By Jamie Wiebe Scratching together a down payment is probably the most daunting hurdle to buying a home—and there are boatloads of them! But that’s why we’ve launched our 2016 Home-Buying Guide, a series of articles giving you the critical intel you need to buy your own house, step by step. Th
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02/02/2016
By Margaret Heidenry Congratulations, you’re officially obsessed with real estate—swerving toward every open house sign and poring over glorious property pictures online again and again. But how serious are you about actually coughing up a down payment and buying a home? Since it’s sometimes ha
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01/29/2016
By Jamie Wiebe stocknshares/iStock It’s easy to fall in love with the idea of buying a home. You’ve got it all planned out: a five-bedroom home in your favorite neighborhood with a manicured lawn and—why not?—a nice pool. Well, it may be the middle of winter now (we haven’t even tossed our Christ
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01/27/2016
By Liz Alterman Man: selimaksan/iStock; face: yuoak If you’re in the throes of house hunting, chances are you’re excited—whether it’s your first home or your fifth. It’s an emotional roller-coaster ride! Seeing something you love (or hate) can often cause you to blurt all kinds of things, so
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01/22/2016
By Liz Alterman You know that expression about loose lips sinking ships? It holds true for selling your home as well. Sure, there are some things you have to disclose to buyers—such as if your home has lead paint or is located in a flood zone. But there’s plenty more you might volunteer when yo
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01/20/2016
By Craig DonofrioHave you ever wondered what on Earth your real estate agent is doing behind your back?No, we don’t mean anything underhanded, naughty, or downright felonious—far from it, in fact. So relax. What we’re talking about is a mystery: In the sometimes confusing, occasionally hectic, an
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01/19/2016
If you’re looking to sell your home during prime house-shopping season this spring, you’d better get cracking now. After all, it’s not as easy as slapping an ad on Craigslist; if you want your humble abode to stand out from the competition, that could take months to do right. That’s why we’re ki
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01/14/2016
By Jamie Wiebe Dogs: smirart/iStock; sign: jdillontoole/iStock If you’re selling your home for the first time, you might think of the open house as the point at which your Realtor® waits until you leave, turns into a magician and, with a flick of the wrist, completely transforms the place into so
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01/03/2016
By Angela Colley Don't. Just don't.Ariel Skelley/Getty Images Folks, it’s 2016 (nearly!). Contrary to what you might have heard, a buyer’s first impression is no longer that special moment when they first pull up to check out your curb appeal. In fact, more often than not, they’ve already checked
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01/01/2016
By Lisa Davis Own a home? Most likely you’ll be sprucing it up next year.According to the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University’s Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity, annual spending growth for home improvements will accelerate from 2.4% last quarter to 6.8% in the second qu
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12/31/2015
