Author Archives: Sabrina Mapes

Our brains can sometimes trick us into a buying a home that doesn’t fit our needs. Following these tips could help minimize buyer’s remorse. If you’ve ever made an impulse purchase, you know what it feels like to have your brain seize up and focus only on the shiny thing in front of you that […]

Buying a home for the first time? Use this guide to help ensure a smoother and less stressful experience. For many first-time home buyers, the financing process can seem intimidating. But it doesn’t have to be. Here are six things to remember as you embark on this process.  1. Make sure you understand the full […]

Haunted houses are labeled as “stigmatized properties,” but they can be highly sought-after. Marianne Bornhoft was locking up after an open house showing when she heard a faint cry: “Help me!” Following the cries downstairs to the basement, the veteran real estate agent ended up in front of what appeared to be a concealed door. […]

Mortgage hacks and strategies that agents say can help make home buying more affordable — and help close the deal. Buying a home is a team sport, and that’s especially true when buyers are facing the kinds of affordability challenges they are now. Volatile interest rates and tough competition for a limited supply of homes […]

Learn how to avoid these nine home-selling mistakes. Selling your home is no easy process, in terms of both the actual logistics and the emotional connection you often have to your home. After all, according to the Zillow Group Consumer Housing Trends Report 2021, the average seller reported living in their homes for about 14 years […]

A Zillow survey reveals that dark gray may attract more prospective buyers — and higher offers — when you’re getting ready to sell. If you’re selling your house, choosing the right interior paint colors could affect buyers’ initial interest in your home and how much you get for it. “Paint is a relatively affordable and easy […]

The process of buying a home for the first time can be overwhelming — from finding a place that’s the right fit for you to saving up for a down payment, budgeting for closing costs and everything in between. When it comes to figuring out your financing options, you don’t have to do all the heavy-lifting alone — […]

In this month’s market report, we ask in-house economist Jeff Tucker about what seasonal cycles look like in a remarkably unusual year for home buying. If you’ve come up empty-handed after home shopping all spring and summer, you might want to keep your eyes peeled over the next few weeks. As summer wraps up, there […]

Home buying hurdles exist — but research, creativity and flexibility will help you clear them. Home buyers today face tough challenges — housing prices have soared, a dollar doesn’t go as far as it once did and rent is more expensive than the past. How are people today making such a large purchase despite these […]

There’s a lot to love about owning a swimming pool, provided you have the money, time and attention to maintain one. If you’re in love with swimming pools and the lifestyle that comes with them, you’ve probably been pouring over home listings with pools as summer gets into full swing. Pools can be a great […]