Expert Advice from Neil

The limited inventory of homes for sale in February meant home prices rose in most of the country. But fewer people could afford to buy, so fewer homes sold. Existing-home sales dropped 0.4% in February when the home sales pace slowed to its lowest level since July 2012, according to the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®. […]

A lack of houses for sale continued to lift home prices in much of the country, but also pushed down the number of existing homes sold in January, data from the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® shows. The weather wasn’t helping either. “Disruptive and prolonged winter weather patterns across the country are impacting a wide range

A USDA home loan program helping low- and moderate-income borrowers buy and refinance homes in rural areas got a boost in the recent farm bill signed into law by President Obama. The program had been threatened in 900 rural areas where populations have grown. But the law allows the status quo on population count to

There’s a different kind of cabin fever breaking out — the kind you catch when you’re stuck inside staring at your walls during a cold, wicked winter. When you realize you don’t have quite enough storage space. Or your kitchen is really dark and dingy. And your bathroom? Well, let’s not go there. There’s no

The number of homes under contract to sell measurably dropped in December, as abnormal weather kept buyers from venturing out to shop for homes in much of the U.S., according to the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®. NAR’s Pending-Home Sales Index fell 8.7% in December and is 8.8% below December 2012. The PHSI measures the number

You know that reducing VOCs (volatile organic compounds) can make your home healthier and kinder to the environment. Now LEED, a sustainable building standard, is taking a stance against yucky environmental pollutants by encouraging manufacturers to green up building materials. If you’re not in the know, LEED is all about building practices that keep human

U.S. home sales hit a seven-year high in 2013, rising to their highest levels since the peak of the housing boom, data from the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® shows. The median home price reached $197,100 in 2013, up 11.5% from 2012, NAR says. Sales of single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums, and co-ops increased 9.1% in 2013

Pending-home sales stabilized in November 2013 with a slight gain, inching up 0.2% to 101.7% in November from a downwardly revised 101.5% in October. But the index is 1.6% below November 2012 when it was 103.3%, according to the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®. The Pending-Home Sales Index measures the number of homes that are under

As a serial remodeler, I’m looking forward to spending part of my winter holiday curled up on the sofa planning the wonderful things I’m going to do to my home in 2014. If you’re also day-dreaming about your next home improvements, these ideas (plus some eye candy) from the experts at realtor.com can help you

The median U.S. home price continued to rise in November, but existing-home sales fell 4.3% due to rising interest rates, tight inventory, and tough mortgage lending standards. It was the first time in more than two years that sales were below year-ago levels, data from the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® shows. NAR Chief Economist Lawrence