Blog - Kara Brem

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Minimize and simplify your living space

Have you considered what it would feel like to let go of the “stuff” in your life and downsize? To remove all the excess items you’ve acquired over the years and really minimize? I recently did just that and I will tell you…it feels better than I ever imagined. Everything I own now fits in […]
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Renting vs. buying. What’s best for you?

The debate about whether it makes more financial sense to rent or buy has been raging for decades. Advocates of buying argue that when you pay rent you’re paying for someone else’s mortgage. When you buy, you are making an investment, which can significantly increase in value every year you live in the home. Supporters […]
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What’s Holding You Back From Buying?
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Slaying the Largest Homebuying Myths Today

Some Highlights: The average down payment for first-time homebuyers is only 6%! Mortgage interest rates have been on the decline since November! Hop in now to lock in a low rate! 88% of property managers raised their rents in the last 12 months! The average credit score on approved loans continues to fall across many […]

Uncategorized Minimize and simplify your living space Have you considered what it would feel like to let go of the “stuff” in your life and downsize? To remove all the excess items you’ve acquired over the years and really minimize? I recently did just that and I will tell you…it feels better than I ever imagined. Everything I own now fits in […]

Uncategorized Renting vs. buying. What’s best for you? The debate about whether it makes more financial sense to rent or buy has been raging for decades. Advocates of buying argue that when you pay rent you’re paying for someone else’s mortgage. When you buy, you are making an investment, which can significantly increase in value every year you live in the home. Supporters […]

Uncategorized What’s Holding You Back From Buying?

Uncategorized Slaying the Largest Homebuying Myths Today Some Highlights: The average down payment for first-time homebuyers is only 6%! Mortgage interest rates have been on the decline since November! Hop in now to lock in a low rate! 88% of property managers raised their rents in the last 12 months! The average credit score on approved loans continues to fall across many […]

Real Estate Are Low Interest Rates Here to Stay? Wednesday April 17th, 2019 Interest rates for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage have been on the decline since November, now reaching lows last seen in January 2018. According to Freddie Mac’s latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey, rates came in at 4.12% last week! This is great news for anyone who is planning on buying a home this spring! Freddie Mac had […]

Uncategorized 3 Graphs that Show What You Need to Know About Today’s Real Estate Market The Housing Market has been a hot-topic in the news lately. Depending on which media outlet you watch, it can start to be a bit confusing to understand what’s really going on with interest rates and home prices! The best way to show what’s really going on in today’s real estate market is to go […]

Uncategorized Dollar-Stretching Ideas for Couples Taking the Next Step Image courtesy of Pixabay Article courtesy of: Natalie Jones natalie_jones@homeownerbliss.info www.homeownerbliss.info Are you and your partner ready to cohabitate? Making that decision is often exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time. Thankfully, keeping a few dollar-stretching strategies in mind means outfitting your new place […]

Uncategorized What are the disadvantages of renting? Survey says…

Uncategorized You Do Not Need 20% Down to Buy a Home The largest obstacle renters face when planning to buy a home is saving for a down payment. This challenge is amplified by rising rents, which has eaten into the amount of money renters have leftover for savings each month after paying expenses. In combination with higher rents, survey after survey has shown that non-homeowners (renters […]

Uncategorized Tips for Moving Into a Smaller House as a Senior For many seniors, there comes a time when the expense and upkeep of a big home no longer seem realistic. All of your kids have moved out, and suddenly, your multi-bedroom house feels excessively large and empty. Plus, it may be difficult to keep up with mortgage payments if you’re expecting a lower […]

Uncategorized Tips for Downsizing Downsizing is both freeing and stressful. It’s never easy to pare down a lifetime of memories, and most of us tend to associate our belongings with events and the people we love. Here are some downsizing tips to help make sure you don’t make any mistakes, but pare down enough to happily move to a smaller home […]

Uncategorized Excited About Buying A Home This Year? Here’s What to Keep an Eye on As we kick off the new year, many families have made resolutions to enter the housing market in 2019. Whether you are thinking of finally ditching your landlord and buying your first home or selling your starter house to move into your forever home, there are two pieces of the real estate puzzle you need […]

Uncategorized Proof It’s NOT 2008 All Over Again Home sales numbers are leveling off, the rate of price appreciation has slowed to more historically normal averages, and inventory is finally increasing. We are headed into a more normal housing market. However, some are seeing these adjustments as red flags and are suggesting that we are headed back to the same challenges we experienced […]

Real Estate 75% of Renters Have Been Misinformed Recently, multiple headlines have been written asserting that homeownership is less affordable today than at any other time in the last decade. Though the headlines are accurate, they lack context and lead too many Americans to believe that they can’t partake in a major part of the American Dream – owning a home. In 2008, the […]

Uncategorized Still Think You Need 15-20% Down to Buy a Home? Think Again! According to a new study from Urban Institute, there are over 19 million millennials in 31 cities who are not only ready and willing to become homeowners, but are able to as well! Now that the largest generation since baby boomers has aged into prime homebuying age, there will no doubt be an uptick in the national homeownership […]

Real Estate Minimize and simplify your life. Are you ready? October 17, 2018 Written through real-life experience by: Kara Brem Have you considered what it would feel like to let go of the “stuff” in your life and downsize? To remove all the excess items you’ve acquired over the years and really minimize? I recently did just that and I will tell you…it feels […]

Uncategorized What Does the Future Hold for Home Prices? Home prices are at the top of everyone’s minds. Can they maintain their current pace of appreciation? Will rising mortgage rates negatively impact home values? Will the next economic slowdown cause prices to crash? Let’s try to answer these questions based on what has happened in the past as well as what we know about […]

Uncategorized Housing Market: Another Gigantic Difference Between 2008 and 2018 Some are attempting to compare the current housing market to the market leading up to the “boom and bust” that we experienced a decade ago. They look at price appreciation and conclude that we are on a similar trajectory, speeding toward another housing crisis. However, there is a major difference between the two markets. Last […]

Uncategorized 4 Reasons Why We Are Not Heading Toward Another Housing Bubble With home prices continuing to appreciate above historic levels, some are concerned that we may be heading for another housing ‘boom & bust.’ It is important to remember, however, that today’s market is quite different than the bubble market of twelve years ago. Here are four key metrics that will explain why: Home Prices Mortgage […]

Uncategorized Why Real Estate May Be A Big Winner in the Tax Cuts and Job Act On the surface it may look like the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is bad for real estate. The reduction in the deductibility of mortgage interest and the combined $10,000 cap on state and local tax (SALT) deductions for income, sales and property, along with the elimination of moving expense deductions would make a compelling […]