Tag Archives: Equity

Home Prices Are Steeply Falling

How would you feel if you knew that your house was worth less now than it was eight years ago? If you live in Detroit or one of the other areas that have been the hardest hit by falling home prices, then this scenario could be reality. In truth, home prices fell their steepest rate ever since the Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller 20-city index has been keeping track of housing prices. The 10-city index, which has been keeping track of prices for 21 years, also showed the steepest decline in history. Overall, housing prices dropped 15.8 percent when compared to last … Continue reading →

Increase Your Kitchen’s Value for Under $100!

Improving your home makes a lot of sense. Your home is not only the place you live, but chances are, it is also your biggest investment. While you might think that economically this isn’t the best time to make home improvements, the fact is that you can increase the value of your home by spending just a few dollars. In fact, the following ideas will all cost you less than $100, while increasing your home’s value for much more than that. At that price, how could you not improve your home? Still not convinced? Consider that all of these ideas … Continue reading →

Home Week in Review: February 18 – 24

Another week has zipped right by, and I can’t believe how fast time is moving. I’ve always heard that as you get older time goes by faster, so if it’s whipping by like this, I must be getting really old… Here are this week’s articles at a glance, in case time went by a little too quick for you this week as well, and you didn’t have a chance to check them out: Of House and Home There is a big difference between a house (or any living structure) and a home. This is even more clear when people are … Continue reading →

4 Ways to Build Equity

Choosing what projects to do around your home can be tough. Usually, we set our projects up according to what we would like to see done, but sometimes doing it that way can cost you money. Whenever you are ready to approach a new project in your home, you should consider the impact on your home’s equity. Having your home worth more than you paid for it can benefit you in many ways. Not only would you be able to get more money from the sale of your home when it comes time to sell it, but you can also … Continue reading →

Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI)–What If Your Home Value Has Increased?

Most home buyers today are able to secure a mortgage loan with is little as 3-5 percent of the home value as a down payment. This has been a nice way for the average family to get into a home without waiting for years to save up the 20 percent down payments our parents had to scrimp and save years for in order to buy their first homes. One of the reasons lenders have been able to allow home buyers to secure loans with less then 20 percent down has been to add Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI). Loans secured after … Continue reading →