So, you are sitting down at your kitchen table enjoying your coffee and toast, and you take a good look at your surroundings. You’ve done well making your first house into a home for you and your family, but you feel like you need a change. Whether out of necessity due to outgrowing it or just out of the desire for something new and different, the first thing you need to consider before looking for a new house is if you are financially ready. You’ll need money to get your current home into market shape, credit to be approved for your next home and enough money to handle any surprises along the way.

Getting your Home Ready to Sell

Take a walk around your house, and look closely at every seam and surface. No home that has been lived in for

Buying a resale home and tackling all of its years of problems seems so gratifying in the movies. It’s usually reduced to a short, playful montage. A little paint here, a couple nails there, a wrench to some old plumbing, some nods of self approval, and presto – a new home. Break out the blanket and hot cocoa. The reality, however, can be quite different. An old home can be a significant drain on money and time, and let’s face it, some of us just aren’t cut out to operate power tools. Some resale homes are in great condition and require little maintenance, but other houses can require more work. New construction homes are for those of us who aren’t that keen to use our time and energy on finding our inner DIY hero, and understand some of the

Buying your first home is one of the largest and most exciting decisions of your life. It’s the beginning of your life’s next chapter. A home is more than just the place you live--it’s a reflection of you. When you choose your first home, you’ll ultimately decide on one that satisfies your needs while also reflecting your personal style.  

Whether see yourself in a lived-in, older style with built-ins that carry their own unique charm, or a newer construction with a minimalist design that can serve as a blank canvas for your inner interior decorator, there are a few--but very important items--to  consider before you can move in.

1. Get Home Loan Pre-approval

Unless you are fortunate enough to have an enormous amount of cash lying

The last time this many Americans were living in multi-generational homes (or homes with multiple generations living under the same roof), most television shows were still black and white. At its lowest point in 1980, a little more than 12% of Americans lived in a multi-generational home. Since 1980, that number has steadily risen to more than 18% today. And even more staggering is that the number of individuals living in a multi-generational home since 1980 has nearly doubled from around 30 million to almost 60 million with the most dramatic spike coming post-recession from 2010 to now.

What are some of the reasons for this jump? As would make sense after a recession, most reasons are economic, but some are rooted in changes in American