What if you didn’t have a mortgage payment on your next house? It may sound a little unrealistic. But for a number of homeowners, it’s actually doable. Nearly 3 in 10 homes purchased today are bought in cash, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). That’s far more than the pre-pandemic norm (see graph below): So, how are so many buyers pulling that off? The answer is simple: home...

Let’s be clear: selling your house is absolutely possible right now. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), roughly 11k homes sell every day in this country. And the sellers who are making their moves happen all have one thing in common: they’ve adjusted their strategy to match today’s market. They’re realizing inventory has grown. Homebuyers are more selective. And buyer...

Renting can feel like the easier choice right now. There’s no big down payment. No dealing with surprise repairs. And no long-term commitment. But then your rent goes up again. And again. And suddenly the thing that seemed flexible starts looking… expensive, especially considering you’re not building any equity. And once that happens, it’s easy to feel a little trapped in the cycle. That’s...

For a lot of parents or grandparents, watching a family member struggle to buy their first home right now is hard. That's because you saw firsthand how homeownership gave your life more stability and helped grow your net worth – and you want your loved ones to have those same opportunities. But with all the affordability challenges in recent years, that can feel like an uphill battle – even though...

There’s one decision you're going to make when you sell that determines whether your house sells quickly, or it sits. Whether buyers make an offer, or scroll past it. Whether you walk away with the maximum return, or you end up cutting the price later. And that’s your asking price. The #1 Mistake Sellers Make Today: Trusting the Wrong Number If you’re thinking of moving and trying to figure out what...

If you saw headlines that talked about how “home sales fell sharply in January,” it probably raised an eyebrow – especially if you’re thinking about selling your house. But context matters. Yes, in January, home sales declined. But that has more to do with seasonality and the weather than it does with any big drop off in demand.  What’s Really Behind the Decline?  Reports coming out of the...

What Buyers Really Need to KnowIf you’re looking at real estate in East Texas, chances are this question has crossed your mind more than once:Should I buy land and build, or should I buy an existing home and be done with it?Around towns like Athens and Palestine, both options are popular — but they come with very different realities.Buying land and building sounds like a dream. Wide-open space. A...

At some point, a house that once felt perfect just… doesn’t anymore. Maybe you need more space. Maybe working from home turned your dining room into a permanent office. Maybe the layout just doesn’t match how you live now. If your current house is starting to feel like it’s holding you back instead of supporting your life, it’s natural to think about making a move. But that brings up the next...

You may have heard homeowners today have a lot of equity built up. But what does that really mean? Let’s break it down. Because your equity isn’t just a number, it’s a powerful asset that can help you take your next big step in life. How Much Equity Does the Typical Homeowner Have? Here’s how it works. As you pay down your loan and home prices rise through the years, the share of your home that...

After a long stretch where buyers were competing for too few homes, inventory has made a comeback over the past year. And depending on where you live, that’s opening up your options in a meaningful way.  According to Realtor.com, the number of homes available for sale in January was the highest it’s been since 2020. Here’s why that’s such a big deal. Getting back to pre-pandemic levels signals a...