Housing News

See what’s new with real estate and homeownership

Couple sitting on couch dreaming of buying first home together

When Are You Considered a First-Time Home Buyer Again?

Finding the perfect home is challenging enough in a period when higher interest rates mean fewer buyers and fewer sellers. Fortunately, there are programs designed to ease the pain, especially…

Sign that says buy or rent

Should You Rent-to-Own a Home?

Rent-to-own is exactly what it sounds like – you rent a home with a contract that allows you to eventually buy it. There are benefits and disadvantages to rent-to-own, and…

Banker approving a home buyer with the minimum credit score

What Is the Minimum Credit Score to Buy a House in 2022

“It’s tough to overstate the importance of credit scores to a mortgage loan application — they’re one of the top things lenders consider,” Tabitha Mazzara, director of operations at mortgage…

Empty street in a quiet neighborhood

Good Neighbor Next Door Program Helps Teachers, Law Enforcement, Firefighters & EMTs Buy Homes

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development instituted the Good Neighbor Next Door (GNND) sales program in 2010. The idea remains the same a decade later: spark community revitalization…

Couple winning a bid on a house

How Startup Companies Are Helping Home Buyers Win Bidding Wars

In today’s ultra-competitive housing market, a number of startup companies are addressing new realities in home buying with a strategy based on an age-old truth – Cash is king. For…

Piggy bank with money for down payment on a house

How to Buy a House with Little to No Money Down

The belief that you need a 20% down payment to secure a mortgage on a home is largely a misconception. At one point it was true, but these days not…

Good Credit Effect Infographic

Credit Scores and the First-Time Homebuyer

For first-time homebuyers, the second most important factor (behind location) is:             (A) Number of bathrooms.             (B) Composition of the kitchen counters.             (C) Storage space.             (D) Terms…

African American Couple New Home

What Programs are Available to Help African Americans Become Homeowners

If home is where the heart is, it’s also where wealth building frequently happens in America. That’s not a coincidence. “Homeownership has historically helped families create a legacy and build…

Affordable housing being built to supplement demand for housing crisis

Tech Companies Provide Housing Assistance in California and Washington

What started as a housing squeeze 30 years ago is now a full-blown crisis in Seattle and the San Francisco Bay Area. The median home price in San Francisco increased…

Happy First-time homebuyer family

First-Time Homebuyer Trends for 2022

If you turned on the news at any point last year, you’ve heard the housing market was wild in 2021, but what will it bring in 2022? Home prices grew…

Sources:

  1. Fontinelle, A. (2023, June 13) First-time Homebuyer Loans And Programs. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/advisor/mortgages/first-time-homebuyer-loans-programs/
  2. Martin, E. (2023, September 18) How To Buy Investment Property as a First-Time Homebuyer. Retrieved from
  3. https://www.lowermybills.com/learn/buying-a-home/how-to-buy-investment-property-as-a-first-time-homebuyer/
  4. Trapasso, C. (2023, September 25) Confused by the Housing Market? You’re Not Alone! We Explain the Head-Spinning Contradictions. Retrieved from https://www.realtor.com/news/trends/confused-by-the-housing-market-youre-not-alone-we-explain-the-head-spinning-contradictions/
  5. Riquier, A. (2022, May 18) 8 Tips For First-time Homebuyers. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/advisor/mortgages/real-estate/buying-your-first-home-ways-to-be-prepared/
  6. Green, D. (2024, February 3) What is a First-Time Home Buyer? Retrieved from https://homebuyer.com/learn/first-time-home-buyer#toc-1
  7. Franke-Folstad, K. (2023, September 11) Can I Be a First-Time Homebuyer Twice? Retrieved from https://www.sofi.com/learn/content/can-i-be-first-time-home-buyer-twice/