The smell of freshly baked cookies and the sight of twinkling lights throughout your neighborhood can only mean one thing – the holiday season is here. Decorating your home, opening stockings by the fire, lighting the menorah, or toasting to the New Year with friends and family are festivities many people look forward to every year. While there is plenty of fun to be had during the holiday season,...
Key takeaways The most common reasons for selling a home are tied directly to major life events like marriage, new jobs, or retirement. Homes are sold to match a household’s evolving needs, whether that means seeking more space or reducing the maintenance burden. Financial changes, such as a major increase in wealth or needing to free up home equity, also drive many sales decisions. As you sell your...
Homebuyers are weighing their options right now, and they certainly have a lot on their...
Buying or selling a home in a Homeowners Association (HOA) community comes with an extra layer of required paperwork, and missing even one document can delay your closing. These materials, often called the resale package, explain the community’s rules, financial health, insurance coverage, and any fees tied to the property, giving buyers and sellers a clear picture of what they’re signing up...
Renting can feel much less expensive and much simpler than buying a home, especially right...
A dry closing is a closing where all documents are signed, but the transaction isn’t funded on the same day. The lender typically wires the funds the next business day, after completing final reviews. Until the money arrives, the buyer doesn’t legally take ownership and the seller doesn’t receive payment. Dry closings are allowed in some states and prohibited in others. While they can prevent...
If you’re planning to buy a home, getting preapproved for a mortgage is one of the most important early steps. But many buyers don’t realize these letters don’t last forever — and an expired preapproval can slow down your home search, whether you’re exploring a home for sale in San Diego, CA or eyeing a charming house in Seattle, WA. This Redfin article breaks down how long a mortgage preapproval...
When the holidays roll around, travel plans, family gatherings, and all the chaos of the season may make you think it’s better to pull your listing off the market or to wait until 2026 to sell your house. But here’s the...
If you’re planning to buy a home with less than 20% down—whether you’re browsing a house for sale in Seattle, WA or checking out a home in Austin, TX—you’ll likely encounter mortgage insurance in some form. Most buyers are familiar with borrower-paid mortgage insurance (BPMI), the monthly PMI you pay until you reach 20% equity. But there’s another option your lender may offer: Lender-Paid...
When you’re preparing to close on a home, you’ll receive several final documents outlining your loan terms, closing costs, and the exact amount each party must pay or receive. Two of the most important are the closing disclosure and the settlement statement (also called an ALTA settlement statement or, in older transactions, a HUD-1). Although the two forms often contain similar numbers, and those...
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