Hal Bundrick at NerdWallet has some valuable advice on self-employed borrowers getting approved for a mortgage and buying a home. More, here.

 

Last week, the Internal Revenue Service increased the amount of deduction unmarried cohabitants of a home can claim. Tony Nitti, writing for Forbes, has a synopsis, here.

 

Ilyce Glink and Samuel J. Tamkin writing for The Washington Post, highly recommend taking your real estate agent’s advice to upgrade your home prior to selling. Read more, here.

 

The Washington Post reports on the increase in mortgage rates. Though there’s no immediate cause for concern, rates are expected to continue climbing. More, here.

 

With real estate prices at the highest they’ve ever been, getting into a house in certain markets can be a daunting task. Out of 130 metro areas analyzed in June, about one-third are at all-time highs for real estate prices. Money magazine has additional information, here.

 

Low housing supply is hindering home sales as we progress through summer. Mortgage application volume is down 11%, but still up 40% from a year ago. CNBC has a breakdown of the current state of things, here.

 

For many, computing mortgage numbers is confusing and unpleasant. Realtor.com has a short article simplifying the process, with helpful links, here.

 

Realtor.com has an article today on the best U.S. cities to invest in budget real estate. Included in the top-ten cities are: Jacksonville, FL, (At #1), Chicago, IL, Detroit, MI, and Phoenix, AZ. You can read the report, and see the remainder of the list, here.

 

The New York Times has a piece on buyers beating out competition on sought-after properties by buying in cash, then securing financing at a later date. Depleting your savings to secure a real estate deal is not a sound investment strategy in most cases, but the article is worth a look. More, here.

 

The NAR reported that existing home sales were up 1.1% in June to an annual rate of 5.57 million units, the highest level since early 2007. More, here.