Luxe Austin Homes - homeowner

"What To Expect in Mortgage Rates and Savings Accounts in 2025"

Realtor.com writes, "With 2025 underway and with the presidential inauguration on the horizon, speculation is rife about the direction of interest rates.

Here are some of the main outlooks for where they might be headed:

Mortgage rates

Last week, the Freddie Mac rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage rose to 6.91%, its highest level since July.

But Realtor.com® economists predict that mortgage rates will take a tumble in 2025.

According to our 2025 Housing Forecast, we will see an average mortgage rate of 6.3% in 2025.

Home equity loans and HELOCs

Home equity loan and HELOC rates are also expected to fall.

Bankrate predicts that in 2025, the average home equity loan rate will go from 8.41% to 7.9%, and the average HELOC rate will…

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"TikTok Financial Hacks: Which Money-Saving Technique Is Best for Saving To Buy a House?"

Realtor.com writes, "The internet is bursting with financial tips, tricks, and trends. TikTok, specifically, has tons of financial advice, with users sharing their success stories and posting about their favorite budgeting methods.

If you’ve been wanting to buy a house, you might see these money tactics and wonder if they could help you finally save up for that down payment.

Read on to learn about the most popular TikTok budgeting methods and trends—and what the experts say about which of these could help you become a homeowner.

The Financial Independence, Retire Early (FIRE) method

The FIRE method is all about extreme savings and investment, with the goal of retiring early. The general idea has been around long before social media (FIRE…

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"How Long Does It Take To Buy a House?"

Realtor.com writes, "how long does it take to buy a house? While estimating a timeline for homebuying will depend on many variables, real estate experts estimate that the average time required is around four months.

This timeline is important for buyers to keep in mind for a variety of reasons. Many buyers might hope to time their home purchase with when their rental lease is up. Other buyers might want to pace their house hunt so that they are settled in their new home before the start of school. Still other buyers might also be home sellers who first need to close on the sale of their old house before they can buy their next house.

In short, homebuyers might need to fit their home search into any number of time-sensitive situations, so knowing…

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"What Is an Origination Fee, and How Much Does It Cost?"

Realtor.com writes, "in the seemingly never-ending mortgage lexicon of home buying and selling, one term in particular stands out as a source of confusion: the origination fee. What is an origination fee? It’s something every homeowner needs to understand. And the good news is that it’s not actually that complicated.

In basic terms, an origination fee—sometimes referred to as a discount fee—is money that a lender or bank charges a client to complete a loan transaction. An origination fee can encompass a variety of different fees added together, says Mark Ventrone, owner and broker with ABLEnding, based in California and Arizona. It can include underwriting fees, administrative fees, processing fees, discount fees (also known as points), and any…

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"What Is a Loan Modification? Can It Help Homeowners in Trouble?"

Realtor.com writes, "consider a loan modification a lifeline for homeowners in trouble. If you’ve been hit with financial hardships that hamper your ability to pay the mortgage, there are options other than foreclosure or selling your home. One is to get a loan modification, which is basically an agreement with your lender to change the terms of your loan.

Loans can be modified in various ways. For instance, the lender may lower the interest rate; extend the length of the loan; or allow a homeowner to skip payments until he’s found a new job, adding those missed payments to the principal to pay later. The terms all depend on the homeowner’s specific circumstances, but the goal is ultimately the same: to provide financial relief for homeowners who…

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How Owning a Home Builds Your Net Worth

Owning a home is a major financial milestone and an achievement to take pride in. One major reason: the equity you build as a homeowner gives your net worth a big boost. And with high inflation right now, the link between owning your home and building your wealth is especially important.

If you’re looking to increase your financial security, here’s why now could be a good time to start on your journey toward homeownership.

Owning a Home Is a Key Ingredient for Financial Success

A report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) details several homeownership trends, including a significant gap in net worth between homeowners and renters. It finds:

“. . . the net worth of a homeowner was about $300,000 while that of a…

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