Millennials made a big push to swipe up available properties during the pandemic. The relocation frenzy caused by the flexibility of work-from-home culture allowed many young renters to make the move to homeownership. Not to mention, interest rates reached historic lows long enough for first-time homebuyers to capitalize. The stars aligned for millennials, which kept inventory low and the market competitive. Unfortunately, many first-time homebuyers have been priced out of the market for several reasons. The door was opened for baby boomers to reclaim the throne as the largest generation of current home buyers.

If you're a first-time homebuyer or simply worry about being able to afford a down payment on a home, you're not alone. Reaching the suggested 20% down payment mark can be a tall task, and seem like an insurmountable obstacle to some. If you live in the St. Louis or St. Charles area, you no longer have to worry about finding enough money in your budget to put down a healthy down payment for a house you're interested in buying.

Can you go to an open house without an agent? Yes. But there are many implications to consider if you choose to tour a home without a licensed agent to represent your interests. 

There’s little doubt that COVID-19 has changed our lives significantly over the last days and weeks. There has been so much information released as a result of these unprecedented times that it’s been hard to keep up. To keep things clear, and to help you sift through all the information you’re getting, we wanted to provide a resource so you can better understand recent legislation enacted to help homeowners impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kicking off at the end of March, spring signals the start of homebuying season…at least it used to. As you know, the coronavirus pandemic has changed everything about this spring—including the real estate market.
 
The months of April through July traditionally account for more than 40% of all housing transactions. 2020 has been much different. This year's homebuying season started in January due to record low mortgage rates, low inventory and high demand. In fact, just prior to the pandemic, the housing market was hot—with sales at their best levels in over a decade and multiple offer situations part of the norm. 

“Title insurance.” Like “escrow,” “earnest money” and “amortization,” title insurance is one of those home buying terms you feel you should understand but probably don’t. But have no fear: we’re here to break down and explain this vital part of the homebuying process, and how it can help you fend off serious financial troubles down the road.

"Procuring cause" is a real estate term which agents, brokers and sometimes buyers use to determine who will receive the commission on a house sale. It is widely identified by the specific tasks performed by a real estate agent which lead to an accepted purchase contract and successful sale of real estate.  

In many cases, the "procuring cause" task could be identified as the first showing of a house by a real estate agent which a buyer purchases. "Procuring cause" could also be construed to mean the task of writing and negotiating the purchase offer. Since there is no hard and fast rule as to what specifically triggers "procuring cause", its easy to see how this situation can get tricky.

When it comes to title insurance, there can be a lot of information out there—and not all of it correct. Like much of the home-buying process, the title insurance process can often seem too technical or complicated to understand.