children of homeowners score higher on achievement tests and are more likely to finish high school. In other money news, an Illinois Appeals Court upheld the lemon law rights of consumers who lease their vehicles, and the house of representatives approved $400 million dollars in grants to help low-income first time home buyers with down payments and closing costs.
When you buy a home you have to pay property taxes every year. If you feel your property taxes are too high you can contact your local tax assessor's office to dispute the value of your property and potentially lower your taxes. Learn how the property tax process works in Cook County, IL, where Chicago is located.
What does a typical first time home buyer look like? How many buyers use real estate agents in their transactions? How far do people move when they buy a new home? Get the answers to these questions from a survey conducted by the National Association of Realtors.
Kitchens and baths are always at the top of any homeowner's renovation list. However, turning a spare bedroom or open loft space into a home office is a renovation project that is growing in popularity as more people work from home. But designers are watching these renovation trends and trying to accommodate them with products that meet the ever-changing needs of the American homeowner.
The Real Estate Investor's Guide by Vernon Hoven helps real estate professionals and property owners understand the complicated area of real estate in...
