A: There are a few things to consider, including cost, individual needs, and what will add value down the road. Also important: your emotional attachment to the existing home.
As designer and builder Philip S. Wenz, the author of Adding to a House: Planning, Design & Construction, notes, an addition …

A: You can find out more about an existing property and neighborhood before you buy than you can a new home in a newly developed community.

When the home is on the outskirts of town, ask the developer about future access to public transit, entertainment venues, shopping centers, churches, …

The U.S. Census Bureau and HUD reported new home sales for August remained virtually unchanged from a revised July level at 373,000. The last two months set the highest levels in new home sales since the momentary bump provided by the home buyer tax credit in 2010. The current levels …

More great market news came through yesterday: According to S&P/Case-Shiller, in July, the average home price rose to the same level as those seen during summer 2003, when the housing boom first started its journey toward the 2006 peak. While this may not signify that we are currently standing on …

Home Sales are up!

The president of the Hilton Head Area Association of Realtors said median prices are up 34 percent in Spanish Wells Plantation and 19.5 percent in Wexford Plantation so far in 2012, compared to the same period last year. Prices for …

When it comes to buying a home, 25 percent of Americans would like to know who the next president will be before they would feel totally comfortable putting their money down, according to a recent poll conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of MortgageMarvel.com. Another 53 percent said the …

In the wake of Hurricane Isaac in Louisiana and Mississippi last month, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) is reminding its approved lenders to quickly release hazard insurance payments so struggling families can rebuild their homes.

FHA recently published a Mortgagee Letter to reinforce its existing policy requiring lenders …

FHA loans require mortgage insurance premium to cover a possible loss to the lender if the property has to be foreclosed and sold. The premium is substantial and eliminating the MIP would reduce the payment considerably.

The MIP must remain in effect for five years but after that, …

As the U.S. housing market reports a cautious rebound, genuine clay brick manufacturers continue to invest in progressive technology for sustainable exteriors in more textures and colors at a wider price range. Historically a provider of steady jobs, brick manufacturers continue to increase environmental efficiency with environmentally-friendly plants to offer …

In our last segment we started drilling into the cache of data available in the latest federal Consumer Complaint Survey Report (consumerfed.org), compiled by the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) and the North American Consumer Protection Investigators (NACPI).

Several of the top complaint categories involved homeowner, finance and mortgage …