Jonathan Smoke
realtor.com
Washington, DC, United States
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Past articles by Jonathan:
Real, No-BS Advice for New College Grads: Buy a Home! Do It Soon!
It's graduation season! Here's some advice for those launching themselves into the real world, about real estate, wealth building, and, well, life. → Read More
Forget the Snow: Spring Has Sprung in the Nation's Housing Markets
Much of the country is looking at one more bite of winter, but for the residential real estate market, spring is already underway. → Read More
Here's a Better Way to Calculate the True Rent vs. Buy Costs
By popular demand, our chief economist returns to take a deeper dive into the math to clearly illustrate how owning a home produces wealth over time. → Read More
Here's a Better Way to Calculate the True Rent vs. Buy Costs
By popular demand, our chief economist returns to take a deeper dive into the math to clearly illustrate how owning a home produces wealth over time. → Read More
The Misleading Math Behind the Rent vs. Buy Calculation
Homeownership is a critical building block of household wealth, a fact that's obscured by the traditional comparison of renting and owning costs. → Read More
The Misleading Math Behind the Rent vs. Buy Calculation
Homeownership is a critical building block of household wealth, a fact that's obscured by the traditional comparison of renting and owning costs. → Read More
Attention First-Time Buyers: Here's the Key Stuff You Don't Know About Mortgages
When it comes to what might be the biggest purchase of your life, it’s nice to know real facts. A lot of mortgage "facts" are not what people think. → Read More
Attention First-Time Buyers: Here's the Key Stuff You Don't Know About Mortgages
When it comes to what might be the biggest purchase of your life, it’s nice to know real facts. A lot of mortgage "facts" are not what people think. → Read More
Our Economist’s 4 Bold February Predictions, From Interest Rates to Groundhog Shadows
Chief Economist Jonathan Smoke of realtor.com makes bold predictions for how critical upcoming events are likely to shape the spring buying season. → Read More
FHA Mortgage Insurance Price Cut Is Trumped: What Impact Will It Really Have?
The Trump administration's decision to roll back what may seem like a small fee reduction is not minor to the typical FHA borrower. → Read More
FHA Mortgage Insurance Price Cut Is Trumped: What Impact Will It Really Have?
The Trump administration's decision to roll back what may seem like a small fee reduction is not minor to the typical FHA borrower. → Read More
Think You Need to Save 20% for a Down Payment? Think Again
Saving for a down payment is often the biggest hurdle for first-time home buyers, but many don't realize that they don't actually need to put 20% down. → Read More
Forget What You Know: This Year, Sellers May Benefit From Listing Early
With housing inventory at multiyear lows and strong buyer demand in the off-season, sellers may want to put their home on the market as soon as possible. → Read More
Here's Your New Year's Resolution: Buy a Home Early in 2017
Two factors spell bad news for buyers in 2017: higher mortgage rates and lower inventory. If you want to buy a home in the new year, get an early start. → Read More
Fed's Rate Hike Confirms It: Time Is Running Out on Low Mortgage Rates
Now that the Fed has announced its planned rate hikes, we expect to see mortgage rates hit 5% by the end of 2017. But the journey likely won't be smooth. → Read More
Low Mortgage Rates Are Going, Going, Gone—Here’s What to Do
Rates are more likely to go up from here rather than down. That means potential buyers need to be working hard to secure the best rate possible. → Read More
Turkey Tunes: The Uncanny Real Estate Insights of Today’s Hot Music Tracks
Want to escape talking about politics at Thanksgiving dinner? Try real estate! Cue up our playlist of songs highlighting the market's key trends this fall. → Read More
Postelection Prescription: Stay Calm and Keep Buying Homes
From a housing economist's perspective, the prospects for the U.S. residential real estate market still look good after Tuesday's surprise election results. → Read More
Magic 8 Ball Alert: Housing Market Likely to Stay Strong for the Rest of 2016
The strong first half of the year for housing did not lose momentum in September, but the improving economy presents both opportunities and challenges. → Read More
Top Tips for the Coming Tsunami of First-Time Home Buyers
While first-time home buyers now represent over half of home shoppers, that doesn’t mean that all of them will be able to navigate the process successfully. → Read More