Northern Virginia Realtors Home Northern Virginia Association of Realtors®

Lynn Ettinger has written about real estate and business for more than two decades. Following a seasonal home maintenance checklist will prioritize your time and money, familiarize you with your home’s systems, and protect your investment. First-time home buyers in particular are seeking co-buying solutions to overcome home affordability hurdles. The iconic REALTOR® logo means that you’ve found a REALTOR® – a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of REALTORS®. LookForTheR.realtor (formerly content by HouseLogic) is a free source of information and tools from the NAR that you can use to help your clients make smart and timely decisions about their homes. All historical reports and data can be found in the REALTOR® Store.

Getting Started with HouseLogic

Listing realtors don’t sell apparently – buyers agents do (what a crock). What makes this most interesting is that in the past, real estate professionals have been reminded time and again that the Association is member centric, and finally that is no longer the case. HouseLogic seeks to be a Resource not found elsewhere on the web, helping consumers improve and maintain the value of their home, providing resources and cost savings in the process- the “Mint.com for homeowners”, says Jim Duncan. And because they don’t earn a paycheck from your loan selection, their advice about mortgages should be impartial. Let’s start with the most common type of mortgage, that workhorse of home loans — the fixed-rate mortgage.

Myth #9: New Home Construction Costs Much More Than Existing Homes

Some real estate and staging professionals say the blank slate look that’s been popular for a while may now be missing the mark. Wellness is becoming the latest buzzword in real estate. Here are ways to collaborate and use technology tools to get results in the current housing market.

Exploring the Available Tools and Content

• A score in the mid-700s or higher usually qualifies for the best rates, but buyers with lower credit scores still have options.
• Next, understand the types of loans out there.
• Plug in your home’s address, and an online estimate may give you a number for what your home is worth.

Visit our contact page — a real person reads every message. Whether you’re buying your first place or finishing your third basement, the goal is the same — decisions you won’t regret. If we haven’t done it, measured it, or priced it, we don’t write about it. We publish practical, experience-backed guides on buying, selling, remodeling, and maintaining homes.

In mortgage shopping, it’s also important to compare loan terms and understand that adjustable rates can rise significantly over time. A real estate professional can help you prioritize which projects are strong investments in your market. One of the top remodeling projects that can increase homeowners’ satisfaction with their home is new wood flooring, according to the NAR report. Painting the entire home or even one room is the most common project real estate agents recommend to make properties more marketable, according to the NAR report. Indeed, a closet renovation could offer an 83% return on the upfront cost at resale and is one of the top remodeling projects the NAR report identified.

Find IL real estate agents and Schaumburg real estate on ActiveRain. As Northern Virginia’s source of real estate knowledge, we serve the whole community. “It occurred because of risky subprime mortgages that appeared heavily in the market. In July 2025, 21% of homes sold for above asking price, and the average listing received 2.1 offers, according to the July 2025 REALTOR® Confidence Index, which is based on feedback from 1,500 real estate professionals.

• “You will pay the price if you don’t take the time to know fully who you’re working with.”
• You can also find out whether a contractor you’re considering has been certified by an industry organizations.
• Also, a heads-up — the date an FHA loan was issued affects the MIP.
• HouseLogic seeks to be a Resource not found elsewhere on the web, helping consumers improve and maintain the value of their home, providing resources and cost savings in the process- the “Mint.com for homeowners”, says Jim Duncan.
• The website is equipped with mechanisms to build not only membership for consumers, but also collect valuable data points on consumers just like any big media company, and without a doubt, it is a media company with a political arm, and it is clear and transparent about the effort in being a partner with consumers.

Whether readers are looking for solutions to buy, improve, maintain or sell, it is imperative understand the costs and rewards home renovations can have on a home and its value. By creating a family of digital products and tools that bring value to the homeownership journey.Capitalizing on HouseLogic’s namesake, ROI Genius is the first product in a family of products meant to empower homeowners and evolve how HouseLogic interacts with its readers. How do you expand the impact of HouseLogic’s expert advice and package it into an easy-to-use, easy-to-market and easy-to-monetize houselogic.com offering?

Home Maintenance Checklist for the First Year of Home Ownership – and Beyond

Ultimately, you’ll be working with your loan officer or broker to narrow these choices and find a loan that works for you and your finances. Only a select number of lenders offer USDA loans; here’s a list of USDA-approved lenders nationwide. Given the benefits, a VA loan is often the best mortgage option for people who qualify. A broad swath of people, including those with lower credit scores and income, use FHA loans. That depends on which government loan you’re looking at. If you’re not a first-time home buyer or you earn 80% or less than the median income in your area, the down payment requirement is 5%.

Today’s market looks very different from the one in 2008, Yun says. A preapproval letter signals to sellers that you’re a serious buyer, and it could help strengthen your offer. By comparison, financial experts often recommend households keep that share under 28% of gross monthly income to avoid becoming cost-burdened. That means the typical family spends 25.7% of their income on housing.

Whether you’re reading headlines or listening to opinions or news, checking the facts and the numbers behind them will separate facts from real estate myths and lead to more-sound real estate decisions. In addition to VA and USDA loans, many state-specific home-buying grants and first-time home buyer down payment programs are available, he says. Housing myths may leave you confused about what’s really happening in the real estate market.