National News

Real estate in brief: Dreamers, blockchain and more

HUD confirms ‘Dreamers’ are ineligible for FHA loans The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development confirmed for the first time that undocumented immigrants given temporary residence under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy (known as Dreamers) are

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These are the cities with the most construction permits issued last year

A new report by home remodeling website Fixr lists the top 20 metropolitan areas in the country for the number of construction permits filed in 2018. The list includes many “usual suspects” like New York, Los Angeles and Chicago—though

Confidence in the US housing market grows

Two recent measures of Americans’ confidence in the national housing market improved in the last month, showing that more homeowners as well as consumers are generally feeling more optimistic about this key segment of the U.S. economy. One of

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Home flipping is down, but still very profitable in certain cities

The practice of home flipping in the U.S. declining in strict numbers, even as it grows as a share of all home sales, according to a new report on the subject by ATTOM Data Solutions. The report looked at

Winners and losers of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act

A new report by John Burns Real Estate Consulting attempts to quantify and forecast the real estate impact of 2017’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and takes stock of some measurable aspects of the law’s effects about a year

Real estate in brief: Fannie and Freddie plans, LGBT house-hunting and more

Fannie, Freddie conservatorship plans in final stages Long-discussed plans to take Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac out of their government-controlled conservatorship status and return ownership to private shareholders may be nearly complete. The Wall Street Journal reported May 30

Home sales price behavior moderates as rates keep falling

A surge in demand for homes combined with a widespread shortage of supply caused home prices to surge beyond the reach of many buyers in the last year. Fortunately for prospective buyers and the U.S. housing market at large,

Why Atlanta is an elite luxury home market

It’s not easy to stay up-to-date on the latest in luxury real estate. The true trajectory and intensity of trends in this specialized market can be obscured by noise in the data when sample sizes or time frames are

3 indicators leading you into the summer market

It’s clear we’re in a transitional real estate market at the moment, but the destination isn’t quite as obvious. While this year has been notoriously difficult to predict in terms of home sales, there are three indicators that can

Real estate in brief: Flipping, remodeling and more

Ridesharing and house flipping: A perfect pair? Houses suitable for a flip can be in short supply these days, but services are sprouting up to find them using a unique business model. In a recent article, The Wall Street

The view from D.C.: top takeaways from NAR’s ‘Midyear’

While much of the buzz around the National Association of Realtors’ Legislative Meetings revolved around the fact that President Donald Trump would be the first sitting president to accept the organization’s invitation to address members in their annual pilgrimage to the

Real Estate in Brief: Tariffs hit remodeling, explaining REOs and more

Tariffs cause growing concern in remodeling industry The escalating trade dispute between the U.S. and China continues to make headlines. While the actual effects of the new tariffs introduced by both countries are myriad, they are having a discernible

Mirroring national trend, Atlanta home sales slip in April

Existing-home sales across the U.S. declined only marginally in April compared to the prior month [while picking up steam in the Chicago metro area,] according to the latest data from the National Association of Realtors. Nationally, existing-home sales finished April

Real Estate in Brief: Trump at NAR, Redfin-RE/MAX split and more

  President Trump to speak at NAR conference The National Association of Realtors announced in a May 12 press release that President Donald Trump would address attendees of its Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo in Washington, D.C. this week.

Redfin unveils latest move against buyer agent commissions

Redfin has been testing a pilot program that will allow homebuyers to make offers on homes listed on its platform without an agent representing them. The program, dubbed Redfin Direct, has been in testing phases in the Boston market since

Boosting the middle class through smarter housing policy

The American middle class is considered a crucial demographic in the political, economic and social sense. But defining who, or what, is middle-class has never been easy for experts or ordinary people. Most Americans consider themselves middle-class, even if

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