Matt Kennedy's Blog Posts

The Housing Market Split in 2. Which Side Is Your House On?Ask a couple people how the housing market is doing and you’ll probably get a couple different answers. That’s because right,

Remote Work Could Be Your Affordability AnswerFor most first-time buyers, the hardest part of buying a home is making the numbers work. You budget, you save, and the finish line still feels far.&

Everyone's been watching mortgage rates. But there's another trend buyers shouldn't overlook...Every fall, the housing market tends to shift. More homes hit the market. Asking prices often

Why Buyers Shouldn't Overlook a Fall MoveYou've been waiting for something to change before you buy. It just might not be the thing you expected…While everyone’s paying attention to

Think New Homes Cost More? Not Right Now.Most people think a newly built home costs more than an existing one. But right now, that’s actually backwards. Newly built homes are more affordable

Do you realize how much pull you have right now as a buyer?There are more sellers than buyers on the market right now. That means a lot of sellers know they’ll have to compromise a bit to get

Thinking About Tapping into Your 401(k) To Buy a Home? Read This First.Lately, headlines have floated an eye-catching idea about tapping into your 401(k) to cover a down payment on a home. Maybe you

Think every home on the market is out of reach? Not necessarily.More than 40% of sellers are dropping their asking price right now. And the median list price this July was the lowest for any July in

Sellers Are Cutting Prices To Meet Buyers Where They're AtYou're scrolling through listings on your phone and everything looks good until you see the price (or the estimated monthly payment). Then

Worried About a Housing Crash? The Numbers Tell a Calmer Story.A recent survey from Talker Research asked Americans to pick one word to describe how 2026 has felt so far. The winner? Stressful. And

Thinking about selling, but worried your deal could fall apart before closing? Here's some perspective.Most home sales still make it to the finish. And when one doesn't, the top reason is almost

Most Home Sales Close – Here’s How To Keep Yours on TrackFew things are as rattling as the thought of your home sale falling through at the last minute, right before closing. All that

One of the biggest stories in the housing market these past few years has been how much the supply of homes for sale has grown. It’s the #1 bright spot for buyers in this market. But you

One Number Could Change Everything About Your Next MoveWhen's the last time someone told you what your house is worth? Not what some online valuation tool guessed. Not what your neighbor's house

Higher Rates Could Actually Help Housing Supply – Here’s How.You may have heard the number of homes for sale isn’t growing like it was. And maybe that has you worried you won&rsquo

Own a house with room for multiple generations, with features like an in-law suite or a finished basement with a separate entrance? Buyers are looking for that right now.These houses tend to get 13%

The Kind of House Buyers Are Willing To Pay More ForThat spare room on the main floor. The finished basement with a kitchenette and its own entrance. The bonus room you've been using for storage.To

Want to know who's got the upper hand in today's housing market? One number tells you almost everything you need to know. It's the months' supply of homes for sale.If there's fewer than 4 months?

Who Has the Upper Hand in Today's Housing Market?Ask around and almost every homebuyer out there wants to know if there’s a way to get a better deal. And just about every seller wants to know

Here’s Why Mortgage Rates Are What They Are Right NowIf you're waiting for mortgage rates to fall a lot before you buy, you may be waiting a while. But before you get discouraged, there's a

The Case for Putting 20% Down on Your Next HomeIf you’re planning to buy your next home soon, you’ve probably heard the old rule about saving 20% for your down payment.The truth is, you

A lot of buyers are waiting because they think mortgage rates will drop dramatically.The problem? That's not what today's forecasts say is going to happen.Experts believe mortgage rates will

Thinking About Waiting for Lower Mortgage Rates? Read This First.Imagine waiting a year to buy a home, only to find mortgage rates haven't changed much. That may sound frustrating.But it's a real

Big Investors Are Backing Off and That’s Your OpeningFor years, a lot of would-be homebuyers have worried about the same thing. How do you compete with big investors who can swoop in, pay,

Stuck deciding between buying a home now and holding out for the “perfect” mortgage rate? The truth is, trying to time the market rarely works. Home prices, mortgage rates, and inflation

Here’s Where To Start if You’re Selling and Buying at the Same TimeIf you're a homeowner getting ready to move, one question usually comes first: should you buy your next home before you

71% of homeowners say their insurance costs have gone up over the past few years. And if you're buying a home, that's worth knowing – but it shouldn't scare you away from your plans. Yes,

Buying a Home? Here's What You Should Know About Home Insurance Costs.If buying a home is on your radar, you've probably been keeping an eye on mortgage rates and home prices. But don’t forget

Home Price Growth Slowed Down. That May Be Changing.After more than a year of headlines talking about how home prices are going to crash, the latest data shows that price growth may be starting to

Putting off selling because it feels like the market’s at a standstill and no one’s buying right now? Sure, the pace has cooled in some areas recently. But houses are still selling all

Selling a Luxury House? Here’s Why Now Is a Good TimeIf you own a luxury house, you're in a stronger spot than most sellers right now. While much of the market has cooled, the high-end tier

Sticker shock keeping you on the sidelines? Condos might help. The median condo sold for $380,000 in June, while the median single-family home went for $446,400. That's a gap of more than $66,000.

The House That Started It All Could Kickstart What's NextRemember how exciting it was to buy your first place? It felt like crossing a long-awaited finish line. It gave you a place to build your.

Priced Out? A Condo or Townhome Could Be Your Way In.Today's home prices have a lot of buyers – especially first-time buyers – wondering if there’s even anything out there that

Headlines highlighting rising foreclosures have a way of stirring up 2008 flashbacks. But the data says not to panic. We’re nowhere near what happened back then. In the first half of 2008,

More Homes, Better Prices: A Buyer’s SummerIf you’ve thought about buying a home in the past few years, you may have run into two frustrations: asking prices that kept climbing and too

One of the biggest seller myths floating around right now is that buyers have disappeared. The headlines certainly make it feel that way. But here's what the data actually says. More homes are going

14 Years Running: Why Real Estate Is Still America’s Favorite InvestmentQuick gut reaction. Which investment do Americans trust more than stocks, gold, savings accounts, and bonds? The answer

Think Nobody's Buying Homes Right Now? Think Again.If you've been thinking about selling, you've probably seen plenty of headlines suggesting buyers have just about disappeared. But there's a big

Worried about making the most from your sale in today’s market? Here's what to know. Homes sold with an agent go for $65,000 more, on average, than homes sold without one. Because maximizing

The “Take It or Leave It” Attitude Is Fading from the Market – What That Means for YouNegotiations are back. More buyers are asking for better deals, and more sellers are giving

Student Loans Are Back in the News. Don't Let It Put Your Homeownership Plans on Hold.Student loans are back in the spotlight. And whether you've been following the headlines closely or just

This may come as a surprise, but first-time buyers are making a bit of a comeback. Data shows first-time buyers made up 35% of everyone buying a home in May – their highest share of the market

What Buying or Selling a Home Gives Back to Your CommunityBuying or selling a home is a big financial decision. And right now, it feels even bigger. Inflation is high, costs are high, and you want

Down Payments Are Smaller Than They’ve Been Since 2021Saving for a down payment can feel like the hardest part of buying a home. And with affordability as tight as it’s been lately, it

The Housing Market Is Stronger Than You ThinkYou've probably heard plenty of doom and gloom about the housing market lately. High rates. Stretched budgets. Headlines that make buying or selling