You don’t have to overpay for your first house

A typical first-time homebuyer pays thousands of dollars more than an experienced buyer would pay for the same house, according to research from two housing economists. First-time buyers overpaid an average of about $2,200, or 0.79%, for their homes, according to senior economist Jessica Shui and economist Shriya Murthy of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. […]

Market corrections an opportunity to buy bargains

The United States equity market experienced a sudden bout of volatility last week Monday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average logged its largest point decline, closing down just over 1 175 points, although it had briefly dropped nearly 1 600 points during the day. It was the index’s largest one-day percentage decline since August 2011. The ripples were […]

How much house can I afford?

Buying a home can be lots of fun. It’s exciting to see all those years of dreaming come to life in a place you can finally call your own. With so many possibilities at your fingertips, it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement before asking yourself the most important question of all: How […]

A florist’s advice for saving money on flowers

Shopping for Valentine’s Day flowers? We asked florists to share their tips. A flower’s beauty can be diminished by high prices and overwhelming options, especially around Valentine’s Day when prices tend to surge. Lovebirds spend an average of about $100-$120 for Valentine’s Day flowers these days, according to the Society of American Florists (SAF). The […]