real estate library

 

Buying or selling a home is a big move and can be stressful. We have tips and in-depth articles on everything from mortgages to home equity loans.

Featured Article:  How Selling a House Works

Selling a house is a complicated process, no matter how good the real estate market is. Whether you're a first-time home seller or not, you probably have a bunch of questions. See more »

10 First-time Homebuyer Mistakes

10 First-time Homebuyer Mistakes

Buying your first home can be a dream come true, but it can quickly turn into a nightmare. Realistic planning is key to avoiding the pitfalls that await first-time homebuyers.

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10 Things You Should Do Two Months Before a Move

10 Things You Should Do Two Months Before a Move

Moving pretty much always takes longer than you think it's going to take. So, be smart and plan ahead. There's lots of packing and organizing you can get out of the way two months in advance of your move.

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10 Tips for Packing

10 Tips for Packing

Is there an art to packing a box? Yes. Is there a strategy for labeling and organizing those boxes? Yes. Is there a good reason you should pack two months in advance. Yes. Find out more in this article.

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5 Questions You Should Ask Your Realtor

5 Questions You Should Ask Your Realtor

Buying or selling a home can be stressful, but choosing the right real estate agent can reduce the hassle. Proper interviewing will help you find one who sees you as more than just a fat paycheck.

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5 Things You Should Do One Month Before You Move

5 Things You Should Do One Month Before You Move

One month before your move is crunch time. During this month, you'll start to pack up the stuff you use more often, leaving out the absolute essentials to the end of the month, right before your move.

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5 Things You Should Do One Week Before You Move

5 Things You Should Do One Week Before You Move

But no matter how much preparation you do during the two months before your moving day, there are still certain tasks that just have to be left for the last week. What are they?

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5 Tips for Planning a Move

5 Tips for Planning a Move

Whatever the reason for your move, getting everything you own from one home to another can be difficult to orchestrate. So rather than just play it by ear, it's a good idea to make a solid plan well in advance of your move.

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Can you trade in your house like you can trade in your car?

Can you trade in your house like you can trade in your car?

In today's sluggish real estate market, people are finding new and creative ways to sell their houses. Some are even turning to an automotive deal to unload their house: the trade-in.

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Dollars and Sense: House Buying Quiz

Dollars and Sense: House Buying Quiz

Buying a home can be both thrilling and frustrating, but knowing how the process works beforehand will give you a leg up in your search. Take the House Buying Quiz to see how much you know.

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How Buying a House Works

How Buying a House Works

"It's still a buyer's market," read the newspaper headlines. Ready to see if it's your time to follow the open house signs?

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How Graduated Payment Mortgages (GPMs) Work

How Graduated Payment Mortgages (GPMs) Work

The apartment you've lived in for the last four years has let you save on rent while you both work to save for a down payment. But now that you have a baby on the way, there's no way you can keep living there. Enter graduated payment mortgages.

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How Growing Equity Mortgages (GEMs) Work

How Growing Equity Mortgages (GEMs) Work

Growing Equity Mortgages (GEMs) are one way to jumpstart your homeownership dream while quickly building equity. If you can afford increasingly higher payments over the years, a GEM may be right for you.

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How Home Appraisals Work

How Home Appraisals Work

You've found your dream home. The asking price is $300,000 -- an amount you've already been pre-approved for by your bank. But is the home really worth that amount? That's the question at the heart of the home appraisal.

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How Home Equity Loans Work

How Home Equity Loans Work

Home equity loans can provide you with valuable financial flexibility, so long as the market is stable. Learn about the types of home equity loans and how to get the best rates.

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How Home Sales By Owner Works

How Home Sales By Owner Works

For Sale By Owner signs are popping up all over the place. More and more people are sidestepping real estate agents and selling homes on their own. Some sellers save thousands of dollars this way.

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How Home Staging Works

How Home Staging Works

Home staging isn't decorating -- it's more like depersonalizing your home to make it more attractive to potential buyers.

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How Homeowners Insurance Works

How Homeowners Insurance Works

Homeowners insurance can help if your home suffers any sort of damage. Find out how homeowners insurance works and how to save money on premiums.

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How House Flipping Works

How House Flipping Works

House flipping is buying a house or property and selling it for a profit. If everything works, you could make out well. But if something goes wrong, you could be stuck with an extra mortgage payment.

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How Housing Cooperatives Work

How Housing Cooperatives Work

The Beatles' John Lennon belonged to one. Madonna was rejected by one. So was former President Richard Nixon. What are they? Housing cooperatives, known as co-ops. But what are they? And why are they so exclusive?

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How Landlords Work

How Landlords Work

A landlord is the guy some people love to hate. He wants his money on time -- no excuses. But does renting and maintaining property really make him work hard for his money?

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