When it comes to selling your home, you want the entire process to be as quick and profitable as possible. And according to a recent study, there’s one thing you can do to make sure your home sells quickly and for the most money—listing it on the right day.

According to a recent study from Redfin, homes listed on Thursdays sell both faster and for more money than homes listed any other day of the week. But how much faster—and for how much more money? According to the study, homes listed on Thursdays typically went to contract five days faster than homes listed on Sundays (the day of the week homes sell the slowest) and, on average, sell for $3015 more than homes listed on Mondays (the worst day of the week to sell in terms of price advantage).


The Takeaway

If you’ve been thinking about listing your home, make sure you list it on a Thursday. Not only will the process likely be faster, but it will probably be more profitable as well. ...

Plenty of home sellers consider their places to be coveted properties that others would be lucky to own. But, that hubris can often lead to trouble when it comes to actually landing an offer and closing a sale.
First-time sellers in particular exhibit some self-sabotaging behaviors that can trip them up on the way getting the deal done. The following are the most common mistakes they make and how to avoid them.
1. Thinking they can go it alone

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Selling a home is not for the faint of heart, nor is it an easy DIY project. First-time home sellers quickly realize marketing and showing their property is a full-time job. Unless they’re experts in real estate contracts, appraisals, inspections, and other documentation, they can end up make costly errors. Fortunately, this is an easy one to fix: Hire a licensed agent.
2. Wanting to price it too high

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Homeowners may think they’re living in the perfect home, but pricing it too high will render it a white . ...

Your credit score plays a key role in the homebuying process. Having a high credit score can help you score a lower interest rate on your mortgage—which can save you tens of thousands of dollars over the course of your loan.
But if you have a less-than-perfect credit score, there’s no reason to panic! There are steps you can take to increase your credit score—and snag the lower interest rates that come along with it.
A recent article from Apartment Therapy outlined five key strategies to improving your credit score, including:

Paying your bills on time, all the time;
Keeping credit card balances low;
Auditing your credit report on a regular basis (and correcting any mistakes);
Limiting hard inquiries; and
Giving your score time to grow


The Takeaway:
Bottom line? If you make these five strategies a rule, your credit score will improve—and you’ll be able to save money on your mortgage as a result. ...

As a homeowner, you want to keep your home in tip-top shape—and that requires a certain level of upkeep.

But not all maintenance efforts are created equal—and some of your efforts can actually make problems worse instead of better.

In a recent article on Apartment Therapy, a panel of home inspectors shared the maintenance mistakes most homeowners make in an effort to fix their home, including:


Painting over water damage



Not changing the HVAC filter



Overlooking small cracks in the foundation



Improperly-installed air conditioning units



Lazy weatherstripping ...

If you’re getting ready to sell your home, it makes sense that you’d want to renovate and fix any lingering problems as a way to get top dollar for your home. But if you want your renovations to help your home sale—and not hurt it—you need to ensure you have the necessary permits.

According to a recent article from Redfin, there are a number of home renovation and improvement projects—including fence installations and repairs, window installations, plumbing and electrical work, structural changes, heating maintenance, and additions or remodels—that require a permit from the city government. When you obtain these permits, the changes and improvements you make to your home are inspected by the city to ensure they’re up to code. Once they’re approved, they are put on official record.

Why is this important? When you sell your home, both buyers and lenders will want to know that any changes, improvements, renovations, or modificatio ...