Buying

Learn more about the home buying process from start to finish, including how to save money to buy a house, how to make an offer, and more.

Buying Matthew Gardner’s 2018 Housing Forecast Windermere is fortunate to have Chief Economist Matthew Gardner on staff to provide valuable analysis of the economy and housing market. Matthew recently completed his national forecast which details his predictions for the 2018 housing market.
Buying What Can We Expect From The 2018 Housing Market? It’s the time of the year when I look deep into my crystal ball to see what’s on the horizon for the upcoming year. As we are all aware, 2017 has been a stellar year for housing across the country, but can we expect that to continue in 2018?
Buying I’m Ready To Downsize But How Do I Start? Are you thinking about downsizing but don’t know how to make the tricky transition work? How do you buy a new place before you sell your current home?
Buying Downsizing: 5 Things to Consider Downsizing is on the minds of many homeowners today. Some are ready to retire. Others want to live more simply. Many want to save money and say goodbye to home maintenance. If you can relate to any of those sentiments, ask yourself these five questions:
Buying Seven Trends That Will Define the Home of the Future As sophisticated as homes are today, experts predict they’ll be far more so in the not-too-distant future— especially when it comes to their use of technology. Included are seven evolutionary trends that many expect to define the home of the future.
Buying Why Owning a Home is Such a Smart Investment The first question you need to ask yourself is, “Am I disciplined enough to invest in stocks?” According to two professors who recently studied 30 years of personal-finance performance, you need to be someone with exceptional financial discipline if you want to earn real money in the stock market. Or, you could simply buy a house.
Buying How an Investment in Green Technology Can Pay off for Today’s Homeowner Studies continue to show that real estate buyers are willing to pay a substantial premium for homes that feature highly efficient, environmentally friendly “green energy” technology. While the added value depends on the location of the home, its age, and whether it’s certified or not, three separate studies all found that newly constructed, Energy Star- or LEED-certified homes typically sell...
Buying Home Inspection: a Reality Check from a Pro A home is a major investment and, for many people, the greatest financial asset they have. With so much at stake, it makes sense to do what you can to protect your financial interest. Getting an inspection is a smart, simple way to do just that. When you make a written offer on a home, insist that the offer provide that your contract is contingent on a home inspection...
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Buying Real Estate Buyer Tip: How to Find a Deal If you are ready to buy a home in a seller’s market, don’t despair. Windermere Real Estate agent, Michael Doyle, shares how you can find a good deal on a great home, even in the hottest housing market.
Buying New Features vs. Character We are often asked, “Which is the better buy, a newer or older home?” Our answer: It all depends on your needs and personal preferences. We decided to put together a list of the six biggest differences between newer and older homes:
Buying Investing in Rental Property: The Risks, Rewards, and Benefits of Owning Rental Property One area of the real estate market that is thriving right now is rental property. All indications suggest that the rental market will continue to improve because of low vacancy rates and rising rents. In fact, the demand for rentals is predicted to far exceed supply through 2016, with 4.5 million new renters expected to enter the market in the next five years.
Buying Relocating Your Home to Advance Your Career Many of us dream of getting a better job. But when a promotion or new job opportunity comes with a request to relocate, the result can be very disruptive to your home life. There’s a lot to consider when making this kind of move...
Buying Why So Many Americans Are Either Upsizing or Downsizing According to two recent surveys that took industry watchers by surprise, many family homeowners are putting frugality aside and upsizing to new houses that average as large as 2,480 square feet (an increase of as much as 13 percent from the year before), and sometimes exceed 3,500 square feet in size.
Buying Planning for the Future: Housing Options to Consider It should come as no surprise that 75% of the senior citizens polled in the latest AARP Preferences survey strongly agreed with the statement, “What I’d like to do is stay in my current residence as long as possible.” After all, home is where the heart is; and the longer you live in a place, the stronger your attachment to it becomes.
Buying How the Neighborhood Impacts a Home’s Value The “estimated” home prices you see posted online can be off by tens of thousands of dollars—not because they are dishonest, but because the computer programs generating these guesstimates don’t take into account the current condition of a house, the amenities that are included, the qualities of the surrounding neighborhood, and so much more.
Buying Perspectives: Buyer Fatigue Buyer fatigue. It’s a very real thing and we’re seeing it in cities all up and down the West Coast. What’s causing it? Intensely competitive market conditions in which bidding wars and properties selling for significantly more than asking price are the norm. It’s tiring for buyers. It’s tiring for agents. And it’s emotionally draining when you continue to find, and then lose, the perfect home...
Buying Join us this Weekend for Windermere’s Washington Waterfront Home Tour We’ve found the perfect way for you to kick off summer this year. On June 11 and 12, Windermere is sponsoring the second annual Washington Waterfront Home Tour. More than 95 homes throughout Washington are available for visitors to tour by boat, bike, or car. Properties are priced from $189,000 to $10.4 million.
Buying How to Find the Right Real Estate Agent for You! If you are buying or selling your home, you will want to find a real estate agent that you like and trust. Windermere agents, Marguerite Giguere and Anne Jones have some great tips on how to find a real estate agent, make sure they will fit your needs and set expectations.
Buying Practical Resolutions: Deciding to Sell (Part IV) Choosing to put your house on the market is rarely easy, but if you must sell to move onto the next phase of your life, then you want to make sure your house is purchase-ready to get the most out of your investment. Here are some tips for getting your house ready to sell and placing it on the market:
Buying Practical Resolutions: Preparing to Buy (Part III) If you are ready to make the move towards purchasing your first home or upgrading to a new home, there are some considerations you should keep in mind to make the process easier. The housing inventory is up in some markets with the start of the new year, giving you more options. Whether you are just starting to save for your future home or you are ready to start searching...