Mortgage rates are still elevated making higher priced homes less affordable for many buyers.  Buyers are sitting back and waiting for better days, whether in terms of lower rates or lower prices.  Certain markets are still seeing strong demand from buyers and inventory of homes is slowly ticking up in many markets.  Check out the great real estate reads from August 2025 to keep up on your real estate knowledge.

Getting Ready for an Open House

An open house allows buyers to look at home with no pressure from their agent or from time commitments to get to another home based on a showing schedule.  As a seller making sure the home is in tip top condition prior to hosting an open house is important.  A home that is in poor condition, has odors that can throw off buyers and more can result in buyers running for the exits.  In this article by Paul Sian he provides some excellent tips to make sure one’s home is ready to go and presentable to any buyers who wants to see it.

Getting a VA Home Loan After Bankruptcy

Filing for a bankruptcy can be a setback for anyone wishing to buy a home.  Usually when filing for bankruptcy one’s credit score will take a hit and the bankruptcy will stay on one’s credit report for up to ten years.  In this article by Luke Skar he explores what options VA mortgage home buyers have for applying for a mortgage after a bankruptcy filing.  While a home buyer will have to wait to apply for a mortgage right after filing for bankruptcy the length of time to wait is not necessarily that long as Luke explores.

Home Workshop Design Ideas

Looking to build on a home workshop or convert a room into a workshop?  Then check out this article from Michelle Gibson which provides tips for building a home workshop.  In the article Michelle covers some important planning tips to make sure the workshop is setup in the best way possible.  Things like lighting, sound, dust control, layout and more are discussed.  Depending on the activities that will be performed in the workshop making sure everything is setup properly ahead of time will help prevent headaches down the line from having to make costly changes..

The Accidental Landlord

Sometimes for whatever reason a homeowner may not have been able to sell their house and rather than stay in the same house the owner decides to rent it out so they can move into a new home.  In this article titled From Homeowner to Landlord, by Joe Boylan he provides a handy interactive score tool to help homeowners decide whether they should sell or rent their home.  Being a landlord requires a change in mindset and a good understanding of the legalities of renting residential real estate as he explains.

Tips For Handling a Low Appraisal

A low appraisal does not have to mean walking away from a home purchase and/or sale as appraiser Tom Horn explains.  There are a number of options available to both the home seller and the home buyer in order to keep the deal on track.  This does involve negotiations between the seller, buyer and lender.  Tom also explores why an appraisal might come in low, how to avoid a low appraisal and what the buyer and seller need to do in order to keep the deal on track to close.

Student Debt Impact on Real Estate

As student loan repayments recently restarted in full and the rate of student loan repayment delinquency also jumped up quite a bit.  This will (and is starting to) put pressure on real estate.  Some homeowners with student loans that are now coming due are facing difficulty determining which bills to pay.  Those who may have wanted to buy a home now have less income to devote towards a monthly mortgage payment and have stepped away as a result.  This podcast from Green Chutes Podcast dives into the student loan repayment situation and the impacts real estate.

What other real estate articles and/or podcasts did you find to be informative?  Feel free to share in the comments section below.

Real Estate Roundup for August 2025 was provided by Greater Cincinnati Area Luxury Realtor Paul Sian of United Real Estate Home Connections. Paul is a licensed real estate agent in the states of Ohio and Kentucky and has over 20 years of experience. Do you have a home you are ready to sell now in Greater Cincinnati or Northern Kentucky? Be sure to contact me now!