If you're doing it right, the first step in your home-buying process will be talking with your lender. Your mortgage lender is the one who will be able to tell you whether or not you'll be able to buy and how much you'll be able to spend. In short, you …

Among all the indicators that can be used to gauge the health of the housing market, few are as good as new home construction. After all, home builders wouldn't be building homes if they didn't think there were interested buyers. So, when new home construction is rising, there's probably …

You can't always pick and choose when it's time to move. Maybe you found a job in another city or you have a growing family and need more space. Whatever the case, buying a home isn't something you necessarily do only when the deals are too good to pass up. …

New home sales data from the end of last year was delayed because of the government shutdown. But, the now released numbers contain an unexpected surprise. That's because sales of newly built single-family homes rose nearly 4 percent in December from the month before. The gains put 2018 totals 1.5 …

When a contract is signed to buy a house, that home's sale is considered pending. It isn't final until closing, which typically happens a few weeks later. However, since contract signings usually lead to final sales, they're a good way of measuring current buyer interest and an indicator of what …

To understand housing demand, it helps to break it down . For example, baby boomers – because they are older and more likely to be settled somewhere – are the least active in the market. Generation X, on the other hand, are in the prime of their professional life and, …

Fannie Mae's Economic and Strategic Research Group puts out a monthly outlook covering economic and housing conditions and their expectations for the coming months. According to their February forecast, home buyers may have something to look forward to as spring approaches. That's because, this year's real estate market looks to …

The real estate market tends to slow down in the fall and winter. Spring and summer are far more popular with home shoppers. But last fall, in addition to the normal seasonal slowdown, mortgage rate increases caused many potential home buyers to put a hold on any plans to purchase …

The fact that younger Americans these days are facing some financial challenges is well documented. Rent has increased and so has student loan debt. That can make saving money to buy a home difficult. So it shouldn't be too surprising to hear that there are an increasing number of young …

Choosing a home to buy is a pretty big decision. For the amount of money and time you'll end up investing, it wouldn't be smart to make it a hasty one. But depending on how competitive your market is, you also can't spend too much time deliberating over a particular …