The Hidden Costs of Moving Up to a Bigger Home in Des Moines Nobody Tells You About

  QUICK ANSWER What are the hidden costs of moving up to a bigger home in Des Moines? Beyond the down payment and mortgage, Des Moines move-up buyers face transaction costs of $35,000–$43,000 on a typical combined sale and purchase, plus day-one costs at the new home of $15,000–$30,000 (window treat

Are We Overextending Ourselves Financially? How to Know If You Can Afford to Move Up in Des Moines

  QUICK ANSWER Can I afford to move up to a bigger home in Des Moines? Most dual-income families in Des Moines earning $150,000–$250,000 combined can comfortably afford the $475,000–$575,000 move-up market in Johnston, Ankeny, and Urbandale — especially after applying home equity toward the down pay

Will My Home Equity Be Enough to Move Up in Des Moines?

Why Move-Up Buyers in Des Moines Overestimate Their Equity Your Zillow estimate says your home is worth $340,000. You owe $195,000. You do the math: $145,000 in equity. That should be more than enough to move up to a 4-bedroom home in Johnston or Ankeny, right? This is the most common miscalculation

We've Been Thinking About Moving for Two Years. Here's What's Actually Holding You Back

I hear a version of this in almost every first conversation I have with a family. "We've been thinking about it for about two years now." Sometimes it's eighteen months. Sometimes it's three years. But the number is almost always longer than the family expected it to be when they first started havin