Author Archives: Sabrina Mapes

The forecast calls for a calmer real estate market with slight improvements in affordability for buyers, concessions for renters and more AI-generated guidance for home shoppers. It’s been one of the most challenging years on record for the housing market, with rock-bottom inventory and mortgage rates hitting highs not seen in the past two decades. […]

Credit card companies, auto dealerships, mortgage bankers and other lenders use credit scores to determine the risk of loaning money to a borrower, how much they will loan, and the interest rate they’ll charge. Most lenders use FICO scores, which range from 300 to 850, to gauge creditworthiness. The higher your score, the more credit-worthy […]

Find out what getting pre-approved for a mortgage means, if you should get pre-approved while house shopping, and how you can get pre-approved. When you start to get serious about buying a home, a mortgage pre-approval is an important first step. Getting pre-approved for a mortgage lets you know how much money you can borrow, the range […]

Loan officers break down what you need to know about student debt and owning a home. Student loans are undoubtedly a daunting financial obstacle, so it’s only natural to feel like they’re holding you back from owning a home. But buying a house with student loan debt is possible. Whether or not you should get […]

Add warmth and comfort to your home with these design ideas from past decades. With the arrival of the cooler months, it’s natural to start thinking about how you can make your home more cozy and inviting. Now is the perfect time to make little (or big) changes that will infuse your home with an […]

A boost in new listings nationally, along with price cuts, favors buyers. The local picture, however, is a mixed bag. What’s going on this fall in the housing market? It depends on where you look. Nationally, home values saw a “marked cooldown” from July to August, according to Zillow® Senior Economist Jeff Tucker, with prices […]

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 […]