Mortgages, down payments and the cost of buying a house
Real Estate Today
Let’s find out the best way to get a great mortgage to buy the home of your dreams. REALTOR® Arlene Castellano from Springfield, Massachusetts shares why it’s important to get preapproved for a mortgage before you search for a new house. Bob Walters, the recently retired CEO of Rocket Mortgage, discusses Rocket’s ONE+ home loan, which only requires a 1% down payment, while they enact a 2% down payment grant. To boot, the loan won’t require any mortgage insurance. Credit expert Gerri Detweiler explains the importance of your credit score, and Down Payment Resource’s Marcy Ash...
info_outline
What to know about buying a second home
Real Estate Today
What does it take to buy a second home? How does today’s real estate market impact the vacation home market? NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun discusses the decline in existing-home sales and the rise in median home sales prices and what it means for home buyers and sellers. REALTOR® Sindy Ready from Scottsdale, Arizona discusses what it takes to find opportunities for home buyers looking to get a second home in a balanced real estate market. REALTOR® Beth Foley from West Michigan discusses how higher interest rates for mortgages are impacting the second home market and the...
info_outline
The best way to prepare your home for the holidays
Real Estate Today
It’s time to get your home ready for the holidays! Interior designer Mary Patton shares the latest holiday decorating trends and how to transform your home for the holidays. Angela Moscaritolo from PC Mag shares what smart tech devices will help you keep your home clean so you’re ready to host guests. REALTOR® Donna Evers tackles one of the toughest questions facing buyers and sellers every year at this time: Should you stay in the market over the holidays? Melissa Dittmann Tracey keeps us trendy by sharing whether keeping holiday lights up all year or Scandinavian home decor is hot or...
info_outline
How to save money around your home
Real Estate Today
How do you save money around your house? We give tips to save money on utility expenses, cable bills, and other household costs. NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun shares the outlook for the 2024 real estate market to give home buyers and sellers an idea of what they can expect in housing inventory and median home prices. REALTOR® Chris Pelkola Lee from Idaho shares how homeowners are updating windows and appliances to make their homes more energy efficient and discusses how new homes are being built to account for where the sun faces, to cut down costs. Financial advice author and host of...
info_outline
Tips for getting prepared to buy a home
Real Estate Today
What does it take to buy a home? We’ll go to buyer boot camp with REALTOR® Cheryl Malandrinos from Massachusetts who explains real estate terms like contingencies and clean contracts. REALTOR® Natalie Davis from Colorado shares what steps renters can and should take to become home buyers. Danielle Hale goes over ’s “The Hottest Zip Codes of 2023” report to see which parts of the country are doing well. Also, Melissa Dittmann Tracey shares whether brutalism home decor or the man cave is hot or not. This episode of Real Estate today is brought to you by realtor.com, the #1 most trusted...
info_outline
Dealing With Common Fears of Home Buying
Real Estate Today
Buying and selling real estate gives many people a fright. REALTOR® Pam McKee from Salem, Massachusetts shares what it’s like to work in real estate in a town synonymous with Halloween. Credit expert Gerri Detweiler explains what you need to do to make sure you aren’t afraid of your credit score and home inspector Frank Lesh talks about the importance of a home inspection in ensuring your house purchase doesn’t become a horror story. And Melissa Dittmann Tracey lets us know if blue or rose gold are hot or not.
info_outline
Everything you need to know about a real estate team
Real Estate Today
What does it mean for a home buyer and seller to build out their real estate team? REALTOR® Elizabeth Mendenhall from Columbia, Missouri discusses what roles fill a team and how real estate agents make sure that team works together for a successful real estate transaction. Appraiser and REALTOR® Susan Martins-Phipps from Rhode Island shares why the appraiser is such a valuable asset to a real estate team and how they value a home. Attorney Vanessa Goggans explains the closing process and what a lawyer’s role is in the transfer of home ownership. And NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun walks...
info_outline
Tips for first-time real estate investors
Real Estate Today
Are you wondering what it takes to invest in real estate? REALTOR® Kristin Smith from Dallas, Texas shares how she got started buying real estate properties and how she’s grown her portfolio. REALTOR® Luke Worrell from Illinois explains what makes a piece of land a good real estate investment purchase. NAR Chief Legal Office Katie Johnson discusses a class action lawsuit that could change the way home buyers and sellers pay real estate commissions and make purchasing a home more expensive for home buyers, especially first-timers. She also shares why it may also be very bad news for...
info_outline
How to sell a home in the fall of 2023
Real Estate Today
Do you want to know the best way to sell your house this fall? Chief Economist at Danielle Hale examines what home buyers and sellers can expect in the real estate market over the next few months. REALTOR® Kristina Rhodes from Evansville, Indiana shares what a home seller should look for in an offer, the importance of possession and why location, condition, and market are the three keys to a successful real estate sale. Also, REALTOR® Michael Labout from Colorado Springs, Colorado talks about the importance of curb appeal and why it’s important to make sure your home’s exterior and...
info_outline
How to buy a home in the fall of 2023
Real Estate Today
What does it take to successfully a buy a home in the current real estate market? REALTOR® Kimberly Allard from Boston, Massachusetts explains how to build the team of a real estate agent, lender, and home inspector to help you get the house you want. Kimberly also shares tips that will get your offer accepted. Elizabeth Renter from NerdWallet shares some good news for first-time buyers from their latest study, “First-time Home Buyer Metro Affordability Report - Q2 2023.” CEO of Down Payment Resource, Rob Chrane, discusses a variety of down payment assistance programs available...
info_outlineWhat do you need to know about closing on a home? REALTOR® Chris Rost from Kansas explains what the home buyers and sellers need to know about the closing disclosure, the appraisal, the down payment process, and other details, like home insurance, to make sure they are prepared. Real estate attorney Vanessa Goggans shares the documents that need to be brought to the settlement table and how to deal with an issue that may come up. And REALTOR® Dale Mattison from Maryland shares what can be expected at the final walkthrough. Also, Melissa Dittmann Tracey lets us know if plunge pools or black-bottom pools are hot or not.