In May, existing home sales rose for the first time since March, according to the latest report from the National Association of Realtors.

Total existing home sales – completed transactions that include single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops – climbed 2.5% from April to a seasonally adjusted rate of 5.34 million in May. Sales were 1.1% below May 2018’s rate..

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Unlike your living room set, patio furniture  can’t just sit around looking good and feeling comfy. It has to stand up to the elements, from torrential downpours to bird deposits. Though materials can range from durable exotic hardwoods to delicate wickers , all patio furniture requires routine cleaning. Using the wrong products or techniques, however, could damage your outdoor tables, chairs, and lounges. Follow these guidelines to get the job done quickly and correctly.

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People have varying ambitions for their homes, and differences in taste. You might desire a Zen-inspired retreat, a gallery-like interior that showcases an art collection, or a pillowy palace full of soft surfaces. Each of these goals will require different types of objects, in different quantities. (If you have a partner or roommates, you will also need to work out these goals with them before you proceed. If you strongly disagree, think compromise.)

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Change is inevitable. People ask me all the time, "What do you think is going to change about our business in the next 25 years?" I believe that the digitization of content, interpersonal communication technology and automated transaction management will likely accelerate in the coming years. The widespread proliferation of artificial intelligence and predictive analytics will make what has happened in the real estate industry over the last 10 years look tame by comparison.

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The prepayment rate on first-lien U.S. mortgages rose 17% from March to 0.99%, bringing the three-month aggregate increase to 67%, the company said in its “First Look” report. Compared with the year-earlier month, April prepayments were up almost 18%.

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Mortgage credit availability  is the highest ever recorded for the spring market. Fixed rate for home loans are near 4% and wages are up.

Hmmmm. What can that mean for the spring selling season? Unless Americans don’t want to own houses anymore – and that hasn’t happened yet – it means this month’s data should look pretty good.

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 Buying a home is one of the biggest purchases you'll ever make, so there's no question that you should make an effort to spend your money wisely. That said, especially when you're unfamiliar with the process, it's easy to make mistakes that can have a big impact on your wallet. With that in mind, I asked agents to open up about the biggest money mistakes they've seen buyers make. Read them over so that you can avoid following in their footsteps.

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Earlier this week, we established  that first-time homebuyers are not, in fact, being shut out of the housing market as some had feared, thanks to a recent study by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

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