Buying a home for the first time can be complex and daunting, especially in a competitive housing market. A new book, “My First Home: A Step-by-Step Guide to Achieving the Ultimate American Dream,” aims to help first-time buyers navigate the process. Below are five tips from author Shashank Shekhar, a blogger, media source and radio

Figuring out when it’s not a good time to sell can be easy. You’ll obviously have less potential buyers when people tend to be out of the house or busy, such as during the Christmas season and middle of Summer. Most buyers also have less money to work with during these times due to money

In a study performed by a top real estate agency in the country, it was determined that homes that have been beautifully staged sold for approximately six percent above the asking price on average. Furthermore, the estimated time on the market was cut in half. In addition, approximately 81 percent of home buyers surveyed in

Unless you’ve never bought or sold a house before and have never looked at home listings or watched a single show about real estate (which is pretty hard these days), you have some semblance of an idea of how your home should look when you go to sell it. You probably also have a clue

As the tax deadline approaches, you should ask yourself or your tax preparer, “What can I claim on my taxes when it comes to tax breaks or deductions?” Because every tax return is different, there’s no easy answer to this complicated question; however, there’s a long list of tax deductions that can reduce your taxable

Ah, house hunting. It may technically be shopping, but it can feel more like breaking and entering. Even though you know the seller wants you there, does anyone really want you traipsing through their bedroom? Or looking through their closet? Or digging around in their basement? Awwwwkward. But here’s something that should feel weirder: buying

Make your home warm and inviting to boost your home’s value and speed up the sale process. The first step to getting buyers to make an offer on your home is to impress them with its appearance so they begin to envision themselves living there. Here are seven tips for making your home look bigger,

Take your kitchen and laundry room to the next level with these connected appliances, plus one app to bring them together. There’s more to a smart home than just thermostats and speakers, if you’re ready to make the plunge. From smart ovens and refrigerators to double-duty washer and dryers, the world of smart appliances is

Homebuyers this spring will meet out-of-this-world prices and unsparing competition—a real estate rush. According to Clear Capital’s recently released Home Data Index (HDI) Market Report, the national median days on market is 43 days, down from an 85-day stretch seen in January 2012. Days on market in Denver, Colo., Lincoln, Neb., and Raleigh, N.C., are

There are 3 percent fewer homes on the market than a year ago, with the median home value hitting its highest point since June 2007, according to Zillow’s February Real Estate Market Reports – U.S. home values rose 6.9 percent over the past year to a Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI) of $195,700 in February.