Buyers Tips

Top-10 Tools for the First-Time Home Owner

Part of Courtney's stash of tools

A ladder and circular saw are two tools I needed when screening in this porch. Image: Courtney Craig for HouseLogic

Friday Five: As Market Heats Up, First-Time Buyers Have to Act Fast

Optimism grows around home ownership, though some first-timers struggle to compete in the housing market. Plus, two senators put forth a bill to encourage more refis.

A new bill offers important baby steps toward helping underwater home owners refinance their mortgages, first-time buyers compete for purchases as markets heat up, Americans are optimistic about housing, and housing starts to tick up. This and more in our Friday Five housing news roundup.

Friday Five: Home Ownership, Still the American Dream

Home ownership dream still alive and well despite some regulatory uncertainty in Congress, including the fate of a short sale tax break.

Five years after the housing bust, voters still embrace home ownership. Plus, the stigma of buying foreclosures fades as more people take advantage of low prices at a time when the mortgage rate is at an all-time low. This and more in our roundup of the week’s top housing headlines.