first time home buyers

The inventory of homes for sale is at an 11-year high. Interest rates are bizarrely low -- under 4.4% on a 30-year-fixed rate loan, at last report. One would think that buyers would be burning up the market, but many are finding it difficult to actually close the deal. Here are five reasons buyers...

The House of Representatives has passed a bill that will give first-time home buyers an additional three months -- until Sept. 30 -- to complete purchases of newly bought homes and secure a first-time home-buyer credit. The extended deadline only applies to those who signed purchase agreements by...

Struggling with your mortgage? Thinking of buying a house? June is national homeowners month and to mark the occasion, Fannie Mae today released a series of consumer guides to help people navigate the mortgage maze. The guides provide tips on buying a home, ways a housing counselor can help, and...

A lot of factors play into the decision to become a first-time home buyer. It takes confidence in the market, in the economy, and in your own financial strength as well as requiring good credit, a steady job -- and a down payment. Those down payments can range from 3% at the low-end (for FHA...

Everyone knows the basics of home staging, thanks to an endless stream of HGTV shows, news articles, and websites: de-clutter, clean, take down photos of your children, neutralize wall colors, and eliminate pet odors. But here's where it can get a little bit complicated: targeting the right market...

Just as "cash for clunkers" boosted auto sales, another federal program introduced this year aimed at first-time home buyers is driving home sales and helping to salvage the nation's beleaguered residential real-estate market. And if you want to get in on the action -- up to $8,000 worth -- you'd...

Part the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 is a tax credit for those buying a home for the first time. It's not exactly free money for you. Rather, it's a chance to get a $7,500 interest-free loan from Uncle Sam. And you get 15 years to pay it back. To be eligible, you must meet the...

According to one data collection group, sales volume of homes in California during September was up 65% over last year. That's a promising sign, although nothing to get too excited about just yet. California was hit very hard by the real estate bubble, probably in large part because of its sky-high...

Wells Fargo is offering up a guide for first time homebuyer's, which comes chock full of information and explanations of the many terms associated with getting your first mortgage. The guide is free but does require that you hand over your email address to Wells Fargo. It covers the rent or buy...