Forever Renting? Here’s What You Should Know As purchasing a home has become more expensive than ever before, many Americans are now considering themselves forever renters with no plans to enter the housing market. According to research from Apartment List, 18% of millennial renters believe they will rent for the rest of their lives, which has steadily increased since 2018. This shift… Read More
14 Affordable Housing Developments Making a Difference As the housing market has become increasingly expensive and inaccessible for both renters and buyers — affordable housing opportunities are more important than ever. Recent Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies data found 22.4 million renter households were spending more than 30% of their income on rent in 2022. That means half of the U.S.… Read More
6 Affordable Housing Resources You Should Know About In recent years, the United States has seen a vast increase in the demand for housing due to population growth, low interest rates and a strong economy. But according to a recent “State of the Nation Housing” report, those economic tailwinds also led to increased home prices, record rates of housing unaffordability and cost-burdened renters.… Read More
Purchasing Your First Home? Here’s What You Need to Know Buying a home is one of the biggest financial decisions you can make. While the process can seem intimidating, there are programs, resources and professionals ready to help you with the challenges of purchasing your first home. Here are some things to consider before buying and what you can expect from the process. Homeownership Can… Read More
You Paid Off Your Home: What’s Next? Paying off a home is a monumental financial and life achievement — but it’s not the end of the road for homeowners. While you may not have to worry about mortgage payments or losing your home for financial reasons, there are still factors to think about to ensure your home is working as hard for… Read More
Homeownership Made Possible: FirstBank Launches Empowering Homeownership Campaign FirstBank believes that everyone deserves more than a house, they deserve a place to truly call home. That’s why we’ve launched our Empowering Homeownership campaign featuring powerful stories from real customers. … Read More
Mortgages That Make Money We often think of homeownership expenses and rarely as something that can make us money, not in the future, but now. Today we’ll be looking at five ways that you can make your mortgage work for you. Find a roomie Renting out a spare room is one of the most common ways to earn income… Read More
How to Overcome the Biggest Obstacle to Homeownership Raising enough cash for a down payment is often the biggest hurdle for homebuyers. According to some estimates, it can take up to 15 years for people to save towards the purchase of a home, especially with conventional mortgages, which require anywhere between 5 to 20 percent down. If you’re trying to buy a $400,000… Read More
10 Budget Improvements to Sell Your Home Faster One of the big surprises of 2020 was the strength of the real estate market. Despite the pandemic, homes continued to sell quickly in many markets across the country. If you’re able to sell your home, now might be the best time to do so. We’re here to help get the most from your nest… Read More
8 Tips to Increase Your Home’s Equity If you’re like many homeowners, your house is the place where you can work, relax, eat and sleep, help your kids with their schoolwork and host your Zoom happy hours. But your home is also one of the best places for building wealth, and the way to do this is by increasing the equity you… Read More