News and Insights
Welcome to Mutual Security Credit Union's news and insights page where you'll find updates, tips, and tricks for your banking, borrowing, and financial planning needs.
If you've been planning to buy your first home this spring and spent years preparing for this purchase, you may be wondering if you should go through with your plans now that the coronavirus has had a negative impact on the economy.
Share
Younger homeowners more often say they rushed through the buying process and have regrets about their mortgage, likely resulting from the challenges young buyers face entering today's expensive housing market. Still, homeowners of all ages are, for the most part, happy with their home purchases, a recent Zillow survey shows.
Share
You'll get the latest credit union news and updates right to your inbox.
According to a new survey released by real estate site Zolo, North American home buyers view an average of 19 homes and spend an average of 124 hours to find a home.
Share
Fifty-six percent of buyers nationwide who purchased a home in the first quarter closed on the very first home they made an offer on, according to a report from real estate brokerage Redfin. This is up from 52 percent a year earlier, and is the highest first-offer success rate in three years.
Share
A home's listed features can have a significant impact on how much it sells for and how quickly it sells. Online real estate company Zillow's 2019 Home Features that Sell Analysis found that for-sale listings mentioning 'steam oven' or 'professional appliance' sold for up to 34 percent more than expected.
Share
First-time home buyers can expect an easier home shopping experience this spring, as market conditions shift in their favor, welcome news for buyers who have struggled to break into the market, according to a new report from online real estate company Zillow. Entry-level home values are growing at their slowest pace since mid-2016, giving first-time home shoppers a little more breathing room during the home search process, according to RealEstate.com's Entry-Level Market Report.
Share
Health & Wellness | Home-Buying
Spring Cleaning Time of Year As the timing for spring cleaning approaches, and the Marie Kondo movement continues to inspire people to clean out things they no longer use, a survey from OfferUp – a mobile marketplace for local buyers and sellers -- found that half of Americans plan to resell their gently used goods to support their income this year.
Share
At one point or another most of us have been told we need to have a 20-percent down payment when buying a home. But with high amounts of student debt and other financial responsibilities, I see a lot of first-time homebuyers struggling to save that much money. The good news is that if you find yourself in the position of wanting to buy a home and not being able to save 20-percent, there are other options to consider. To help you navigate to the mortgage type that best for you, I’ve pulled together the pros and cons of the most common alternative—an FHA loan—as well as two other solutions that don’t require a 20-percent down.
Share
2018 Most Profitable Time to Sell a Home in 12 Years In 2018 home sellers realized an average home price gain since purchase of $61,000, up from $50,000 last year and up from $39,500 two years ago in 2016 to the highest level since 2006 — a 12-year high, according to a new report from property database curator ATTOM Data Solutions. That $61,000 average home seller profit represented an average 32.6 percent return on investment compared to the original purchase price, up from 27.0 percent last year and up from 21.9 percent in 2016 to the highest average home seller ROI since 2006.
Share
Once you’ve established yourself as a homeowner, you might begin receiving information related to refinancing your home. And you may begin to wonder, what is refinancing and is it right for me? Simply stated, refinancing involves replacing your current mortgage with a new one that offers different rates and terms. The desired outcome is often to have more manageable monthly payments or to pay less interest over the lifetime of the loan. While reasons for refinancing vary, I typically find that homeowners only consider this when they see mortgage rates fall. And while lower rates are definitely something you want to look at, there are other times when refinancing can benefit you regardless of current rates.
Share