‘The Fever Has Broken’: Is the Housing Market Frenzy Really Going To Cool Off This Fall?

Over the next few weeks and months, the long-overheated U.S. housing market is expected to continue to cool off in the bracing chill of autumn. After a wild year of unprecedented price increases, a worsening shortage of homes for sale, and cutthroat bidding wars where offers six figures over the ask price weren’t uncommon, conditions […]

What Is Escrow?

When buying a home, you’ll probably hear your lender or real estate agent use the word escrow. The term escrow can describe a few different functions, from the time your offer is accepted to the day you close on your home — and even after you become a homeowner with a mortgage. There are essentially two types of escrow […]

First-Time Home Buyer Programs

About 46 percent of home buyers are purchasing a home for the first time, and with that first home can come particular financial hurdles around saving for a down payment, and paying for closing costs. About two-thirds (64 percent) of first-time buyers put less than 20 percent down on their first home, and a quarter put down 5 percent […]