Most consumers generally know how much interest their credit card companies charge or the interest rate of their home mortgages. Both are examples of industries that clearly and easily advertise rates. The Consumer Federation of America (CFA) recently released a report - Hidden Real Estate Commissions: Consumer Costs and Improved
Halloween is this week, with Thanksgiving and the holidays just around the corner. If you plan on selling your home this year, you’re running out of time! Most buyers want to be in their new home before the holidays hit and those calendar days are slipping away if you
The real estate industry has traditionally been a relationship-driven business where agents and brokers control most of the process, from setting up listings to setting commissions. As such, much of the information behind each transaction lies with the associated brokers and agents, which is why home buyers and sellers often
Home sellers commonly think of two main options to sell a home: (1) hire real estate agents and pay their commission that take an average of 6% of your home’s equity or (2) try to sell your home yourself. Many homeowners are drawn to the DIY option based on
Home Bay’s board room was graced with the empire building real estate investor Elizabeth Colegrove, creator of The Reluctant Landlord, a website and community that revolves around the tips, tricks, trials and tribulations of self-managing investment rental properties. Ever the proponent of “frugal living”, Elizabeth sat down with another
At Home Bay, one of the most frequently asked home selling questions is “How does it all work?”. We understand why it is critical to understand the home selling process - selling a home is a major transaction and possibly one of the biggest transactions in an individual’s life.
What the future holds for interest rates and how interest rates influence the real estate marketThe actions of the Federal Reserve often lie outside the attention of mainstream consumers, but lately, this central bank has dominated the news politically and economically. Since the Fed’s decisions can be very confusing
At the beginning of the year, I laid out three reasons why I expected the real estate bull market to continue in 2019, and so far this year, my predictions have generally trended in the right direction. However, market conditions are pointing in several uneven ways, and while I generally
As you prepare to sell your home, you are immediately faced with dozens of important decisions, starting with whether or not you should hire a real estate agent. Faced with the cost of large commissions (5-6% of the transaction) charged by “traditional” agents, more home sellers are choosing to try
Time for changeThe real estate industry is long overdue for change as the traditional model for buying and selling homes has felt dated, inefficient and expensive for consumers. With the existing model, home listings are all funneled through a single conglomerate known as the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) where real