jennyqi

In the latest Rent vs. Buy Report from Trulia, it was noted that homeownership remains cheaper than renting with a traditional 30-year fixed rate mortgage in the 100 largest metro areas in the United States.

The updated numbers show that the range is an average of 6.5% less expensive in San Jose (CA), all the way up to 50.1% less expensive in Detroit (MI), and 37.4% nationwide!

A study by GoBankingRates looked at the cost of renting vs. owning a home at the state level and concluded that in 39 states, it is actually ‘a little’ or ‘a lot’ cheaper to own (represented by the two shades of blue in the map below).

On of the main reasons that buying a home is cheaper than renting is the fact that interest rates are still at historical lows. The current average 30 year fixed mortgage rate is around 4%. In most states, interest rates would have to reach 9% for renting to be cheaper than buying.

If buying a home makes sense to you, let’s get together and find you your dream home.

Open houses work — a survey by the National Association of Realtors found that 92% of potential buyers find them useful. Keep in mind, however, that if an open house helps someone decide not to buy, that was useful to them too! So you have to get it right — and that means putting in a bit of preparation time. Here’s how to prep your home for a successful open house.

Staging

Just like a theater performance, you have to set the stage in your open house. As professional stager Alice T. Chan told HGTV, poorly staged homes can make people walk in, then walk straight back out again! Think about the likely demographics of your potential buyers, and stage your home with them in mind. Make your house homely, but not personal — removing family photos will make it easier for visitors to envision themselves as owners of the home.

Declutter ruthlessly until you have a minimalist style that a Scandinavian would be proud of. Fix or replace anything that’s broken or looks like it needs work, including furniture, curtains, and carpets, and give the walls a fresh coat of paint. You want people to think “Wow” when they walk into each room.

Get the Lighting Right

Use lighting to create a spacious, welcoming feel to your house. Open up all curtains and blinds fully to bring in as much natural light as possible. If any trees or bushes outside block the sun, you’ll need to trim them back. When you repaint your walls, choose a light shade. This will help make your house brighter, and make your rooms seem larger. Putting large mirrors in your rooms can also increase the effect.

Don’t neglect your light fixtures either. Trends change quickly in the fast-moving world of light fixtures, so they are often the first part of your home’s decor to look dated. If you’ve had yours for a few years, consider getting new ones.

Clean Your Home Thoroughly

Logically, dirt, dust and grime shouldn’t matter to a potential buyer — dust can be wiped, floors can be vacuumed, surfaces can be scrubbed — it’s the house that matters, right? Well maybe so, but selling a house isn’t about logic. You need to create an emotional connection between the home and the buyer, they have to imagine themselves living there. Most people don’t feel emotionally connected to dirt and grime.

If you feel you need it, hire some cleaners to give your house the professional treatment. A professional cleaner will get to places that you might miss, and if that little bit of extra sparkle and shine makes the difference, it’ll be worth the cost.

Pet Stains and Odors

Not only will pet stains put off your buyers, some people are allergic to dog or cat hair, so make sure you’ve cleaned up all pet stains and odors and vacuumed thoroughly. It’s also a good idea to consider keeping your pet with a friend during the open house.

For machine washable items like sheets and cushion covers, you can add baking soda to your regular detergent to help remove stains. Air drying outdoors will help remove odors. For carpets, you can use wet paper towels to soak up as much of the stain as possible. If the stain has set, you might need to rent a carpet cleaner — don’t use a steam cleaner as this will lock in the stain.

It can be time consuming and expensive, but think of prepping your home for your open house as an investment. Every dollar you spend on your home increases its value by an equivalent amount — and if that investment tips the scales and convinces someone to make an offer, it will pay off.

Photo: paulbr75

Author:Suzie Wilson

近一年的房屋价格走势

最新房屋市场分析

1.价格将继续上涨

CoreLogic最新的房屋价格指数显示，房价在过去12个月上涨6.6％。同时该报告预测，今后一年房屋的价格将继续以4.3％的速度增长。

房价已经从底部反弹。房屋价格今后几年将持续增长。

2.贷款利率预计会增加

房地美的主要房贷市场调查显示，30年期抵押贷款的利率在2017年在4.0％徘徊。大多数专家预测，利率将在未来12个月内上涨。房屋贷款银行协会，房利美，房地美，全国房地产经纪人协会等都预计到明年这个时候，利率将增加几乎一个完整的百分点。利率的提高会影响您每月的按揭付款。一年后，如果你要购买房屋的话，你的房屋贷款将会增加。

3无论是租房还是买房，你要支付贷款

有些租房者因为不愿贷款而不买房。但每个人都应该认识到，除非你和你的父母住在一起无租金，您实际上是正在支付贷款.

作为房屋所有者，您的贷款支付是一种“强制储蓄”形式，你是为以后做准备，你可以得益于你的房屋升值。而租房，你实际是为你的房东打工。

4.现在是时候购买自己的房屋

房子的“成本”取决于两个主要部分：房子价格和当前贷款利率。而两者都在上升。另外购买房屋的另外一个原因是拥有一个让你的孩子长大的好地方，你可以自主的对房屋进行改造。

威斯顿高中 | Weston High School

威斯顿高中是位于美国马萨诸塞州韦斯顿市的一所公立高中（9-12年级）。该高中位于波士顿以西12英里的郊区。2008年威斯顿高中在“美国新闻与世界报道”的公立高中排名为第60位。威斯顿高中为学生提供全面而多元化的课程。高级（AP）课程包括艺术，生物，微积分，统计学，计算机科学，英语，法语，西班牙语，汉语普通话，欧洲和美国历史和物理。学生每学期至少要学习5门“专业”，并可能包括精细和实用艺术，商业和家政学课程。高中还有多种多样的课外活动，其中包括田径，俱乐部，学生政府和社区服务项目。

威斯顿高中的设计非常科学，基本上是自然光线为主的。学校自助餐厅三面以及大部分楼梯间的正面都是落地窗。走廊和教室几乎完全可以通过自然光照亮。新的科学馆也有落地玻璃窗。学校大楼有一个大型健身房，图书馆，剧院和技术中心，舞蹈室，音乐室，礼堂，电脑实验室和多个教室组成。

学校的秋季体育项目包括：

足球（男子 + 女子），越野（男子 + 女子），排球（女子），高尔夫（男子），曲棍球（女子），赛艇（男子 + 女子）

学校的冬季体育项目包括：

篮球（男子 + 女子），室内田径（男子 + 女子），摔跤（男子），冰球（男子 + 女子），游泳（男子 + 女子），滑雪（男子 + 女子）

学校的春季体育项目包括：

曲棍球（男子 + 女子），棒球（男子），垒球（女子），田径（男子 + 女子），网球（男子 + 女子），赛艇（男子 + 女子）

威斯顿高中的学术一流。这里的许多教师都非常学识渊博要求严格。教师在教学过程中，对材料有深入的了解，对学生要求很高。

波士顿后湾(Back Bay)这里在19世纪曾经是一个海湾，后来这个海湾被填满，逐渐成了现在被称为Back Bay的地区。该地区有很多维多利亚风格的房屋。这里是波士顿重要的旅游景点，其中一些比较著名的有波士顿公共图书馆，普利广场(Copley Place)，保诚中心(Prudential Center)和约翰汉考克大厦(John Hancock Tower)，三一教堂(Trinity Church)（全国十大最好的建筑之一），沿纽伯里街购物区(Newbury Street)。

波士顿后湾(Back Bay)是波士顿两个最昂贵的住宅区之一。后湾(Back Bay)的中位房屋价值是983,200美元。后湾的房价在过去一年里上涨了11.1％，后湾每平方英尺的中位价格为1300美元，高于波士顿681美元的平均价格。目前在后湾上市的房屋中位价为2,100,500元，而售出的房屋中位价为1,050,000元。后湾的租金中位数是$ 3,000，高于波士顿的中位数$ 2,800。

 波士顿后湾(Back Bay)2017年房价走势

以下是周边地区的房屋中间价格

波士顿市中心(Downtown Boston)$ 970,000
湾村(Baby Village)$ 950,000
南区(South End)$ 760,000
笔架山(Beacon Hill)$ 705,000
东剑桥(East Cambridge)$ 653,000
芬威(Fenway)$ 460,000