One of the main arguments in favor of buying a home is equity. When you rent, you're sending your monthly payment to a landlord. As a buyer, your monthly mortgage payment is helping to build equity. Of course, many homeowners wait and then, following the sale of their house, use …

These days, the health of the housing market is a matter of inventory. Right now, there are fewer houses available for sale than is typical and, because of it, prices are rising and sales aren't as high as they might be otherwise. However, as more new homes are built, buyers …

Home prices have been on the rise for a while now. But, in most cases, the jump in values was really just prices recovering the losses suffered following the financial crisis. After the housing crash, prices plummeted and, in the years following, they have rebounded. Now some markets have fully …

According to the Mortgage Bankers Association's Weekly Applications Survey, average mortgage rates were up last week across all loan categories, including 30-year fixed-rate loans with both conforming and jumbo balances, loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration, and 15-year fixed-rate loans. The increase comes after a brief period of decreases …

First-time home buyers are an important demographic when it comes to the health of the housing market. Because they've historically accounted for about 40 percent of home sales, they garner a lot of attention from experts, economists, and analysts hoping to gauge how the market is doing and where it's …

There are a lot of neighborhood attributes that can affect the value of a particular house. For example, a house with a view of the water may fetch a higher price than a similar house without the view. But among neighborhood amenities, owning a home near quality schools is among …

Between the time an offer is accepted and the deal is closed, a home's sale is typically referred to as pending. That's because, there's a chance, during this period, that the sale won't go through, as there are a number of hurdles yet to clear. The buyer's loan and financing …

When you buy a house, you're also buying the surrounding neighborhood. And, depending on your lifestyle and wishlist, the neighborhood may be even more important to you than the actual home you're buying. After all, most of your life happens outside your home. So your proximity to schools, shopping, healthcare, …

Home buyers looking to buy a home this spring have their eye on two things: home prices and mortgage rates. Lately, both have been rising but the latest numbers from the Mortgage Bankers Association's Weekly Applications Survey offers some potential relief. That's because the survey – which has been conducted …

Home prices are a top concern for both home buyers and sellers. After all, a lot of the calculus that goes into determining whether or not it's a good time to sell or buy a house is based on where home values are and where they are expected to be …