By Marilyn Kennedy Melia, CTW Features Buyers favor homes with green features, and are willing to pay more for them, studies find. But sellers whose energy bills are lower than their neighbors because they’ve made energy-saving improvements can miss out on a higher sales price, because...
Category: Finance
Preparing your at-home student for the new school year
posted by: UtLiving
August 25, 2023
Erik J. Martin, CTW Features With a new school year about to begin, it’s time to ask an important question, moms and dads: Does your elementary schooler, middle-schooler, or high schooler have the necessary real estate, furnishings and accessories to tackle homework and studying properly?...
Homebuyers keep their heads in the game
posted by: UtLiving
January 27, 2023
By Marilyn Kennedy Melia, CTW Features The housing market has slowed to a crawl, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of buyers out there. Like benched athletes who are hoping to be called into the game, buyers are looking to jump in when the...
Using rental payments to better your credit score
posted by: UtLiving
November 23, 2022
By Peter Miller, CTW Features Question: We are long-time renters but now want to buy. We spoke with a mortgage loan officer and were told that rental payments normally do not count toward credit scores. This is ridiculous. Rent is our biggest expense, and we pay...
By Marilyn Kennedy Melia, CTW Features These days, homeowners and renters face the same problem: a shortage of available, affordable places to buy or lease. The only answer, for both groups, is to stay put. “Over the last 12 months, renters with expiring leases chose...
How a recession will affect the housing market
posted by: UtLiving
August 10, 2022
By Erik J. Martin, CTW Features We’re hearing a lot more talk lately about a nationwide recession, a scary word to many that triggers memories of the Great Recession of 2007 to 2009, after the housing bubble burst and significant market corrections occurred. But just...
By Marilyn Kennedy Melia, CTW Features Back in early July of this year, mortgage rates were roughly double where they sat at the same point in 2021. But the path to today’s loftier level hasn’t been a straight ascent up. “Rates move when the financial...
Why rental rates are increasing and what to do about it
posted by: UtLiving
July 28, 2022
By Erik J Martin, CTW Features If you’re in the market to lease a rental, prepare to fork over more cabbage. That’s because all signs point to a less-affordable market for current and future tenants. According to Rent.com’s latest data, 95% of rental units are...
How have Investors impacted Utah’s housing shortage?
posted by: UtLiving
July 6, 2022
Several recent news stories have talked about the impact of real estate investors on the housing market. Of particular interest are findings from Harvard’s “State of the Nation’s Housing 2022” report, which show growth in investor purchases since the pandemic and a subsequent reduction in...
When you’re considering buying a fixer-upper
posted by: UtLiving
June 30, 2022
BY NANCY MATTIA, CTW FEATURES Buying a fixer-upper, which is a home needing repairs but is livable as is, could be one of the best decisions you’ll ever make—or one of the worst. On the upside, the purchase may allow you to have your dream...