Where First-Time Home Buyers Can Save a Down Payment Fast

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Saving for a down payment is one of the biggest hurdles to homeownership. However, a new analysis from RealEstate.com, a Zillow Group brand, identifies 10 metros where first-time buyers may find it easier to save for their future home purchase, and 10 metros where it may be more difficult. Three Years or Less to Have 20%…

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Homeowners Can Pay Nearly $9,500 per Year in Hidden Costs, Zillow Finds

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Homeowners can expect to spend about $9,390 every year on costs associated with owning and caring for a home, according to an analysis by online real estate company Zillow and local services company Thumbtack. When it comes to buying a home, shoppers frequently focus on the sticker price or the monthly mortgage payments, but homeowners are also responsible…

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Mortgage Payments Require Largest Share of Income Since 2009, Zillow Finds

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The combination of rising rates and strong home value appreciation led to one of the largest recorded quarterly increases in the mortgage burden for homebuyers since the Great Recession, according to a new analysis from online real estate company Zillow. In the first quarter of 2018, the share of median income needed for monthly mortgage payments…

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The Power and Glory of Central Air Conditioning

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Buyers are willing to spend more for the comforts of a cooler home, according to new analysis from online real estate company Zillow. Zillow finds that homes with air conditioning sold for 2.5 percent more than homes without it, which is a premium of nearly $5,500 for the typical U.S. home. The premium for air conditioning is highest in San…

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Improve Your Home’s Water Usage

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Virginia-based HVAC, plumbing and electrical company Southern Trust Home Services is offering timely ways to reduce the new school year’s impact on homeowners’ water consumption – just as the new school year is set to begin. According to the EPA, the average family in the United States uses more than 300 gallons of water per day, and…

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U.S. Median Home Price Appreciation Decelerates

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U.S. single family homes and condos sold for a median price of $255,000 in the second quarter, up 6.3 percent from a year ago to a new all-time high but the slowest annual appreciation since Q2 2016, according to property database curator ATTOM Data Solutions. “Annual home price appreciation nationwide has now slowed for five consecutive quarters…

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Vacation Home Markets Have Yet to Regain Pre-Recession Values, Zillow Finds

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In places where vacation homes are most common, the housing crisis still shows a noticeable effect on the market, online real estate firm Zillow reports. Scattered across the country, vacation home markets experienced a steeper run up in home values during the housing bubble, but also a sharper fall. Vacation home markets gained 117 percent in value…

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U.S. Home Equity Lines Of Credit Increase, According to ATTOM Data Solutions

Americans are increasingly tapping their home equity, a new report from property database ATTOM Data Solutions finds. ATTOM Data Solutions has released its Q1 2018 U.S. Residential Property Loan Origination Report, which shows that more than 1.8 million (1,813,691) loans secured by residential property (1 to 4 units) were originated in Q1 2018, down 5…

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Fewer Homeowners Are Underwater on Their Mortgages

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More than a decade after the housing market collapsed, the recovery has passed another milestone. The share of homeowners who owe more than the value of their home is 9.1 percent, falling below 10 percent for the first time since the housing market fell, according to online real estate company Zillow. The typical U.S. home…

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