Blog

Is Wall Street Buying Up All the Homes in America?

• Maria Sandberg
• 11/28/23

If you’re thinking about buying a home, you may find yourself interested in the latest real estate headlines so you can have a ...

Facts in Focus | Why Homeowners Are Thankful They Own

• Kyle Frazier
• 11/26/23

Ask around and you’ll find the vast majority are thankful they took the leap and bought a home. But why? It’s because of the ma...

Need to Sweeten a Deal? Understanding Seller Concessions

• Maria Sandberg
• 11/22/23

Buying and selling real estate can involve many complex negotiations. Buyers and sellers generally pay for their own closing co...

Facts in Focus | The Latest 2024 Housing Market Forecast

• Kyle Frazier
• 11/18/23

The new year is right around the corner, and you might be wondering if 2024 will be the right time to buy or sell a home. If yo...

Life-Changing Events That Move the Housing Market

• Maria Sandberg
• 11/14/23

Life is a journey filled with unexpected twists and turns, like the excitement of welcoming a new addition, retiring and starti...

Facts in Focus | Thinking About Using Your 401(k) To Buy a Home?

• Kyle Frazier
• 11/11/23

Are you dreaming of buying your own home and wondering about how you’ll save for a down payment? You're not alone. Some people ...

Tips to Furnish Your New Home for Less

• Maria Sandberg
• 11/7/23

Buying a new home is one of the most exciting experiences in life. If you’re like many homebuyers, you’ll be planning your furn...

Facts In Focus | What Are Accessory Dwelling Units and How Can They Benefit You?

• Maria Sandberg
• 11/3/23

Maybe you’re in the market for a home and are having a hard time finding the right one that fits your budget. Or perhaps you’re...

Unmasking Scary Myths about Today’s Housing Market

• Maria Sandberg
• 10/31/23

Here’s what you really need to know about a few myths causing fear in today’s housing market.

Facts in Focus | Affordable Homeownership Strategies for Gen Z

• Kyle Frazier
• 10/27/23

The idea of owning a home has always been a big part of the American Dream. It's a symbol of stability, independence, and havin...

Are Grandparents Moving To Be Closer to Their Grandkids?

• Maria Sandberg
• 10/24/23

During the pandemic, many people distanced themselves from their loved ones for health reasons. Grandparents were told to stay ...

Are Higher Mortgage Rates Here To Stay?

• Maria Sandberg
• 10/17/23

Mortgage rates have been back on the rise recently and that’s getting a lot of attention from the press. If you’ve been followi...

How Homeowner Net Worth Grows with Time

• Maria Sandberg
• 10/10/23

If you’re thinking about buying a home this year, be sure to consider the long-term financial advantages of homeownership, like...

Income Properties Are Trending, But Is Landlord Life for You?

• Maria Sandberg
• 10/3/23

Investing in real estate has long been one of Americans' favorite ways to grow their wealth. In fact, over 70% of single-family...

Facts In Focus | The Many Non-Financial Benefits of Homeownership

• Maria Sandberg
• 10/1/23

Buying and owning your own home can have a big impact on your life. While there are financial reasons to become a homeowner, it...

Beginning with Pre-Approval

• Maria Sandberg
• 09/26/23

If you’re looking to buy a home this fall, there are a few things you need to know. Affordability is tight with today’s mortgag...

Are More Homes Coming onto the Market?

• Maria Sandberg
• 09/19/23

An important factor shaping today’s market is the number of homes for sale. And, if you’re considering whether or not to list y...

Facts In Focus | Planning to Retire? Your Equity Can Help You Make a Move

• Maria Sandberg
• 09/16/23

Reaching retirement is a significant milestone in life, bringing with it a lot of change and new opportunities. As the door to ...

Home Price Forecasts Revised for 2023

• Maria Sandberg
• 09/12/23

Here's a look at the new forecasts for the rest of the year.

Facts in Focus | Mortgage Rates: Past, Present, and Possible Future

• Kyle Frazier
• 09/11/23

Since mortgage rates impact what you can afford when you take out a home loan – and affordability is a challenge today – it’s a...

Top 6 Tips To Attract the Best Offers for Your Home

• Maria Sandberg
• 09/5/23

Not long ago, home sellers were in their heyday, as historically-low mortgage rates triggered a real estate buying frenzy. Howe...

Facts in Focus | The Dangers of Overpricing in Marin Real Estate

• Kyle Frazier
• 09/1/23

Overpricing one’s home prior to going on market almost always has negative ramifications for sellers: Across Bay Area markets, ...

If You Are Thinking About Selling Don’t Let These Two Things Hold You Back

• Maria Sandberg
• 08/29/23

Many homeowners thinking about selling have two key things holding them back. That’s feeling locked in by today’s higher mortga...

Facts In Focus | Equity Is a Game Changer for Homeowners Looking To Sell

• Maria Sandberg
• 08/26/23

If you’re a homeowner, you might be torn on whether or not to sell your house right now. Maybe that’s because you don’t want to...

Pricing Your House Right Still Matters Today

• Maria Sandberg
• 08/22/23

While this isn’t the frenzied market we saw during the ‘unicorn’ years, homes that are priced right are still selling quickly a...

Facts in Focus | Don't Expect Many Foreclosures...

• Kyle Frazier
• 08/18/23

The rising cost of just about everything from groceries to gas right now is leading to speculation that more people won’t be ab...

5 Common Homebuyer Regrets (And How To Avoid Them) 

• Maria Sandberg
• 08/15/23

Most new homebuyers don't regret becoming homeowners. In fact, according to a survey by LendingTree, 80% of recent buyers who s...

Facts in Focus | There's Only Half the Inventory of a Normal Housing Market Today

• Maria Sandberg
• 08/11/23

Wondering if it still makes sense to sell your house right now? The short answer is, yes. Especially if you consider how few ho...

Four Ways You Can Use Your Home Equity

• Maria Sandberg
• 08/8/23

If you’re a homeowner, odds are your equity has grown significantly over the last few years. Equity builds over time as home va...

Facts in Focus | Tips for Making Your Best Offer on a Home

• Kyle Frazier
• 08/4/23

While the wild ride that was the “unicorn years” of housing is behind us, today’s market is still competitive in many areas bec...

Homebuyers Are Still More Active Than Usual

• Maria Sandberg
• 08/1/23

Even though the housing market is no longer experiencing the frenzy that was so characteristic of the last couple of years, it ...

Facts in Focus | Foreclosure Numbers Today Aren’t Like 2008

• Maria Sandberg
• 07/29/23

If you've been keeping up with the news lately, you've probably come across headlines talking about the increase in foreclosure...

Explaining Today’s Mortgage Rates

• Maria Sandberg
• 07/25/23

If you’re following mortgage rates because you know they impact your borrowing costs, you may be wondering what the future hold...

Facts in Focus | Homebuyers Getting Used to the New Normal

• Kyle Frazier
• 07/21/23

Before you decide to sell your house, it’s important to know what you can expect in the current housing market. One positive tr...

Home Prices Are Rebounding

• Maria Sandberg
• 07/18/23

If you’re following the news today, you may feel a bit unsure about what’s happening with home prices and fear whether or not t...

Facts in Focus | Bay Area & California Migration / Population Changes

• Kyle Frazier
• 07/17/23

Most people moving out-of-county in the Bay Area move to an adjacent county (often to more affordable, less densely populated c...

Today’s Housing Inventory Is a Sweet Spot for Sellers

• Maria Sandberg
• 07/11/23

One of the biggest challenges in the housing market right now is how few homes there are for sale compared to the number of peo...

Facts in Focus | The Rent vs. Buy Decision & Calculation

• Kyle Frazier
• 07/7/23

The rent vs. buy decision isn’t fundamentally based on comparing the current rent on a property to the initial monthly cost of ...

What Homebuyers Need To Know About Credit Scores

• Maria Sandberg
• 07/4/23

If you’re thinking about buying a home, you should know your credit score’s a critical piece of the puzzle when it comes to qua...

Facts in Focus | Stock Market as Leading Indicator

• Kyle Frazier
• 07/1/23

The Main Reason Mortgage Rates Are So High

• Maria Sandberg
• 06/27/23

Today’s mortgage rates are top-of-mind for many homebuyers right now. As a result, if you’re thinking about buying for the firs...

Facts in Focus | Eco-Friendly, Energy-Efficient Homes Attract Buyers

• Maria Sandberg
• 06/24/23

Are you planning to sell your house? If so, you may be surprised to hear just how much buyers value energy efficiency and eco-f...

Your Needs Matter More Than Today’s Mortgage Rates

• Maria Sandberg
• 06/20/23

If you’re thinking about selling your house right now, chances are it’s because something in your life has changed. And, while ...

Facts in Focus | How Owning a Home Grows Your Wealth with Time

• Maria Sandberg
• 06/16/23

If you're thinking of buying a home this year, be sure to factor in the long-term benefits of home ownership.

Are Home Prices Going Up or Down? That Depends…

• Maria Sandberg
• 06/13/23

Media coverage about what’s happening with home prices can be confusing. A large part of that is due to the type of data being ...

Facts in Focus | Real Estate Considered the Best Long-Term Investment

• Kyle Frazier
• 06/9/23

With all the headlines circulating about home prices going up and going down (at the same time?) and the mortgage rate environm...

National Real Estate Market Update for 2023

• Maria Sandberg
• 06/6/23

There’s an old adage in real estate: location, location, location. But ever since the Federal Reserve began its series of infla...

Facts in Focus | Are You Covered? A Homeowners Insurance Guide

• Maria Sandberg
• 06/2/23

The recent news regarding State Farm ceasing sales of new home insurance in California on May 26th was startling. It will make ...

The ‘Unicorn’ Years vs. Today's Market

• Kyle Frazier
• 06/1/23

Comparing real estate metrics from one year to another can be challenging in a normal housing market due to the variability of ...

Understanding, Using & Evaluating Real Estate Statistics

• Kyle Frazier
• 05/26/23

Statistics can be an enormously valuable tool for assessing the conditions and trends in the real estate market. However, they ...