The Kirkpatrick Team

Here are some ideas of how to make your home feel warmer as we move into fall without turning up the thermostat.      Take advantage of natural light. You know the one, where sunshine pushes through a glass door and you just want to stand there to warm up because it feels to good.  Ensure your g...

HOMEOWNERS INCREASINGLY CHOOSE 15-YEAR LOANS Refinance loans are popular with U.S. homeowners this year. Refinance volume last quarter was its highest in more than two years and demand for refinance loans remains strong into the close of 2015. Low mortgage rates are the natural catalyst for such ...

Phoenix housing market posts big June gains with new permits, sales volumes (but not with prices)The Phoenix housing market posted strong gains in June in terms of volume, according to the latest data from RL Brown Housing Reports.But new home prices dropped and existing home prices are flat, acc...

Homes Less Affordable Despite Low RatesLow mortgage rates have helped to define this year's housing market, but it's doing little to help keep home buying within reach for U.S. buyers. Last quarter, fewer than two-thirds of U.S. homes were "affordable" to households earning the national median in...

 Agents should be ready for pent-up sellers to make their move this year The number of years before home turnover used to be six to seven — now it’s 10. The market has stabilized, and agents must prepare to sell themselves to clients, as homeowners don’t typically use the same agent. What questio...

Plus the newest safety technology brought to you for National Realtor Safety MonthFor more than 10 years, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) has designated September as National Realtor Safety Month. But the need for real estate agents to be aware of safety issues on the job is more criti...

With low interest rates and home prices, it feels like a great time to buy a house.Homeownership is about more than your mortgage payment, though, so before you hand your real estate agent that earnest money, you might want to consider whether you're really ready to buy.Think you know all there i...

It's no secret that student loans can make buying a home a challenge. But what exactly is the problem, and how can buyers overcome it?The problem is that student loans can be included in the buyer's debt-to-income ratio, or DTI. Debt-to-income ratio Percentage of monthly income that is spent on d...

Your Monthly Mortgage PaymentWhen you own a home, your fiscal responsibility goes deeper than just making monthly principal + interest payments to the bank. Real estate taxes and homeowners insurance are due, too.Principal and interest payments are typically due monthly to your lender; real estat...

I am always thrilled to hear when folks make the jump to home ownership. And it's important for prospective homeowners to know about all the resources available to them to help the experience go as smoothly as possible, especially when it comes to financing. In this report we clue potential homeo...