Americans are feeling financially confident and it's good news for the housing market, according to the latest Home Purchase Sentiment Index from Fannie Mae. The survey - which measures consumers' perceptions of buying and selling a home, job security, mortgage rates, prices, etc. - hit a new high in July. Doug ...

Competition can sometimes be fun. But shopping for a house to buy isn't one of those times. When it comes to buying a home, competition usually leads to stress and disappointment. That's why data from one new national report is good news for potential home buyers. According to ...

Naturally, for home buyers, affordability is a top concern. That's not a surprise. Anyone thinking about buying a home in the near future is likely going to first try to figure out how much house they can afford. That means, keeping an eye on mortgage-rate fluctuations and where home ...

New homes only represent about 11 percent of all home sales. But, though they're a small slice of housing market activity, they do play an important role. That's because, when new homes are selling, builders build more houses. And, since adding new homes to the housing stock can ...

According to the popular Christmas song, the holidays are the most wonderful time of the year. But not if you're trying to sell a home. After all, winter is typically not the time home buyers go out shopping for a house. So what is the best time of the ...

Choosing a house to buy takes a little bit of vision. After all, it's easy to know what you want in a home today, but more difficult to know for sure what you'll want years from now. Things change and your life will undoubtedly take some unexpected twists ...

The typical home seller lives in their house for more than a decade before they put it up for sale. And during that 10 years, there are probably a few things they let go. So it's no surprise that the vast majority of them feel the need to fix ...

There are many ways to gauge the housing market. You can follow home prices and mortgage rates, buyer traffic and sales, new home construction, or access to credit. But, if you're a potential home buyer or seller, there may be no better indicator than inventory. That's because, it ...

As home prices have recovered over the past several years, prospective buyers have become increasingly concerned about affordability conditions. After all, buying a home is a major financial commitment and getting less house for your money isn't ideal. But things may be changing. In fact, a recent survey of ...

For many Americans hoping to make a move, the decision to rent or buy comes down to affordability. It isn't the only factor, of course. Depending on your job and lifestyle, there may be other reasons to prefer renting over homeownership. But there's no question money is a ...