Welcome to your Closing on a House Checklist—a rundown of everything home buyers need to do in the 11th hour before they get their hands on those keys. Because when you're approaching the finish line in your home-buying journey, you want nothing to go wrong, right? That’s why we’ve put together a home closing checklist, which outlines your action points in those few days leading up to settlement. Keep this list handy to know you've done what you need to in order to close the

In a continuing downtrend, May’s pending home sales slid, declining 0.5 percent for the fifth month in a row (year-over-year), according to the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI). Despite gains in three of the four major regions in the U.S., a considerable drop in the South tamped down the total. Activity increased 2.9 percent in the Midwest, 2 percent in the Northeast and 0.6 percent in the West, but slumped 3.5 percent in the South. “Pen

April home prices stacked up, 6.4 percent year-over-year, according to the S&P CoreLogic/Case-Shiller Indices. The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price NSA Index’s 10-City Composite, which is an average of 10 metros (Boston, Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Diego, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.), rose 6.2 percent year-over-year, a decrease from 6.4 percent in March. The 20-City Composite—which is an average of the 10 metros in t

Existing-home sales in May were snagged by supply, the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) reports. Activity in May declined 0.4 percent to 5.43 million, down 3 percent from the prior year. Inventory increased 2.8 percent to 1.85 million, but was 6.1 percent lower than the prior year. “Closings were down in a majority of the country last month and declined on an annual basis in each major region,” says Lawrence Yun, chief economist at NAR. “Incredibly low supply continues

Although demand’s exploding and home prices are rising swiftly, analysts are anticipating a market moderation in the next year. According to new projections, the fluctuation is forecasted to start in 2019. Analysts at Freddie Mac are anticipating appreciation will decelerate to 3.1 percent in 2019, with home sales to soften at a 2 percent growth rate and total 6.44 million. 2018, however, is anticipated to bear out as it has in recent years—fast-growing prices, which Freddie

Confidence in housing is at a new record, with the Fannie Mae Home Purchase Sentiment Index® (HPSI) outdoing its past peak. The boost was ignited by optimism from sellers, who are benefitting from increasing prices. At 92.3, the Index rose 0.6 percentage points month-over-month and 6.1 points year-over-year. “The HPSI edged up to another survey high in May, bolstered in part by a fresh record high in the net share of consumers who say it’s a good time to sell a home,” says Do

The economy in May remained on a soaring streak, with a lift in jobs and the lowest unemployment in years. The expansion is a help for the housing market, but is it enough to relieve supply woes? According to Lawrence Yun, chief economist of the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR), there is an imbalance between inventory and jobs—conditions that fuel unaffordability, despite earnings increasing 2.7 percent year-over-year. “Housing demand will be supported by the continuin

Are you listing this summer? Get your outdoors in shape—it can pay off. According to National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) research, certain exterior improvements are likely to recoup at resale. Based on feedback from REALTORS®—who, through their experience, know what house hunters are ready to spend on—the best enhancements are lawn care, landscape maintenance and tree care, and installing an irrigation system. Landscape/lawn care pays for itself—generally 100 percent of t