That spare room on the main floor. The finished basement with a kitchenette and its own entrance. The bonus room you’ve been using for storage. To you, it’s extra space. But to a growing pool of buyers, it’s the reason they’d pick your house.

Ask around and almost every homebuyer out there wants to know if there’s a way to get a better deal. And just about every seller wants to know if they’ll still get top dollar.

If you’re waiting for mortgage rates to fall a lot before you buy, you may be waiting a while.

If you’re planning to buy your next home soon, you’ve probably heard the old rule about saving 20% for your down payment.

Imagine waiting a year to buy a home, only to find mortgage rates haven’t changed much. That may sound frustrating. But it’s a real possibility.

For years, a lot of would-be homebuyers have worried about the same thing. How do you compete with big investors who can swoop in, pay cash, and snap up the houses you want?