It has been more than a year since the pandemic put the housing market briefly on pause for several months last spring. But real estate bounced back rather quickly. For more than 12 months now, low mortgage rates and the popularity of virtual work ignited by the pandemic have fueled a rapid increase in housing demand — espicially in lower-density suburbs. Despite uncertain economic times, there has been a booming residential housing market. More existing homes were sold in 2020 than in any year since 2006. Many seasoned veterans are curious to know how long will this boom last or will it eventually come crashing down like in 2008? So far, the housing market continues to be sizzling hot resulting in higher home prices and bidding wars for newly listed residences. The Federal Reserve is playing a key role to support the economy and housing market by keeping borrowing costs low for shorter-term loans. Amongst this chaos is the new home buyer. Less interested in the historic market and more excited to take their very first plunge into homeownership, the challenges to secure the right home, at the right price, in the right location is as daunting as ever. Scott Trench is the CEO and President of BiggerPockets. He has dedicated his career to helping ordinary Americans build wealth in part through real estate investing. Since joining BiggerPockets in 2014, Scott has authored the bestselling wealth-building book Set for Life and joined Mindy Jensen as co-host of the BiggerPockets Money Podcast. Mindy Jensen has been buying and selling houses for almost 20 years, both as an investor and as a real estate agent. She LOVES real estate and is most passionate about taking an outdated house and turning it into a beautiful, modern home. Mindy is the Community Manager for BiggerPockets.com, and the co-host of The BiggerPockets Money Podcast. Scott and Mindy’s book First Time Homebuyer: The Complete Playbook to Avoiding Rookie Mistakes hit the shelves last month.