The Giff Group Blog

The 3 Factors That Affect Home Affordability If you’ve been following the housing market over the last couple of years, you’ve likely heard about growing affordability challenges. But according to experts, the key factors that determine housing affordability are projected to improve this year. Se...

Want To Sell Your House? Price It Right. Last year, the housing market slowed down in response to higher mortgage rates, and that had an impact on home prices. If you’re thinking of selling your house soon, that means you’ll want to adjust your expectations accordingly. As realtor.com explains: “...

Think Twice Before Waiting for 3% Mortgage Rates Last year, the Federal Reserve took action to try to bring down inflation. In response to those efforts, mortgage rates jumped up rapidly from the record lows we saw in 2021, peaking at just over 7% last October. Hopeful buyers experienced a hit to...

What Past Recessions Tell Us About the Housing Market It doesn’t matter if you’re someone who closely follows the economy or not, chances are you’ve heard whispers of an upcoming recession. Economic conditions are determined by a broad range of factors, so rather than explaining them each in dept...

Key Terms To Know When Buying a Home  Some Highlights Buying a home is a major transaction that can seem even more complex when you don’t understand the terms used throughout the process. If you’re looking to become a homeowner this year, it’s important to know these housing terms and how they re...

Is It Time To Sell Your Second Home? During the pandemic, second homes became popular because of the rise in work-from-home flexibility. That’s because owning a second home, especially in the luxury market, allowed those homeowners to spend more time in their favorite places or with different hom...

Today’s Housing Market Is Nothing Like 15 Years Ago There’s no doubt today’s housing market is very different than the frenzied one from the past couple of years. In the second half of 2022, there was a dramatic shift in real estate, and it caused many people to make comparisons to the 2008 housi...

The Truth About Negative Home Equity Headlines Home equity has been a hot topic in real estate news lately. And if you’ve been following along, you may have heard there’s a growing number of homeowners with negative equity. But don’t let those headlines scare you. In truth, the headlines don’t gi...

What Experts Are Saying About the 2023 Housing Market If you’re thinking about buying or selling a home soon, you probably want to know what you can expect from the housing market this year. In 2022, the market underwent a major shift as economic uncertainty and higher mortgage rates reduced buye...

Tips To Reach Your Homebuying Goals in 2023 Some Highlights If you’re planning to buy a home in 2023, here are a few things to focus on. Work on your credit and save for a down payment. If saving feels like a challenge, there’s help available. Then, get pre-approved, create a list of desired feat...