The best time to sell your home in the U.S. is now

If you are selling a home in the U.S., you may wonder when to put it on the market and get the very best price.

The answer? The prime moment is now.

Specifically, this exact week (April 14-20) is optimal to sell a home nationwide, according to a new report from Realtor.com.?

By crunching a variety of factors including past price patterns along with the amount of inventory and buyer activity, researchers say this early spring sweet spot is the ideal time to strike.

Keep in mind that real estate trends are local, and there are plenty of headwinds, too.?

Here are a few tips for sellers trying to get the best price amid higher rates and other challenges.

In case you missed it, this story on Baby Boomers and why they aren’t moving out of their big homes is worth a read, too.

Bitcoin’s bumper rally

Could bitcoin's bumper rally just be getting started this year?

That's the question on the minds of cryptocurrency traders ahead of the upcoming bitcoin 'halving,' a change in the token's underlying blockchain technology that is designed to reduce the rate at which new bitcoins are created.

Previous bitcoin halvings in 2012, 2016 and 2020 were followed by massive rallies in its price: a year after the May 2020 bitcoin halving, bitcoin was up more than 545%.

What is ahead for cryptocurrency? Be sure to follow our Future of Money coverage here.

Money 101

I often say Consumer Education was one of the most useful classes I took in high school. And it was taught by the same person who ran my school’s Driver’s Education program!

I had no idea how unusual it was back then to learn about balancing a checkbook, compound interest and credit.

A few years ago, just eight states mandated financial education. Today, 25 states require some kind of financial literacy learning, which is a big improvement.

The top three things today’s high school students wish they knew about managing their finances are: how to become wealthy (43%), how to save money (40%), and how to avoid debt (37%), according to a new Intuit survey released to coincide with Financial Literacy Month.

The Intuit survey also finds that 85% of U.S. high school students say that they are interested in learning about financial topics in school, and 95% of students who currently receive financial curriculum say it is helpful.?

Incidentally, the top three financial terms students do not understand are “stocks/bonds” (53%), “401(k)/retirement” (45%) and “taxes” (28%).

The good news is that you don’t have to wait for a class – you can educate yourself with Intuit for Education. I’ve spent some time checking out the free, interactive financial literacy curriculum, which also includes lessons on entrepreneurship.

“The focus is not just on financial literacy but capability and confidence,” Dave Zasada, Intuit vice president of education and corporate responsibility, told me this week. You’ll delve into key terms and concepts, and the program empowers students to apply what they’ve learned.?

Some prime topics are budgeting, saving, investing, taxes, managing credit and even paying for college.

“It’s amazing how many kids who go to college sign up for student loan debt and have no idea what terms of loans are,” Zasada adds.?

Indeed. Speaking of higher education, be sure to read this story on why some colleges will cost more than $100,000 for the next academic year.

Changes at the checkout counter

Speaking of high school, did you know that I worked as a cashier at a fancy pharmacy during my junior and senior years? I especially loved chatting with customers and ringing up their sales. And maybe that explains why I enjoy using self-checkout machines at our local CVS.

But now technology is taking shopping to a new level – just walk out of the store and get charged for the purchase. (I’ll admit, this experience still feels odd to me.)

Amazon.com plans to push its cashierless shopping technology into more third-party stores this year. About 140 stores use the system, known as "Just Walk Out," which allows customers to scan an app to enter a store and leave with their items without paying at a register. Amazon will more than double that number this year.

Have you shopped at a cashierless store yet? What was your experience like??

Reuters Poll ??

In our last poll, we asked if you are sticking to your life and money goals for 2024. And props to the 43% of you who say you’re still on track to meet your game plan for the year. Interestingly, 30% of respondents say they don’t make annual resolutions.

Now, for this week’s poll: Do you find cashierless grocery markets convenient, or do you prefer traditional checkout lanes with cashiers? Take our poll here.

A$K Lauren

Send your personal finance questions to [email protected], and I'll tap my extensive source network and braintrust for expert advice.

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