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Author: Seth Pfaehler

Turning a House Into a Home: The Benefits You Can Actually Feel

There’s a lot of conversation about home prices, mortgage rates, and affordability right now – and those things are important. But if you’re thinking about buying a home, it’s worth remembering something the headlines rarely talk about: people don’t buy homes just for financial reasons. They buy them for their lives.

Because while homeownership can absolutely be a smart long-term financial move, it also comes with some emotional benefits spreadsheets just can’t capture. Maybe that’s why a 2025 survey from Fannie Mae notes:

“Consumers were twice as likely to mention lifestyle benefits (67%)—like security, customization, and outdoor space—than financial benefits (34%) when explaining why their homes have become more important in recent years.”

Here are a few reminders of what owning a home gives you that renting never will.

1. A Milestone You Get To Be Proud Of

Buying a home is a big deal. First home, fifth home – it doesn’t matter. It’s a moment you’ll remember. And when you finally get those keys and walk through the door, that feeling of “I did this” hits different. It’s not just a purchase. It’s an accomplishment.

2. A Place That Feels Like Your Reset Button

Life is busy. Having a place that’s truly yours where you can shut the door, take a breath, and settle into your own routine is something renters rarely talk about until they finally experience it. Home becomes the place you go to recharge, not just the place your mail is delivered.

3. Space That Fits the Way You Actually Live

Need a quiet corner for work calls? A backyard big enough for the dog that thinks it’s a person? A shorter drive to see the people who are most important to you? When you own, you get to choose a space that fits your life now and where it’s heading – and it just feels right.

4. Freedom To Make It 100% Yours

Want to paint the kitchen navy? Go for it. Thinking about a wall of floating shelves or a bold wallpaper moment? Do it. Need space for a home gym or a reading nook? Make it happen. Homeownership gives you the freedom to shape your space instead of asking for permission to change it.

Bottom Line

Buying a home isn’t only about dollars and data points – it’s about building a life you love.

So, if you’re thinking about a move in 2026, keep the emotional side in the conversation too. And when you’re ready to explore your options, reach out to a trusted local agent who can guide you through the process with clarity and confidence.

Your House Didn’t Sell. What Now?

When your house doesn’t sell, it does more than disrupt your plans, it hits close to home. You prepared for the next chapter. You told people you were moving. You pictured where you’d go next. And then nothing happened.

It’s normal to feel frustrated, confused, or even a little embarrassed. But here’s the part you have to remember: just because your house didn’t sell the first time, doesn’t mean it won’t sell.

And here’s what most agents won’t tell you. In most cases, the difference typically comes down to the strategy behind the sale, not the house itself. And there’s real data to back that up.

Research from REDX found over half (54%) of homeowners who re-list with a different agent end up selling their house. Re-list with the same agent? That stat drops to only 36%. You deserve better odds than that.

a pie chart with textSo, if your house didn’t sell, don’t stress. You’re not stuck. You may just need a different professional with a different approach.

Because, at the end of the day, maybe the problem wasn’t the market or your home. It was the strategy. 

Let’s break down what might’ve gone wrong – and how a fresh perspective can help you have a winning plan this time.

1. The Price Was Working Against You

A lot of sellers are aiming a bit too high these days, hoping to match the price their neighbor got during the 2021 frenzy. And that’s not working anymore.

Today’s buyers are being more selective. Even a slightly overpriced home will get overlooked today. And once your listing starts to go stale, it’s hard to regain momentum. The result? A widening gap between seller and buyer expectations (see graph below). That could be what cost you your sale.

The Fix: Get a fresh pricing analysis rooted in what’s happening right now in your neighborhood – not what happened in 2021. Sometimes even a small adjustment can bring the right buyers through the door. HousingWire reports many successful sellers only had to reduce their price by about 4% to get real traction. In the grand scheme of selling a home, it’s really not that much.

2. Your House Didn’t Show Well

You only get one shot at a first impression. If the listing photos didn’t pop, the house wasn’t staged well, or it wasn’t updated, most buyers today will skip over it without ever scheduling a showing. And even if buyers did pass through, small things like scuffed walls, outdated light fixtures, or a wobbly doorknob can turn them away.

The Fix: Let’s walk through your house with fresh eyes to see if there are any areas that may have been sticking points inside and out. Sometimes simple updates (new paint, updated lighting, fresh landscaping, or better listing photos) can completely change how buyers react. 

3. It Didn’t Get the Right Exposure

If your home didn’t sell, chances are it wasn’t getting the visibility it deserved. Generic flyers and a few online photos aren’t enough anymore. Today’s top agents are using highly targeted digital marketing, social media strategies, custom video content, and more to get your listing in front of the right buyers at the right time.

The Fix: We have to do more than just put your house online and hope it sells. With the right pricing, staging, and marketing, your house can still sell. It may even happen faster if you switch agents. Here’s a real-world example (see graph below):

4. You Weren’t Willing To Negotiate

In this market, flexibility matters. If you weren’t open to negotiating on repairs, closing costs, or other concessions, buyers may have walked, especially because many now expect at least some give-and-take. 

The Fix: Be willing to meet buyers where they are. The goal is to get the deal done – and sometimes that means getting creative to cross the finish line. Home values have increased by 48.5% over the last five years, so you likely have enough wiggle room to offer some perks without sacrificing your bottom line.

Bottom Line

If your house didn’t sell and your listing has expired, you’re not stuck. You just need a better plan. And maybe, a better partner.

Same house. Different strategy. Completely different results. 

If you’re ready to understand what held your sale back (and how to get it right this time) get a different agent’s perspective. A few strategic shifts could be all it takes to get your move back on track.

Headlines Have You Worried about Your Home’s Value? Read This.

Hearing talk about home prices falling? That may leave you worried about whether your house is losing value. But here’s what you need to know. While some local markets have seen small price dips this year, home prices are not falling nationally. So, don’t let the headlines scare you.

The vast majority of the country is actually seeing prices rise.

While that may feel surprising after the headlines you’ve seen, the map below uses year-over-year data from the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) to make that clear:

a map of the united statesLet’s break down what this really shows.

Most states are seeing prices rise (the blue in that map). Not fall. Now, the gains aren’t as big as they’ve been in recent years, but that’s okay. The story is still, prices are growing. And that positive majority is exactly why data from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) shows, nationally, home prices are up 2.1% compared to last year.

But the headlines don’t draw attention to this. They feed on the negative. But even that isn’t as bad as it sounds.

Yes, there are some states where homes have lost value over the past 12 months (the orange in the map above). That’s what all the chatter is drawing attention too. But here’s what the data really says.

The dips aren’t happening everywhere. And in the select states where prices are inching down, it’s slight. The range here is -0.1 to roughly -2%.

And those states are the ones where prices spiked too high, too fast during the pandemic housing boom. There was always going to be a come down period after that. Now, we’re in it. In those places, prices are leveling off. And that’s a sign of normalization, not collapse.

In plain terms: Home prices aren’t crashing. And this isn’t doom and gloom or the sign of broader trouble.

Most Homeowners Still Have Plenty of Value

Just to drive that point home, here’s one more thing to reassure you. Even in the few places where prices dipped slightly, most homeowners are still way ahead. Additional context from Zillow helps prove that point: 

  • Only about 4% of homes are worth less than what the owner originally paid.
  • And 96% of homes are still worth more than their homeowners paid for them.

But don’t just take their word for it, see for yourself. When you zoom out and look at how much home prices have grown over the past five years, it’s a lot easier to understand why so many homeowners are still in such great shape.

Nationally, prices are up almost 49% in the last 5 years alone, and just about everywhere saw double-digit price growth in that time frame. That’s why there’s no orange in this map (see below):

a map of the united statesThe truth is, across the board, homeowners are still sitting on substantial gains. So, the -0.1 to -2% declines some states are seeing now? That’s easily absorbed.

So, don’t let the headlines scare you. What’s happening with home prices this year varies a lot from one area to the next. But the takeaway is clear: a small dip in some areas doesn’t mean your home’s value is collapsing.

It means select local markets are correcting – and most of the time these are the ones that saw prices rise the most during the pandemic. You’re probably still in great shape.

Bottom Line

If you’re hearing talk about price drops or crashes, a closer look at the data can help put things in perspective. That’s only happening in some markets. Most of the nation is still seeing prices rise.

And for the vast majority of homeowners, the long-term gains far outweigh any recent softening.

If you want help understanding what’s happening in your local market, connect with a local real estate agent.

Is January the Best Time To Buy a Home?

You may not want to put your homebuying plans into hibernation mode this winter. While a lot of people assume spring is the ideal time to buy a house, new data shows January may actually be the best time of year for budget-conscious buyers. 

Kind of surprising, right? Here’s why January deserves a serious look.

1. Prices Tend To Be Lower This Time of Year

Lending Tree says January is the least expensive month to buy a home. And there’s something to that. January has historically offered one of the lowest price-per-square-foot points of the entire year. But the spring? That’s when demand (and prices) usually peak. And that’s not speculation – it’s a well-known trend based on years of market data.

a graph of a number of blue barsSo, how much less are we talking? Here’s a look at the numbers. According to the last full year of data, for the typical 1,500 square foot house, buyers who closed on their home in January paid around $23,000 less compared to those who bought in May. And that general trend typically holds true each year (see chart below):

a blue and white table with white textNow, your number is going to depend on the price, size, and type of the home you’re buying. But the trend is clear. For today’s buyers, it’s meaningful savings, especially when affordability is still tight for so many households.

2. Fewer Buyers and More Motivated Sellers 

And why do buyers typically save in the winter? It’s simple. Winter is one of the slowest times in the housing market each year. Both buyers and sellers tend to pull back, thinking it’s better to wait until spring. And that means:

  • You face less competition
  • You’re less likely to get into a multiple offer scenario
  • Sellers are more willing to negotiate (since there aren’t as many buyers)

With fewer buyers in the market, you can take your time browsing.

But winter doesn’t just thin out the pool of buyers, it also reveals which sellers truly need to sell. Because fewer people are house hunting during the colder months, sellers who really need to move tend to be more open to negotiating. As Realtor.com explains:

“Less competition means fewer bidding wars and more power to negotiate the extras that add up: closing cost credits, home warranties, even repair concessions. . . these concessions can end up knocking thousands of dollars off the price of a home.”

This can include everything from price cuts to covering closing costs, adjusting timelines, and more. It doesn’t mean you’ll automatically get discounts on every home. But it does mean you’re more likely to be taken seriously and given room to negotiate.

Should You Wait for Spring?

Here’s the real takeaway. When you remove the pressure and frenzy that comes with the busy spring season, it becomes much easier to get the home you want at a price that fits your budget.

But if you wait until spring, more buyers will be in the market. So, waiting could actually mean you spend more and you’d have to deal with more stress.

Now, only you can decide the right timing for your life, but don’t assume you should wait for warmer weather before you move.

Buying in January gives you: less competition, potentially lower prices, and more motivated sellers. And those are three perks you’re not going to see if you wait until spring.

Bottom Line

If you’ve been thinking about taking the next step, this season might give you more opportunity than you think.

Curious what buying in January could look like for you? Talk to a local agent who can help you take a closer look at your numbers and the homes that are available in your area.

Stay informed