Articles on Real Estate and Housing

How the subprime lending boom hurt everybody

Among the Wise Bread community, I get the sense that there's a kind of "pox on both their houses" attitude to the problems in the subprime mortgage markets. People who worked thro

Renting is cheaper

Everybody has seen a rent-versus-buy analysis. Here's a different way to look at it.

What's Faster for Mortgage Payoff: $100/Month Extra or 1 Payment/Year Extra?

Is it better to pay $100 per month extra on your mortgage or make an extra payment at the end of each year? It depends on your loan balance and interest rate.

Are You Ready for Home Ownership?

My husband and I just moved to the Great Northwest, and we batted around the idea of purchasing our first home. [more]

Dangerous neighborhoods are safer than commuting

Why do so few people live within walking--or at least bicycling--distance from where they work? I've asked a lot of people this question and gotten a lot of different answers. Some people want big houses, others big lawns. [more]

Home Details I Overlooked the First Time

If you're in the market for a new home (new to you or new period), make sure you aren't paying premium prices for so-so materials, and don't underestimate the expenses and headache

Speeding through your mortgage

Now that many of you have crunched the numbers for accelerating your mortgage payoff, I think you are ready for a quick lesson on speeding through your mortgage. Now, I am not sayi

DIY Mortgage Acceleration

Do-it-yourselfers who are weary of yet another trip to the home improvement store may like this DIY project. It has the possibilities of increasing home equity just as quickly as a bath remodel or new deck. [more]

How to Build Your Own Amortization Schedule

Looking for a dull, but financially eye-opening home project? Great! Today, we're going to build an amortization schedule. [more]

Prefab Fab - This ain't yer grandma's double-wide

Are prefabbed homes the wave of the future? Judging from some of the magazines that I receive (Sunset, Metropolitan Home), it sure looks like things are heading in that direction. [more]

20 Tips for Getting Your Security Deposit Back

Here are the tips I've garnered for how to rent well and get your money back.

Why you can't trust a real estate agent.

Surely a real estate agent would want to get you the very best price for your home. After all, they earn commission. The more they sell it for, the more they make, right? [more]

How to Avoid Foreclosure

What would you do if you were about to lose your home? What would you be willing to do to keep it? Is it even possible to keep it once you've missed a few payments? [more]

More Bang for Your Buck: Paint Me Frugal

Paul's post about DIY got me to thinking about all of the times that I wasted money on trying to improve my home. There have been many of these times, more than I care to share. [more]

The cost of a free ride - why not to use a buyer's agent

This little real estate agent secret could potentially save you thousands on your new home.