Jenn Pfeiffer - The Jenn Pfeiffer Team

March 7, 2024

The Benefits of Downsizing When You Retire

From our friends in KCM If you’re taking a look at your expenses as you retire, saving money where you can has a lot of appeal. One long-standing, popular way to do that is by downsizing to a smaller home. When you think about cutting down on your spending, odds are you think of frequent purchases, like groceries and other goods. But when you downsize your house, you often end up downsizing the bills that come with it, like your mortgage payment, energy costs, and maintenance requirements. Realtor.com shares: “A smaller home typically means lower bills and less upkeep. Then there’s the potential windfall that comes from selling your larger home and buying something...

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March 5, 2024

Buying

Buying Houses Before Finding Spouses

By Debra Kim| The New York Times Single men traditionally get a head start in homeownership and reap the benefits faster, but single women are thinking creatively to close the gap. Rachel Rodman always dreamed of owning her own home, but life kept getting in the way. She became a mother at 19, then went through a complicated divorce that left her financially depleted. For many years, she felt resigned to renting with her son, James, now 14. Ms. Rodman, 33, earns a steady income as an events producer for SXSW, the annual festival of creative arts and technology held in her hometown, Austin, Texas. Still, she never felt she had...

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February 28, 2024

Selling

Pet-Friendly Features That Could Help Your Home Sell Faster

By Kristine Gill | Better Homes & Gardens Pets are a top factor in today's home purchases, and these pet-related upgrades could help sell your home. For many Americans, a pet makes a house a home. In fact, studies show that many homebuyers report prioritizing pets’ needs when shopping for a new home. It would stand to reason then that certain pet-friendly features can not only enhance the value of your home but also help it sell faster. “As our furry friends become ever more integrated into our families, their needs are increasingly factored into home-buying decisions,” says Scott Beaudry, broker and owner with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Universal. We’ll take...

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February 27, 2024

Selling

Why Today’s Housing Supply Is a Sweet Spot for Sellers

From our friends in KCM Wondering if it still makes sense to sell your house right now? The short answer is, yes. And if you look at the current number of homes for sale, you’ll see two reasons why. An article from Calculated Risk shows there are 15.6% more homes for sale now compared to the same week last year. That tells us inventory has grown. But going back to 2019, the last normal year in the housing market, there are nearly 40% fewer homes available now: Here’s a breakdown of how this benefits you when you sell. 1. You Have More Options for Your Move Are you thinking about selling because your current house is too big,...

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February 26, 2024

Selling

Sales of New Homes Tick Up in January

By Aarthi Swaminathan | Realtor.com The numbers: Sales of newly built homes in the U.S. inched up in January, even as mortgage rates rose. U.S. new-home sales rose 1.5% to an annual rate of 661,000 in January, from a revised 651,000 in the prior month, the Commerce Department reported Monday. The number is seasonally adjusted and refers to how many homes would be built over an entire year if builders continued at the same pace every month. The pace fell short of expectations on Wall Street. Economists had forecast new-home sales to total 680,000 in January. Mortgage rates rose to a six-week high at the end of January, according to data from Freddie Mac, which might...

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February 21, 2024

Selling

It’s Time To Prepare Your House for a Spring Listing

From our friends in KCM If you’re thinking of selling your house this spring, now is the perfect time to start getting it ready. With the market gearing up for its busiest time of year, it’ll be important to make sure your house shines bright among the competition. Here are some valuable tips you can use to get your house market-ready. Declutter and Organize First impressions matter, and if your house is a mess, that can easily turn off potential buyers. Before listing, take the time to declutter and organize each room. Decluttering is about more than just tidying up – it’s about creating a sense of space and openness that allows potential buyers to envision...

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February 20, 2024

Living

Think Your Property Taxes Are High? See How Much Homeowners Pay in the Cheapest and Most Expensive States

By Clare Trapasso | Realtor.com Homebuyers looking to avoid high property taxes probably shouldn’t move to New Jersey. The Garden State continued to have the dubious honor of having the nation’s highest property taxes, according to a recent report from personal finance website WalletHub. New Jersey homeowners paid a median of $9,345 in 2022, according to the report. That’s compared with the typical homeowner who paid just $2,869 in property taxes a year, according to U.S. Census Bureau data cited in the report. “Americans who are considering moving and want to maximize the amount of money they take home should take into account property tax rates, in addition to other financial factors like the...

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February 15, 2024

Buying

Don’t Let the Latest Home Price Headlines Confuse You

From our friends KCM Based on what you’re hearing in the news about home prices, you may be worried they’re falling. But here’s the thing. The headlines aren’t giving you the full picture. If you look at the national data for 2023, home prices actually showed positive growth for the year. While this varies by market, and while there were some months with slight declines nationally, those were the exception, not the rule. The overarching story is that prices went up last year, not down. Let’s dive into the data to set the record straight. 2023 Was the Return to More Normal Home Price Growth If anything, last year marked a return to more normal home price...

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February 14, 2024

Buying

Why So Many People Fall in Love with Homeownership

From our friends in KCM Chances are at some point in your life you’ve heard the phrase, home is where the heart is. There’s a reason that’s said so often. Becoming a homeowner is emotional. So, if you’re trying to decide if you want to keep on renting or if you’re ready to buy a home this year, here’s why it’s so easy to fall in love with homeownership. Customizing to Your Heart’s Desire Your house should be a space that’s uniquely you. And, if you’re a renter, that can be hard to achieve. When you rent, the paint colors are usually the standard shade of white, you don’t have much control over the upgrades, and you’ve...

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February 9, 2024

Buying, Living, News

Houses Are Still Selling Fast

From our friends in KCM Have you been thinking about selling your house? If so, here’s some good news. While the housing market isn’t as frenzied as it was during the ‘unicorn’ years when houses were selling quicker than ever, they’re still selling faster than normal. The graph below uses data from Realtor.com to tell the story of median days on the market for every January from 2017 all the way through the latest numbers available. For Realtor.com, days on the market means from the time a house is listed for sale until its closing date or the date it’s taken off the market. This metric can help give you an idea of just how quickly homes...

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Author: Jenn Pfeiffer

The Benefits of Downsizing When You Retire

Buying Houses Before Finding Spouses

Pet-Friendly Features That Could Help Your Home Sell Faster

Why Today’s Housing Supply Is a Sweet Spot for Sellers

Sales of New Homes Tick Up in January

It’s Time To Prepare Your House for a Spring Listing

Think Your Property Taxes Are High? See How Much Homeowners Pay in the Cheapest and Most Expensive States

Don’t Let the Latest Home Price Headlines Confuse You

Why So Many People Fall in Love with Homeownership

Houses Are Still Selling Fast

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Author: Jenn Pfeiffer

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